|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Fun with 100 Minor League Sets
So, about a week ago, I was poking around eBay when a listing caught my eye:
"100 DIFF MINOR LEAGUE TEAM SETS 91-94 W/ STARS 3000+" $34.95 plus $19.99 s/h. All-in cost was $58.74 or just under 59 cents per set. At that price, I figured it was time to start a little project. What am I going to do with 100 thirty year old minor league sets?
Will I get a few grading candidates out of the lot...I hope so. Will I make a little profit selling off the sets and singles. Will the profit be worth the time I'll invest sorting, listing, opening, and subbing? Probably not...but hey, it's a hobby, and this should be fun. If this kind of silliness is amusing to you, feel free to follow along. If not, hope you don't mind ignoring this thread where I post about the process. The sets...a whole medium flat rate box of them: |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Sounds like a seriously fun project, I will be following along.
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
love those minor league cards. keep us posted.
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
The first set I came across with a grading candidate is the 1994 Albany-Colonie Yankees set, which features Andy Pettitte. The PSA pop for that card is 14, oddly enough all are 10's.
For any grading candidates, I won't sub anything until PSA returns to to some reasonable level of value submission (assuming that happens at some point). The other 30 cards in the set will be scanned and listed on eBay...we'll see if anyone wants them! |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks guys...I hope you find this little project entertaining!
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
i just bought a box. sounded like a hell of a good time. thanks for the heads up. and keep posting about your experience, totally interesting.
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
I've listed the first handful of sets, all from 1993, on eBay.
Starting them as auctions @ $3.99 plus $3.99 shipping. Selling a set at this rate nets about a $2 profit. It won't take many sales at that rate to repay my initial investment. Any sets that don't sell at this rate, we'll try again at a lower price...sets that don't sell at the lower price? I don't know yet. We'll see! The first few sets: 1993 ProCards New Orleans Zephyrs 1993 ProCards Appleton Foxes 1993 ProCards Columbus Clippers 1993 ProCards Daytona Cubs 1993 ProCards Waterloo Diamonds eBay Store Links sorted by 1993 Procards. 100 sets 1 opened / singles to be listed 5 complete sets listed on eBay 94 to be reviewed |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Oh fun! I hope you enjoy the cards - and feel free to share any experiences here!
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
will do. i'll probably wait until school starts so the house is quiet in the early mornings.
|
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
The Zephyrs for example, sport a number of familiar names on this checklist. The Foxes sport Raul Ibanez and Shawn Estes. The Clippers sport a lot of familiar names, although only Gerald Williams on the list really lasted long. The Daytona Cubs really only have one name, Doug Glanville, who had a nice career and followed it up with some great writing for ESPN. The Diamonds, however, don't have much for name recognition. Manager Ed Romero may be the biggest. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Listed 5 more sets tonight:
1993 ProCards Spokane Indians 1993 ProCards Jacksonville Suns 1993 ProCards Springfield Cardinals 1993 ProCards Memphis Chicks 1993 ProCards Princeton Reds Not much for big names here, but we'll see if anyone wants them! |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Good luck, sounds like a fun lot! One piece of advice where the team has a name like "Chicks" or "Clippers" put the parent team in the title so you get views from people who collect that team like myself.
|
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I'm glad you spoke up when I only had 10 sets listed, not 90. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Added tonight:
1993 ProCards Sarasota White Sox 1993 ProCards Las Vegas Stars 1993 ProCards Orlando Cubs 1993 ProCards Syracuse Chiefs 1993 Pawtucket Red Sox Not a lot of names in the Sarasota set. The Las Vegas set has Pedro Martinez...just not THAT Pedro Martinez. Other than that, not much other than nice to see a couple of Red Sox connections on the coaching staff in Russ Nixon and Marty Barrett. Orlando has Jose Hernandez, who played a good long time. Syracuse features Darrel Akerfelds, Woody Williams, and Lee Stevens. The Pawsox set includes Aaron Sele, Steve Lyons, and Herm Winningham. 100 sets 1 opened / singles to be listed 15 complete sets listed on eBay 84 to be reviewed |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
More sets listed:
1993 ProCards Bowie Baysox 1993 ProCards Clearwater Phillies 1993 ProCards Fort Lauderdale Red Sox 1993 ProCards El Paso Diablos 1993 ProCards Bluefield Orioles The Bowie set has number of recognizable names, such as Gregg Zaun, Edgar Alfonzo, and Jeff Hammonds. Clearwater has Ricky Bottalico and not much else. The Ft. Lauderdale Red Sox remind me how thin the Sox system was in the early-mid 90's. El Paso features Mike Matheny, Jeff Cirillo, and Ben Oglivie as a coach. Bluefield doesn't have anyone who jumps out, name-wise. 100 sets 1 opened / singles to be listed 20 complete sets listed on eBay 79 to be reviewed Last edited by Mike D.; 08-22-2021 at 06:54 PM. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
One more posted:
1993 Medicine Hat Blue Jays Not much for big names here... 100 sets 1 opened / singles to be listed 21 complete sets listed on eBay 78 to be reviewed |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1993 Fleer ProCards Cedar Rapids Kernels Not much for names in this one...at some point I'll have to check if the "no name" teams fared any better or worse than the average team. 100 sets 1 opened / singles to be listed 22 complete sets listed on eBay 77 to be reviewed |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Looking at sets with possible grading candidates, came across this one:
1993 Fleer ProCards Vancouver Canadians The card of interest here is Jim Edmonds, who I think will be in the Hall of Fame eventually. It looks good and goes into my growing "for PSA" pile for submission...some day. This set is a pretty interesting one, though, even beyond the Edmonds. The set includes Troy Percival, Eduardo Perez, and Garret Anderson. It also features Rod Correia, who graduated from the same high school I did a few years ahead of me. I actually had another copy of the set, so listing on eBay as two card lots. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 22 complete sets listed on eBay 76 to be reviewed |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
23 1993 Procards sets wraps us up for that year.
On to 1994! First up is the 1994 Fleer ProCards Springfield Sultans. Other than manager Ed Romero, no names here jump out at me. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 23 complete sets listed on eBay 75 to be reviewed |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
We have our first sale! I knew at $3.99 plus $3.99 for s/h, it might take bit and involve some re-listings, but a sale shows that at least there's some market here.
1993 ProCards Princeton Reds - SOLD The set only cost $3.06 postage to ship to this buyer, so total profit according to eBay Fee Calculator is $2.97. That pays for almost 5 of the 100 sets based on the purchase price of 60 cents each. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 23 complete sets listed on eBay 75 to be reviewed 1 set sold $58.74 original purchase $2.97 reclaimed (5%) |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards Ottawa Lynx 1994 Fleer ProCards Iowa Cubs The Lynx set has Derrek Lee and Rondell White, some impressive star power for a minor league team. The Cubs set features Craig Worthington and Eric Yelding. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 25 complete sets listed on eBay 73 to be reviewed 1 set sold $58.74 original purchase $2.97 reclaimed (5%) |
#22
|
||||
|
||||
Couple of questions:
1) What minimum grading level are you willing to submit these minor leaguers, and which grading companies do you think will increase the value of them? 2) Did you check COMC to see which team sets didn't have any listed? I've sold quite a few minor league cards like these that I found from my childhood on COMC in this manner. Since I have so many cards listed there, I get as many cards I can keep at $2.50 base price without paying additional storage fees on them. So even if I only sell one a month, at a 50 cents submission cost, that's $2 profit that can be turned into more card processing fees or more cards for flipping or my collection. 3) Did you check into eBay's new cheap card shipping options with tracking? How many ounces does a team set weigh? Maybe you could reduce your shipping to $1/team, and therefore sell them faster.
__________________
-- PWCC: The Fish Stinks From the Head PSA: Regularly Get Cheated BGS: Can't detect trimming on modern SGC: Closed auto authentication business JSA: Approved same T206 Autos before SGC Oh, what a difference a year makes. |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks for reading! I'll answer your questions below...
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Since I have TWO of this partial set, I listed on eBay as two card lots...we'll see if anyone is a fan of the other guys in this set! https://www.ebay.com/str/mdprod?_bkw...Albany-Colonie |
#25
|
||||
|
||||
I much prefer COMC because they do all the work, and you can buy and sell cards on site without taking delivery of them. I think they're much better for buyers than sportlots because their user interface is so much better, every submitted cards gets its own front and back scan (UD ePack cards could be stock photos however). Their cards are also mostly cross-posted to eBay so you get the advantage of eBay buyers without having to do any shipping.
__________________
-- PWCC: The Fish Stinks From the Head PSA: Regularly Get Cheated BGS: Can't detect trimming on modern SGC: Closed auto authentication business JSA: Approved same T206 Autos before SGC Oh, what a difference a year makes. |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
If I'm understanding, you send the cards and they change you 50 cents each to scan and list them. Then they charge 5% of the sale price, plus 1 cent per card per month for storage. Then they charge more if you want to get proceeds from your sale (instead of spending on their site)? So, if I list one 30 card minor league set, the cost is $15 to get started? How does the math work for low-priced cards? |
#27
|
||||
|
||||
It's playing the long game and "set it and forget it"; there is definitely money to be made, especially if your card is the only one listed on site. I sell some cards for $5-10-25 each when you could buy the same complete set for $10. Since they're crossposted to eBay, people searching ebay for their uncle or grandpa who used to play minor league ball don't care if the card is priced at $4.
I have submitted 10,000 cards on site over the 7 years I've been back in the field. I also have some strategies for buying cards where I can make $50 profit on some, which then allows me to submit 100 cards with the profit. I just sent in 600 cards from the 2020 Congress set, and will list all of them for $2.50 a card. If you're going to go this route, you don't send every card. You check and see which cards are already for sale on site, and then only send ones that you can profit from ($2 minimum or so). I would send semi-stars, fan favorites, and then ones of guys who were born in the USA. Not a whole lot of demand for random players from the DR or Venezuela, from what I've seen. Didn't mean to derail your thread, though. Just figured it was an alternate way to turn a larger profit. If you search Primer on these boards, I made a post about how to buy/sell on COMC that is probably worth reading.
__________________
-- PWCC: The Fish Stinks From the Head PSA: Regularly Get Cheated BGS: Can't detect trimming on modern SGC: Closed auto authentication business JSA: Approved same T206 Autos before SGC Oh, what a difference a year makes. |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#29
|
|||
|
|||
Another sale tonight:
1993 ProCards Cedar Rapids Kernels $3.99 plus $3.99 shipping This one cost $3.22 to ship to Iowa, leaving $2.81 profit according to the eBay Fee Calculator site. That's over 4 1/2 sets paid for right there! 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 25 complete sets listed on eBay 73 to be reviewed 2 sets sold $58.74 original purchase $5.78 reclaimed (9.8%) |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards Louisville Redbirds A few recognizable names, here, but not exactly "big" names - Omar Olivares, Scott Coolbaugh, John Mabry, and Gerald Young. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 26 complete sets listed on eBay 72 to be reviewed 2 sets sold $58.74 original purchase $5.78 reclaimed (9.8%) Last edited by Mike D.; 08-31-2021 at 06:25 PM. |
#31
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 ProCards Columbus RedStixx 1994 ProCards Toledo Mud Hens The RedStixx team featured Richie Sexson and Alex Ramirez. The Mud Hens feature a few familiar names - Wayne Edwards, Buddy Groom, Jose Lima, John Flaherty, Jeff Kunkel, Skeeter Barnes, and Bobby Higginson. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 28 complete sets listed on eBay 70 to be reviewed 2 sets sold $58.74 original purchase $5.78 reclaimed (9.8%) |
#32
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 ProCards New Jersey Cardinals 1994 ProCards Kinston Indians The Cardinals team doesn't feature any names I recognize, not shocking for a short-season A-ball team. The Indians feature Mitch Meluskey and Paul Shuey. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 30 complete sets listed on eBay 68 to be reviewed 2 sets sold $58.74 original purchase $5.78 reclaimed (9.8%) |
#33
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards West Palm Beach Expos 1994 Fleer ProCards Burlington Indians The Expos a few names, led by Jose Vidro. Juan Bell and bat-throwing Izzy Alcantara also appear. The Indians team includes the ageless Bartolo Colon on his first ever card. Also features Russell Branyan on a first-year card. Not bad for a rookie ball team! 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 32 complete sets listed on eBay 66 to be reviewed 2 sets sold $58.74 original purchase $5.78 reclaimed (9.8%) |
#34
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
$1.99 sale with free shipping. After fees and shipping, that's a 90 cent profit, or enough to pay for the whole set, plus half of another. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 32 complete sets listed on eBay 66 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) Last edited by Mike D.; 09-02-2021 at 06:09 PM. |
#35
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 ProCards Eugene Emeralds 1994 ProCards Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Emeralds don't have much for names. Tim Byrdak played a few seasons in the bigs. The Quakes featured Derrek Lee and Homer Bush. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 34 complete sets listed on eBay 64 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#36
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards Auburn Astros 1994 Fleer ProCards Carolina Mudcats The Astros contains John Halama, Chris Truby, and MGR Manny Acta. The Mudcats featured Jon Lieber and Esteban Loaiza. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 36 complete sets listed on eBay 62 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#37
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards Rockford Royals 1994 Fleer ProCards Reading Phillies The Royals set includes Sal Fasan and Mike Sweeney. The Phillies set doesn't have any names that jump out at me. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 38 complete sets listed on eBay 60 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#38
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards Williamsport Cubs The Cubs team doesn't have any names that jump out at me on it. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 39 complete sets listed on eBay 59 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#39
|
|||
|
|||
Listed:
1994 Fleer ProCards Charlotte Knights 1994 Fleer ProCards Harrisburg Senators 1994 Fleer ProCards San Jose Giants The Knights key card is Brian Giles. Other recognizable names includes Jason Grimsley, Julian Tavarez, Craig Colbert, David Bell, Greg Briley, and future GM Ruben Amaro Jr.. Pretty impressive number of major leaguers on one squad. The Senators feature Miguel Batista, Al Reyes, Ugueth Urbina, and Mark Grudzielanek. The Giants feature Bill Mueller and Chris Singleton. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 41 complete sets listed on eBay 57 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#40
|
||||
|
||||
I understand this isn't high stakes, but I'm somehow really enjoying this breakdown. Glad you're taking the time to present this to us.
I've always kind of liked the obscure "cup of coffee" type athletes. In my own specialty one of my favorite things to do is matching up nearly forgotten boxers with ancestral family members. There isn't much money to be made doing that, but it gives me a bit of thrill every time it happens. I've actually dabbled with the thought of breaking up large cheap lots of minor league cards for this very purpose before.....but then realized I have 10's of thousands of other things put away in storage I'll probably never get the chance to list on one venue or another that would take precedence over doing this. |
#41
|
||||
|
||||
I'm thinking about putting together a collection of minor league costumed mascots. If you break apart any sets that have mascots, I'll take the lot for $1/each.
__________________
-- PWCC: The Fish Stinks From the Head PSA: Regularly Get Cheated BGS: Can't detect trimming on modern SGC: Closed auto authentication business JSA: Approved same T206 Autos before SGC Oh, what a difference a year makes. |
#42
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Clearly this is a hobby...any potential profit here is not worth the effort it'll take. But I was curious if a profit could be turned, and the sets are a lot of fun to review. And if I get a few cards and sets into the hands of people who want them, all the better. You raise a good point about the random minor league cards that people actually buy...I always wonder about why. Do they remember the player from attending games of the minor league team? Are they a friend? Family member? That's cool about the boxing cards and family. I bet you make some people very happy! |
#43
|
|||
|
|||
That's a fun idea. I'll have to check to see if any of these have mascot cards in them...so far the 2-3 I have opened don't, but some might. If they don't sell as complete sets I may break them up and try that way. We'll see how it goes but you have dibs on any mascot cards I uncover.
|
#44
|
|||
|
|||
A few more:
1994 ProCards Asheville Tourists 1994 Fleer ProCards Tucson Toros The Tourists had Jamey Wright and John Thomson. Also a number of guys who this was their only card ever...A ball can be tough! The Toros (no relation to Tourists) have a number of recognizable names, including Eric Bell, Jim Dougherty, Domingo Jean, Craig McMurtry, Scooter Tucker, Roberto Petagine, Brian L. Hunter, and Phil Nevin! They went 81-63 and finished 2nd in their division. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 43 complete sets listed on eBay 55 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#45
|
|||
|
|||
A couple more:
1994 Fleer ProCards Bowie Baysox 1994 Fleer ProCards Pawtucket Red Sox The Baysox features a number of recognizable names, including Armando Benitez, Joe Borowski, Steve Chitren, Vaughn Eshelman, Edgar Alfonzo, Curtis Goodwin, and Alex Ochoa. The Pawsox team...man, that's my local team, and my senior year in high school. The team wasn't great, and didn't have much for guys who spent time in the bigs...but I know these names. Frankie Rodriguez was a high draft pick who didn't pan out. Bob Zupzic, Gar Finnvold. How can that have been 27 years ago?! 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 45 complete sets listed on eBay 53 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 1 lot sold $58.74 original purchase $6.68 reclaimed (11.4%) |
#46
|
|||
|
|||
Both Jamey and John came through Colorado Springs on their way to the Rockies. And both were generous signers while they were here.
Last edited by butchie_t; 09-05-2021 at 08:35 PM. |
#47
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Yes, it's most likely some sort of old memory or family connection. With boxing it's not so much about the cards (though that does happen), and more about the old photos, publications, programs, posters and even clippings. |
#48
|
|||
|
|||
Nice...always glad to hear about guys who were good signers on the way up. I used to get the Red Sox minor league team sets every year and 'graph...either in person (Pawtucket) or TTM (everywhere else).
|
#49
|
|||
|
|||
Interesting. I'm sure these days with those ancestory tracking sites, it's easier for people to discover they're related to someone "famous" and want a little memento of that connection.
|
#50
|
|||
|
|||
Sold another two-card lot from the Albany-Colonie Yankees set, this time of Tate Seefried. Tate never made the big leagues after being taken in the 3rd round of the 1990 draft, and played in the minors through 1998.
The cards sold for $1.99 w/ free shipping. With 53 cent eBay shipping and eBay fees, profit is 90 cents...which again more than pays for the whole set. 100 sets 2 opened / singles to be listed 45 complete sets listed on eBay 53 to be reviewed 2 sets sold 2 lots sold $58.74 original purchase $7.58 reclaimed (12.9%) |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
FS/BO 169 Different Phillies Minor League Team sets | whiteymet | 1980 & Newer Sports Cards B/S/T | 0 | 10-15-2016 04:00 PM |
1988 CMC Minor League Sets NMT..!!! | Leerob538 | 1980 & Newer Sports Cards B/S/T | 0 | 08-21-2016 07:52 AM |
A few mid 1980's Minor League sets for sale as a lot. | philliesfan | 1980 & Newer Sports Cards B/S/T | 0 | 04-17-2014 03:09 PM |
FS: Many Minor League Team sets and more!! | greenmonster66 | 1980 & Newer Sports Cards B/S/T | 0 | 02-13-2013 07:01 PM |
FS: Many Minor League Team sets and more!! | greenmonster66 | 1950 to 1959 Baseball cards- B/S/T | 15 | 02-04-2013 06:55 AM |