When to Sell ...

Exhibitman · #1 03-02-2014, 02:27 PM

My feeling is that if you enjoy your cards and you don't need to sell, keep them and don't worry about it, other than to leave instructions for your executor as to where to go to liquidate.

That said, I have been contemplating this issue a lot lately as I need to raise some cash for my child's college [she's 15 now] and some cards will have to go to cover it. I also got pretty sick around the end of last year and had to go through some hospital 'fun'. It helped put all of this into perspective. It is all just stuff...really it is. I sometimes get too obsessed with winning, amassing, collecting. Sometimes I need to be reminded that the collection doesn't own me, I own it. I think maybe I'll put a little less energy into collecting and a little more into doing things.

Emotionally, deciding to sell some or all of a beloved collection is a lot like coming to terms with an impending death. One of the first things a very astute friend/auctioneer asked me was whether I had come to terms with the decision itself. I love the scene in All That Jazz where the comedian riffs on Kubler-Ross�s breakdown of the five stages of death:

�This chick, man, without the benefit of dying herself, has broken down the process of dying into five stages: anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Sounds like a Jewish law firm. 'Good morning, Angerdenialbargainingdepressionacceptance!'�

I found myself going back and forth through these feelings. Denial was first for me. I kept thinking--honestly thinking--that the money thing would somehow just work out. Then, when I realized that the math was inexorable, I was so pissed off that I had to sell my collection ... the tantrum happens. Closely followed by depression. I heard that depression is rage turned inwards, and that makes a lot of sense to me that I would mope around for a while after fuming. I was soooo pissed about having to sell that the reality of it just bummed me out completely. The bargaining was really interesting because it took the form of triage. The math is part of the bargain: a slow bleed, selectively done, maximizing my returns on each item. I can live with that.

I�ve never been a �own ten top flight cards and nothing else� kind of collector, yet I�ve also never fallen into the completist category. In other words, I have a big-ass pile of stuff that doesn�t necessarily lend itself to being sold in neat groupings. For me, the first step in the process of really coming to terms with liquidating was dividing the collection into three groups: Items I really like and want to keep collecting, items I think are a good investment to hold, and everything else.

One thing I've done is get rid of the slabs. Over the last few years I�ve picked up three or four smallish accumulations of postwar cards from various non-collectors. In sorting out the materials and comparing them to what I already had, I realized that I am just as happy having lower grade cards as higher grade cards. My first plan was to liquidate all of the higher grade slabbed mainstream postwar cards and replace them with lower grade raw cards. I�ve been doing that and it has been pain-free; in fact, the rule I made for myself is that when I sell one I pick up a replacement, so it has been actually a bit of a gas to see how much I can get for the slabbed card and how little I can roll over into the raw card.

stewbacca · #2 03-02-2014, 05:19 PM

Just this summer I found a local brick and mortar shop in Roseville, Ca. Not really a shop, but more of a warehouse that sold all different types of cards savers on eBay. I needed those small t206 card savers to fit into one of those wood boxes that are being sold here on Net54. So I stopped by to check them out. They are mostly selling new packs, boxes, materials and other junk the sports card companies are pushing on them.

I took my teenage son and chatted with the owner for awhile about cards, the industry and how he was the only place in town. As we were leaving he gave my son an upper deck promotional hockey jersey to wear. Made my sons day. About a week later I dropped off 80,000 cards to this shop for $500. This was my collection that started in 1978 as a 9 year old. My wife was pleasantly surprised as she inherited lots of closet space and I really have not had any remorse. I thought about selling the cards and sets on eBay but with all the time, trips to the post office, cost of eBay/paypal, etc. I just decided to give this shop a huge inventory boost at a really low price. Within those cards were a run of topps complete sets from 1978-2010, near complete from 74, 76, and so many cards from fleer, upper deck and donruss, that I sorted for hours as a kid and as an adult.

My collection now consists of only three things and I am deciding if I should narrow it down to only one or two of them. I have a 1976 topps complete set that has over 300 of the cards signed, a low grade t206 partial set of about 150 cards, and finally a topps 40 years of baseball coffee table book that has over 650 autographs in it.

My 3 teenage boys have no interest in cards or autographs so I don't see handing it down to them. Also, to keep all 3 of the collections moving gets expensive. None of the autographed cards will hold their value, and the book will never return the amount I have paid in tickets to autograph shows, but the old t206's, that I believe is another story.

As soon as t206's take a major price drop, I will be there to gobble them up. I just don't see it. It is getting harder and harder to find low grade cards, such as Cobb, Young, and Mathewson at a reasonable price. Since I have started this set a year and a half ago, it seems like more people have joined this board with the same intentions.

Anyways, thanks for letting me ramble.

Stew

Vol · #3 03-02-2014, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewbacca

Anyways, thanks for letting me ramble.
Stew

Stew, your story made my night. Very cool what you did. Karma police smiling on you for sure.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Mouse over image to zoom Have one to sell? Sell it yourself 1895 N300 Mayo Cut Plug	mcap100176	Ebay, Auction and other Venues Announcement- B/S/T	0	02-09-2013 05:02 AM
Updated with BL & Pied 42 list.......Sell sell sell sell some more	Pup6913	Tobacco (T) cards, except T206 B/S/T	7	05-01-2012 07:42 AM
Sell me something!	arexcrooke	1950 to 1959 Baseball cards- B/S/T	3	12-26-2010 08:27 AM
SELL AS IS OR COMPLETE AND THEN SELL??	Archive	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	12	04-12-2008 01:31 AM
What would it sell for?	Archive	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	0	03-01-2004 10:30 AM