Considering major change to collection

[bks14sr]

So, I keep coming back to this idea. Considering selling majority of my collection and using those funds towards the purchase of a big card, a mid grade 52T Mantle. Im currently pretty far into the 52 low numbers, most of the 54T set and a bunch of mid grade rookies spanning vintage to modern. I’ve always wanted a nice 52 Mantle, but can’t justify the cost if coming out of pocket. So this would provide the means. Been going back and forth on this for a bit now, just can’t decide. I’d be selling cards mostly individually, so not exactly looking forward to all that, hence some of my hesitation.

Has anybody here done the same?

[pawpawdiv9]

I been in somewhat same shape..I colected all sorts of Mickey mantle and just jumped in on a 52 RC....then gradually got other RC's and jumped into some pre-war.
GO FOR IT!!!!!
The search can be long for a nice centered one, but just dont jump on one, wait & it come to you. Then, Enjoy it once you got it!!!

[Seven]

Originally Posted by bks14sr

So, I keep coming back to this idea. Considering selling majority of my collection and using those funds towards the purchase of a big card, a mid grade 52T Mantle. Im currently pretty far into the 52 low numbers, most of the 54T set and a bunch of mid grade rookies spanning vintage to modern. I’ve always wanted a nice 52 Mantle, but can’t justify the cost if coming out of pocket. So this would provide the means. Been going back and forth on this for a bit now, just can’t decide. I’d be selling cards mostly individually, so not exactly looking forward to all that, hence some of my hesitation.

Has anybody here done the same?

Not that I've done the same but I wanted to chime in. I know you're looking for a mid grade Mantle, but there are some fantastic looking Lower grade or Authentic graded Mantle's out there, which sometimes would make it slightly easier on the wallet. That will most likely be my route to obtaining one somewhere down the road in the future.

[CobbSpikedMe]

I've considered a similar course of action in my own collection. Selling a bunch of lesser cards to fund the purchase of one nicer one. Only, instead of looking at Mantles I'm looking at Cobb and Wagner. I just can't do it though. I love my cards and figure some day I'll either get a Cobb or not. Whatever. I'll get what I can now because I love the hobby and I love collecting baseball cards. I'm not running out of stuff to buy any time soon.

[cardsagain74]

I'd split the difference. Keep your favorite cards from your current collection and get the Mantle around PSA 3.

Only half as expensive as a 5 (but doesn't cost a ton more than a 1.5 or 2).

Probably the best value for a '52 T Mantle, plus it'd probably feel like you got the best of both worlds.

[MikeGarcia]

[QUOTE. Been going back and forth on this for a bit now, just can’t decide. I’d be selling cards mostly individually, so not exactly looking forward to all that, hence some of my hesitation.

Has anybody here done the same?[/QUOTE]


... Most everyone on this forum has done that type of selling , a lot right here in the BST but more often on E-Bay.....if you have cards , whose value once sold , will buy you a 'nice '52 Topps Mantle , you'll need to study the many threads on here about the sharks out there in E-Bay land.......are you familiar with our own neat and clean " BST" here on 54 ?......something to look into.....just a thought....it sounds like you have some really nice rare high-end stuff ???? he asked , hopefully ??

..

..

[investinrookies]

52T Mantle is the card to get and hold, I would do it no question. As said before, be patient and find a well centered copy with good eye appeal.

[bks14sr]

Thank you for the feedback guys. I could sell 8-10 cards and be in the PSA 2 range for a Mantle. But, it would be difficult for me to spend the 20kish on a 2 with glaring flaws (creases, centering, etc). I'd be leaning towards a nice 3 and up to a 4.5, just to give an idea price wise. If i'm spending this kind of money, I want the appeal factor high. Really kicking myself in the ass for not pulling the trigger a few years back seeing current prices.

I have used the BST section for multiple purchases, but have not been a seller here yet. It will sting selling off a lot of cards, as I still enjoy collecting and I like what I have. Over the last couple years, i've bought quite a few higher end cards (56 Mantle, multiple 54 Aarons, mid grade 52 star cards, just to name a few) and that amount adds up to lesson the sting of a big purchase. Decision time

[rats60]

I have been doing what you are thinking about for the last 5 years. I put together sets for years and then they just end up sitting. I have been downsizing my collection with the idea of adding at least one big card per year. In my experience it is better to have a few high dollar cards than a bunch of commons and stars. The high dollar cards’, like the 52 T Mantle, value comes from demand and that demand just grows. A perfect example is the 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson RC. I am glad that I picked up a nice one because with the recent jump in price, I wouldn’t want to buy at today’s prices. The best time to get that Mantle is now. If it takes a jump, you will just have to sell more cards if it isn’t out of your reach.

[bks14sr]

Originally Posted by rats60

I have been doing what you are thinking about for the last 5 years. I put together sets for years and then they just end up sitting. I have been downsizing my collection with the idea of adding at least one big card per year. In my experience it is better to have a few high dollar cards than a bunch of commons and stars. The high dollar cards’, like the 52 T Mantle, value comes from demand and that demand just grows. A perfect example is the 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson RC. I am glad that I picked up a nice one because with the recent jump in price, I wouldn’t want to buy at today’s prices. The best time to get that Mantle is now. If it takes a jump, you will just have to sell more cards if it isn’t out of your reach.

I’m starting to feel the same. I’d rather have 3 big cards, being a 52T Mantle, mid grade J Robinson Leaf rc, and a high grade Jordan rc. Once I have those, I’d resume collecting random wants as they arise. My current path has no real direction beyond collecting the 2 sets I do. I’ve been pretty loose to this point, buying all types of cards impulsively, which would be indefinite.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by bks14sr

I’m starting to feel the same. I’d rather have 3 big cards, being a 52T Mantle, mid grade J Robinson Leaf rc, and a high grade Jordan rc. Once I have those, I’d resume collecting random wants as they arise. My current path has no real direction beyond collecting the 2 sets I do. I’ve been pretty loose to this point, buying all types of cards impulsively, which would be indefinite.

The Jackie Robinson RC and Michael Jordan RC have gone way up this year, about triple. Those are great cards to have. It is better to get them sooner than later.

[bks14sr]

Originally Posted by rats60

The Jackie Robinson RC and Michael Jordan RC have gone way up this year, about triple. Those are great cards to have. It is better to get them sooner than later.

Sold my Jordan RC 2 years ago unfortunately. Been painful watching prices this year. All good, other cards I’ll be selling have also increased to pad the hurt.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by bks14sr

Thank you for the feedback guys. I could sell 8-10 cards and be in the PSA 2 range for a Mantle. But, it would be difficult for me to spend the 20kish on a 2 with glaring flaws (creases, centering, etc). I'd be leaning towards a nice 3 and up to a 4.5, just to give an idea price wise. If i'm spending this kind of money, I want the appeal factor high. Really kicking myself in the ass for not pulling the trigger a few years back seeing current prices.

I have used the BST section for multiple purchases, but have not been a seller here yet. It will sting selling off a lot of cards, as I still enjoy collecting and I like what I have. Over the last couple years, i've bought quite a few higher end cards (56 Mantle, multiple 54 Aarons, mid grade 52 star cards, just to name a few) and that amount adds up to lesson the sting of a big purchase. Decision time

Those other cards have gone up more in the last few years than the '52 T Mantle. You're in better shape than you would've been if you were making this change in reverse

[investinrookies]

Originally Posted by bks14sr

I’m starting to feel the same. I’d rather have 3 big cards, being a 52T Mantle, mid grade J Robinson Leaf rc, and a high grade Jordan rc. Once I have those, I’d resume collecting random wants as they arise. My current path has no real direction beyond collecting the 2 sets I do. I’ve been pretty loose to this point, buying all types of cards impulsively, which would be indefinite.

Those are definitely three great cards to have and a solid approach but I would prob switch the Jordan rc out for another vintage card like a nice mid grade green Cobb. Jordan rcs are a dime a dozen


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[Exhibitman]

I've often considered that approach but I can never bring myself to do it. I just so enjoy having a buncha cards instead of one card.

[bks14sr]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've often considered that approach but I can never bring myself to do it. I just so enjoy having a buncha cards instead of one card.

I also enjoy sorting through my cards and piecing together my sets. Started making my list of cards to sell off. Feel like a little kid not wanting to give up toys. In the mean time, bought another partial 52T set today haha. I don’t make things easier for myself at times.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've often considered that approach but I can never bring myself to do it. I just so enjoy having a buncha cards instead of one card.

+1...I couldn't bring myself to do it. I love the variety of sets, players, and designs far too much.

[kailes2872]

I'm at the same exact place. I have all sets back to 48 Bowman except the three big ones - 49 Bowman, 51 Bowman and 52 Topps. I have been reticent to add to the collection if I am going to turn around and liquidate the sets into a few waterfront cards because it would not make sense to pay buyer's premium and then turn around and sell with commission (if it at an AH or Ebay). My 54 is my pride and joy as well. All HOFers are at least PSA 6. I bought right on my Aaron in 2015 and that set alone would bring a pretty penny. I also have all of the HOFers in '55 and '56 in PSA 6 as well.

I have worked so hard to buy right and upgrade along the way, it would be painful to get rid of them - but the ones that have the most value are the ones that mean the most to me, so if I just kept those then it would defeat the purpose because I would guess that at least a quarter if not a third of the value of my collection in those three sets alone.

While it appears that the collection is increasing in value, it is not keeping up with the increase in value of the cards that I would pursue to take their place. I also want to make sure that it would be a seamless transition and would not be tempted to put the money into something other than cards... so the dilemma continues...

Good luck with your decision. I know that it has been driving me a little crazy lately and I have almost totally stopped collecting this past year and that is not what I want to do either.

[bks14sr]

Originally Posted by kailes2872

I'm at the same exact place. I have all sets back to 48 Bowman except the three big ones - 49 Bowman, 51 Bowman and 52 Topps. I have been reticent to add to the collection if I am going to turn around and liquidate the sets into a few waterfront cards because it would not make sense to pay buyer's premium and then turn around and sell with commission (if it at an AH or Ebay). My 54 is my pride and joy as well. All HOFers are at least PSA 6. I bought right on my Aaron in 2015 and that set alone would bring a pretty penny. I also have all of the HOFers in '55 and '56 in PSA 6 as well.

I have worked so hard to buy right and upgrade along the way, it would be painful to get rid of them - but the ones that have the most value are the ones that mean the most to me, so if I just kept those then it would defeat the purpose because I would guess that at least a quarter if not a third of the value of my collection in those three sets alone.

While it appears that the collection is increasing in value, it is not keeping up with the increase in value of the cards that I would pursue to take their place. I also want to make sure that it would be a seamless transition and would not be tempted to put the money into something other than cards... so the dilemma continues...

Good luck with your decision. I know that it has been driving me a little crazy lately and I have almost totally stopped collecting this past year and that is not what I want to do either.

You nailed it on the head. Your second to last sentence really resonates. If I don’t move quickly on purchasing said expensive card after selling everything, I’d be tempted to put the money elsewhere. As that kind of money is a nice boat, 997 or chunk of stock.

The cards I need to sell are my current prized possession cards. They’ve doubled in value just during my ownership, so that’s one upside at least.

Bought 280 more 52T today, so basically finished my low number set and upgraded a bunch of cards within that. Once I’m ready to post all my stuff, it will have plenty of appeal and should move easily. My goal is to keep my main 52 set and my 54 set in tact. Going to move all my modern stuff first, my 52 duplicate partial set and about 10 bigger vintage cards. Now preparing a bulk submission to get the ball rolling for listing.

[jayshum]

Make sure you really are ready to sell your sets before you do. Around 10 years ago, I sold my run of Bowman and Play Ball sets along with a few other pre-war sets to pay for work we were having done on our house. I was never happy about doing it, so about 5 years ago, I started putting them back together. Unfortunately, cards like the 51 Bowman Mantle and Mays had really gone up in price so it cost a lot more the second time than it did the first.

[Arazi4442]

I'm kind of in the same situation now, though not on purpose.

I got laid off when Covid hit and then got worried the pandemic could outlast my severance. (Didn't know about the unemployment subsidy at the time) If the economy tanked, I could have been forced to sell my collection during an economic downturn so I sold everything in April to be safe.

Fast forward a few months and I got a new job and the card market is booming. I'm currently looking to purchase one big card that I never could have afforded otherwise, which may be fun but there's a couple cards I sold off that I sure wish I had back now.

[TUM301]

Interesting thread and a topic that crosses my mind every so often. It seems like more are in the "go for it camp" and the get it while the getting is good, especially regarding the "52 Topps Mick. There is the other side as well, all good arguments. For me have been wondering if I should move my Mick now and use the proceeds purchasing a different Mantle(most likely not a 52 Topps) and the nicest Mays/Aaron/Jackie or some kind of a 3 or 4 card combo. This Mantle is a large portion of my collection but still have significant items, other than this, to move to make other purchases. Cool topic......
3A983CE9-2772-4FF9-AF34-728BCB3A52B7 by Hugh Murphy, on Flickr

[investinrookies]

Originally Posted by TUM301

Interesting thread and a topic that crosses my mind every so often. It seems like more are in the "go for it camp" and the get it while the getting is good, especially regarding the "52 Topps Mick. There is the other side as well, all good arguments. For me have been wondering if I should move my Mick now and use the proceeds purchasing a different Mantle(most likely not a 52 Topps) and the nicest Mays/Aaron/Jackie or some kind of a 3 or 4 card combo. This Mantle is a large portion of my collection but still have significant items, other than this, to move to make other purchases. Cool topic......
3A983CE9-2772-4FF9-AF34-728BCB3A52B7 by Hugh Murphy, on Flickr

Very nice 52T Mantle, Id have a real hard time parting with that one. They are just so hard to find even remotely centered.

[Rickyy]

Aside from complete ungraded Topps Sets that I am keeping (BB 1970 - 1979 incl 75 mini + 71 Greatest Moments set), all my other BB cards in my collection are Pre and Post War type cards … so that affords me the luxury of changing up my type card collection as I get bored or want to change it up. Recently I've moved away from a lot of the Pre war stuff to focus on Post War (esp proof and test cards) and for Pre War on post cards. It keeps me interested and regenerates interest.

Ricky Y

[rsdill2]

I'm in the same boat, something I had been considering for a while. The bulk of my collection is Topps sets and I finally realized that I had no connection to most of them and also realized the shear amount of cards in my collection. My sets 1973-2019 were all bought complete. I never had much attachment to them and never looked at them. I just kept them because of the completionist in me. Another factor was that I feel one or two blue chip cards is more likely to rise in value and is also much more liquid.

At first I tried to sell them all together. Although I didn't list on eBay because I didn't want to deal with shipping, I never got a serious offer. I finally accepted the only way to actually get the value out of them that I expected I would have to do some work and sell them individually. I have sold about 40% of the sets by volume and about 60% by value. I'm trying to stay disciplined and keep the funds separate. A combination of Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and here have been my venues. Once shows in my area resume, I'll set up there as well.

It's been fun so far and I haven't regretted anything. I'll likely one day pick up some of the stars I sold (73 Schmidt, 75 Brett/Yount, 79 Ozzie, 80 Henderson) but beyond that, there's nothing in this era that appeals to me. I'm trying to keep all the cash separate and keep my eyes on the end goal.

[MattyC]

That Mick 1.5 is extraordinary and would be very hard if not downright impossible to find a nicer example for less than whatever was paid for that example. I'd take that card over an 80/20 higher grade example with sharper corners, surface being equal.

As to the collection reshaping being discussed here, I think that is something that so many of us collectors go through. It has a lot of facets to it. Parting with pieces we like so much, and know that we may never get back— even if we can get another specimen of the card back, we know it may cost us more down th eline, or we may not find the right one looks-wise for years. It's tough.

I'm going through it right now. I prefer a smaller collection, and I am contemplating selling a ton of stuff I really like for one more expensive piece. I'm talking having to sell all four Goudey Ruths that took me years to find the right ones, a Ruth-Gehrig signed ball with great provenance that took forever to find, etc. Really tough choices but also is exciting and fun to be engaged in something.

[Neal]

My collection is constantly changing course and I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't really have a focus, but the strengths of my collection seem to reside in modern prospects and postwar HOFers, with a few pre war HOFers sprinkled in for good measure. The modern portion, save a few, is flipped to add to the postwar PC.

Very nice Mantle btw. I am in the market for one ... for now. That may change tomorrow.

Regarding the OP, it is always fun to think of ways to make the PC "better." If you want to narrow it down to a few BIG cards, do it. There are no rules we have to abide by and you can always change your mind and sell the BIG cards and go back to the smalls and mediums.

Good luck in your decision - it will be the right one.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

I posted this on Blowout a few weeks back, but it speaks to the basic question of the OP. I undertook a massive change in direction to my card collection (cashed out my random modern cards for some prewar) and had a blast doing so. Here's the repost:

Hi all. I have been regularly posting my vintage pickups in the monthly pickups thread, but I wanted to create a new one documenting the completion of my PC transformation and give a bit more of my story.

In late 2019 I decided that I wanted to transform some of the looser strands of modern cards in my collection into something that even people outside of the hobby would be able to appreciate. I have well-established collections including a 1956 Topps set in mid-grade condition and fun group of 2016 Cubs autos and my plan was to leave those collections untouched. I really wanted to take the loose strands of modern cards and turn them into something focused and iconic. The loose strands were composed of some pretty nice cards, including

Trout - 2011 BC PSA 10, BC refractor PSA 9, raw Finest auto, raw Finest, dynasty

Griffey - 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany PSA 9, 89 Topps Traded PSA 10, raw 98 Chirography, 99 Chirography PSA 9, 89 UD PSA 9

Jordan - ~40 graded base cards and inserts

Jeter - 96 Leaf Signature Extended Series Auto

which is a pretty solid group of cards, but didn't really share a collecting focus other than being nice cards. The subsequent (~March 2020) rapid rise in card prices was both a good thing and a bad thing. The cards I wanted to sell kept going up but the vintage cards I wanted to buy also kept going up. The saving grace was the Last Dance and the resulting general interest in 80s/90s cards which really pushed Jordan and Griffey to ridiculous levels. I did a great job of hitting the Jordan peak but was a bit behind on the Griffey peak (see story below). The Trouts of course are worth more now than when I sold them. Nonetheless, the following cards were really starting to pull out of the window where I could afford them so I felt pressure to act quickly.

I considered a few different new directions. I knew I wanted it to be vintage because I just love how vintage cards look and how they simultaneously represent pop art and capture the game at its peak popularity. As a Cubs fan, I strongly considered an Ernie Banks run but I didn't think it was "iconic" enough and I already had a good group of 1950s era cards. Ultimately, I fell in love with the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #144 in the batting pose. I love the look of this card and my constant watch of ebay and the AHs pushed it into a Wayne's World white stratocaster fascination ("It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine"). Since one card isn't a collection in my book, I also targeted a Lou Gehrig (there are two in the set) and possibly another Ruth (there are four variations) if I could swing it.

Because I had primarily collected 1956 Topps in mid-grade and modern 2016 Cubs cards I had to spend considerable time training my eye on lower grade Goudeys and learning the market. Eye appeal is really important to me but getting used to examining grades 1-3 was challenging. These cards are so old and popular that anything above a 4 was out of my price range and most of the cards in the population hang around 1.5-3 (with wide variations in eye appeal) so I had to determine what aspects of a grade ~2 card I really valued. For me, it came down to surface veins/wrinkles and registration/focus becoming deal breakers. I was definitely ok with corner rounding, maybe even some surface discoloration (especially on the back), and lack of centering. I just didn't want to see creases or veining and I wanted the image to be clear. As it turns out, the focus on eye appeal can lead to wild swings in realized prices for cards of the same grade. I was somewhat used to this for mid-grade 1956 Topps, but the variations in price there is tiny compared to how much a high eye appeal 2 of Babe Ruth will drive the price. This took some time to get used to and I definitely missed some really nice cards because I didn't have the confidence in my eye or my understanding of the market.

Eventually, I built up enough cash and had enough confidence in my low-grade eye calibration to put some money on the table. Without further prelude, let's get on to the card parade!

My first major pickup was a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #149 (Red) in SGC 2.5 from the net54 BST. At the time I bought this card, prices were just starting to increase but I felt the urge to jump in before things got worse. I had my heart set on a 144 but I couldn't find the "one" and then this Red Ruth appeared. It was a classic case of "I knew it when I saw it" and I decided I needed it and would just have to wait on a 144. When I got the card in hand I knew I made the right decision, both on the card and my approach, and it definitely lessened the sadness of seeing those Trouts continue to go up in price. I love the image and the brightness of the red background. I also enjoy reading the backs and it seems that the Goudey cards always make a point to bring up his start with the Red Sox. Given everything the Babe had accomplished by this point, I think it must be because the Goudey cards were made in Boston and they felt stung by his subsequent global stardom (not to mention the championships).

1933_Goudey_Ruth_Red _1 by boosandpearl, on Flickr
1933_Goudey_Ruth_Red_2 by boosandpearl, on Flickr

The next pickup was a Lou Gehrig. I kept a close watch on 144s but by this point prices were getting ridiculous and I decided to grab a Gehrig. There are 2 Gehrigs in the 1933 Goudey set, card #92 and #160. 160 is harder to find in high grade and all of the examples in my price range always seemed to have registration or focus issues (which is common in the set). I also like the coloring of the 92 a little better so I decided to focus my efforts there. I barely missed out on a gorgeous SGC 2.5 that had paper loss on the back (presumably from being glued in album) with amazing corners. Missing that one stung for weeks. I came close to a deal with someone on net54 for a decent looking 160 but couldn’t pull the trigger (someone else nabbed it as I was cogitating). Finally, I was able to get this card at a decent price. I definitely think its overgraded as a 3, but seems more like a 2.5 to me. Nonetheless it was priced fairly and I was super happy to have it in hand. He was such a fantastic athlete and it’s tragic that he was out of baseball 6 years after the release of this card and dead in 8. With 13 full years of good health (8 of which he was in the top 5 for MVP with 2 wins), he finished his career with a 1.080 OPS(!) and a total WAR of 114.1, the most of any 1st baseman. What a legend! I feel very fortunate to have one of his cards in my possession.

1933_Goudey_Gehrig_1 by boosandpearl, on Flickr
1933_Goudey_Gehrig_2 by boosandpearl, on Flickr

After the Gehrig, I had a tough decision to make. I thought I wanted a 144 but by this point prices became really steep and my bank of cash was significantly depleted. Either I needed to hope that prices would fall as a consequence of the ridiculous times we live in (the stock market is not the economy ), or I would need to sell some additional cards to beef up my cash reserves. I decided to hold back a bit. It’s worth mentioning here that while the 144 has arguably the most iconic image of all the Goudey Ruths, it was a double print. There are twice as many 144s as any other card in the set. Unfortunately, one of the printings tends to have significant registration issues that are easiest to pick out in the area around his face (the black outline separates from the skin color of his face) but it requires a high res picture to see it clearly. Regardless of the grade, I knew I needed my 144 to be in focus as much as possible.

A month or so go by and then someone on net54 posts a PSA 1 with a fair price and a bad picture. I couldn’t tell if it was an “in focus” Ruth or an “out of focus” Ruth. I do a little digging and find a much higher resolution picture online from a prior sale by an AH, and it turns out that this card is definitely undergraded by my standards. Lots of corner rounding, but decent centering, great focus, and no creases/wrinkles observable in the scan. The price was still high enough to wipe out the remainder of my cash but I decided I was going to do it. With shaking figures, I wrote out the “I’ll take it!” email and placed my message in the net54 thread. It was posted late in the evening west coast so I was confident I was able to get in quickly enough before the east coasters had a chance to swoop in. I went to sleep super happy and excited to have finally landed my 144! I woke up and quickly checked my email and the thread for confirmation. There was nothing. No email and no updates to the thread other than additional inquiries by other people. This wasn’t good. Sure enough I get an email in the evening that someone else had beaten me to it. I berated myself for taking the time to do the additional research for the high res pic even though it was the right thing to do. I was so close and it was just out of my reach. To say I was disappointed doesn’t do the feeling justice. Gutted is the more appropriate word.

Out of my frustration, one thing was clear: just the feeling that I was the owner of a 144 had made me jubilant (perhaps a sign of addiction?). There was no way I was willing to take the chance that the market would drive the prices back down. I needed to be more aggressive and I needed to sell some more of my modern cards. I put a plan together: I would sell the last of my “loose strands” (I still had the Griffeys at this point) and dial back my naturally conservative approach. I put the Griffeys up on the BO BST and eBay and found a really nice looking 144 in PSA 2.5 with a BIN definitely priced above market. I decided that I would need to go above market if I wanted to land a 144 that met my standards, so I sent the seller a message with a reasonable offer (it wasn’t listed as a Best Offer but that has never stopped me in the past). He came back somewhere in between (still at least 10% above the market) and I decided to put my plan into motion. If I could sell enough of these Griffeys to significantly close the gap between his offer and my available PayPal I would buy it. I negotiated fair prices on the BO BST Griffeys and the high priced 98 Chirography sold for my initial ask on eBay. I had enough cash on hand and I pulled the trigger on the 144!

The seller sent the card USPS express (no shipping charge to me, which is classy) and it was in my hands two days after I completed the transaction. It is a marvel to have in hand and definitely exceeded my eye appeal expectations. Finally, the batting Ruth was in my physical possession!

1933_Goudey_Ruth_Batting_1 by boosandpearl, on Flickr
1933_Goudey_Ruth_Batting_2 by boosandpearl, on Flickr

As it turned out, I sold a few more Griffeys after I bought the 144 so I had a few hundred dollars available for one more purchase. In the course of investigating other Babe Ruth cards on net54, I discovered a relatively rare tobacco card of the Babe that has a fantastic image. It is commonly called the Churchman Ruth and was produced by the British tobacco company WA and AC Churchman in 1929 (so it precedes the Goudey set). The Ruth is part of a set of 25 cards that depict sports and games in various countries. The USA is represented by a baseball card and a football card. The baseball card doesn’t identify Ruth by name, but he is instantly recognizable and the image matches that used for his Japanese 1929 Shonen Club postcard. After seeing an example of this beautiful card, I thought this would be a nice target and even though the population is tiny (328 cards total graded by PSA with another 86 by SGC compared to 1392 at PSA and 544 at SGC for the Goudey 144) it’s quite affordable. Definitely under-valued by the community in my opinion likely because Ruth isn’t called out by name. So I start my search and put up a WTB on net54. After a few days someone contacts me offering a high end example in PSA 8 for a little above the last realized ebay sale. Unfortunately, it’s out of my price range and after I ask him for a pic he told me the card already sold on Facebook. I was a little disappointed but it was out of my price range anyway, so it wasn’t too big of a deal. I continue my search.

About 1 week after that (!), someone from the UK puts another PSA 8 example on ebay for less than what the net54 guy wanted with a “best offer” option. The seller started the listing in the early morning UK time, which was still in the late evening for me on the west coast. I immediately put in an offer and he quickly responds with a counter just above my offer. Boom, I jump on it and accept! The seller warns me that because he’s shipping from the UK it might take a while to get into my hands. In my euphoria over the steal I just made I figure my patience can withstand a shipping delay. Unfortunately, the shipping ending up being more frustrating than anticipated. It arrived quickly in the US and made its way out of customs ok (which was my initial worry for a $1k card), but for some unknown reason the USPS kept sending it from my regional distribution center to the wrong PO. This happened twice and I opened a case for their investigation. They eventually sorted it out and the card was in my hands about three weeks after purchase with lots of anxiety on my part. It was shipped in a bubble mailer and thank God the seller had surrounded the card with cardboard. I kept having nightmares of a busted up, almost century old Ruth arriving at my doorstep!

So, here is the final piece of my vintage transformation from Trout, Griffey, Jordan, and Jeter to Ruth and Gehrig. Amazingly, this is a pop 8 card with only 1 graded higher (an 8.5). If you told me I could buy a Babe Ruth tobacco card at that level of scarcity for less than half the cost of a PSA 10 US175 I would have laughed in your face. I couldn’t be happier with it.

1929_Churchman_Ruth_1 by boosandpearl, on Flickr
1929_Churchman_Ruth_2 by boosandpearl, on Flickr

I know that was a super long read for a message board but I hope you found it enjoyable. I have certainly enjoyed this journey and am happy to share it with you.

[rsdill2]

Great story, that's basically where I'm at (although on a smaller scale). I've raised about $3k selling sets '73-'19 and have about $1k more of inventory to move. Hope to get a nice Ruth or Cobb for my efforts.

[bks14sr]

Decided to post one bigger money card to get the ball rolling, and let that sale persuade me on moving forward with the plan of selling other equivalent cards. Decided to post it high, as I’m not looking to offer bargains, but more to make the sale justifiable to me. After a little bit of time fielding offers, it became clear, selling any of the cards I like currently doesn’t make sense to me. I guess I have attachment issues to what I have. Time to hustle more to get the bigger cards a different way.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by bks14sr

I guess I have attachment issues to what I have. Time to hustle more to get the bigger cards a different way.

Since I got back into the hobby, I've found that I have a lot more attachment to the new collection than I did to my cards 30 years ago (when I was a teenager buying/selling during the junk wax boom).

I don't mind getting rid of the occasional doubles that I end up with. But between the sentimental attachment and being satisfied with the current and possible future value of this second collecting wave, I would not be comfortable selling most of it

[Exhibitman]

I try not to sell items from my collection unless the money is really, really crazy.

I've been engaged in an interesting exercise lately: setting up a top 100 cards I own list. It really makes you think.

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I try not to sell items from my collection unless the money is really, really crazy.

I've been engaged in an interesting exercise lately: setting up a top 100 cards I own list. It really makes you think.

Adam, are you referring to your top 100 in terms of $$ value, or to your top 100 in terms of enjoyment from having them in your collection?

[mintacular]

Just to be a contrarian you would be buying into a card in the hottest of markets with the highest price tag.iys ever been by leaps and bounds, do you think this a good to.make a run at this card ? Also, it's very hard to enjoy owning just a few cards you could get bored quickley

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Adam, are you referring to your top 100 in terms of $$ value, or to your top 100 in terms of enjoyment from having them in your collection?

The latter. Value bores me. This card has relatively little value:




But I think it is so freakin' cool.

[jchcollins]

With my vintage collection, since I was a kid I have always felt there was quality IN quantity - less opportunities to get bored, etc. etc. - but as an adult in the last few years I've learned something that was somewhat surprising to me in retrospect, and that's that I get uncomfortable, nervous and jerky when a card I'm considering or buying is TOO expensive. (Am I really paying $XX.XX for a piece of cardboard?!?!) While I have some cards in my collection that are worth more now, and have in the past spent more on certain cards - for me anymore it seems that number for a single card is around $500. When I spend more than that I find myself losing sleep, conjuring up things to sell to offset the cost, etc. etc. Sometimes it simply isn't worth it. This, incidentally - is why I got out of my brief foray into prewar HOF'ers last year. Incredible cards, but to me for the money that even low grade examples cost - it's simply not sustainable.

As for the question however, while I have in the past no doubt pined over big name cards like a Goudey Ruth or a '52 Mantle - no. I would not trade the bulk of my collection for something like that.