REA Boxing Card Results

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I hope you bought all of them in REA.

Ha, I did not though. I won't do business with REA; which coincidentally makes REA a really good double check of the market for me - because it allows me to remove the factor of myself.

A lot of the old boxing market is really dependent on just a couple of us. When I and a couple others were trying to build T218 Tolstoi at the same time, prices ~tripled on eBay and I had to match that in private offers. Now that I'm at 47/50, it seems the price is ~half of what it was again. There are other examples and I'm sure we all have them, but it's very helpful sometimes to monitor a 'reset' by removing oneself.

[RCMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by G1911

Ha, I did not though. I won't do business with REA; which coincidentally makes REA a really good double check of the market for me - because it allows me to remove the factor of myself.

A lot of the old boxing market is really dependent on just a couple of us. When I and a couple others were trying to build T218 Tolstoi at the same time, prices ~tripled on eBay and I had to match that in private offers. Now that I'm at 47/50, it seems the price is ~half of what it was again. There are other examples and I'm sure we all have them, but it's very helpful sometimes to monitor a 'reset' by removing oneself.

I was one of the T218 Tolstoi bidders. I have not added one in a while. 2 people can make a market, and 3 or 4 bidders can make a market explode like a small float pink sheet stock. 47/50 is great. I don't think anyone has publicly completed this set. You are the first to know it contains 50 that I know of. I'm in the high 20's still. Grinding away on a lot of sets.

[Exhibitman]

Why no REA, Greg? I've found REA to be among the least offensive and most professional AHs.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Why no REA, Greg? I've found REA to be among the least offensive and most professional AHs.

I know he isn't running it anymore, but REA is Lifson's baby. Lifson, the library thief (a running ring stealing cards and then getting them into his buddies collections in some versions, a single incident while both high on drugs and drunk, during which he failed and was caught in his own telling). Lifson, the 'expert' who sold all the Halper fraud items as legit. Lifson, the President of Mastronet, a criminal fraud ring. Lifson, who was one of the guys getting card(s) juiced by shill bidding at said Mastronet according to the state. Could keep going, but you get the point.

A company founded and run for many years by this guy raises red flags for me. Don't deal with known thieves, fraudsters, or those who very suspiciously are always getting involved in frauds by their friends for decades. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and seems practically imprudent to enter into business with such organizations rooted in this kind of conduct. It has not been my experience that organization founded, run and shaped by such folks are likely to conduct themselves properly. REA has never sold something I needed bad enough to sign up with them; not sure there's anything I haven't secured yet that would make me flip around and do it anyways. I would not expect anyone to agree or draw the same boundaries I do, and am not claiming that those who make different choice are doing anything wrong. I lay no claim to virtue and do not expect those I conduct business with to possess it either, but I do expect them not to be repeatedly involved over decades in frauds and scams and thefts in the same kind of business as I am conducting with them. That this is such a difficult standard for card businesses to reach and that REA probably is one of the cleaner auction houses, tells one a lot about auction houses

[Exhibitman]

Rob Lifson has no involvement with REA. Brian Dwyer, who is one of the nicest, most honest people you will ever meet in this hobby, owns and runs it. He has assembled a crackerjack crew of professionals who run not only a clean auction but an outstanding back-office. My dealings with REA have been the smoothest experiences ever.

Alan, I selected REA for a variety of reasons, none of them in any way against Al and Love of the Game.

You have to choose an AH based on track record with the type of items you are selling and whether its goals mesh with your consignment. If I want to liquidate my Babe Ruth collection or my baseball photos, Al is my first and last stop. I had stuff in his last auction and I have stuff in his next. No finer or more careful person can be found in this business. That said, the Ringside auction I did with LOTG was a financial bust and was not going to be repeated. LOTG just isn't the place for a big boxing sale, so it didn't make sense to send the cards there. I'm a kickass construction and real estate lawyer but if a client comes in with a bankruptcy case, I refer it out because it isn't in my wheelhouse.

REA has been racking up a track record with boxing cards in the Encore auctions. Which is my 2nd reason for going with REA. REA has a monthly, low opening bid, single card format auction. If I am selling a large collection of cards, I want an auction that will sell the cards as singles, or as close to it as possible. If you let an auctioneer throw 100 of your cards into a grab bag lot, all you have done is hand a middleman--a dealer--a guaranteed profit when he buys the lot at a discount. I’ve made a ton of money breaking down and retailing cards that were inadvisably put into mass lots. I won't sell that way.

Lelands was my other choice at the time but the guy there who does the boxing cards was on paternity leave and they couldn't handle the sale in a timely manner. Which is my third reason: REA's process is fast and seamless. My cards were picked up at my office and in a few weeks they were up for sale. I will probably have a check in hand in a few weeks. Can't beat that turn time.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

I was one of the T218 Tolstoi bidders. I have not added one in a while. 2 people can make a market, and 3 or 4 bidders can make a market explode like a small float pink sheet stock. 47/50 is great. I don't think anyone has publicly completed this set. You are the first to know it contains 50 that I know of. I'm in the high 20's still. Grinding away on a lot of sets.

We really drove up the price for a minute. I know a couple of the other active guys gave this set up. On the positive side, it flushed out more Tolstoi's into the active trading/selling market than I've been able to find before the spike we drove, which is more important. It's probably a bit easier to complete now than it was 10 years ago or 2 years ago. I don't know of anyone doing multiples or hoarding (except the Jack Johnson investors, but Johnson's Tolstoi is a superprint and not a hard card. I suspect Jeffries is too.) Did you pick up any of the cards Todd M. put on eBay? I grabbed the Abe Goodman I needed and someone else got the rest shortly after.

Shameless plug that I am happily overpaying for the 3 commons I still have left: Jack Goodman, J.L. Hartranft, and Unk Russell

[RCMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by G1911

Did you pick up any of the cards Todd M. put on eBay?

No, my last purchase was July 2022. I'm at 28/50. I don't have any on your want list. Good luck on it.