2009 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor Mike Trout ROOKIE AUTO 5/5 #BDPP89 BGS 9.5 GEM

There are very few people in the world who can understand what it is like to be Mike Trout. A superstar among superstars in Major League Baseball. A so-called once-in-a-generation talent reminiscent of Mickey Mantle. A player who even visiting fans pack the stands to watch. The pressure that would crush so many others seemingly rolls off Trout’s broad shoulders as he makes child’s play of his competition—stealing their hits in the outfield and smashing their pitches like a piñata. While his level of athletic finesse is out of reach for so many, so many also know exactly what it is like to be Mike Trout. Trout and his wife, Jessica, welcomed a baby boy on July 30, 2020, and as a family man, Trout must find a work-life balance just like millions of fathers across the world, and eventually, he will smile at that necktie that is boxed up for Father’s Day. On May 28, Trout was enjoying the day at home before suiting up for the Angels to face the Blue Jays that evening. With one hit and six strikeouts in his past three games, Trout was looking for a way to break out of the mini slump, and what better way to do that than slug a home run off your one-year-old child? That is what Trout did. In a video shared on social media, Trout blasted a pitch from his son, Beckham, into another room of the house, showing off a punishing one-handed swing and a triumphant bat flip. Later that night, Trout hit a go-ahead home run 414 feet to center field at Angel Stadium, and perhaps a new father-son tradition was born. Beckham later joined Trout at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, basking in the star-studded spotlight—likely another father-son tradition. PWCC has rolled out the red “cardpet” for collectors in this month’s Premier Auction as we proudly present Trout’s 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Red Refractor /5 Rookie Auto. In the aristocracy of modern baseball cards, there are few cards that hold more prestige than this BGS 9.5 Auto 10 example of one of Trout’s scarcest first-year autos. The Red Refractor set was seemingly designed with Trout’s card in mind, so much so that an art instructor might as well hang this card at the front of the class and head home the next time a lesson about color coordination is on the schedule. The vibrant red border interlocks perfectly with the uniform of the Arizona League Angels, and the same goes for the blue interior border and perfectly struck auto in conjunction with the seats at the ballpark. Topps created a chef-d’oeuvre with this card—even the most seasoned interior designers would envy these aesthetics. And like a museum exhibit's opening night, the industry’s stars will be out to catch a glimpse of this listing. And who knows? Maybe Trout himself will even show up for the bidding. Trout does not have a childhood collection from the late 1990s and early 2000s to pass along to his son, but now with almost 15 years’ worth of his own cards to pick from, Trout is building a collection that Beckham will someday inherit. “I didn’t really collect cards, but I’m starting to because I want to get a nice collection for my son,” Trout said in an interview during an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast in June. “When he gets a little older and understands what is going on, have a little package for him, a gift for him. I’m collecting a lot of Mike Trout cards—I’ve got a nice little binder for him.” It is a way for Trout to give back to the son that has already given him so much—Beckham Aaron Trout (B.A.T.) has baseball in his blood, and baseballs are almost certain to be on at least one of the Father’s Day ties the son eventually will pick out. That will be waiting for Trout the next time he needs a Windsor knot for an awards banquet, but in the meantime, one collector will put a bow tie around the winning bid to become the biggest star on PWCC’s red carpet.