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Had a bigger mail day than I was expecting today, mostly for the Bayley and Pierce collections

For the Bayley collection

2018 Topps Women’s Division Bayley Beats Charlotte Blue Parallel (/25)

2019 Topps WWE Summerslam Autographs Gold Variant (/10) Bayley

2020 Topps Finest Green Refractor (/99) Bayley

2020 Topps Chrome Green Refractor (/99) Bayley (this seller put a bunch of 2020 Update baseball and happened to send me ones I was excited for like an Alex Verdugo Red Sox card and Mark McGwire from the 99 Home Run Derby)

Pierce was the bulk of a Burbank order I got in, which also had another Chrome Green Bayley because the price was right and a 2016 Heritage NXT patch card /299. Other non-Pierce throwins were a 2018 Prizm Luck of the Lottery Wendell Carter Jr (when he was in his Wakanda inspired draft outfit), a couple blue border WWE cards from the 2010 set - a couple Zack Ryders and a couple Undertaker 18-0 at Mania 26. Hoping to grade a few of these since Ryder has a rabid fan base and low pops, I think I could maybe flip a profit and the Undertaker match I was there for, so gonna aim to get these done for me and my buddy I went to that Mania with.

The Pierce from the Burbank order: 2003-04 Bowman Chrome, 2003-05 Pristine, 2014-15 Prizm Orange Die Cut Prizm (/139), 2014-15 Prizm Light Blue Die Cut (/199), 2014-15 Prizm Light Purple Die Cut (/99), 2015-16 Prizm Light Blue Die Cut (/199) and 2015-16 Prizm Light Purple Die Cut (/99). They ended up cancelling and refunding a Pierce that apparently was out of stock but a good haul at a fair price, though I am a little disappointed none of these came in penny sleeves. All put in a little plastic pouch with cardboard.

Other Pierce came in from a seller - a 2012-13 Prestige. I built this set so I know I have at least one there, if not doubles but I won this for 44 cents shipped. And the guy sent it in a Card Saver which is even better.

Other non-focused things that came I got because it was such a low price:

2020 Topps Finest WWE Blue Refractor (/150) Sami Zayn - $2.08 shipped

2001 Topps Pristine Eddy Curry rookie - PSA 10 - I stumbled into this item and couldn’t pass since I got it for $5.37 shipped. I trolled my Knicks fan friend telling him the deal I got on a Knicks Legend and he told me I should’ve saved my $5
 

HarleyQuinn

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Had a bigger mail day than I was expecting today, mostly for the Bayley and Pierce collections

For the Bayley collection

2018 Topps Women’s Division Bayley Beats Charlotte Blue Parallel (/25)

2019 Topps WWE Summerslam Autographs Gold Variant (/10) Bayley

2020 Topps Finest Green Refractor (/99) Bayley

2020 Topps Chrome Green Refractor (/99) Bayley (this seller put a bunch of 2020 Update baseball and happened to send me ones I was excited for like an Alex Verdugo Red Sox card and Mark McGwire from the 99 Home Run Derby)

Pierce was the bulk of a Burbank order I got in, which also had another Chrome Green Bayley because the price was right and a 2016 Heritage NXT patch card /299. Other non-Pierce throwins were a 2018 Prizm Luck of the Lottery Wendell Carter Jr (when he was in his Wakanda inspired draft outfit), a couple blue border WWE cards from the 2010 set - a couple Zack Ryders and a couple Undertaker 18-0 at Mania 26. Hoping to grade a few of these since Ryder has a rabid fan base and low pops, I think I could maybe flip a profit and the Undertaker match I was there for, so gonna aim to get these done for me and my buddy I went to that Mania with.

The Pierce from the Burbank order: 2003-04 Bowman Chrome, 2003-05 Pristine, 2014-15 Prizm Orange Die Cut Prizm (/139), 2014-15 Prizm Light Blue Die Cut (/199), 2014-15 Prizm Light Purple Die Cut (/99), 2015-16 Prizm Light Blue Die Cut (/199) and 2015-16 Prizm Light Purple Die Cut (/99). They ended up cancelling and refunding a Pierce that apparently was out of stock but a good haul at a fair price, though I am a little disappointed none of these came in penny sleeves. All put in a little plastic pouch with cardboard.
Whoooo them Bayleys! Did you do the Burbank through Ebay or Beckett? I think a lot of those LCS' are struggling with simply getting penny sleeves, etc. so I just accept it as a cost of the business. Most of my cards don't come in penny sleeves unless they are like Jersey Cards or really low serial numbers, which makes sense. Curious what prices you paid for the Pierces since you got a good haul there.

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Pulled up my invoice for you @HarleyQuinn . I did all these on eBay. I’ve still been dumb and haven’t set up a Beckett account. Think I’ve told myself I will buy less having less options but as some of these collections grow, gonna need to expand my market to get some pieces.

These were the base prices before tax and the $3.50 flat shipping. I thought they used to be free over $30 but that wasn’t the case when I ordered.

2003-04 Bowman Chrome -.99
2003-04 Pristine - .99
2014-15 Prizm Orange Die Cut Prizm (/139) - $4.50
2014-15 Prizm Light Blue Die Cut (/199) - $3.50
2014-15 Prizm Light Purple Die Cut (/99) - $5.40
2015-16 Prizm Light Blue Die Cut (/199) - $2
2015-16 Prizm Light Purple Die Cut (/99) - $3.50

The cancelled Pierce was a 2012-13 Gold Standard /349 for $2.50.

I’m pretty sure some of those, even the serial numbered ones are still listed in stock if you want some HQ, though all the serial numbered ones are non-Celtics years. They have some others I still want too but I tried to limit myself as I also made around the same time an eBay COMc order that is mostly Pierce and Bayley cards. But we know COMc takes their time shipping now.
 

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Well, @HarleyQuinn , I signed up for Beckett. I found a card I wanted but it said the seller doesn’t ship to my location. They are based in Georgia so I assumed it is had something to do with tax collection.

Then I found a few things Burbank had up on Beckett they did not have on eBay, so I added enough of their stuff for free shipping and when I went through checkout, no tax for me. Picked up a couple interesting Bayley and Paul Pierce pieces and they had the /10 Titus O’Neil from the Money in the Bank set for $5. I own the 1/1 so I can easily put together most of that rainbow. The exception is I haven’t seen the Black parallel (/5) available.
 

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Well, @HarleyQuinn , I signed up for Beckett. I found a card I wanted but it said the seller doesn’t ship to my location. They are based in Georgia so I assumed it is had something to do with tax collection.

Then I found a few things Burbank had up on Beckett they did not have on eBay, so I added enough of their stuff for free shipping and when I went through checkout, no tax for me. Picked up a couple interesting Bayley and Paul Pierce pieces and they had the /10 Titus O’Neil from the Money in the Bank set for $5. I own the 1/1 so I can easily put together most of that rainbow. The exception is I haven’t seen the Black parallel (/5) available.
That's another reason I love Beckett is it's easier/quicker to start or build most of a rainbow if a dealer has most of them available right then. You can also find a lot of unique items that they don't list through Ebay. I think Beckett's more of a goldmine when looking for 1997-2015 products but they can be a sneaky area to look through a month or two after a product's release as well. It usually depends if a product's been "ripped" in that store yet but 2-4 months and you should have a good idea of what's available.

Example
- 2020 Bowman's Best (released 12/23). There's already 331 unique items listed. 79 RC. 19 Autos. 21 Serial #d.
- 2020 Topps Heritage High Number (released 12/30). There's already 61 unique items listed.

The stores I pre-dominantly tend to use: Burbank, Three Star Sports Cards, Triple Play, Diamonds in the Rough, The Stadium, Jim & Steve's.

I currently have about $86 worth in my cart (17 cards including serial #d of Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman, etc.). Waiting closer to the end of the month to go ahead with the deal. Trying to aim with making 1-2 "purchases" a month whether it be 1 Ebay pickup or a couple Beckett purchases at lower costs too.
 
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Thing I have my eye on as a possible replacement for the Koufax rookie in my collection (and heart): a signed Vince Lombardi check.

I hope I haven't jinxed myself by posting this.
 

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Just got today’s mail and had a couple bargain bin pickups come in.

2018-19 Optic Mikal Bridges rookie - got this for $4 shipped. Some of his stuff is cheap still, some is starting to rise. I have him pegged as a potential breakout with the new look Suns and very recently he was leading the team in blocks and assists.

Another /99 Green Chrome 2020 Bayley, this one with the IV numbering. I need to count how many of those acquired, I’ve just been snagging all at a certain price point.

2019 Topps Now Bayley Cashes in and wins Smackdown Women’s Championship

Final one may get attention in regards to some of the folks talking vintage like @snuffbox . One of PSA‘s current grading specials includes 60s baseball cards. My dad got into baseball with the 1967 Red Sox so I just started looking for 60s Red Sox on eBay one night. I stumbled upon an auction for an undergraded 1968 Topps Tony Conigliaro. The card, from pictures, looked good but the PSA grade on it years ago, with the old label was a PSA 3. After tax and shipping, I got it for $9.65, which is cheaper than getting a raw card graded.
 

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I think that's a great deal for a slabbed, 50+ year old card. PC or something you figure you can flip for a profit eventually?
 

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For now, PC. Not counting packs, I’d say at least 80% of my baseball purchases, if not more, are Red Sox. Not sure if it would get profit but as you said, over 50-year old slabbed card that cheap, I felt I’d pick it up. Wouldn’t be opposed to sell it down the line but don’t hate having it. Even a low grade, I’m in the frame of mind now there’s so many fakes and reprints on the market, at least I feel there’s some authenticity verification in a graded card.
 

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Final one may get attention in regards to some of the folks talking vintage like @snuffbox . One of PSA‘s current grading specials includes 60s baseball cards. My dad got into baseball with the 1967 Red Sox so I just started looking for 60s Red Sox on eBay one night. I stumbled upon an auction for an undergraded 1968 Topps Tony Conigliaro. The card, from pictures, looked good but the PSA grade on it years ago, with the old label was a PSA 3. After tax and shipping, I got it for $9.65, which is cheaper than getting a raw card graded.
That's a really great get. I've been looking at some 50s/60s stars that fly a little under the radar on Ebay but haven't pulled the trigger yet on any. Especially with vintage, the true 'collectors' who value them a bit more will take the aesthetically pleasing slightly lower grade over a poor looking higher grade from my experience.
 

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Made an offer of $15.99 for a really sharp, well-centered (better than some 6s) SGC 3.5 1960 Topps Nellie Fox #100 that was being offered at a $19.99 BIN. The offer would basically wipe out the $3.90 shipping cost. I really like the 1960 Topps design, he's a HOFer, and one of my favorite 1950s/1960s ballplayers. Will update if it gets accepted.

For anybody curious about "cost" savings re: Grading
BGS = $40/Card with $30/Card over 100+ Submission (with Sub-Grades. Without = $25 and $15 respectively. Economy = $15/$10)
PSA = $10/Card if you're a Collector's Member. $50/Card otherwise ($20/Card discontinued)
SGC = Pricing is a "Case by Case" basis
CGC = $25/Card and $13/Card if a 50+ Submission (with Sub-Grades). SG are an additional $5 fee so without is $20/Card and $8/Card. Economy is $20 w/SG and $15 without.
 
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Made an offer of $15.99 for a really sharp, well-centered (better than some 6s) SGC 3.5 1960 Topps Nellie Fox #100 that was being offered at a $19.99 BIN. The offer would basically wipe out the $3.90 shipping cost. I really like the 1960 Topps design, he's a HOFer, and one of my favorite 1950s/1960s ballplayers. Will update if it gets accepted.
It was accepted :championship: Ended up paying $20.89 with shipping + tax instead of the original $19.99 + $3.90 shipping. Here's the card in question. Again, the centering looks really great. More off-center but 'sharper' (aka less worn) looking PSA and SGC 4s/6s were going for $20 to $45.

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With Vintage, I lean more towards BVG and SGC in the grading. I won't ignore a PSA but I 95% likely wouldn't pay more than a PSA 5 maybe of a card. Just way too many red flags about anything PSA 7+ possibly being trimmed or an unlabeled reprint especially of the big names from back then. There may be legitimate cards being submitted to PSA and then sold through PWCC/Probstein but the risk is just so high...

Like this 1954 Bowman Andy Seminick PSA 8 was sold for $31.50 back in 2015 through Sirius Sports Auctions via PSA Certification. There's 19 cards graded higher. This 1954 Bowman Johnny Groth PSA 8 was sold for $30 back in 2015 through Mile High Card Company. There's 17 cards graded higher.

My SGC 3.5 pickup was graded in July 2020 but I'm more comfortable with that purchase based on the card wear, grade, SGC's reliability in grading vintage cards especially, etc.
 

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I think that's a good strategy. I'm also leery of anything high graded by PSA after all the news that's filtered out the last couple years. I haven't heard of the same problems with Beckett or SGC. I also think those two tend to be tougher graders than PSA and so I'm more apt to prize an SGC 3 than a PSA equivalent, for example. I also think the black case that SGC uses makes a lot of vintage cards look even better.

I will make exceptions, of course. I bought a PSA 8 Johnny U from the 1964 Philadelphia product at a card store last fall. I was able to closely inspect it in person to form my own opinion. And, being local, I could be comfortable buying it knowing it wasn't being sold by a dealer or group being investigated by the FBI or whatever for shenanigans.
 

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I think that's a good strategy. I'm also leery of anything high graded by PSA after all the news that's filtered out the last couple years. I haven't heard of the same problems with Beckett or SGC. I also think those two tend to be tougher graders than PSA and so I'm more apt to prize an SGC 3 than a PSA equivalent, for example. I also think the black case that SGC uses makes a lot of vintage cards look even better.

I will make exceptions, of course. I bought a PSA 8 Johnny U from the 1964 Philadelphia product at a card store last fall. I was able to closely inspect it in person to form my own opinion. And, being local, I could be comfortable buying it knowing it wasn't being sold by a dealer or group being investigated by the FBI or whatever for shenanigans.
I found this comment in a video from Vintage Card Curator related to a suspicious PSA 30 card sub from the same person of 1968 cards where like 70% got 9s and 10s. This was back in 2019 by the way.

"I (N C J) and another longtime collector just finished a year-long test ... A 1989 Topps Ken Griffey Jr sent in 4 times with 4 different grades. Absolutely unbelievable. An 8, a 10, an 8, then finally a 9. Same card. Started in January and being [now in] December, we're not attempting a fifth. Over 2 months of return time on each. I cannot believe this is reality." HQ Note: There's 12,050 '89 Topps Traded 10s out of 70,655 total graded. This also means the pop report can be altered if 1 card boosts the pop report x2 8, x1 9, and x1 10.

That's also what makes the craze and X markup on these PSA 10s hilarious to me when I've seen 9s and even some 8s look nearly identical but radically cheaper. The fact that the above person got a 10 in between 8s... I'm speechless about that tbh.
 

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That's crazy! If they're going to hold on to cards for months, that should be sufficient time for sound, well examined, uniform grading. I could understand some fluctuation or human error if they were getting cards back to folks in a matter of days or a couple weeks. But it is frightening that they keep peoples' stuff, charge cartoonish rates, and yet still have these kinds of screw ups.
 

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I think it’s one of those roll of the dice with who you get evaluating your card, much like any other inspector position. You will get some who don’t care and some who take things overly serious and not have the same end result.

I’ve seen it argued both ways about sending bulk of the same card. Some people are convinced you do better sending multiples of the same together and there are others who think the grader will compare all of the same against each other. At the end of the day, it is one person’s opinion that ends up getting rubber stamped with a name brand.
 

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With the Koufax rookie gone, I've had to update my Top Ten favorite cards list. In no particular order, and not necessarily the most valuable, these are my 10 favorites. I have several that would've been honorable mentions and a top 20 list would've been much easier to make.

1. 2001 Upper Deck NFL Legends Johnny Unitas on card autograph.
2. 1958 Topps #418 Mickey Mantle/Hank Aaron World Series Batting Foes. BVG 3 VG. Centered & great eye appeal.
3. 1954 Topps #94 Ernie Banks RC, PSA 2 Good (MC). A typical problem with this card is creasing across the middle, where his eyes are on the picture. This card does not have that problem.
4. 1909 T206 Addie Joss portrait. SGC 2.5 Good+. Round corners but crease free, near perfect centering, and great eye appeal.
5. 1955 Topps #50 Jackie Robinson. PSA 1 PR, automatic grade due to pinhole. Without that, it looks like a 4 or 5.
6. 1887 Allen & Ginter Theo Bauer. SGC 4 VG-Ex. Bauer was the first wrestler to wear a mask. I'm astounded that a 130+ year old card can still be in such great condition.
7. 2012 Panini Playbook Charles Woodson auto serial #'d 5/15. Beckett grade 9 with 2 9.5 sub grades, and a 10 for the auto.
8. T206 Christy Mathewson Dark Cap PSA 1 (MC). Pinhole again. Good centering and a beautiful image.
9. 1957 Topps #138 Johnny Unitas RC. PSA 4 VG-Ex. Bold colors and fantastic eye appeal.
10. 1959 Topps #338 Sparky Anderson RC, signed by Sparky Andeson, given to me by Sparky Anderson.
 

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This is good news, imo. The '52 Mantle warrants that kind of value far more than a modern Mike Trout card. And that little shitass Ken Goldin doesn't get the commission. PWCC is far from perfect but they didn't spend years lying to and ripping off people while Don West shouted and rolled around on the floor.
 

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This is good news, imo. The '52 Mantle warrants that kind of value far more than a modern Mike Trout card. And that little shitass Ken Goldin doesn't get the commission. PWCC is far from perfect but they didn't spend years lying to and ripping off people while Don West shouted and rolled around on the floor.
It's also a pretty clear sign that "big players" (aka Millionaires and Billionaires) are moving into the market when you're seeing purchases like this.

"Rob Gough, the actor who acquired streetwear brand Dope in 2017, purchased the '52 Mantle, which former NFL lineman Evan Mathis sold in 2018 for $2.88 million."

I have heard/seen some stuff that Mathis is a known card trimmer though so this (shocker) makes me very leery of the card credibility.
 

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It's also a pretty clear sign that "big players" (aka Millionaires and Billionaires) are moving into the market when you're seeing purchases like this.

"Rob Gough, the actor who acquired streetwear brand Dope in 2017, purchased the '52 Mantle, which former NFL lineman Evan Mathis sold in 2018 for $2.88 million."

I have heard/seen some stuff that Mathis is a known card trimmer though so this (shocker) makes me very leery of the card credibility.

I would guess this card was well vetted. Size presumably compared to other verified specimens to confirm no trimming or other altering. This is the kind of thing (I hope anyway) that includes forensics, lawyers, an armored truck, all that jazz.

And while I'm confident this card is legit, I've found that there are people who are happy to buy altered cards as long as it's labeled as such.
 

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I would guess this card was well vetted. Size presumably compared to other verified specimens to confirm no trimming or other altering. This is the kind of thing (I hope anyway) that includes forensics, lawyers, an armored truck, all that jazz.

And while I'm confident this card is legit, I've found that there are people who are happy to buy altered cards as long as it's labeled as such.
I read that Mathis got it after it was graded but that means little when he & those ilk buy legitimate PSA 7s/8s and trim them to get 1 to 2 grades higher out of them.

I've seen legitimate 'Authentic' cards that were real but had stains, etc. that made them authentic as opposed to being trimmed, etc. Stuff like that I'm a-okay with but when PSA is "supposed to" catch trimmed cards and clearly doesn't (even brazenly being in cahoots with trimmers/auction houses), at some point something is gonna give whether it's a card company that uses technology for centering/corner sharpness or actual Federal oversight ala the FCC.
 

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Hopefully Mathis and folks like that end up in trouble as if they were forging paintings. I really hope he doesn't get away with stuff because he's a sports celebrity and others don't get away with it without consequence just because they're already rich.
 
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