[Forbes] Diehard Barry Bonds fan amassed 5,000 Bonds Topps Traded rookie card.
pauldrolkees
Posts: 193 ✭✭✭
To describe Greg Mirmelli as a diehard, fanatical, or a rabid Barry Bonds fan would be an understatement. Over the past five years, he has amassed 5,000--count ’em!--1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds rookie cards.
“I’m pretty sure there is no other person in the world that has that many,” the 45-year-old, Miami Beach realtor and parking lot operator told me.
Notes PSA, the grading card company:
“Barry was one of the most loved and hated players in baseball history, but is arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game, holding numerous offensive records. Barry led the NL twice in home runs including his record-setting 73 HR season in 2001, seven times in slugging percentage, and ten times in on-base percentage.
Barry retired amidst rumors he used performance enhancing drugs and court proceedings surrounding the BALCO scandal and his indictment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges in 2007. Barry was convicted of one felony count of obstruction of justice in 2011.”
Barry Bonds did not slide forever into obscurity. He is back in the news again, with voters pondering his induction into the Hall of Fame. Last year, he was named on 56.4 percent of the ballots, well short of the 75% needed to gain entry.
But enough about Barry. Let’s crunch some crunch numbers regarding Mirmelli’s collection:
*He has submitted 7,000 raw cards to Beckett (his preferred grading company). One thousand are now sitting at Beckett awaiting their fates.
- He has spent $120,000 on his cards, $50,000 on grading, and $20,000 on shipping.
*His collection of 5000 cards and assorted game-used Bonds memorabilia— including game used bats, batting gloves and a fielder’s glove— is insured for $1 million.
*There have been 18,475 1986 Topps Traded Bonds submitted to Beckett. Mirmelli owns 302 of the 1,957 graded 9.5 (on a scale of one to ten) and 1200 of the 4,449 graded 9.
*He also has 50 PSA gem mint 10s. Beckett uses a different grading scale than PSA. The population report for PSA: 4,122 which is almost 10% of the cards submitted.
Of the 4,835 cards SGC has graded, 202 have earned gem mint status: 4.18 %.
For Beckett: 15, or 00081191% for their "pristine" 10s.
So, what motivates Mirmelli?
“As a kid, he was so big and was my favorite player. He was a rookie, and I loved his baseball cards. He was the guy who had 40 homers and 40 stolen bases. He was the most feared batter ever. If he retired in ’98, he would be in the Hall of Fame. Everybody did them [steroids]. But not everyone hit 73 home runs. You still have to connect the ball with the bat.
The Miami Marlins accepted him as a batting coach [2016]. Willie Mays gave Bonds [his stepson] an incredible speech [in August advocating him for the Hall of Fame] when the San Francisco Giants retired his number.”
By now you’re probably wondering what these cards are worth. The Beckett 10 averages $1,622; the equivalent PSAs, just $86, and SGCs, $57. The respective 9s both sell below $20. (All prices are courtesy of Vintage Card Prices.)
But, if you want a piece of the action, you may be too late. “There are no cases for sale,” he explains. “I have cleaned them up. In the last five years I started buying all the cases that I could find. Every dealer knows me. I stopped once I couldn’t buy anymore.”
To be precise, he has acquired 70 cases, each containing 100 complete boxed sets of 1986 Topps Traded, and has cleaned out eBay. Mirmelli skipped a recent factory case that fetched $945 because the box had a huge ding, probably meaning that it had been dropped. And someone snapped up a Beckett 9.5 though Buy It Now for $74.50.
Mirnelli, who is single, truly loves his collection. “I’m thinking about building a sports bar theme game room in my house and displaying the cards like wall paper behind a protected plexi-glass,” he says.
And Mirmelli isn’t finished adding to his stash, either, because he believes the stars are aligned. “Barry and I share same birthday which I did not know till I had purchased over 10 cases,” he says. “This made me change my outlook on astrology. People used to ask me what was my sign, and I thought they were crazy because I didn’t think it mattered. Clearly I was wrong and I now believe in it 100%.”
Comments
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Hopefully he gets the cards back from Beckett before the baby arrives
I like the card also. However I'm not going to collect that many of any card.
I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/
Wow, talk about market saturation when this inevitably gets sold...
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Go ahead and corner the market... No one else wants them.
DesertIceSports.Com
lol
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
"Mirnelli, who is single"...you don't say.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
What boggles my mind is the actual decent stuff he could have purchased with that kind of money.
To each his own
as a collector I wan only one example of a card
I would guess if Bonds does make the HOF he will be set to make some bucks.
I would expect the market to get saturated real quick.
Supply vs demand
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
It looks like his strategy has worked. He took buying an extremely common card and now gets a story written about him for buying so many.
If this is done with a profit motive in mind it is a horribly constructed attempt to make money off cards. The 1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds PSA 10 has a range from $79.99 to $141.50 when you include shipping when looking at EBAY sales. Number one it is almost certain this collector has a played a role in moving the price up or pushed many to the top of the range as a bidder in auctions. Number two with sixty six copies trading hands in a four month plus window of time and having the range so wide there is a zero percent chance you could unload a large quantity quickly without a significant impact on price.
I don't begrudge how anyone collects so hopefully he is having fun and isn't too concerned about the money.
Reminds me of the time when I was 12 and tried to corner the market on Craig Biggio donruss rookies. I think I got up to 35. I was so proud.
I’m shocked!
I thought I was crazy
Always looking to buy or trade for Andre the Giant autographs
psacard.com/psasetregistry/non-sports/famous-personage/andre-giant-master-set/alltimeset/180400
"Everybody" did them? I don't recall GriffeyThomas (THE players of the 90s as far as hobby popularity at the time was concerned) doing them.
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
I want to know everything about this photo shoot. Such as:
Greg Mirelli, if you happen to be reading this, we kid cuz we love. All the power to you to collect what you want. Everyone on this board collects antique cardboard, its kinda nuts. Fly your Bonds flag proudly. But seriously, dont wear that outfit out if you want to change the being single thing.
Collecting pcs of cardboard isn't the most sane activity to begin with so I've always thought that there is no wrong way to collect. That said, lol.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
The only head scratcher to me is why he began his collection only five years ago? Talk about jumping in head first!
I actively collect Kirby Puckett. I have collections of Michael Jordan, Emmitt Smith, Roberto Clemente, Dwight Gooden, Tom Seaver, Errict Rhett and Evan Longoria.
he would be so much better off with the 86 tiffany and 87 OPC in PSA 10. quality over quantity
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Just a couple more observations after letting this all soak in.
First, I'm not a modern art guy and the artist in question is probably great. But that piece really looks like something that could have been done in a high school art class.
Second, to the outside world, we, who collect these pieces of cardboard with pictures of other men whose job is playing games for a living, are basically considered nerds or geeks. I mean, to some extent at least.
But kudos to this dude. I mean, he goes so far and above the general level of nerdiness, I really have no other option but to love him. I hate the 86 TT Bonds card, there is nothing about the picture above that is redeeming for myself and frankly it is all disturbing to me. That all being said, I'm drawn to him like a moth to a flame!
Best of luck on your Bonds coll......never mind that. Best of luck on finding a mate!
What happened to the rest of the sets he took these
from? Without the "Bonds" they are worthless. I hope
that Bonds and the rest of the PED crew are denied HoF
admission unless they buy a ticket like the rest of us. For
that matter I was not really impressed with the BB HoF.
For all of the thousands and thousands of items of memor-
abilia they are supposed to have very little of it is displayed.
They have the space but it is not used wisely.
One word.....Uffdah!!
I have always wondered the same thing, not just for the 86 Topps traded, but for other sets like 84 Fleer Update. In this particular case, there are 655,000 commons from the 86 set out there somewhere.
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball
I think we all need to simulate the Mirmelli photo with our own cards. Do the whole thing. Strange plants in background, children's art work on wall, favorite jersey, wiffle ball bat, and very determined look.
Andy
There are other years as well such as 1982 Topps Traded. I myself
destroyed 500+ of these sets pulling out the Ripken Jr. and giving
away the rest of the set. 1992 Fleer update also comes to mind.
1988 and 1990 Topps Traded. Only difference was you didn't have to pull any cards out. Could just dump the entire sealed case right onto the fire.
My question is why 17 smaller bins and only 4 larger bins?
Maybe he is getting ready to be interviewed by "Zach Galifianakis Between 2 ferns!"
Later, Paul.
he should send the remaining half million commons to that art guy on the board that cuts them up and makes a photo. he could get an art picture done of the bonds card too.
OP should email him the link for the cut up photo guy.
Yeah, he could have spent his money on 2 nice Mantles, but then he'd be just another guy that collects nice Mantles. There's no pub in that unless you're THE GUY with 2 PSA 10 52s, or to a lesser extent, Evan Mathis. Or be somebody with a collection on the level of Dmitri Young. But this guy zigs where everyone zags, and he gets to be The Barry Bonds Guy. I don't knock him. He's doing what he wants to do with his money, and I'm sure he can afford it. Who knows, he may have an extensive collection of other cards and memorabilia of many other players that weren't mentioned because that wouldn't fit into the narrative of the feature piece.
I don't begrudge what anyone collects, but for me personally, that is one reason that I don't pursue Mantle cards other than to complete raw vintage sets. I could easily afford it, but "Everybody" does it already, and so I'd be just another guy with a bunch of nice Mantles. I just can't get excited over that. I get the return on investment and liquidity angle, but I don't partake of the hobby specifically to make money. I already have a job, and I already invest and allocate time to monitor those investments, so cards are my entertainment.
Buying 2 Mantles, while I'm sure much more goes into the search than the 30 seconds it takes to log into PayPal and complete the transaction, once that's done, you're $190,000 is spent, and then what do you do? He's gotten 5 years worth of countless hours of entertainment hunting down these cards, even if it seems frivolous to everyone but him.
I'm just offering another perspective. I do enjoy seeing everyone's Mantle acquisitions, just as I enjoy seeing all of the other cards from sports and eras that I don't personally collect presently, but who knows, may come around on one day.
I don't know that I would call him the Barry Bonds guy
just because of the 5000 cards. I'm sure, that there are
several collectors that have several thousand different
cards of Bonds, these would be the true collectors of
Bonds. Bonds Topps Traded rookie, dime a dozen.
Bonds 1/5 or 1/10 auto, jersey, bat, refractor cards
are much more difficult.
Educate me, Who are Evan Mathis and Dmitry Young
in relation to card collecting?
Evan Mathis is a former NFL player who recently sold a high-end 52T Mantle and Dimitri Young is a former MLB player with a large collection of graded cards.
I actively collect Kirby Puckett. I have collections of Michael Jordan, Emmitt Smith, Roberto Clemente, Dwight Gooden, Tom Seaver, Errict Rhett and Evan Longoria.
didnt Dmitry sell his giant collection around 2012 or so?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Yes, he sold his collection to help fund some youth programs that he and his wife were involved with, I believe.
For those who are unfamiliar, just Google "The Dmitri Young Collection" and several articles will pop up, all with photos included. Almost any iconic card you can think of in regards to post war players, and some from before that, he owned in the highest possible grade, many being top pops of 1. He had PSA include his name on the flips, and you will occasionally see one pop up for sale on eBay with that designation on it as being from the Dmitri Young Collection.
Five thousand 1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds eh? I don't suppose any of them were these kind?
And as you can see here, even after 30 years she's still got it!
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
That jersey fits pretty snug
I don't play in the contemporary art market, but I follow it a little because I'm strangely fascinated by it. That painting of the Monopoly man with Alec written on it appears to be by... wait for it... Alec Monopoly. Considering the article is from 2018, if that's an original, he did pretty well on the purchase. Here's what the stuff sells for on Heritage:
https://www.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?Nty=1&Ntk=SI_Titles-Desc&Ns=Time|1||Lot+No|0&N=790+231&Ntt=alec+monopoly&ic4=SortBy-071515
The Artist Formerly Known As Rich Uncle Pennybags
Dimes: 54S, 53P, 50P, 49S, 45D+S, 44S, 43D, 41S, 40D+S, 39D+S, 38D+S, 37D+S, 36S, 35D+S, all 16-34's
Quarters: 52S, 47S, 46S, 40S, 39S, 38S, 37D+S, 36D+S, 35D, 34D, 32D+S
74 Topps: 37,38,46,47,48,138,151,193,210,214,223,241,256,264,268,277,289,316,435,552,570,577,592,602,610,654,655
1997 Finest silver: 115, 135, 139, 145, 310
1995 Ultra Gold Medallion Sets: Golden Prospects, HR Kings, On-Base Leaders, Power Plus, RBI Kings, Rising Stars
In the longer term, I think Bonds cards are going to gain value. Based on on-field performance, the guy is top 5 all time and eventually I think this is going to get more recognized. And as it does I think demand will grow for high quality bonds rookies.
That said, 86TT Bonds is high pop card so it will always lag somewhat due to that. And as far as the guy in the article goes, hopefully Barry Bonds has a picture of this guy posted by his front door with instructions to call the police if her ever shows up.
No one thinks it's odd that this 2.5 year old thread was resurrected to show us videos of the singer Tiffany?
As for the Barry Bonds guy, assuming he didn't sell, he's sitting pretty after the recent price ascension. Also, I saw a lot of comments above about the guy having all these 1986 traded sets now with no Bonds in them, but the way I felt after reading the article was that he had 70 sealed cases besides all the graded cards. I could be wrong though; just ask my wife.