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Why are PSA graded 1972 Topps cards so cold?

My question is why are PSA graded 1972 Topps cards so cold? They are clearly a fan favorite with many people collecting them. Why is Frank Bakka having a hard time getting $8 a card? I couldn't get $7 a card for my extras either. I know that at least for me, I'd rather wallpaper my house with them rather than give them away for $5 or less. Isn't anyone besides the top 6 or 7 players serious about collecting this set? I'd like to hear from the other 72 collectors that hide in the shadows. Neil

Comments

  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,235 ✭✭✭
    Neil> There's a wild and vicious rumour that one of the former "fab 5" is actively getting back into the 72 set in a pretty serious way.

    Forget where I heard it tho.

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • BasiloneBasilone Posts: 2,492 ✭✭
    I would say one reason is the sheer size of the set....Im sure many become overwhelmed and end up quitting.

    John
  • BasiloneBasilone Posts: 2,492 ✭✭
    Mike-

    I remember you posted a month or so ago that you are shopping your next graded set around to various companies.....have you decided to continue with PSA or are you going a different route?

    John
  • I don't think it's just '72.
    I have just acquired two key 1970 PSA 7s (Banks and Aaron) for well below not only SMR but also what they have recently been fetching on eBay.

    Is this the end of the Seventies revival?
    Baseball HOF Autographs
    Topps Baseball 1967
    Mike Payne's 300 Great Cards
    MVPs in their MVP years
    and T206???
  • I don't think its just 72's they're doing better than the 74's I've had up on e-bay can't sell a common at $5.25 and HOF players going for opening bids. If I wasn't actively building my own sets I think I'd just sit on these cards. With the new grading specialimage I can't afford to get new stock if I'm not even gonna break even. April is around the corner maybe that will spark the collecting. Also I've heard theres some distractions going on in the real world?
    "All my life I've been searching for something"
  • FBFB Posts: 1,684 ✭✭
    The economy still hasn't turned around yet. Unemployment is still creeping up. Corporate layoffs. The country is getting ready for war with Iraq. Gasoline prices are out of sight and we computer geeks aren't making money like we were before Y2K.

    Buy cheap while you can and when the economy turns around we'll all be sitting on goldmines.

    My prediction... all serious collectors on this forum can retire in 5 years on their card sales.

    At least thats what I tell my wife, right before she rolls her eyes and walks out of the room!
    Frank Bakka
    Sets - 1970, 1971 and 1972
    Always looking for 1972 O-PEE-CHEE Baseball in PSA 9 or 10!

    lynnfrank@earthlink.net
    outerbankyank on eBay!


  • << <i> don't think its just 72's they're doing better than the 74's I've had up on e-bay can't sell a common at $5.25 and HOF players going for opening bids >>



    Tbub, While the higher pop 8's are barely bringing grading fees, the psa 9's are really hot in the 74's. Many of the psa 9's are bringing well over book and I've even seen commons going for double book recently. Now might be a great time to auction some of the 9's.

    Wayne

    74 Topps sale
    74 topps sale
    74 topps sale
    1955 Bowman Football
  • ROCKDJRWROCKDJRW Posts: 1,330 ✭✭✭
    I love the 1972 Topps set. I don't think I will ever have it complete & graded but there are bargains to be had. 7's are fine for my set. I just got this card in the mail yesterday and I got it real cheap even using "Buy It Now" 1972 auction
    Collect Ozzie Guillen Cards
    Unique Chicago Cards
    Wrestling Cards
  • Who would want to collect that ugly set? I think most people would prefer to not waste their money on a set that has virtually no investment value. I put this set right up there with the 1988 Donruss set !
  • gemintgemint Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Who would want to collect that ugly set? I think most people would prefer to not waste their money on a set that has virtually no investment value. I put this set right up there with the 1988 Donruss set ! >>



    The 1972 set is interesting. People either love it or hate it. You happen to be from the "hate it" camp. image
  • 7orbetter

    Careful.........nothing, I repeat nothing, is uglier than the 1988 Donruss set. Geez, the visual alone gives me the willies.
    Todd Schultz (taslegal@hotmail.com)
    ebay id: nolemmings
  • ROCKDJRWROCKDJRW Posts: 1,330 ✭✭✭
    C'mon you two I would have to say that 1991 Fleer and 1990 Donruss are hands down worse than the 1988 Donruss set.
    Collect Ozzie Guillen Cards
    Unique Chicago Cards
    Wrestling Cards
  • you must be forgetting the classic 88 topps design. the only 2 words i can think for it are "depressing" and "eyesore". come to think of it every 88 design was ugly
  • WabittwaxWabittwax Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭


    << <i>The economy still hasn't turned around yet. Unemployment is still creeping up. Corporate layoffs. The country is getting ready for war with Iraq. Gasoline prices are out of sight and we computer geeks aren't making money like we were before Y2K.

    All of the above is exactly the same situation as 1990 and 1991 and the card market was booming back then. I think the country's ecomonic woes or prosperity have little to no affect on the card market.
  • THANKS Wayne I'll go into the vault and see what I got lying aroundimage Hey guys with the big Rose announement today do you guys think his cards will rise in price or are they already at a premium. got a 73 psa 9 that I"ve been meaning to auction but honestly I can't find . Blaming wife - kids know to never touch my cards.image
    "All my life I've been searching for something"
  • It's actually a conspiracy against the FabFive. These guys had an exclusive club and these 1972 cards are being boycotted as a protest over their elitist ways. The conspiracy is working!
  • People are putting all their money (if they have any) into PSA 9's if they're not buying real estate. Great market right now to BUY PSA 8's and under. Just don't tell the sellers that who put low starting bids on their auctions.
  • EOMINTEOMINT Posts: 349
    The 1972 set is by far the best set of 70s both in terms of physical eye appeal and in terms of the fact that it is such a massive set w/ so many cool cards. The only set I think even comes close are the 75s b/c of the great colors.

    For those that think the 1972 set is ugly I would disagree...I'm about 70% of the way there in all PSA 9 and I when I look through my set I would say it's quite stunning!

    EO
  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,235 ✭✭✭
    "It's actually a conspiracy against the FabFive."
    Well. . .the conspiracy is about to begin again.

    Some of you know this aready. . .to others it will be a surprise --
    I have decided once again to build a PSA-graded 1972 Topps set. The set will be in all PSA8 or better.

    This points made in this thread were a major factor in this decision. It's totally a byuer's market right now - and not just for 72s. Looking at the market and seeing that I can readily pick up PSA8 commons at around the $7 mark weighed heavily on me. Another factor is that now that I've reached 98% complete on my 75T set, it's slowed down considerably. I will still vigorously pursue those last 10-12 cards for the 75 set, but for the last couple weeks 72s have been occupying my attention.

    I have entered the set on the Registry and have listed only one card. When the time is right, you will see appropriate additions. Check the set again in about 10 days image

    I'd like to take a moment to thank Frank Bakka and Erik Jarvi for being particularly supportive in my getting back into the 72 set.

    Sun-Times show is next week. . .time to go beat the bushes for more submittable 72s image

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • I am probably one of those collectors lurking in the weeds on the 72 set. I've been using a rule of thumb lateley. All high series cards have to get to my house under $14 and all others have to get there under $9 (those prices include shipping). I can almost buy the high numbers cheaper in an 8 holder than I can raw. I've won other cards as low as $4.00. The star cards I try to buy at 20-30% under SMR. I buy the stars in 8 or 9. Out of that huge batch of 72's on Ebay last week I won 30+ cards at an average price $8.61. That included 2 high numbers, 1 PSA 9 and all shipping. I am not aggressively trying to complete the set so it doesn't matter to my when I get outbid.


    Doug
    Looking for well centered 1958 topps baseball psa 8 and up. Also dying for a 70 Aaron All Star in PSA 9.
  • gemintgemint Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Mike - Do you still have the 1972 tribute webpage up and running? If so, can you post the link again? Thanks.
  • FBFB Posts: 1,684 ✭✭
    Doug,

    Good rule of thumb - and with most of the new 72 players still between 40% and 60% complete, if you do youre homework, the tougher cards aren't selling for much of a premium over the run of the mill commons. Look for that to change when people pass that 75% mark. As Mike said - definitely a buyer's market. I'm just fortunate that the 72 set breakup that I did at the end of the last 72 to Present Set Registry Special did so well - grade wise. It will make it much easier to break even - even in this environment.
    Frank Bakka
    Sets - 1970, 1971 and 1972
    Always looking for 1972 O-PEE-CHEE Baseball in PSA 9 or 10!

    lynnfrank@earthlink.net
    outerbankyank on eBay!
  • I'd like to take a moment to thank Frank Bakka and Erik Jarvi for being particularly supportive in my getting back into the 72 set.

    What in the heck did you expect them to say? That's like attending an insurance agent convention and asking them if they thought buying insurance was a good idea! Did they say "Mike, we know you can really do it this time and we're both here right behind you." ? or how about "Mike, we just don't feel the same about collecting the 1972 set when you're not here to share in the good times and bad." Are they going to play the theme from Rocky over loud speakers as you reach 75% and the theme from Chariots of Fire at 90%?

    How do you go from being supportive to "particularly supportive" anyhow? Is "particularly supportive" like when your wife comes up behind you while you're searching EBAY for 1972's and gives you a hug from behind saying "Honey, our mortgage company called and said that they're planning on foreclosing, maybe we shouldn't have spent all our money on baseball cards, but I know how happy these 1972's make you so we'll figure something out.

    Mike, I support you in your decision. I think many 1972 Topps cards can be bought at or below grading fees. It's a nice set that you can work on for quite some time due to it's size.

    Come on Erik and Frank, tell us about how you were "particularly supportive".


  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,235 ✭✭✭
    Waittil> Along with many cards from Dale Wedge, I have purchased many cards from Erik and Frank. RayB was also nice enough to help out in this regard.
    All four guys also helped me keep a low profile with my 72T purchases.

    John> With the 72T site, I had a hosting agreement with the web services company for one year. This expired in late January and I chose not to renew it. I've actually been thinking about ressurecting it, but haven't decided whether to allocate the funds to it. I still have almost all of the artwork I did, but would have to dig out the HTML work I did.
    Anyway. . .

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • All four guys also helped me keep a low profile with my 72T purchases

    I get it now, you're like the secret agent of the 1972's. You get to put on your black trenchcoat and dark glasses and sneak around while picking up a 1972 here and a 1972 there when nobodys looking. (carefully sliding them into your pockets so as to avoid suspicion)

    What happens if you go "high profile"? Does everyone say "Hurrah, Mike's back in! Break out the bubbly!" or are there riots in the streets?

  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,235 ✭✭✭
    People are scrambling to secure their 72s as we speak.

    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • It's very apparent that the mad rush for 1972's is on. It also appears people are pulling money out of the stock market and hoarding up 1972's at a rapid pace. I will do my best to stay out of the way so that I don't get any on me.

    How many 1972's can you hold in your trenchcoat without giving up the big secret and having to go high profile once again? More importantly, once you're back at "high profile" status, will you start talking about yourself in third person?

    Lastly, in high profile mode, do other bidders on EBAY go "Damn that Castaldi, I may never win another 1972 ever again! I will get him if it's the last thing that I do"

  • smelly,
    yes, they do.
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