The One That Got Away

[pete zouras]

returned a e90-1 wagner batting because I was convinced it was trimmed after having the card for several weeks for 300 before the sudden rise in wagners. file under I'm my own worst enemy.

[steve B]

After 35-36 years collecting with a few less active periods there's a pretty long list of stuff I should have bought.

A drum at $200 - Second table at the show, just couldn't buy one card and walk out 5 minutes after getting there.

1912 world series pennant, small, maybe a foot long, red and white sewn felt. Not pointed, but one of the ones like a short flag with a v cut out of the end.
$100, I could have saved up as it lasted a while at that price, but I just never did.

Orr rookie, the USA test version. "only" $100. At the time that was enough to buy something like all the 60's and 70's regular issue hockey sets complete.

A boxful of the tiny Topps felt back football cards at $3 each. I still have no idea why I didn't buy at least one.

Maybe 7-8 Goudey Ruths. All at least VG. All handed to me by the place I was a regular at with a "it's $X you should buy it" Passed on all of them.

Those are the highlights, lowlights?

Of course there's the stacks of stuff that was cheap in the early 80's.

Steve B

[the-illini]

1915 Zeenut Fred McMullen in the old Larry Fritsch catalog for 75 bucks. :-(

[ValKehl]

I have been kicking myself for the last 10 years for not being able to bring myself to pay $3K for the only known-to-exist card #16 of Roger Peckinpaugh in the 1925 Holland Creameries set, which depicts the key players of the 1924 World Champion Washington Senators. I can't remember if this was the only card I needed to complete this 18-card set back then, but it is now.
Val

[Al C.risafulli]

That's funny, Dean, because one of my "ones that got away" was ALSO a '15 Matty.

It was at a National in Chicago a few years ago. I saw it at a dealer's table - an outstanding PSA 5, absolutely gorgeous. The dealer wanted $1,500 for it. I agonized over it - not because the price was high, but because it was LOW. I thought there must be something wrong with it. The show closed for the day and I left the room.

That night, I decided to get on the shuttle first thing in the morning and buy the card. On the bus, I got into a nice conversation with Net54's Daniel Enright, and took my time getting into the show, which hadn't opened yet. When I got to the dealer's booth, the Matty was gone. I told the dealer the story, and he said that the person who bought it did the same thing - went back to his hotel, decided to buy it, and came back first thing in the morning. He beat me to the card.

Probably one of you guys.

-Al

[Wite3]

Told this one many times...At an early Anaheim National I got to rifle through the deck of Allegheney playing cards and was told I could pick the Phillies for $150 each...did not have the money and thought that was too high at the time...silly me.

The second worse one was losing out on a large ebay lot of T205s that included a t205 Hobby no stats...a friend (and fellow board member) won it because I forgot to put in a high bid. Next day, I signed up for Gavelsnipe...

Joshua

[TheBig6]

late 80's/Early 90's Card show in the Astrohall adjacent to Astrodome
N173 Wilbur Robinson $1400.00
Couldn't afford it and didn't have a clue of it's rarity.

I'm pretty sure I also saw a Black Border N173 Connie Mack at the 1990 National in Houston.
Don't remeber the price but evidently it was out of range for me at the time.

The Mack or the Robinson would have been cornerstone cards for me.
Oh if we could go back in time,

Owned a Nice Dogshead Stovey at one time but sold it in a momentary lack of judgement.

[z28jd]

Mine has to be the dumbest reason for passing on a card.

At the 2003 National in Atlantic City, I had $400 on me and I was looking to spend it all on Old Judge cards. One table had 150+ OJ's, but all of them were $200 or more. I looked around, then went back to the table right before I had to leave. I really wanted a Kid Madden card, pose of him leaning on a rock. Thought it was the best pose of the group and the price tag was $250 so I put it to the side, looking to see what else I could get.

After realizing I couldn't find any other low-priced cards($150 or less) I ended up passing on it, because it meant I would have $150 left in my pocket and that couldn't happen. So I bought a nice Dave Orr card for $400, which was $150 off the tag price.

In the ten years since, I have not been able to buy a Madden/Leaning on Rock.

[Roofman4]

Went to an in Delaware that was selling of the estate of an elderly lady that was down sizing and moving. I saw the add (with pictures) describing the typical items and "some old baseball cards". In that group was the card in the pic not to mention a few Goudey Ruth's and Gehrigs' and basically every Topps and Bowman Mantle cards up to 1966, not to mention a 1948/49 Leaf Jackie Robinson. Turned out the cards belonged to the ladies father who died in 1966. She found them in a safe among her dad's "stuff".

After a very close...and I mean close inspection there was no doubt it was real. Knowing that only a couple of cards might be possible, I took a sizable amount of cash to go for the 1914 Ruth and work down/back from there. The Ruth ended up at $10k. I was $2k short. At least I can say I had a "chance", I got to hold one and get a picture with it. just goes to show any card can show up anywhere...anytime.