Am I right to be annoyed about how this auction I won was described?

[Topnotchsy]

Hey all, was hoping to get some opinions.

I recently purchased this lot of lineup cards from Goldin Auctions: "1985-1990 Los Angeles Dodgers Line-Up Cards - Over 275+ With Many Signed, from the Tommy Lasorda Collection"

Description in lot: "Offered here is an expansive lot of more than 275 Los Angeles Dodgers lineup cards used from 1985 to 1990. These lineup cards come from the Tommy Lasorda Collection. Many of them have been signed, including ones signed by Whitey Herzog, Chuck Tanner, Tom Lasorda, Hal Lanier, Gene Michael, Bob Lillis, Pete Rose, Jim Frey, Bobby Wine, Jim Davenport, Roger Craig, Art Howe, Davey Johnson, and more. This stunning lot of lineup cards is a thrilling treasure trove from the Tommy Lasorda era of Los Angeles baseball."

In buying the lot I knew that the vast majority of the lineup cards would have very little value, but was counting on 2 things:

• In 1988 the Dodgers won the World Series, so there should be some lineups from that season
• In 1986 the Mets won the World Series and I figured there should be at least a handful from games they played each other
• In the NL from 1985-1988 there were some pretty significant rookies including Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux etc. and lineup cards from rookie seasons of players tend to have some decent value
• The lot mentioned signed lineup cards from a number of managers from the era

I got the lot in the mail today and started sorting through the lineups. I was pretty unpleasantly surprised to find that 95%+ of the lineups were from 1989-1990. There was not a single Dodgers lineup card from 1988, and just a small handful of lineup cards from 1985-1988. Further, almost all of the "signed" lineups are carbon copies.

Am I right to be disappointed?

[bnorth]

You received pretty much what should be expected from an auction house. Unless they went out of their way to list some from big games the lot will be just a bunch of items with no value.

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by bnorth

You received pretty much what should be expected from an auction house. Unless they went out of their way to list some from big games the lot will be just a bunch of items with no value.

Wasn't expecting any "big games" but doesn't it seem reasonable to expect that a listing that says 1985-1990 should at least have some Dodgers lineup cards from 1988, and there would be some semblance of an even distribution across different years?

[Fred]

Perhaps the description could have been a little more realistic and indicated that most were from 1989-1990 rather than a distribution of 1986-1990. If the description indicated a distribution of 1986-1990 then one might assume that there would be an even distribution (or close to even) for the years indicated. Seems like you made that assumption.

[jcmtiger]

Maybe should have asked for more info before bidding?

[WillowGrove]

Jeff Im sorry but i dont think you can assume you'd get, for example, 1988 Dodgers. I see that often with auction lots, if there's one t206 and most from the 1950s, the description could say 1910-1959.

However I do not think it's right that they said 'many signed', when in fact they're not signed. That is their mistake.

And personally, sorry you're disappointed Jeff. Never fun.

[Shoeless Moe]

and not to hijack, but sometimes someone doesn't do their research and you benefit.

Just arrived today......Merry Christmas to me!!!!!

In a lot that I was the only bidder for a bunch of tickets for around $80 was a Hank Aaron Debut, 1st game, Ticket.

Just Googled it and found its worth 2K

https://catalog.scpauctions.com/bids...e?itemid=42418

[Topnotchsy]

Thanks for the responses guys.

WillowGrove - That is an interesting point. I had not considered the way things get listed. I'm not sure it is exactly the same, but I definitely hear the point.

As others have mentioned, I definitely should have asked a question in advance, that is my bad.

Lesson learned. I need to be more careful before bidding.

Thank guys.

If anyone is looking for a nice game-used lineup card signed by Tommy Lasorda for cheap, let me know. I have quite a few

[perezfan]

I think the biggest injustice is the fact that the AH claimed all were "signed" by the respective Managers. If they are indeed mostly carbon copies, that is a huge oversight and/or misrepresentation.

Was it stated anywhere that the vast majority were carbon copies? If not, I would definitely address it with the AH (and push for some sort of recourse).

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by perezfan

I think the biggest injustice is the fact that the AH claimed all were "signed" by the respective Managers. If they are indeed mostly carbon copies, that is a huge oversight and/or misrepresentation.

Was it stated anywhere that the vast majority were carbon copies? If not, I would definitely address it with the AH (and push for some sort of recourse).

Different managers had different practices (some kept the top copy themselves, some gave it to the other manager, some gave it to the ump, and many were inconsistent. The ratio was as expected.

[drcy]

Years distribution/percentage should have been more detailed-- not saying they should calculate the exact percentages, but give a better idea. If the listed managers' signatures are just carbon copies, then that was clearly and significantly erroneous and worth complaining about.

[ibuysportsephemera]

Hi Jeff...you know that I also collect these line-up cards. I called Goldin's directly to ask questions about this lot. I did not bid because of the answers that I got about this lot. Sorry if you were disappointed. Please email me to discuss purchasing some of the cards from you?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Fballguy]

I've only got a couple years of experience with auction houses, but I learned pretty quickly if there's a way to deceptively weave an item description, they will do it.

Assume nothing and leave nothing to chance...or without out a doubt, you will be disappointed.