Vintage card regrets

[Ricky]

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

About ten years ago, I sold several vintage cards from my collection, probably 8 or 9 total, at a time when my daughter was going to college and we needed help paying for her tuition. Long story short, ten years down the road, even though it was the right thing to do at the time, I still regret parting with those cards, as I know that, with the way prices have soared in the past decade with vintage cards, I'll likely never be able to replace them.

I was wondering if other collectors had sold cards over the years that they now regret not having - and probably can't replace - and what those cards were.

For me, my top 3 that I sold and miss are:
• N172 Old Judge Hoss Radbourn
• N300 Mayo's Kid Nichols
• 1933 Goudey Ruth (red background)

[ejharrington]

I have no regrets over sold items. I do have regrets on some items where one more bid may have won me something I have been looking for ever since.

[Promethius88]

Several cards I've sold over the years that I wish I still had. My Pete Rose rookie and my entire 1970 Topps basketball PSA 8 set. But, those can be replaced if I choose one day.
Regret/reedemed - My 55 Topps Jackie Robinson PSA 8 that I purchased from my father in the mid 1980's. Sold it to a friend around 1999 because I needed some money. After my father passed away last year, I realized how much that meant to me. Purchased the card back from my friend a few months ago and it is now back in it's rightful place
Regret - 1960 Fleer #80 Lefty Grove/Pepper Martin back. Sent it for grading in the late 90's and came back as miscut or something...not slabbed. Sold it raw for maybe $600. I think it was sent back in a few years later and slabbed as "authentic". Really a tough card to find.

[markcal02]

Originally Posted by Ricky

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

About ten years ago, I sold several vintage cards from my collection, probably 8 or 9 total, at a time when my daughter was going to college and we needed help paying for her tuition. Long story short, ten years down the road, even though it was the right thing to do at the time, I still regret parting with those cards, as I know that, with the way prices have soared in the past decade with vintage cards, I'll likely never be able to replace them.

I was wondering if other collectors had sold cards over the years that they now regret not having - and probably can't replace - and what those cards were.

For me, my top 3 that I sold and miss are:
• N172 Old Judge Hoss Radbourn
• N300 Mayo's Kid Nichols
• 1933 Goudey Ruth (red background)

After reading your posting to this thread you started, felt I had to say this. Baseball card collecting is an enjoyable hobby for many and some make their living from it. To make a posting about regret from not having baseball cards, which financed your daughter's college education is a little disturbing. Being able to give your daughter something that can never be taken away and being so important, but looking back at that gift as a regret doesn't make sense to me.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by markcal02

After reading your posting to this thread you started, felt I had to say this. Baseball card collecting is an enjoyable hobby for many and some make their living from it. To make a posting about regret from not having baseball cards, which financed your daughter's college education is a little disturbing. Being able to give your daughter something that can never be taken away and being so important, but looking back at that gift as a regret doesn't make sense to me.

Wow! I don't think Ricky stated he regretted helping out his daughter he stated he regretted selling his cards. I do not see those as the same statements. What a way to welcome someone.

[ramram]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Wow! I don't think Ricky stated he regretted helping out his daughter he stated he regretted selling his cards. I do not see those as the same statements. What a way to welcome someone.

+1

[markcal02]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Wow! I don't think Ricky stated he regretted helping out his daughter he stated he regretted selling his cards. I do not see those as the same statements. What a way to welcome someone.

That was my reaction too, "WOW". Being able to give your daughter a gift of a college education, but having to sell baseball cards to do it made him make this thread. If I ever had to sell something to give my daughter something so important as an education, I would be so grateful for being able to do it, "regret" would never enter my mind and would never post about it here. Merry Christmas to Ricky and all on this forum, Mark

[deeg23]

Originally Posted by markcal02

After reading your posting to this thread you started, felt I had to say this. Baseball card collecting is an enjoyable hobby for many and some make their living from it. To make a posting about regret from not having baseball cards, which financed your daughter's college education is a little disturbing. Being able to give your daughter something that can never be taken away and being so important, but looking back at that gift as a regret doesn't make sense to me.

Tough scene.

I took it as he probably would’ve rather sold different cards or something else that hasn’t taken off in value so much!

Anyway - I don’t really have any regrets in collecting as I luckily haven’t had to sell anything yet (knock on wood)!

[Ricky]

So, maybe I wasn't clear enough.

Certainly, my daughter and her education was and is, absolutely, #1. I don't regret what I did - at all. Looking back, it was a decision that my wife and I made and we probably did so in haste. We panicked a little at the price tag of the university that she chose and as it turned out, we were able to help pay for her education in subsequent semesters with no future baseball card sales involved. Probably could have done so without the selling the ones that I did.

My only intent in starting this thread was to see if there were others among you who had, over the years, sold cards that you miss today and wish you still had. That's all.

[pokerplyr80]

Tough crowd this morning. I knew what you meant Rick from your first post. I was buying a house a couple of years ago and sold a few more cards than I needed to in order to free up some cash. I regret letting a green cobb go as it was really nice for the grade and would probably cost me 2 or 3x what I sold it for now to replace.

[ALR-bishop]

Welcome aboard Ricky. You too Markcal, but if Rick'y's post generated a WOW you may find this place really entertaining.

[gregr2]

First off, welcome to the forum. Second, I have only been collecting for a few years and I can't afford the type of cards that could pay for college tuition. For me, I buy stuff that I like, some stuff I keep, other stuff I turn and sell but I have yet to have any regrets.

[Ricky]

I started collecting vintage cards in the late 1970s and continued through the early '90s, so I was lucky in that I was able to pick up some great cards at very reasonable prices. This was all in the years before graded cards entered the scene. I stopped, at least as far as the vintage cards go, when life - marriage, mortgage, kid - entered the picture and recently have begun to collect again. Amazed at the changes in the hobby and how the prices have exploded.

[dk1216]

Yep... A few years ago I sold several T206 scraps and a proof. The money I got for them was more than was fair, but I regretted it the minute I dropped them off at the post office. The only cards I've ever sold outright.

[JollyElm]

How about a friend's regret? My buddy sold all of his Mantles (in the 90's before the slab craze) to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. Broke his heart, but he knew he had to do it. Yup, you guessed it, their marriage didn't last. I refer to it as 'the day the cardboard died.'

[ls7plus]

1925 Exhibits Gehrig rookie in PSA VG and 1959 Bazooka Mantle in Near Mint (all dotted lines intake and no real flaws in the card) in the early 2000's when my focus had shifted to putting a 650 HP, 540 CID big block motor in my '72 Corvette, plus strengthened TCI Turbo 400 trans, custom 3" exhaust and fabricated headers, etc., etc. The car still runs great, and has been very reliable, but that's now a total of about $60K or more in cards. I could get them back if I wanted to, but really have no interest in investing that much at any one time in that area. Other priorities rank higher. Still, a lesson learned, as there were other avenues I could have taken with the car to get it to what I wanted it to be (yes, I am a certified gearhead in addition to card collector).

Best of luck to you all,

Larry

[Steve D]

I regret having to sell my N172 Mike Kelly, T227 Ty Cobb and 1954 Bowman Ted Williams back in 1991. I was in the Air Force, and had just been transferred to Texas, after two years in Germany. I needed money to buy a car and furnish an apartment, as I was moving out of the dormitory/barracks. Like you, it was the right thing to do, I just regret that I had to do it. These three cards were but a small part of a much larger group of cards (including every T206 HOFer card except Wagner and Plank). I've subsequently re-collected the T206s, but have never been able to re-acquire examples of the Kelly, Cobb and Williams.

On the buying side, my big regret is coming in second on a T206 Eddie Plank about 12 or so years ago. I bid $16,100, and it went for $16,200 on ebay.

Steve

[hcv123]

So, In contemplating the question and thinking about many cards I've sold - As close as I could come to regret was a 1971 Bazooka numbered panel of Clemente - which is a legitimately tough item to find and I am not sure I will own one again. Other than that, seeing some of the prices of cards today that I sold years ago, it would have been nice to have them to sell for today's prices, but I don't much regret not having the cards and got at the time very fair prices for them - the worst - I sold a raw 1968 3D Clemente at the time PSA was becoming more known and there was much controversy whether they would last and be accepted in the hobby. It was in great condition - I would have called it near mint. I sold it for $6500. The collector I sold it to immediately sent it to PSA for grading - it came back a 9 - within a few months I watched a 9 sell at auction for about $30k!! Pain - yes, regret no.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Steve D

On the buying side, my big regret is coming in second on a T206 Eddie Plank about 12 or so years ago. I bid $16,100, and it went for $16,200 on ebay.

Steve

Just tell yourself that the person who won the card had a top bid of $25,000, so you never had a chance anyway.

Brian (self-delusional since the Eighties)

[riggs336]

In the late 70's I sold off most of my duplicate stars via The Trader Speaks. I still remember some of the prices: 1958 Aaron $3.00; 1954 T Williams #1 $4.50; 1948 Leaf Spahn $4.50 (the check bounced on that one).
I didn't regret selling them at the time and regretting it now would have to go really low on my list of Most Wanted Life Mulligans.

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Just tell yourself that the person who won the card had a top bid of $25,000, so you never had a chance anyway.

Brian (self-delusional since the Eighties)

Oh, believe me, that's what I've been telling myself ever since the auction ended.

It helps some, but not completely.

I am very glad though, that the winning bid was a full normal increment, and not some odd small amount where it was obviously the winner's high bid.

Steve

[Bram99]

My biggest regret is not about selling but about having spent any money that I did on the cards of the mid 80’s to the 1990’s. Also, the opportunity cost of spending that money on other than vintage cards.

[JLange]

I’ve sold items over the years for various reasons and have come to regret a few sales that were purchased as indivudal cards years earlier. The dollar figures weren’t high, and the reasons for parting with them made good sense, but as my collection has evolved I eventually found a hole or two where I used to have the card. Of course I’ve not seen them since on eBay or elsewhere which only adds to the frustration. It doesn’t matter why you parted with it, if you need it now and it’s costly or difficult to find, it hurts a little bit.

[62corvette]

In 1974 I passed on a T206 Wagner for $600. It was fair condition. I had put myself through 9 years of college, we had a baby, and my monthly pastor’s salary was $550. My wife encouraged me to borrow the money. She is very kind—only occasionally does she say “I told you so.”
I also wish I had not sold 140 1966 Topps rack packs in 1973 for $1.50 each postpaid. And then there were the duplicate 58-62 complete sets I sold around that same time for $35 each. (I doubled my money)

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by 62corvette

In 1974 I passed on a T206 Wagner for $600. It was fair condition. I had put myself through 9 years of college, we had a baby, and my monthly pastor’s salary was $550. My wife encouraged me to borrow the money. She is very kind—only occasionally does she say “I told you so.”
I also wish I had not sold 140 1966 Topps rack packs in 1973 for $1.50 each postpaid. And then there were the duplicate 58-62 complete sets I sold around that same time for $35 each. (I doubled my money)

Forget my post!!

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by 62corvette

In 1974 I passed on a T206 Wagner for $600. It was fair condition. I had put myself through 9 years of college, we had a baby, and my monthly pastor’s salary was $550. My wife encouraged me to borrow the money. She is very kind—only occasionally does she say “I told you so.”
I also wish I had not sold 140 1966 Topps rack packs in 1973 for $1.50 each postpaid. And then there were the duplicate 58-62 complete sets I sold around that same time for $35 each. (I doubled my money)

Wow, Mike! Just WOW! All of a sudden, my regrets are too trivial to mention.

[gabrinus]

"Regrets....I've had a few".......Jerry

[mrvster]

congrats on your first post! and a great post btw.........and we know what you meant, of course you don't regret what you did with the money....don't listen to anyone else, but you probably wished you financed the education differently that's all...


keep posting! we need great posts like this


YES!!I have a ton of them....but currently I am working on getting back a card that means a lot to me from a fellow board member and friend..

I feel your pain.....

set a goal and maybe try to get those cards back one day

peace


Johnny

[mrvster]

OUCH!

I had my Wagner encounter in the late 70's when I passed on a Wagner for $11,000...it was crazy price, and I would have wiped out my college fund....
I would have rather had the Wagner !! we eventually needed the money anyway to live , things happen for a reason...it has stung ever since and now it is my lifetime goal to own one

being a pastor and taking care of business is much more impressive.....GOD BLESS YOU, and YOUR FAMILY!

you will have all the Wagners and everything you want in Heaven....God will bless you here and in the afterlife

[Leon]

First of all welcome to the forum. This is a great first post/thread.
My only regret is selling my '25 Gehrig Exhibit to Hal Lewis for 10k around 15 yrs ago, a world record at the time. I bought it raw in a Mastro Auction where they said it was NRMT-MT for around $2750. ....I had it graded and it was a 5.5 and eventually I believe it got bumped to a 6. Ouch. No regrets otherwise....

Originally Posted by Ricky

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

About ten years ago, I sold several vintage cards from my collection, probably 8 or 9 total, at a time when my daughter was going to college and we needed help paying for her tuition. Long story short, ten years down the road, even though it was the right thing to do at the time, I still regret parting with those cards, as I know that, with the way prices have soared in the past decade with vintage cards, I'll likely never be able to replace them.

I was wondering if other collectors had sold cards over the years that they now regret not having - and probably can't replace - and what those cards were.

For me, my top 3 that I sold and miss are:
• N172 Old Judge Hoss Radbourn
• N300 Mayo's Kid Nichols
• 1933 Goudey Ruth (red background)

[Joshwesley]

Originally Posted by 62corvette

In 1974 I passed on a T206 Wagner for $600. It was fair condition. I had put myself through 9 years of college, we had a baby, and my monthly pastor’s salary was $550. My wife encouraged me to borrow the money. She is very kind—only occasionally does she say “I told you so.”
I also wish I had not sold 140 1966 Topps rack packs in 1973 for $1.50 each postpaid. And then there were the duplicate 58-62 complete sets I sold around that same time for $35 each. (I doubled my money)

As a preachers kid, I feel your pain....I’m sure you made the right decision at the time.

That’s a tough one to look back on though lol

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Bram99

My biggest regret is not about selling but about having spent any money that I did on the cards of the mid 80’s to the 1990’s. Also, the opportunity cost of spending that money on other than vintage cards.

Amen to that, Tony. In my case, primarily on new cards from when I started about 1989 until around 1993, when I began to study what had occurred in the coin hobby (which had been around in organized form for about 120 years longer than ours) and began to learn more about vintage cards.

Happy holidays.

Larry

[MarcosCards]

I haven’t done much buying or selling. I’m just a 66 year old guy who’s thankful to have his childhood baseball card collection from the early 1960s. But if I was going to part with any of my cards, I would first take high quality scans of them.

I realize this approach wouldn’t be sufficient for many collectors. But for me, having a digital image to look at from time to time would ease any possible regret I might have.

[Jason]

Very much so. I sold/traded a few T210/T209 early in my prewar collecting that I just didnt know where so hard to come by. Live and learn.

[jchcollins]

I don't have any true regrets, as all of the cards I'll mention below that passed through my hands at one time or another I couldn't really afford anyway - so it's all kind of a wash. But in the days from about the time I graduated college (22) through the early years of my marriage (maybe 26?) I was kind of a pseudo-dealer. I'd buy nice stuff I liked, then when it came time to pay the bills, I'd sell something to finance them. I probably could have been a halfway decent dealer if I had put my mind to it, but the money was always an afterthought - I've always been a collector at heart. Anyhow, if I could have a few back - these would be some of them. They were all in pretty nice shape, save for the Bazooka Mantle:

E92 Dockman Cy Young
1941 Play Ball Ted Williams
1948 Leaf Ted Williams
1952 Topps Jackie Robinson #312
1953 Bowman Mantle
1954 Topps Aaron RC
1954 Johnston's Cookies Aaron RC
1954 Red Heart Mantle
1954 Red Heart Musial
1955 Topps Clemente RC
1959 Bazooka box Mantle
1959 Topps Mantle PSA 7 NM
1965 Topps Mantle
1968 Topps Ryan RC
1973 Topps Schmidt RC

I'm sure I'm missing a few. I have a nice mid-grade collection of post-war now, but a few of those obviously I would have a hard time replacing at what I paid for them probably - mostly in the early 2000's.