Those Dang 71s!!!

Mefer

I just "crawled" past the 10 percent mark on PSA 1971 Topps set. As far as having my set complete (raw and PSA graded cards), I am about 50 cards short. There are some last few cards that I am having a heck of a time finding:

1. Orioles Team--- This card hardly, if ever, goes up for auction in graded form (I would be more than willing to accept a PSA 7). I have bought a few raw but returned them all because I am not happy with their condition. This is gotta be one tough card (being the number one card definately hurts this). Looking at the population report, there are 74 7s out there. Who has them all? I note there are no 9s for this card.

264. Joe Morgan-- This card never comes up for sale graded. All right, who is hording all the Joe Morgan cards and why? 38 7s and 18 8s for this one.

300. Brooks Robinson-- 41 7s and 30 8s Another card that just seems to allude me.

550. Harmon Killebrew-- Here is a real puzzler on this card-- 56 7s and 105 8s! Wow; I just placed a strong bid on a PSA 7 and still lost. 8s, when they come up, still fetch very high prices for being a rather high population card. Nonetheless, I rarely see this card for auction. This card may be a bit over valued given the populations.

625. Lou Brock-- 70 7s and 73 8s. A relative high amount of cards graded yet I never see this one up for auction. Where is my copy hiding????

Oh the thrill of the chase....

MickeyC

<< <i>1. Orioles Team--- This card hardly, if ever, goes up for auction in graded form (I would be more than willing to accept a PSA 7). I have bought a few raw but returned them all because I am not happy with their condition. This is gotta be one tough card (being the number one card definately hurts this). Looking at the population report, there are 74 7s out there. Who has them all? I note there are no 9s for this card.

625. Lou Brock-- 70 7s and 73 8s. A relative high amount of cards graded yet I never see this one up for auction. Where is my copy hiding????

>>



Welcome to the crazy club! I'm at the 7% mark or so on the set, and I feel your pain. Couple of things:

#1 Orioles Team - I picked mine up in the summer, a PSA 8, for well over $300. I was happy with that purchase, until one recently went for $117.50. The centering on my card is a little better than this one, but seeing it go for about 1/3 of what I paid, WOW, that was a kick in the teeth! So, they are out there. Keep looking.

#625 Brock - I'm in the same boat, don't have one, and don't see it come up often. I had a nice raw one that I sold last year on Ebay before I started my set. With my luck, that one would have been a 7. Oh well.

The 71 set has been a lot of fun to collect. A nice 8, and the 9's (I have 1!), are the most beautiful cards I've seen. The gloss and the corners on the 71's are just superb!

Good luck with the set!

Mark

acowa

Mefer,

I have a 1971 card #1 available in PSA 7. Email me at cowart@mindspring.com if you're interested.

Regards,


Alan

Fabfrank

Mefer- Welcome to the Black Hole of collecting- Literally! This is one tough set. You'll find that there are other difficult cards in the set too (Munson and T. Perez immediately come to mind). I also think the pop report on this set is probably way off. So many hi end 7's get resubmitted to get 8's and don't get upgraded. Also borderline 8's get resubmitted and get knocked down to 7's.
Another factor is supply and demand. Along with the set collectors, there are many player collectors. Those HOFer's are not only popular but are very active on the hobby circuit.
Contact some of the other 71 collectors on the Registry. We usually have extras for sale or trade. I have a bunch of 7's available if you are interested. Email me at FFMAZZ@AOL.COM.

VoodooChile

I just recently purchased a few raw 71's,from a guy with a sweet connection, that were straight from vending and had to return most of them because they did'nt quite meet my standards or psa's. I did however come away with some nice cards.As we all know these cards are extremely tough and they have fabulous eye appeal.These factors,along with the hof'ers and other classic characters,make this set highly collected and,imho,a great investment.I really don't see this set losing any significant value,but I am curious as to how many high grade raw cards and unopened are still out there.There are alot more people than our group of 71 collectors on the board and registry,that are actively pursuing 71's and are willing to lay down some serious coin.For myself,I'm just taking my time and enjoying the thrill of the hunt.I can't buy everything at once,so I just try to buy the best quality cards I can as they come up.I did go overboard this week though, and bought a psa 8 rose(very nice,psa 9 corners) and a munson psa 8(beautiful) and spent 850.00 To me,that is ALOT of money so I will not be buying any cards for awhile.I could'nt pass up the chance on the quality of the cards though, and I think I got a pretty good deal considering what I have seen on ebay.On another note, I have noticed that the 8's in older psa holders(smaller white "psa" on the label)do not look as good as 8's in newer psa holders(larger white "psa" on the label). I think psa has gotten harder on 71's. Does anybody else think this or am I crazy? BTW I am crazy,crazy for 71's!!!

FB

I always knew that this set was tough.

But, reading this thread even makes me more appreciative of Steve Peckovich's achievement of putting together the whole dang set with a GPA of 8.25 - and that doesn't include some PSA 9's that he never entered in the set - like the Jackson 9, Clemente 9 or Ryan 9!!!!

Absolutely mind-boggling!!!!!

Fabfrank

There is also another thread on the boards showcasing Mikeschimidts 71 Phillies team card in PSA 10. Check it out. It is the best 71 card I've ever seen.
Steve's accomplishment is mind boggling and I believe he put the set together in a very short time.
Hi Grade 71's are expensive. But 7's are a great value. I believe most 7's are cards that people submitted looking for an 8 grade but just fell short. I'm putting my set together in PSA 7 minimum, but will upgrade to 8's when the price is right. Good luck to all and let's help each other out. Email me if anyone has any needs or has any 71's for trade or sale.

Mefer

Glad to see this thread generated some interest! I have been working on my 71 set for years; just fairly recently have gone about the task of working on getting the whole set in PSA 7 or better. I think, as already said in the thread, the set is a great investment considering its eye appeal, difficulty to find in high grade and the fact it has a great player selection. Now, if PSA would just run another special for 71 cards (please oh please $5.00 a card), I can send a bunch more in!

bleacherbum

Mefer - Welcome to the demented crew of 1971 collectors. I'm currently sitting at #5 (Matt & Brett's Collection), although Bill's 401k plan is moving up quickly. I just recently upgraded my Orioles Team Card, Munson, Morgan & Brooks Robinson to 8's. I have them all in 7's, except for Morgan (6). These are definitely the hardest star cards to find in 8's. If you're interested in any of the 7's, let me know.

Going back to MickeyC's comment, you have to be careful in bidding on these cards when they come up since they price all over the place. With star cards at relatively low pop's, that's a recipe for volatility. I paid $250 for my Orioles card directly from Doc just a couple of months ago and also noticed the one that went for $117. The Morgan went for $113 earlier this month. Previous auctions were running anywhere from $150 - $200.

Steve

Mefer

Steve--

Shoot me an e-mail of your 7s list with prices and I will give it a look. Thanks!

Still on subject, I just purchased a bunch of high grade high number SPs (raw) that I am anxiously awaiting to receive. The prices I paid were a little steep but the SPs are tough to find in any condition, let alone very nice. Hopefully, I can score a few 8s on these cards. The SPs hardly, if ever, come up for bid on eBay in graded form.

Thanks for all the comments here!