Heritage Auction wins
 

After reading Adams's great book, its hard for me to pass on Gehrig exhibits with the plain background and different colors. More good stuff going off tonight, as this was last nights win.

Cool Lou JC.

Got blown out of the water on the w600 Waddell and Cobb Fielding postcard.

Great Gehrig postcard.

Feeling fortunate to have won this.

http://i317.photobucket.com/albums/m...716_102728.jpg

I got the T206 Mordecai Cubs Shirt. High price but not unreasonable. But some of that stuff..... The Walter BL460! But at least it's one of a kind. I can't understand $252,000 for a PSA 3 Plank.

150 Planks are definitely worth a premium, but........wow

That price was insane!

So there were still high prices paid for graded cards.

I don't understand. I thought they were supposed to collapse and only idiots would continue buying graded cards.

Interesting.

No it won’t stop as I’ve commented before....PSA knows everyone is making money off their brand hand over fist...they’re not going to admit they let the hobby down..they’re keeping hush and hoping this will pass as it has many times in the past....PSA knows the ....AH’s, Dealers, EBay sellers, flippers, collectors and gamblers on Facebook Razz sites will pump their slabbed cards as gold. these guys need them more then PSA need them......why?? because they still have the registry people and kool aid drinkers on the CU message boards who have hundreds of thousands if not millions tied up in their holders. People are addicted to this stuff......this years National I predict will have longer lines and more sales then ever before. Watch the PSA both, people will still come back to them even after all this mess....you know how many guys in this industry have told me...I have to use them.... they sell better in their holders, I need them for the registry guys plus they make a lot of mistakes I might get a higher grade...that’s truth. I can’t see this mentality stopping....PSA is growing....I predict they’re going to blowout all their past revenue numbers this year as from previous years.

I just was being sarcastic.

I think it is laughable reading all the posts where the soothsayers are forecasting doom for the graded card market and how anyone who buys a graded card is an idiot.

If someone can afford to drop 252k on a trading card they aren't an idiot.

People love to collect and that isn't going to change.

I have been very active over the years on the CU board and the kool aide drinking you suggest I don't see. Surprisingly PSA has let a lot of negative posts be made.

That’s a good sign....hopefully acceptance and accountability on their behalf will be coming in the near future. If they accept responsibility, admit they let the hobby and industry down, take card of the people with bad cards in holders and finally come up with a viable solution to try their best to prevent this from happening any further I will be very pleased. That would be a step in the right direction for their Brand and Industry.....I’m hoping this happens.

If they remain silent.....that’s worrisome....

There is a new moderator and he has done a good job of letting people air their frustrations.

I am not convinced this is all a surprise to many when I see countless threads about the Dick Towle's of the world.

Just yesterday the PSA awards came out and the newest member of their hall of fame has 29,000 PSA graded cards. People are entrenched in the graded card market and this recent scandal isn't going to change the trend.

My Plank is a lot nicer than that one. So is Ryan's. I guess we made a bunch of money last night.

They’re entrenched in the MONEY Aspect of the graded card world. I agree with you, it’s not gonna change they trend.
If it gets hit hard temporarily I’ll use it as a buying advantage...long term will be fine.

Sounds exciting.

I don't think it is all about the money. You can have all of the money in the world and not be able to acquire certain cards.

This past week a 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 was offered for the first time publicly the auction stated in ten years. It sold for $396,000 which seems inline with expectations I would think. That said one could sit an hope for one to come up for years and nothing and this drives prices long term.

People like to collect and trading cards is just one avenue where this can be accomplished and as I said it isn't going to change because of this recent scandal.

The PSA sucks crowd has been around for a long time and are just enjoying being more vocal at the moment but in the end people want to own the cards and will continue to fork over the bucks.

if you have a 150 plank nicer than that one, kudos to you

I think the deciding factor on the Plank was the Factory 30, apparently someone placed a higher value on that.

150 Series are tough enough with the PSA pop report showing fourteen 350 Series cards and only three 150 Series, all Fact. 30. Oddly no Fact 25's are shown in the pop report. With a total of sixty-four Plank Sweet Caporal's graded forty-seven were graded prior to listing the series/factory, leaving the true factory rarities still to be determined. Researching the PSA Auction prices realized for the unlabeled Planks revealed eighteen of the unlabled forty-seven, all of which were either 350 series or 150 Fact. 30, with only one 150 Fact. 25, which might lead one to believe the Fact 25, is actually the scarcest of all possible backs on the T206 Plank(less the Piedmont). Reading old archives 10+ years old, many people were uncertain the Fact. 25 even existed.

Regardless, the 150's are still much rarer and more desirable.

Excited to finally get one of these.

You're going to spike the football at the end of the first quarter?

Do you believe that Brent and team should be convicted of fraud and jailed?
And that PWCC should be put out of business?
Do you believe that PSA is capable of detecting alterations to cards?
What about all the altered cards in numbered holders: should they be returned, refunded, and put in Authentic/Altered holders?
Or should they just freely reenter the market, and everyone should forget about the issue?

The FBI hasn't even pressed any charges yet. To say that all is well at this juncture is a little premature.

And yes, I realize I was being baited into answering. I still don't get your white knighting for a company that isn't honest. You trusting in the PSA message board guy and Steve Sloan is pretty humorous to me. If they were honest, they would NOTIFY THEIR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THIS FRAUD, AND WORK TO REMOVE THESE CARDS FROM THEIR HOLDERS.

I was actually one of the biggest PSA fans on this board, since I got back into collecting 5 years ago. Remember, "Never Get Cheated!"

Scott - here are pics of 59 different Planks:

http://t206resource.com/Plank-Gallery.html

If you feel like working up some factory numbers.

there you go thinking again, of course idiots continue to buy.:D

More morons per capita

almost like the stock market, just like the Messiah Brent Mastro said. :)

This.

The series 150 makes the card much more special. But holy crap, not THAT much more special in my opinion- but clearly I am wrong. I wanted this card badly. But once it got over $100k (it’s not a great looking example to be honest), I felt it got a little pricey. But then, POW, that sucker took off to heights that I never expected; reminds me of the type 2 W600 Wagner that sold a few months ago (for $100k more than the more desirable and higher graded type 1 sold for on Thursday). I just think sometimes people get caught up in the rush (seems that’s what happened with the Cobb red Hindu also, among others). I have been guilty of that - more times than I care to admit.

But the series 150 is not THAT rare (not like the Wajo BL 460), and this sale will likely draw a few out. And I will be waiting....!!

If there was going to be a serious hit it would be now.

When a company releases bad news the stock gaps down. It is doesn't trade down it literally gaps lower. There are times mid session where stocks accelerate lower but that is just an intisifying of the carnage.

When there were cracks in the market in 2008 auction driven products had failed auctions because of lack of buyers and clearly as the news flow is horrible right now buyers weren't absent.

Right or wrong my view point on markets is driven from a purely economic mindset and I understand the emotional view but one must try and look at the bigger picture and this game is far from over.

Without taking the time to compare each card(several of the same ones are shown in different holders(crossovers mostly), there appear to be 12 or 13 150 Series on the page, only one of which is a Fact. 25, all the rest are Fact 30. One other front only shown, is a Fact 25. when comparing the PSA serial number to known 150's.

Just with this quick viewing of a large number of the known Plank's it is very safe to conclude that the Sweet Cap 350 is the most common, the Sweet Cap 150 Fact 30, the next most often found and the Sweet Cap 150 Fact 25, a very, very scarce combo and the rarest by far. Actually might challenge the Piedmont Planks as being the most difficult, but the Piedmont will be more popular due to the markedly different back and mystery of it's production.

So...if a PSA 3 150 Series Fact. 30 is now bringing $250k+, what might an even rarer Fact 25 bring if brought to market?

You didn't answer any of my questions. And thinking that the baseball card market has the same speed of information that the stock market does, is foolhardy, IMO.
One of the guys I messaged with 13 trimmed cards outed on blowout responded back that he didn't know any of this was going on. That is where PSA and PWCC are failing. They claim to be proactive on informing customers and giving refunds, but it's all a joke. Subterfuge.

On the stair master killing it and will respond more later. Screen getting soaked from sweat.

Wimp. Go outside in that Florida heat and really sweat. :D

If you want rare back top HOF T206’s you either have to pay up or be ok with looking at it in someone else’s collection. When the PSA 2 Wagner sells for over 1.2M in Mile High this fall, and it will, we’ll all be saying the same thing until it sells for 1.5 the next time. Unfortunate perhaps but reality.

I agree with Scott it is a very scarce card and if 2 or more collectors want a 150 subset they need this card and dont know when another is coming up. And that is the formula for a new record sale.

The cards I have done the best on are the ones I thought I totally overpaid for. Big boy cards cost big boy $$, no doubt.

Peter, don't you dare suggest that; he might just do it and drop dead!

Dpeck100----keep killing it, my friend! Proud of ya.

Around here in northern Indiana, it's killer weather---triple digit heat index. I do most of my power-walking after midnight.:D Think Eric Clapton's classic!

We gotta train "uncomfortable" to feel comfortable the rest of the time.;)

--- Have a great weekend, guys. --- Brian Powell

Every card I buy now I think I overpay and just figure there will be someone as dumb as me to buy it down the road. Except the W600 Wagner on Thursday. After the previous sale I thought this one was reasonably priced.

Essentially everyone who is familiar with collecting Mickey Mantle cards knows the significance of a graded MINT 1953 Topps Mick. A masterpiece in every way, with a pop to prove it. Glad it brought a price commiserate with its splendor and stature, considering it was consigned before this latest uproar in the hobby. The opportunity to fight for a MINT '53 Topps is very seldom.

Back to my quote from your excellent post, the first card that came to my mind for a frustrated deep pocket Mickey Mantle baseball card warrior would be the unique, one of one 1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mantle graded MINT 9 by PSA. It's not in the news or hobby papers, few talk about it, and frankly, it's not on the radar of most collectors.

The key word is "most". A mint Stahl-Meyer Franks Mantle is all but impossible, and a worthy epitome of this highest echelon card conundrum, among a few others. I believe the last time that world-class king-sized gem transacted was in a SCD Mr. Mint Alan Rosen phone auction in Janurary, 1988. I can assure you the humbled owner has been loving it ever since.

--- Brian Powell

Congrats! Huge card.

Thank you!

I used to run in the crazy heat in Orlando 5.1 miles but just wasn't getting the results I wanted and my feet, ankles, and knees hurt all of the time. I did get heat stroke once and it was crazy seeing myself pee out brown urine in the shower. I don't think my body temperature got back to normal for close to two hours.

It wasn't long after that I switched to the stair master in the AC. No cardio delivers the results that it does. A 30 minute session on 85 steps a minute burns 407 calories and can get you ripped. I gave up on trying to be big and decided I wanted to look more like I did in my early 20's and it has been a great transition and I feel much better slimmed down.

The gym had a power outage a few weeks ago and I ran in the morning and was quickly reminded why I quit! Haha

Thanks Jeff.

First of all I wasn't singling you out but you obviously have been quite vocal. I have no problem with someone speaking their mind and standing up for what they believe in. The only thing you have done I think is over the top is contacting Steve Sloan and trying to demand how they should run their business. I would have blocked you too.

I am not going to convict someone without all of the facts. There has been great effort to bring to light problems in the hobby and I don't want to minimize that but to suggest we can figure out all that has taken place from message boards posts is ludicrous. I am someone that will wait for the case to play out and see what happens. If Brent was in bed with Moser and he is found guilty of this then he will face a stiff punishment either legally or business wise or both. Using verbiage from listings to assume he submitted the cards for Moser is jumping the gun in my opinion.

I have said repeatedly that I think there are obviously things being done to cards that third party grading firms can't detect. My opinion is that if they can't detect it and it leaves no residue than people must simply factor this in to their viewpoint of graded cards. I was shocked to learn when I got more into the hobby in 2010 that soaking was acceptable. Once collectors crossed the line to attempt to improve a cards appearance you are now in the grey area where interpretation comes into play. I don't collect vintage cards and I can't speak for those that do but I honestly don't believe this is a total surprise and I also wouldn't be surprised if some simply don't care and want to view the nicest looking card they can. I will let them decide.

I don't know what should happen to the cards. Obviously the Stan Musial is no longer in the pop report. Was it trimmed to get into the 9 holder? I don't know. Was color the only thing done to it to get it into the 10 holder? I don't know. I would say they should handle each card on a case by case basis.

PSA is a publicly traded company and they must be very careful on how they handle this. I don't know the moderator and just was making reference that they have allowed comments I would have thought would be deleted and to my knowledge I haven't seen one person banned in the past few months once this firestorm broke loose. As for Steve once again I don't know him either. I have emailed him twice on issues and he did his best to resolve them and so for that I am grateful but his hands are tied on this until they wrap their head around it. I think that is a perfectly acceptable response and what should be expected from the president of a division of a publicly traded company.

It is no secret I have a vested interest in PSA as does anyone who owns lots of cards they have graded. We are stake holders in that since so naturally I would prefer the market to continue and move forward. That said even if I didn't I truly believe it will.

The card market has gone through scandal after scandal after scandal. From the over production of cards pushed as get rich investments to the baseball strike to the steroid era to the 2 AM shows pumping worthless crap to massive amounts of forged autographs to bad cards being graded and yet people still collect. I just don't see that changing. So many people have so much wrapped up in their collections whether it be financial, time, passion, or part of their identity.

Years ago every time I would go out to a work dinner my cards would come up so the guys could pick on me and make fun of my stupid wrestling cards. I always said you can laugh all you want but you just watch these are going to go up in value and I will be the one laughing. During those conversations I would always say I collect the cheap stuff and while I fully expect it to rise in value significantly the real stuff is the Mantle's and Babe Ruth's and Honus Wagner cards. I vividly remember a discussion with some mutual fund managers and explaining to them the graded card market and saying that cards like this only go up over time. They disagreed as nothing does that. I said your wrong. These items have become status symbols and artifacts of American history and just like the Picasso's and other famous artists the trend is higher and will always be. I used the 3 million mark for the Mantle PSA 10 and now many benchmark it at 10 million. When you have cards that sell for seven figures you have a very mature market and I believe that this won't put a dent in it.

I could be wrong. I just don't think I will be.

Major congrats! That’s a whale of a card. I also thought that compared to previous it was a reasonable price.

For those who hv good eyes, can u tell me which Plank on t206resource site has 150 factory 25 back? I hv no idea how u guys can see that small?! I can barely tell which ones are 150s. LOL thank u!

Fair enough. I just think that PSA is delaying the inevitable by not contacting those with outed cards (and others in the submissions). Whether that is cool with the Securities and Exchange Commission, I have no idea.

Many of the ideas I sent to Steve were implemented; did he or his other advisers come up with the same ideas before me? I don't know. I am disappointed he never disavowed publicly Brent's "Marketplace Tenets." Steve asked for people to email him when he took over the reins on how to improve their service and business: I took him up on that.

I don't want to see them go out of business, but I do want them to fess up for their part in this whole mess. They already own the fiscal liability via their Grade Guarantee; can't see why they aren't willing to take their lumps and move on. Don't take their lumps, this gets rehashed weekly til the end of time.

Honest Joe O is still using the "Never Get Cheated" tagline at the bottom of his articles, despite continuing to allow card doctors to submit through them for 15 years. That just smacks of "this will all go away if we ignore it...", don't put it on our website or email list or contact our stakeholders (registry set collectors and investors). Completely disingenuous to me.

The scans are very blurry, i found it by looking at the end of the factory line, Fact 25 is VA Fact 30 is NY. It's #30 photo copied here. It is a bit clearer on their site

W600 Wagner
 

I strongly echo Jeff’s sentiment - you got one SUPER DEAL on getting that Type 1 Wagner for &180K! It’s his TRUE ROOKIE, there are only 3 Type 1s known and the eye appeal is outstanding! Sincere congrats on a world-class pickup!

Joe T.

Wow, that is amazing. Take it from someone who used to be a runner---if you miss a day, it's ok. As I tell someone now and then, I'm no longer training for the Illinois high school state cross country meet. Still, being 65 now, I gotta "keep at it", or else .....

I never did get the hang of the stair master, but I learned quickly that thing will put bushy hair on your chest; it's NOT for the faint of heart. Again, very proud of you, bro!

All the best, Brian Powell

On T206Resource, reference number is 30 has a Factory 25 back.


Also, I won a few T210 commons in Heritage on Thursday.

Cheers,
Steve

I'm trying to upload a good scan now... The board just doesn't like the file sizes...

I own this Plank, and it's gorgeous in person.

Steve, I thought your's was a 25, didn't realize it was the one on T206 website. It is much nicer in person. On all of the 150's the blue is much bolder, mine is a 25 as well.

I'll get back on topic as well I won the W600 Dunkle, probably his only card and his only W600 to exist.

Wow Steve and Scott- very special cards. I am sure you guys are very pleased with the result of last night’s “relatively common” factory 30.

I too am having trouble loading images, but I walked with the Greminger Brown Old Mill overstrike, the Marquard and Smith Brown Lenox (still don’t know plural), the Tinker bat off AB 460, and a Chance portrait (yellow) Cycle 350.

Great auction. I can’t wait for next round.

Here's mine, its #47 on the T206 page.

Very nice Plank, Scott -- and congrats on the W600 pickup as well!