How to track down elusive white whales?

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Great post, Brian. A really fun and spirited read.

I suppose that sometimes what makes a collector's whale is not just sheer rarity, but rather a confluence of factors. In my case a big challenge was finding the right one for my taste, and fighting the occasional temptation to settle for an example that just didn't feel right.

For example, if one is a serious stickler for centering or image brightness, and shopping in a capped price range to boot, there is always the chance your perfect desired copy of a card does not exist. In this sense, when you finally lay eyes on your dream copy after years of searching, it can feel like a 1 of 1 so to speak.

I personally love older cards that look the part and exhibit charm and character, but there is a fine line between character and utter absence of eye appeal. Finding a specimen which strikes that delicate balance can be tough.

Then a card can feel like a whale eluding you, as its price increases-- perhaps at a pace faster than your income is increasing, lol. So it can be a whole host of things, along with there being relatively few copies in your price range/grade.

It is so true, though, that when buying to keep forever you never regret making that one last, big reach that grabs it.

I'm sorry. I probably misread and misinterpreted what you were asking advice about. I'm a bit embarrassed, but I'll get over it. When you wrote of white whales, it connoted something else to my mind. Oh well. Also, I am probably unworthy of giving that advice since I have not been collecting competitively for a decade now. Some of what I conveyed still holds true, however. Still, in this massed wired era, a few strategies are completely unknown to me, me thinks. So, you are by no means naive, and I by all means jumped the gun. Hopefully you'll allow me one false start, as in track & field.

Be that as it may, I can well understand your frustration over the difficulty of finding certain cards, that have the right combination of characteristics you find appealing. Many that you want are entrenched in sets, whose owner will not break up until he wishes to part with the set as a whole. Then the set may or may not be sold or auctioned off individually. After a few years, those heavily desired cards would take on the persona of a white whale to you. Quite.

The confluence of factors is finally crowned with the diabolical reality that by the time you find the right piece, it is priced out of your range. As Daffy Duck would say, in part, "what a revolting development!"

Putting the word out via message boards, and enlisting the help of a good dealer might still be viable allies to you in your fight to gain your cardboard gold.

Cheers. ---------Brian Powell