Sports Cards Hobby Thread

[Baby Shoes]

Thanks! Another one I’m stoked for in the lot is Gene Conley who played both professional baseball and professional basketball. I actually got an autograph of him through the mail back in the day so that’s another I’m excited for.

The other “random” things today was winning a couple different auctions of unique Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh rookie cards, which I randomly looked up and found some interesting things.

 

[snuffbox]

Probstein auctions (he's far from perfect but I've never had any problems myself) has some good looking 50s cards ending tonight. 1952 Berk Ross, '56 Topps, all that fuckin' shit. Trying to decide if I should compete or throw my computer out the window before this goes too far.

 

[Baby Shoes]

In some of the other excitement, I don’t think I ever fully acknowledged @SFH talking about Sportlots. I LOVED SportLots and used it very regularly maybe 2011 to 2014. There were a lot of good deals and stuff I wasn’t finding elsewhere at the time. I know during that time where I was doing a lot of in-person autographs and even some TTM, I was able to buy a lot of great cards of guys who didn’t have many cards and good deals on getting like 1970s basketball for guys I was autographing. I know they were my source in buying the Wade Boggs and Kevin McHale rookies which I got autographed. I recently came across the Donruss 82 Cal Ripken Jr I got for a deal back then but probably isn't in great enough shape to try grading. I tried looking to see their prices when the boom started and I wanted some stuff I missed being out of the game the past few years and their prices were already same as elsewhere. I wish I remembered some of the better sellers and I know the pot of gold and some other things on there got me decent savings.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Probstein auctions (he's far from perfect but I've never had any problems myself) has some good looking 50s cards ending tonight. 1952 Berk Ross, '56 Topps, all that fuckin' shit. Trying to decide if I should compete or throw my computer out the window before this goes too far.

Yeah, I hear all the shill bids on their stuff but I haven’t gone after anything highly sought after from them, so my couple experiences have been fine. I think my only real surprise was some of the low serial numbered cards I got coming unprotected but it seems that happens with some of the other consignment places too.

Then again, with how crazy Card Saver I have gotten in the boom with the hobby and grading, I get excited when a card I ordered for $1 shows up in a Card Saver, as it seems more valuable than the random Xander Bogarts that came in it.

 

[snuffbox]

Yeah, the lack of sleeves, toploaders, etc has been one of the most frustrating things about selling over the past year or so. I've had to reuse some that were for cards in my personal collection a few times. I never thought those would be something I should've been stockpiling.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Yeah, the lack of sleeves, toploaders, etc has been one of the most frustrating things about selling over the past year or so. I've had to reuse some that were for cards in my personal collection a few times. I never thought those would be something I should've been stockpiling.

I had always done a lot of pages doing a lot of set collecting, so I was thankful to have a lot of top loaders left over. The challenge has been swapping them out for Card Savers with some of my mass grading submissions.

 

[snuffbox]

1956 TOPPS #5 Ted Williams GRAY BACK PSA 2.5 GOOD+ Boston Red Sox HOF | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1956 TOPPS #5 Ted Williams GRAY BACK PSA 2.5 GOOD+ Boston Red Sox HOF at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

If I don't win anything tonight, I might have to buy this. Looks great for a 2.5 and the gray backs tend to be a premium for the first 100 cards in the set. But if @Baby Shoes wants it, I will stand down.

 

[Baby Shoes]

1956 TOPPS #5 Ted Williams GRAY BACK PSA 2.5 GOOD+ Boston Red Sox HOF | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1956 TOPPS #5 Ted Williams GRAY BACK PSA 2.5 GOOD+ Boston Red Sox HOF at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

If I don't win anything tonight, I might have to buy this. Looks great for a 2.5 and the gray backs tend to be a premium for the first 100 cards in the set. But if @Baby Shoes wants it, I will stand down.

That is extremely tempting but I think I need to put myself on timeout for a little bit...

 

[snuffbox]

I should probably do the same but I am not a smart man.

 

[SFH]

 

[snuffbox]

If Minnesota Vikings legend Brent Farve is any indication, there will continue to be Brees cards to collect for years after he retires.

 

[Baby Shoes]

That’s true. The modern card game still has a lot guys getting just as many releases post-retirement.

Knowing your Saints fandom, the guy that comes to my head is Kamara but it’s hard to say who is going to have near two decade staying power like you had with Brees. Very rare and even the spots that seem natural don’t always have the expected longevity like when the Colts dumped Manning to star the era of Andrew Luck.

 

[snuffbox]

Didn't win any of the Probstein vintage auctions tonight. But I did win a couple other auctions for 2020 Leaf wrestling cards. Jushin Liger and Typhoon autos, both numbered out of 25.

 

[Baby Shoes]

The Leaf sets are pretty nice. I only got a couple from the 2020 releases. I got a Tanahashi that I sent in a PSA order a few months ago and a Colt Cabana/ Yano dual auto. I think my best from the Leaf wrestling is I obtained one of the 2018 Okada autographs Purple which was a print run of 5.

 

[snuffbox]

The Jushin Liger is gonna look good next to my 2019 Allen & Ginter Original Tiger Mask auto in a display case whenever card shows can happen again.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Yeah, trying to take a "timeout" as well though I have a Beckett cart stashed away for a rainy day. Been trying to apartment hunt + do more to land a new gig (e.g. planning to do some 'Oracle' training through their site tomorrow & Wednesday) so if I can save up any money possible, it'll be worth it.

 

[SFH]

Baseball private signings group on Facebook has a Greg Maddux (pitching legend for Cubs and Braves). I got a Pinnacle issued photo from the 1990s in the mail now for the signing. Thought about sending one of my baseball cards but I think the photo will look a lot cooler.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Here’s some numbers I stumbled across in regards to the gross over markup on current product.

Release details on Donruss Basketball 2020-21 came out this past week. Despite being on the lower end of the product spectrum, Blowout, Dacardworld, Steel City, all the usual suspects are looking for $1200/box.

It isn’t Donruss/Panini taking advantage of the boom. Someone on another site shared the link to GTS Distribution, the distribution source where retailers buy this product. The cost through there? $100 a box.

That markup is insane. I was hoping I could find something to just buy a case off them. 10 box case at $100 is still cheaper than buying a lone hobby box! They make people prove their business and doesn’t look like they will do 3rd party sellers on eBay/Amazon. I joked with my buddy who has been wanting to get some new basketball product that it may be cheaper to set up a fake store by renting a space then just trying to buy a box outright.

 

[snuffbox]

I wish I could say I was surprised that those retailers are the ones jacking up the prices.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I got my final Pierce Inserts in and the Fleer Focus - Focus Pocus is ridiculously cool (one of the coolest cards I probably own visually, period). Definitely worth a grab @BabyShoes. Put it up on IG but it doesn't quite capture the refractory-ness.

Also "completed" my UD Cooperstown Calling Insert Set (just the big names): Roger Clemens, Cal Ripken Jr, Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Piazza, Tony Gwynn, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux x2, Derek Jeter, Mark McGwire x2, Randy Johnson, Frank Thomas, and Jeff Bagwell. They look great in the binder together

 

[Baby Shoes]

Had a way bigger mail day then I realized I was going to have last night but there was some stuff I’ve been waiting on for a bit that finally showed up.

I was also kinda bummed with two purchases that I felt slighted on. Worst was I got an offer for a HOT PACK fat pack of the WWE Finest, so I took it figuring it would be fun. It was not really a hot pack and did not have what the listing claims. Looking at the seller‘s feedback, it appears others in the time between my purchase and the item arrival had the same experience. Wasn’t super expensive but I definitely overpaid.

The other “disappointment” was I was pretty excited to win a 2019-20 Donruss Zion rookie. The card that showed up was not as well-centered as I felt the picture in the listing. Had it looked as lopsided in the image, I wouldn’t have bid.

My Beckett Burbank order with several unique Bayley and serial numbered Pierce cards arrived.

I think my most interesting item that arrived yesterday was a PSA 10 1982 Donruss rookie of Bob Brenly. Post-playing Brenly being the commentator then manager for the early Diamondbacks teams always sticks with me so when I saw a low priced auction, I had to go for it. I won it for .99 cents with $4 shipping. So not a shabby way to spend $5, IMO.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Had a way bigger mail day then I realized I was going to have last night but there was some stuff I’ve been waiting on for a bit that finally showed up.

I was also kinda bummed with two purchases that I felt slighted on. Worst was I got an offer for a HOT PACK fat pack of the WWE Finest, so I took it figuring it would be fun. It was not really a hot pack and did not have what the listing claims. Looking at the seller‘s feedback, it appears others in the time between my purchase and the item arrival had the same experience. Wasn’t super expensive but I definitely overpaid.

The other “disappointment” was I was pretty excited to win a 2019-20 Donruss Zion rookie. The card that showed up was not as well-centered as I felt the picture in the listing. Had it looked as lopsided in the image, I wouldn’t have bid.

My Beckett Burbank order with several unique Bayley and serial numbered Pierce cards arrived.

I think my most interesting item that arrived yesterday was a PSA 10 1982 Donruss rookie of Bob Brenly. Post-playing Brenly being the commentator then manager for the early Diamondbacks teams always sticks with me so when I saw a low priced auction, I had to go for it. I won it for .99 cents with $4 shipping. So not a shabby way to spend $5, IMO.

Yeah. I usually stick to Beckett with re: any raw pickups and even then I've gotten some bad cards (modern that would maybe be a 7.5 or 8 at best thanks to a dinged corner or surface scratch). I'm also so super leery of any of those "Hot Packs" or the recent Platinum Boombox style "Hot Boxes" being sold out there as it's easy to get duped or have the sellers hide behind something like, "Hey, man. There's no guarantee of a hit. I only stated what the odds of getting said hit were, not that you would get one," type stuff.

There was a fantastically centered front & back, albeit very beat up, 1962 Topps #313 Mantle Blasts 61st HR card for $30 that I was looking hard at on Ebay but ultimately passed on because I just didn't know if that would be the actual card I'd be getting as it was just being sold raw.

I love a lot of the 80s/90s cards out there as you can get some great deals on legitimately good players or managers. I was also eyeing a 1978 Topps #211 Earl Weaver PSA 9 for $25 but didn't bite the bullet because I wasn't a fan of the back statistics layout and how it focused on him as a player instead.

 

[SFH]

My informed delivery account no longer shows the self addressed shipping labels I generated to my own home for 4 "through the mail" auto requests. My previous experience tells me doing it this way "From SFH to SFH" instead of doing "From Celebrity Address to SFH address"results in zero tracking even though there's a tracking number.

So it's POSSIBLE the items are back in the mail system!?

 

[snuffbox]

I hope so!

 

[HarleyQuinn]

For 80s and 90s I tend to look for a 9+ grade as they are more common/should be in better shape mostly. There's some good deals to be had if you're searching a little deeper in those years, especially the 80s. I have noticed that "lesser" names even in PSA 10s are still selling for $12 - $20 too. Example: This Carmelo Martinez 1985 Topps #558 PSA 10 is already over $33. He had 718 Hits and 108 HR in his MLB career. Proof that there are always going to be collectors out there trying to complete a set, going for a PC player or PC team, etc.

Robin Yount 1985 Topps #340 PSA 9 is BIN for $19 + $3.18 Shipping or BO. It's a little off on the back centering wise.
Fred McGriff 1987 Topps Traded #74T PSA 9 is BIN for $12 + $4 Shipping. A little off top to bottom on the back but very sharp otherwise.
Barry Larkin 1987 Topps #648 RC PSA 9 is BIN for $19 + $3.50 Shipping. Again, sharp-looking front no surprise.
Ryne Sandberg 1989 Topps #360 PSA 9 is BIN for $10 + $3.00 Shipping or BO. A little off top to bottom on the front but a dirt cheap price.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Just got my shipping notice for the eBay COMC order I made on New Year’s Eve. Feels like it is taking forever but I know this is still faster than people who were ordering straight from COMC.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Loading…

www.topps.com

@King Kamala

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Always interesting to compare what a "hardest" Gem Mint rate for a RC is especially via PSA... I did this with Kirby Puckett in picking up my GMA 8.5 and Larry Walker's Bowman GMA 9 so I thought I'd look at one of the best 1990s power hitters in Juan Gonzalez.

1990 Bowman = 13.95
1990 Bowman Tiffany = 18.76
1990 Donruss = 17.28
1990 Fleer = 25.81
1990 Score = 9.57
1990 Topps = 8.58
1990 Topps '89 M.L. Debut = 15.48
1990 Topps Tiffany = 12.79
1990 Upper Deck Star Rookie = 15.42

It looks like you'd probably be better off aiming for a PSA 9 for a 1990 Score or 1990 Topps Juan Gonzalez instead due to the fact that those 9s are 80% likely to look as good as a PSA 10. You'd even be better off targeting a '89 M.L. Debut or Tiffany over the base Topps if you really want the PSA 10. Worth highlighting the 1990 Fleer and how much easier it is to Gem by comparison.

 

[Baby Shoes]

With the news of Hank Aaron this morning, I wanted to grab a couple of his true vintage cards before prices started going up.

I picked up a 1968 Braves team card that looked to be in pretty good shape for $5, a 1969 Topps for $20 and a 1968 card of 1967 RBI leaders that had Aaron with Orlando Cepeda and “Bob” Clemente that was about $18

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Super awesome gets! I actually just did a Beckett order through Burbank for another care package to Shawn aka The Card Dojo as I didn't see much I really wanted for myself and figured he'd enjoy them a ton more. Ended up with about 40 Cards totaling $100 ($2.50 a card). I ended up having far more fun picking and choosing what to get him than I would've getting $80 worth of stuff for my own PC. Got a couple of Jersey cards (including a Scott Brosius/David Justice Combo) and a few Serial #'d cards for him but targeted dirt cheap Inserts that looked neat for $0.50 mostly primarily from the 1994-1998 period.

Tried to cover all the sports including NBA (Jason Kidd), NHL (Gretzky, Messier, Leetch, Brodeur in case he's a Devils fan lol), MLB (Tons of Yankees including Bernie, David Cone, Jeter, Maris, Mantle, Ruth, etc.), and of course NFL with some Clyde, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, and Travis Kelce.

I always like to expand the views in terms of what cards are out there for people not only Shawn himself but people watching the videos too. Maybe they see a really cool card/set and pick that up after the video. I'll link the video here when he eventually premieres it. I got him a decent number of Topps Chrome Inserts since they can be more under the radar and to give his PC a little flashy shine.