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Sports Cards Hobby Thread 2.0

The Kobe Bryant PMG Green in a BGS 8.5 sold for $2 Million. These Inserts fascinate me because I've never really gotten the appeal of them aesthetically. They're very rare and hard to grade, which I get, but overall.... meh. The 1998-99 PMG are serial'd out of 50 (far fewer than the PMG Reds) and seem less in demand/spotlighted.

A Jordan/Kobe/LeBron/Garnett quad Auto went for $5,100... and a fucking "serial numbered Insert" went for $2 Million?!? A 2007 Exquisite Jordan Auto Quad Patch SN /10 in a BGS 9 went for just $33,000...

Rich people are stupid, man.
 
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Found that Stooges crossover interesting as market wise it would've "sold" as the equivalent of a PSA 3 or 3.5 with the qualifier whereas it basically dropped just 0.5 a grade from BGS. Just further solidifies that these companies are all extremely similar in their grading standards and that people are massively overpaying for the slab/brand realistically but they don't want to admit they're paying 4-7X for a PSA slab of a PSA 9 vs. an SGC 9 or BGS 9.
 
Picked up the following 6 cards off Beckett Marketplace for $32
2003 Playoff Prestige Xtra Points Green Drew Brees /100
2009 Donruss Classics Triples Gold Sid Luckman/Gale Sayers/Walter Payton /100
2015 Panini Contenders Playoff Ticket Aaron Rodgers /199
2016 Donruss Elite Teal John Elway /75
2017 Absolute Spectrum Red Aaron Rodgers /100
2017 Certified Mirror Silver Dak Prescott /499.

The Brees was $7.50 and the two Rodgers' were $6 each. I'm starting to target Rodgers a little more as a pre-emptive move much like I did with some Brady cards a year or so ago. He's a lock for the HOF, will go down as one of the best QBs ever, and his serial numbered stuff will rise sharply when he retires like Brady's.

I also think the early 2001-2005 era of Brees cards will be scarcer/grow fewer in supply over the next 10 years as people chase him a bit. I've also started sniping more singles from that 2015-2018 era of products as they remain sky-high in price. If I can get an Aaron Rodgers /199 for $6 out of a notorious product to strike out on, that's at least 198 more packs (never mind boxes) that somebody has to rip to get that exact card. Same for even the Dak, which is a 2nd-year card but I really believe that Dak has a chance to be a generational guy like Russell Wilson over the next 5 seasons while everybody else is chasing Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Mac Jones, etc.
 
Another reason to always be wary of "card price comps" and how you have to dig a little deeper... I've noticed these Auction Houses typically have much more exorbitant pricing (not surprising because they cater to richer people too who obviously want a higher price tag to their purchase for clout/to keep the value and interest in that particular card high).

1983 Topps #200 Rod Carew PSA 10 has typically been going for $90 to $113 from 9/21 to 12/21 on eBay. Then on 2/19, Memory Lane sells it for $480 off 7 Bids. Next sale on 3/5 on eBay? $100 again.

1978 Topps #540 Steve Carlton PSA 10 went for $360.55 (21 Bids), $285 (35 Bids), $208.86 (24 Bids) throughout 2021. Then, again at Memory Lane, on 2/19/22 it sells for $4,041.60 off 31 Bids while an eBay BIN literally that same day goes for $1,125.

PWCC remains notorious for its pretty blatant shill bidding and high spikes over multiple cards. The 1986 Fleer #9 Larry Bird PSA 9 was consistently going for $500-$520 in eBay auctions in the early part of 2022 then PWCC Weekly has it go for $2,880 off 22 Bids.
 
This hobby needs more 2005 Topps Chrome.

I love the Flintstone cards.

I'm not a Tampa fan, but their 2002 Super Bowl season was memorable for Saints fans because we went 2-0 against them (some how) and then they won the big one. I also remember being blown away at how they could shut down Vick, but not our weapons.
 
My first SCI article is live :) I'll be doing these monthly and getting paid for them, hell yeah!

www.sportscardinvestor.com

Maximizing Your Budget in the Sports Card Market - Sports Card Investor

Everybody in the sports card market has a budget they are working with, whether you are a short-term investor, a long-term collector or somebody in between. But to succeed in any of those categories, you need to do your own research, follow your own beliefs and treat your investments like a personal
www.sportscardinvestor.com www.sportscardinvestor.com
 
SO TRUE on the last part. My The Three Stooges # 1-3 Curly, Moe, Larry I bought Graded (psa 2), Raw (later graded BVG 3.5), and Graded (PSA 5 cross to BVG 4.5) and I didn't care about the grade. Just that I scratched three of the hardest to get cards on my favorite vintage set. If I was stressing over a high grade copy of each of those three, I would have creeped into irresponsible (for my living budget) levels of money per card. I saw a 59 Curly for $110 and not $500, I jumped.

Also, I like the idea of of investing as if it is your PC in case you can't sell it. I have over 100 CSG graded cards on various selling platforms that look like they're going to be a long term hold, whether I like it or not. I'm tempted to move them from the "sell" boxes and put them in the "PC" storage area.
 
SFH said:
SO TRUE on the last part. My The Three Stooges # 1-3 Curly, Moe, Larry I bought Graded (psa 2), Raw (later graded BVG 3.5), and Graded (PSA 5 cross to BVG 4.5) and I didn't care about the grade. Just that I scratched three of the hardest to get cards on my favorite vintage set. If I was stressing over a high grade copy of each of those three, I would have creeped into irresponsible (for my living budget) levels of money per card. I saw a 59 Curly for $110 and not $500, I jumped.

Also, I like the idea of of investing as if it is your PC in case you can't sell it. I have over 100 CSG graded cards on various selling platforms that look like they're going to be a long term hold, whether I like it or not. I'm tempted to move them from the "sell" boxes and put them in the "PC" storage area.
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Yeah, I tried to be kind of the "contrarian" voice on the site in my article as far as pushing more of the 'collecting' vs. 'investing' aspect. The PC thing I also wanted to highlight because so many people forget that their investments, most likely (including my own really), may not go up substantially down the road but if you treat it as a PC in that regard, you'll still enjoy the cards/holding them. My next article will likely be looking at long term vs. short term gains.

I've been getting into Harry Rinker's columns and he's been an interesting guy to read and write down notes from his thoughts/lessons in antiques and collecting on the whole. As you guys know, I'm always looking for more information from others, especially established guys like Rinker who's written books on antique collecting and has been in the antiques world for almost 70 years.
 
HarleyQuinn said:
My first SCI article is live :) I'll be doing these monthly and getting paid for them, hell yeah!

www.sportscardinvestor.com

Maximizing Your Budget in the Sports Card Market - Sports Card Investor

Everybody in the sports card market has a budget they are working with, whether you are a short-term investor, a long-term collector or somebody in between. But to succeed in any of those categories, you need to do your own research, follow your own beliefs and treat your investments like a personal
www.sportscardinvestor.com www.sportscardinvestor.com
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One of those '39 Play Ball Joe DiMaggios will be the centerpiece of my table at the card show this weekend!
 
SFH said:


Already sold the 1990. o_O

Tried something different with the presentation.
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Pretty good looking 8 and like the newer presentation. One bit of advice I'd say is to start the video after you've unboxed the cards & placed them on the desk/table. If you watch other YTers, they'll usually lay them down face first and reveal with a "flip around" style that adds a little bit of excitement/showmanship.
 
It was great to finally do a show again. Sold a lot of stuff so I also needed to buy as well:

2020 Donruss Optic Aaron Rodgers downtown prizm, mint
1970 Kareem (Lew Alcindor) 2nd year PSA 1 but image and color are great, looks undergraded
1933 Goudey Burleigh Grimes (hall of famer from Wisconsin) PSA 4 centered!
2013 National Treasures Forrest Gregg 50th anniv hof auto/patch 50/50, PSA 10!!
 
snuffbox said:
It was great to finally do a show again. Sold a lot of stuff so I also needed to buy as well:

2020 Donruss Optic Aaron Rodgers downtown prizm, mint
1970 Kareem (Lew Alcindor) 2nd year PSA 1 but image and color are great, looks undergraded
1933 Goudey Burleigh Grimes (hall of famer from Wisconsin) PSA 4 centered!
2013 National Treasures Forrest Gregg 50th anniv hof auto/patch 50/50, PSA 10!!
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Anything sell that you didn't expect to (e.g. somebody young buying something very vintage)? Get a great deal on a card you were 50/50 the person would buy?
 
A guy bought my Sport Kings Knute Rockne for his grandson's collection, the kid was there with him and seemed to understand the significance. One booth was a teenager and his younger brother. They had some of the best vintage cards I've ever seen in person. That's where I got the 2nd year Kareem actually.

A guy stopped by that I remembered from previous shows He'd usually buy cheaper stuff like $1 cards, etc. He took a long look at my 1933 National Chicle on Saturday. Said he'd be back but I didn't think much about it. Even considered trading it on Sunday morning for the Forrest Gregg card but decided to just buy that. About an hour later the guy came back, did make an offer, and bought the Hinkle.

I also bought a game used jersey of a White Sox backup catcher. And a fight poster for Mike Tyson vs Tony Tucker.
 
Picked up the following from DRTTrading at Beckett.com's Marketplace. I think the 1999-2004 era serial numbered cards are super undervalued considering that's when you really started seeing the lower numbered print runs and serial numbered cards were still in their infancy in going on cards of superstars too. At best you were seeing stuff /1000 or /2000 still into the early 2000s and you're telling me I can get a 3rd year Peyton Manning card numbered to just 331? Or a card numbered out of /25(!) for Eli Manning from his 3rd year?

Peyton Manning
2000 Score Numbers Game Gold /331 [$6.00]
2004 Playoff Honors X's /199 [$7.20]
2007 Absolute Memorabilia Canton Absolutes /100 [$4.80]

Eli Manning
2005 Throwback Threads Bronze Holofoil /250 [$3.30]
2006 Donruss Gridiron Gear Gold Holofoil X's 64/100 [$3.00]
2006 Leaf Limited Silver Spotlight 15/25 [$6.00]
2007 Absolute Memorabilia Spectrum Silver /100 [$3.60]
2007 Playoff National Treasures /100 [$4.40]
2009 Donruss Threads Gold Holofoil /50 [$3.60]
2015 Prestige Extra Points Gold /50 [$1.80]
 
Haven't had a chance to record the audio for my latest grading return yet, but already sold two of the cards via ebay and two slightly older returns via FB marketplace. Myslabs has slowed down some. A little discouraging, honestly. The platform was looking to be gaining steam. I'm not dealing in the latest hot names either, though so that's to be expected.

I opted to move a 9.5 1985 GPK card for $300 to buffer the cost of my next returns, which puts a hole in my 85 GPK registry. I figure I can replace it with an 8.5 or 9 and still be doing good for my own purposes. Those cards are near impossible to get in high grade so the opportunity to move it was hard to resist.
 
Really crazy to see some of the card price dips since the "high" of February & March 2021... All are PSA 10

2020 Donruss RR Justin Herbert going from $460+ to $120
2019 Prizm Base Rui Hachimura going from $90 to $10(!)
2019 Prizm Base Bol Bol going for around $190 in December 2020 to $9 now... lirl
2012 Topps Chrome Russell Wilson going from $1,500 in October 2020 to $375
2009 Panini James Harden going from $650 & $800 sales to $140 and $160 sales
 
I snagged an assortment of 2022 Topps Series 1 Baseball at a Target out of town this weekend. Gonna open them up some day after work this week. I actually like the general design of them.
 
I bought two boxes, one hanger, and two jumbos of the Topps 2022 Baseball.

I got a nice assortment of guys. Got three different Wander Franco's. Oddly out of all of that I barely got any Chicago guys though. For the Sox just one Abreu, Giolito, Rodon, Tim Anderson, and a couple Luis Roberts. Zero Eloy's. Cubs two Willson Contreras and one Rizzo in Yankees clothes, that's it.

Got some numbered gold parrallel Amed Rosario thing, to bad it wasn't a better player instead of a jobber.

Some how ended up with two of the same Pete Alonso Jersey Number Medallion insert in each box.

Overall, pretty fun, I'll probably snag some more next time I find some. The hanger was kind of weak.

I like the design of the 2022 Topps Herritage set this year, 1973, may grab some of those if I ever find any.
 
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@HarleyQuinn, my first GMA order has completed and I have a UPS tracking number in transit, but the website still shows the expected completion date as 7/15/2022 and there's no indication anywhere of the results. Is this normal from your dealings with them? My friend that subbed with me has like 4 Burrow rookies in the sub and I have a Trevor Lawrence rookie base in there that I'm planning to flip and was hoping to start hyping them on the instagram and facebook page I created for my sales.

Latest BGS pop, as mentioned in an earlier post, some already sold:

 
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SFH said:
@HarleyQuinn, my first GMA order has completed and I have a UPS tracking number in transit, but the website still shows the expected completion date as 7/15/2022 and there's no indication anywhere of the results. Is this normal from your dealings with them? My friend that subbed with me has like 4 Burrow rookies in the sub and I have a Trevor Lawrence rookie base in there that I'm planning to flip and was hoping to start hyping them on the instagram and facebook page I created for my sales.

Latest BGS pop, as mentioned in an earlier post, some already sold:

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That was normal, IIRC they don't post the results anywhere so it's a true "blind" reveal (which I kind of like tbh but I get from a record keeping/tracking aspect why others do what they do). As far as you have the UPS tracking number, I would just keep track on that and don't worry about the completion date. That's more an estimated end date and usually much farther away than they actually do it in. Caveat is I used them right at the start of the pandemic so I don't know if they've made any internal changes since then beyond the label change.
 
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Retro Hoops did a YT video breaking down PSA grading + the number of their employees and basically figured out that the graders take about 1 Minute, 30 to 45 Seconds to "grade" each card, which seems in-line with what people have figured but still seems abnormally fast considering how long people spend poring over their own cards before submitting them.
 
Highlighting this article given the PWCC/PSA Trimming FBI probe a few years ago and this news... I really think all this high $$ "investing" will lead to some kind of regulation down the road.

sportscollectorsdigest.com

Fraud, forgeries still on the rise as sports collectible hobby continues to thrive - Sports Collectors Digest

As the sports collectible market continues boom, so does the art of selling fake and forged memorabilia. The FBI has seen a steady increase of cases in the past two years.
sportscollectorsdigest.com sportscollectorsdigest.com

"Pre-pandemic, FBI Special Agent Brian Brusokas would receive a call once a month or every two months relating to fraudulent activity within the sports memorabilia and trading card industry. Brusokas, who is known in FBI circles as the lead agent when it comes to sports memorabilia and trading card fraud and forgeries, has certainly seen an uptick in crime as the industry has ramped up a few notches.

“With the huge value placed on trading cards and the grading and authentication on those, there’s all the card manipulation that goes into it, the altering of cards, which the third-party experts are trying to police again. You throw on there market manipulation, the impact a false sale may have on future sales of like objects.”

“You see it a lot in cards, for example. People will sell reproduction cards almost in a borderline evil way of misrepresenting what it actually is. At its basis, most of these cards, these individuals did not receive a license to reproduce these cards. On its face, it may very well be a copyright or trademark violation itself.”

Brusokas is seeing fraud cases run the gamut, from items that are less than $100 all the way up to six-figure pieces.
 

Based on my experience alone, my biggest criticism is that GMA seems inconsistent. I'm not tin foil hatting it, but I do NOT see automatic 10s and wonder if they adjusted course based on that rampant allegation. I have no proof, at all. I have not had time to review the grades I disagree with and I have not been able to meet up with my buddy to give him his 10. I have no immediate plans to resub to them again for flips BUT I do have a hard time telling my friends "no" so if he hits me up to go halves again, I probably will.
 
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