The One That Got Away

PowderedH2O · #1 10-24-2020, 08:23 AM

In 1987 I was in a Milwaukee card store and he had gobs of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball. He offered me an entire box for $5. Nope, not interested. I bought two team sets of minor league baseball cards because I was certain that Sam Horn and Jose Cano were going to be the next Reggie Jackson and Nolan Ryan.

BaltOrioles · #2 10-24-2020, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowderedH2O

In 1987 I was in a Milwaukee card store and he had gobs of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball. He offered me an entire box for $5. Nope, not interested.

I feel your pain. Back in 1986, I was the accountant for a candy & tobacco wholesaler in Maine. Our main customers were small mom & pop stores throughout the state. We purchased 5 cases of 1986 Fleer Basketball. Our salesmen sold less than 10 boxes and asked to send the rest back. Baseball cards did fairly well in the area, but basketball and football sales struggled. I could have purchased the remaining 4 plus cases at cost (around $5/box). With a family of three young boys, I passed and they went back to Fleer.

rats60 · #3 10-24-2020, 09:41 AM

The worst was not buying a Rosen find Mantle for 3k because I had a nice one that would later grade 6. Second would not buying a Plank and Magie for 10k that were in the 5-6 range. Both in the mid-eighties. Another bad one was not buying a LeBron Exquisite RPA. I was bidding on them when they were under 2k and kept getting out bid. Now a 200 k+ card.

Tyruscobb · #4 10-24-2020, 10:31 AM

Twenty years ago, in 2000, I had just graduated college and started my adult life. I was trying to juggle multiple financial balls at that time, which were paying off student loan debt, saving for a house, saving for a newer car, saving for retirement, saving for an emergency fund, etc. I wasn�t making a lot, because I was at my first real world job after just graduating, and didn�t have much disposable income.

A month or so after Christmas, I attended a large regional show to hopefully add a 1960s Mantle to my moderate collection. Although I still had $400.00 in my wallet that I had received from family members for Christmas, I didn�t want to spend more than $150.00.

A dealer had a few Mantles that caught my eye. He also had the green and red portrait T206 Cobbs. They were both in about the same condition and were nice. He wanted $275.00 for the red one and $400.00 for the green one. I really wanted the green one, but it would take all the money I had one me, which was $250.00 more than what I had budgeted to spend. I had that cartoon moment, when a little devil appeared on one shoulder, and the angel on the other.

Unfortunately, the angel won out and I didn�t purchase the green Cobb. I did, however, talk myself into purchasing the red Cobb and left the show. Although I loved the card, I felt buyers remorse later that evening. I had spent $125.00 more than the $150.00 I had planned on spending at my savings� accounts expense.

18 years later, I had the red Cobb graded. It came back a solid 3. I know that green one was just as nice and was also at least a 3 - only if that devil would�ve won out that day and I had spent a mere $125.00 more. I guess the red Cobb is a nice consolation prize.

Exhibitman · #5 10-24-2020, 11:08 AM

T206 Wagner.

Back in 1975 when I was a kid my parents became friendly with an antique dealer couple in NYC. They used to go on swings through the south buying stuff for their store in NYC. When they found out I was a card nut they mentioned a dealer in the Carolinas who had a bag of tobacco cards that they said they would get for me next time out in a few weeks. When they got back they said the dealer had sold the bag shortly before they arrived. The hobby grapevine shortly thereafter reported a find of a T206 Wagner from an antique dealer in the Carolinas...

Kevin · #6 10-24-2020, 11:27 AM

There are a few stories that stand out in my mind. Reading what you guys have stated, it seems we have all similar stories. I was born in 1973, got really into collecting cards in 1980 as I have a smattering of 1978 Burger King, a few 1979 Topps and then a lot of 1980 Topps. I peaked in 1981 as I have tons and tons of Topps, Fleer and Donruss.

Dad started taking me to card shows around the same time. He collected Brooklyn Dodgers and StL Browns. One show, I think in Massapequa, Allie Reynolds and Mel Stottlemyer were signing autorgraphs. Dad was telling me a story about Cookie Lavagetto breaking up Bill Bevens World Series no hitter while we were online. The next day, the Sunday Newsday ran a long piece based on our conversation. Not sure if dad still has that, but the writer must have been behind us and thought it was a nostalgic type puff piece. He never let me look at the T206 sets, or simply ignored them, focusing mostly on the Dodgers, Browns and 62 Mets cards. One day, while he was talking to a dealer, I bought an old, beat up Irv Young! My first T206!

So, where was I? My 6 and 4 year old are downstairs, so I really have to make this quick as they are driving my wife crazy on this Saturday afternoon. Fast forward to mid 1980s. Now my uncle covered the Pirates for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette from 1966-86 (previously, he covered both baseball and football Giants for the Journal American and Long Island Press). We were a "baseball family" and took the journey up to Cooperstown from Long Island a few times in the mid 80s. Again, we stopped at yard sales and tag sales and I bought old cards along the way. So, we were up in Cooperstown in the mid 80s and Larry Fritsch had just opened up his Baseball Card Museum there. I had $100 from a paper route I worked and I was thinking I was going to buy some cool retro hats or other memorabilia. I wasn't expecting a "Baseball Card" museum.

Now for some reason, there wasn't a lot of action in the Larry Fritsch's place that day. It must have been brand new; the place was freshly painted. I don't recall how the following set of events happened, but we met Larry Fritsch and he invited us behind the scene. There were tons and tons of old baseball cards. He must have thought dad was a high roller. There we were, in a big back room, looking at all these 70-80 year old cards. And then he shows us "The Doyle". Now, this is a 35 year old memory, but I believe the story he was telling us was that he "discovered" the error. He had one on display up there, but he had a few in the back room that he , get this, let my father and I handle. At the time, I knew about "Donruss errors" and was collecting Buck Martinez with the reversed "Brewers" or Paul Spittorff from 1981! But the Joe Doyle and its significance was definitely lost on me. If it was lost on me, it was definitely lost on dad. I think he offered one to dad for a couple of thousand. Dad passed. (I recently brought this story up to dad and he has no recollection.). This is not the "missed out" part of the story, however.

So, we come out from behind the museum and store and Larry has: 5 T206s for sale: Evers, Chance, Matthewson, 2 Cobbs (red). I only had the $100 or so on me, and then dad, ever the business man, goes into action: Evers was $50, Chance was $60, Matthewson $70 and Cobb (A) was $225 and Cobb (B) was $250. So, dad negotiates $400 for 4. (Not much of a deal, thinking back now, but I think dad was happy). But which Cobb? Dad differed to me. Do I take the Cobb with the paper loss on the back for $225 or do I go for the intact Cobb for $250? I remember feeling guilty the dad was spending so much money. I went with the lesser Cobb. And as you have written above, it is a decision that has bothered me to this day. I have talked to dad about it afterwards and he always said, "You can trade up for a better Cobb". I don't think I'll part with him, but I think about that deal a lot.

A few things: can you guys either debunk or verify the Larry Fritsch story he told us about "discovering the Joe Doyle"? We spend about an hour with the man and he had a personality.

I have another story from a few years later. It might be a worse story. It involves W551 cards. Cringe worthy story about innocence and honesty triumphing over the devil on your shoulder...

Yoda · #7 10-24-2020, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

There are a few stories that stand out in my mind. Reading what you guys have stated, it seems we have all similar stories. I was born in 1973, got really into collecting cards in 1980 as I have a smattering of 1978 Burger King, a few 1979 Topps and then a lot of 1980 Topps. I peaked in 1981 as I have tons and tons of Topps, Fleer and Donruss.

Dad started taking me to card shows around the same time. He collected Brooklyn Dodgers and StL Browns. One show, I think in Massapequa, Allie Reynolds and Mel Stottlemyer were signing autorgraphs. Dad was telling me a story about Cookie Lavagetto breaking up Bill Bevens World Series no hitter while we were online. The next day, the Sunday Newsday ran a long piece based on our conversation. Not sure if dad still has that, but the writer must have been behind us and thought it was a nostalgic type puff piece. He never let me look at the T206 sets, or simply ignored them, focusing mostly on the Dodgers, Browns and 62 Mets cards. One day, while he was talking to a dealer, I bought an old, beat up Irv Young! My first T206!

So, where was I? My 6 and 4 year old are downstairs, so I really have to make this quick as they are driving my wife crazy on this Saturday afternoon. Fast forward to mid 1980s. Now my uncle covered the Pirates for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette from 1966-86 (previously, he covered both baseball and football Giants for the Journal American and Long Island Press). We were a "baseball family" and took the journey up to Cooperstown from Long Island a few times in the mid 80s. Again, we stopped at yard sales and tag sales and I bought old cards along the way. So, we were up in Cooperstown in the mid 80s and Larry Fritsch had just opened up his Baseball Card Museum there. I had $100 from a paper route I worked and I was thinking I was going to buy some cool retro hats or other memorabilia. I wasn't expecting a "Baseball Card" museum.

Now for some reason, there wasn't a lot of action in the Larry Fritsch's place that day. It must have been brand new; the place was freshly painted. I don't recall how the following set of events happened, but we met Larry Fritsch and he invited us behind the scene. There were tons and tons of old baseball cards. He must have thought dad was a high roller. There we were, in a big back room, looking at all these 70-80 year old cards. And then he shows us "The Doyle". Now, this is a 35 year old memory, but I believe the story he was telling us was that he "discovered" the error. He had one on display up there, but he had a few in the back room that he , get this, let my father and I handle. At the time, I knew about "Donruss errors" and was collecting Buck Martinez with the reversed "Brewers" or Paul Spittorff from 1981! But the Joe Doyle and its significance was definitely lost on me. If it was lost on me, it was definitely lost on dad. I think he offered one to dad for a couple of thousand. Dad passed. (I recently brought this story up to dad and he has no recollection.). This is not the "missed out" part of the story, however.

So, we come out from behind the museum and store and Larry has: 5 T206s for sale: Evers, Chance, Matthewson, 2 Cobbs (red). I only had the $100 or so on me, and then dad, ever the business man, goes into action: Evers was $50, Chance was $60, Matthewson $70 and Cobb (A) was $225 and Cobb (B) was $250. So, dad negotiates $400 for 4. (Not much of a deal, thinking back now, but I think dad was happy). But which Cobb? Dad differed to me. Do I take the Cobb with the paper loss on the back for $225 or do I go for the intact Cobb for $250? I remember feeling guilty the dad was spending so much money. I went with the lesser Cobb. And as you have written above, it is a decision that has bothered me to this day. I have talked to dad about it afterwards and he always said, "You can trade up for a better Cobb". I don't think I'll part with him, but I think about that deal a lot.

A few things: can you guys either debunk or verify the Larry Fritsch story he told us about "discovering the Joe Doyle"? We spend about an hour with the man and he had a personality.

I have another story from a few years later. It might be a worse story. It involves W551 cards. Cringe worthy story about innocence and honesty triumphing over the devil on your shoulder...

Larry Fritch was indeed the Godfather of the Joe Doyle variation. As the story goes, he discovered the Doyle "Nat'l" variation while going through a bunch of recently acquired T206's, knew he had something special and quietly began began to advertise in the hobby press offering to buy any and all Joe Doyle cards without mentioning what he highly suspected was a new variation. After buying multiple copies of the regular Doyle, another "National" was finally received and the legend was born.

My own personal story is a Joe Jackson Texas Tommy, which is too painful to relate.

Rhotchkiss · #8 10-24-2020, 03:01 PM

I had a chance to buy Orlando�s (former member�s) entire Cobb postcard collection. But I didn�t really understand or collect postcards at the time, so I bought a rose company, a sepia, and the wagner-cobb sepia. Meanwhile, I have been chasing Cobb postcards ever since.

Kevin · #9 10-25-2020, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda

Larry Fritch was indeed the Godfather of the Joe Doyle variation. As the story goes, he discovered the Doyle "Nat'l" variation while going through a bunch of recently acquired T206's, knew he had something special and quietly began began to advertise in the hobby press offering to buy any and all Joe Doyle cards without mentioning what he highly suspected was a new variation. After buying multiple copies of the regular Doyle, another "National" was finally received and the legend was born.

My own personal story is a Joe Jackson Texas Tommy, which is too painful to relate.

How many "Joe Doyle - National" exist? Larry Fritsch actually allowed my father and I to handle one. I am new here, it is a 35 year old memory now, but does that sound like something Larry Fritsch would do? Or am I completely misremembering the event and "doyle"? Perhaps it was "Plank" or "Magie" he let us hold?

Republicaninmass · #10 10-24-2020, 11:40 AM

Passed on 2 signed topps 52 sam jones and tom morgan. Neither has ever surfaced, and neither have been graded by psa

bnorth · #11 10-24-2020, 11:51 AM

This is a very recent story and I ended up with the card. I bought a Eddie Mathews Rookie from a fellow member. It had some paper loss on the front and had a small section of the border recolored. The paper loss was very thin and wasn't ugly. The card had amazing eye appeal. I traded it with a fellow member for a nice T206 Red Cobb. I recently sold the Cobb for a nice profit over what I paid for the Mathews. So money wise it was a great deal. In my reality I would rather still have that Mathews card. So I let a card I should have kept get away. Both cards have excellent new homes though.