Serial Numbered Cards 0309/2024 are His Focus
When Vincent Baran’s son, Brody, was born, he wanted to commemorate the special day.
Baran picked up as many different newspapers as possible from March 9, 2024. However, he wanted something else; he sought a unique way to honor his firstborn child. As a card collector, Baran stumbled upon an idea. In the 2024 Topps Baseball Series 1, 2, and Update sets, parallel cards numbered to 2024 with gold borders were designed for each base card. Baran noticed that every player has one card numbered 0309/2024. The Baseball Card Gods had spoken loud and clear to Baran; his collecting journey was determined.
Between the three Flagship sets, there are 1,050 cards—350 per release. That gives Baran plenty of opportunities to pick up as many “birthday cards” of his son as possible.
“I just like stuff that tells a story,” said Baran, who lives in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. “I just thought it was kind of cool. You see these parallel cards and the serial numbers, and I thought that was interesting. It just clicked once I started thinking about cool ideas that preserve, if you will, for my son.”
Baran started working on collecting the “birthday cards” in November. By mid-December, Baran had crossed seven cards off of the lengthy list: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Carson Spiers, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes, Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown, Reds infielder Tony Kemp, New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez, Cubs infielder Luis Vazquez, and “Skenes Gasses Up Grandal.”
Even though it’s early in the process, it’s proven to be challenging for Baran to find 0309/2024 cards. He noted that most eBay listings will mention a card is numbered out of 2024 in the description, but it won’t specify if it’s numbered 0309. That equates to extra legwork for Baran: messaging sellers for photos or specifically asking them for the card number.
“I’m buying anything and everything,” Baran said. “If it pops up with that number, I just click ‘Buy’ or send them a message and say I’m interested and would love to pick it up. I’m just trying to get as many as possible. I think it would be a cool display, or if it becomes too many cards, put it in some sort of binder. He can look at these cards when he’s older and say, ‘OK, these are cool. These are all the rookies from this year, and these are the stars from this year.’”
Baran has a ritual every morning and right before he goes to sleep at night: he reviews the day’s postings on eBay, other marketplaces, and numerous Facebook card groups. He spends an hour and a half to two hours daily on the project.
“My wife laughs at me because I’m sitting in bed or at lunch, whenever I can use my phone and go through all these listings because there are hundreds of listings every single day,” Baran said. “It’s a job in itself, but I think it will be rewarding.”
Keep Knocking Them Out
Baran believes that the toughest cards to acquire will be tracking down the top rookies from this year’s class, namely Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill, and Jackson Chourio.
Baran had a shot at landing Skenes’ 0309/2024 card, but he missed out on it and instantly regretted it.
It’s become a passion project for Baran, and he’s hoping when his son gets older, he will develop similar feelings.
“This could be a cool thing to bring him into the hobby, and hopefully, he’s into it when he gets a little older,” said Baran, a huge Cubs fan who started collecting cards in kindergarten. “It will kind of be a cool keepsake that he’ll be able to be like, OK, there’s this one year that this can work.”
Baran encourages collectors to contact him with cards from 2024 Topps Baseball Series 1, 2, or Update with the serial number 0309/2024. He’s on Instagram @Vince182 and email 309cards@gmail.com.
Baran knows this is a years-long project, and he’s OK with that. He’s in it for the duration.
“If I could knock it out in a month, I’d love to. I don’t know if the finances would allow that to happen or if people are willing to sell them,” Baran said. “I have a feeling there will be a bunch that end up in peoples’ collections that they may never see my posts or even realize what I’m trying to do or just won’t be willing to sell them.
“There might not be a deadline, and maybe my son will pick it up when he’s my age. We’ll keep trying and just not put any limit on it.”
