Are some cards too rare for their own good?

[barrysloate]

The cards that are most talked about are the ones that are the least rare- the T-206's, of course. A card has to be accessible for it to be of general interest. How many discussions have we had about Four Base Hits? Maybe two over the last decade. If it's too rare to be collected, it can fall off collectors' radar.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The cards that are most talked about are the ones that are the least rare- the T-206's, of course. A card has to be accessible for it to be of general interest. How many discussions have we had about Four Base Hits? Maybe two over the last decade. If it's too rare to be collected, it can fall off collectors' radar.

The T-206 does have rarities, but I'll bet 90% of the regulars on this forum own a card rarer than the T-206 Wagner.

[chipperhank44]

Through experience I've found that anytime you find yourself having to explain how rare a card is (or even what the card is) to a potential buyer, you're in a bad position and your card is too rare for its own good.

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by chipperhank44

Through experience I've found that anytime you find yourself having to explain how rare a card is (or even what the card is) to a potential buyer, you're in a bad position and your card is too rare for its own good.

Pretty much my entire collection! Here are some examples:

[Leon]

Originally Posted by aljurgela

Pretty much my entire collection! Here are some examples:

Gorgeous cards that don't really get their just dues relative to how rare they really are. Thanks for showing...
Some of us just like the fact we have some cool cards that you can't go buy every day...regardless of the size of your bank account .

[tbob]

How about the orange background E94s? Everyone knows about the orange background E98s but those E94s found with orange backgrounds (not all have been verified to exist) are all 1-1.
Because the E94 set is a difficult one any way, the fact the orange color variations exist as "single known populations of 1 each" makes them incredibly rare and only advanced collectors of E94s know or ever talk about their existence.

[Leon]

I think I recognize one of those. Not too long ago a major auction house was selling an orange and didn't point it out until I let them know of their scarcity. They are under the radar of most collectors.

Originally Posted by tbob

How about the orange background E94s? Everyone knows about the orange background E98s but those E94s found with orange backgrounds (not all have been verified to exist) are all 1-1.
Because the E94 set is a difficult one any way, the fact the orange color variations exist as "single known populations of 1 each" makes them incredibly rare and only advanced collectors of E94s know or ever talk about their existence.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

The T-206 does have rarities, but I'll bet 90% of the regulars on this forum own a card rarer than the T-206 Wagner.

I had a Mino Wagner, which is even rarer than his T206.

[rman444]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I had a Mino Wagner, which is even rarer than his T206.

There are 10 T206 Wagners for every Mino Wagner throwing pose. As for the Mino Wagner batting pose, I believe there is only one example known to exist.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The cards that are most talked about are the ones that are the least rare- the T-206's, of course. A card has to be accessible for it to be of general interest. How many discussions have we had about Four Base Hits? Maybe two over the last decade. If it's too rare to be collected, it can fall off collectors' radar.

Totally agree...I am "talking" less and less on this forum(much to the delight of many I'm sure!)...mainly because I have shifted my focus to rarer cards the last few years!

[philliesphan]

When cards are so rare -- who can you really "talk" about with them?

Some collectors don't like to disclose the rarities they have (particularly on a public forum), as it exposes them to risk or relentless trade requests. But beyond that, there's the show-n-tell, and the "Wanting to Buy" posts, but there's not much else in terms of novel insight that can be brought to the hobby.

For example, in the last fifteen years, I think total transacted volume of Lummis Peanut Butter singles is less than five:

(This example is not mine -- show for reference):

[bcbgcbrcb]

I'm a very big believer that some cards are too rare for their own good. For years, I specialized in that kind of stuff and lost money when it came time to resell more times than not because there was such a small market for my items.

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

I'm a very big believer that some cards are too rare for their own good. For years, I specialized in that kind of stuff and lost money when it came time to resell more times than not because there was such a small market for my items.

+1

Maybe people don't think something is rare because you and I (and many others on this board) have shown off our cards in the past. I have a few cards I've searched for and could not find over the past decade and finally landed. When it comes time for me to sell, despite the rarity, someone will think to "I know I've seen that card before, so it must not be that rare!" And I'll take a beating.

Oh well. I know a few people on this board (at the very least) can appreciate some of the rarities in my collection. I certainly enjoy seeing theirs!!

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by philliesphan

When cards are so rare -- who can you really "talk" about with them?

Some collectors don't like to disclose the rarities they have (particularly on a public forum), as it exposes them to risk or relentless trade requests. But beyond that, there's the show-n-tell, and the "Wanting to Buy" posts, but there's not much else in terms of novel insight that can be brought to the hobby.

For example, in the last fifteen years, I think total transacted volume of Lummis Peanut Butter singles is less than five:

(This example is not mine -- show for reference):

I was shocked to see there was a Lummis Peanut Butter card that sold in an eBay auction a few months ago. I missed the auction as it was happening, but noticed it in the completed sales category.

Being a Phillies fan, it surprises me how cheap the Father and Son Shoes cards sell compared to their rarity. I know there isn't much star power in the set, but four Father and Son cards in a group averaged just $155 each including the Buyer's Premium at Heritage this past summer.

[bnorth]

Not vintage but I have a few hundred only known 89 & 90 Score wrong back error pairs from the junk era. I have a ton of people that want to buy them. They only want to pay what similar year Topps wrong back error pairs sell for and there are insane amounts of them out there.

[drcy]

I know of a dealer who had an 1800s 'cloth tintype,' a tintype on a swatch of cloth instead of metal. The only one I've ever seen. I'd read they existed so knew what it was when he sent me a scan and described it, but had never before seen one. He had troubles selling it for a fair price because buyers had no clue what it was. I recommended if he didn't get a fair price to donate it to a museum.

[TaxMechanick]

Expand it to other than cards as well.....That's the story of my life....that's what I collect and deal in...items too rare for their own good because they either do not have or have limited comps to determine a set market value!

Glenn