Baby Boom: Bidding Explodes for Couple’s Barry Sanders-Walter Payton Autograph
Todd and Ula Nelkin are already nearly half-way to their goal of raising $20,000 through the sale of a 1999 Donruss Elite Passing the Torch Barry Sanders-Walter Payton dual autograph. The couple is using the proceeds from the sale to pay for in vitro fertilization in hopes that they will be able to have a child.
Bidding for the card began on October 22. It's now over $9,000 with nearly a week left. The auction closes on November 1 at about 5:30PM PST.
Barry Sanders is also helping out the Nelkins. He's donating an autographed Detroit Lions helmet that can be personalized. It is being sold in a separate auction. Bidding for the helmet has risen to more than $500.
The card is graded a Pristine 10 by BGS. All of the subgrades are 10 except for the surface, which received a 9.5. It is serial numbered 0011/1500, however only the first 100 were autographed.
Todd Nelkin, a Texas card shop owner, discussed his story on the October 5th edition of Cardboard Connection Radio. During the interview, he talks about how this is likely the last shot he and his wife have at having a baby. The story was first reported by Kyrie O'Connor of the Houston Chronicle. Since then, the story has gone international, with the Associated Press picking up on it earlier this week.
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Sports Card Blog | Oct 26, 2012 | Reply
A great story and great work done by you guys to get it out there originally.
Sports Card Blog | Oct 26, 2012 | Reply
Well before it blew up, I mean.