When did you know you were hooked?

markmac · May 5, 2003 11:12AM

I just paid over $800 for a PSA 7 1969 Topps Basketball checklist. I think I have gone insane. When did you know that you were caught in the PSA set building trap?

Davemri · May 5, 2003 11:19AM

Wow nice pickup.

I think i realized it when someone said to me "You built an entire website just to keep track of your cards??!!??"

I really think the set registry hooked most people. I know looking at all the sets ive registered thinking "one more card and i can move into fifth place" I truly admit I am addicted. Admitting is the first step, i just dont know where i go from here!! LOL

dave

1420sports · May 5, 2003 11:28AM

The PSA registry keeps me off the streets.

RobE · May 5, 2003 11:34AM

<< Wow nice pickup.

I think i realized it when someone said to me "You built an entire website just to keep track of your cards??!!??"

I really think the set registry hooked most people. I know looking at all the sets ive registered thinking "one more card and i can move into fifth place" I truly admit I am addicted. Admitting is the first step, i just dont know where i go from here!! LOL

dave >>

Dave,I saw your websight on a Google search.Nice work and great stories.BTW-you look pretty young to be collecting cards,that your daddy holding you?

mikeschmidt · May 5, 2003 11:35AM

When I became the "market maker" for some of the things I was collecting -- setting the prices realized by paying more than any sane collector paid before....

Good thing? Sometimes it has definitely worked for me -- but there have been quite a few other times that I have done what can only be called an "Ego trip" on a have-to-have card. All in all -- it's been a lot of fun either way.

Davemri · May 5, 2003 11:56AM

You found it on a search??? Thats cool. what did you type in to find it?? Just curious

dave

RobE · May 5, 2003 12:09PM

I think PSA or PSA registry sets.Honestly - I can't remember precisely what the search was about but it had to do with a PSA in the search engine and there you were.

PROMETHIUS88 · May 5, 2003 12:21PM

markmac, i was out at somewhere around $400 on that. i forgot i had to work tonight. wouldn't have mattered...i wouldn't have put that much out for that card right now. still think you got a decent deal on it. the 69 checklist doesn't come up on ebay very often in psa slabs...not to mention in a 7. i've seen one psa 8 a guy has for sale but he is asking $4k for it....thanks, but no!! i'm not a big basketball fan, but found myself addicted when i bought my first 70 topps basketball tall boy. bought the alcindor raw for $60 and had it slabbed an 8. ever since, i can't get enough and that has carried over to the 69's also. i've tried to avoid the 69's because they eat too much into my 70's fund!! once you get your first taste, YOU ARE HOOKED!! good luck on the 69's!! nice start to a GREAT set!! tim

ydsotter · May 5, 2003 12:27PM

I knew I was hooked when... one night my wife and I were lying in bed and she said that she wished she was a computer so that I would spend hours on "her eBay."

CW · May 5, 2003 1:54PM

> I just paid over $800 for a PSA 7 1969 Topps Basketball checklist.
> I think I have gone insane. When did you know that you were caught
> in the PSA set building trap?

I knew I was caught in the trap when I paid close to that amount for
a PSA 8 Jim Thorpe. At that time, I was about 10 cards into my '55
Topps All-American set, and I knew I had to follow it through to the end.

And look on the bright side -- you're only *slightly* more insane than
the person you outbid for that card.

Chuck

gemint · May 5, 2003 2:10PM

Like heavy drinking and other vises, I think it gradually builds over time. And then, before you know it, it's too late. For me, it started when they added the 1969 Topps baseball set to the registry. Then I made another small step toward addiction when I bought my first graded common. My plan at that point was to grade out all the star cards and purchase only commons that I needed to upgrade my raw set to full NM/MT. Then I decided to grade the nicest 100 cards in my set to see how many 9's I could get. Before I knew it, I was well on my way to a complete graded set. Then I got real crazy and started spending $50 to $100 for PSA 8 commons like Tom Satriano and Jose Santiago. If you told me five years ago that I would spend >$3000 in grading fees and hundreds of dollars for commons, I would have thought you were nuts. Turns out, I'm the one who's crazy!

boggs301012 · May 5, 2003 2:14PM

I knew I was hooked. When I calculated if I brown bagged it for a month or so. So I could submitt 25 cards to PSA ...... and did it!

JAMES

SUPERPUNK813 · May 5, 2003 6:49PM

I knew i was hooked when i just paid 4x SMR for a low pop 1961 Parkhurst common PSA 8.

mrc32 · May 5, 2003 10:57PM

<>

WOW...that might be the best one

RayBShotz · May 6, 2003 12:13AM

You know your hooked when.... you start selling books, cd's, posters and just about any other collectible thats not nailed down to finance and further your efforts to complete that PSA registered set!
RayB69Topps

GATOR5 · May 6, 2003 12:58AM

I'm with rayb. When you start adding into the equation of going to public functions
to pick up pop cans than you know you need to be submitted.

Thus I'm not to that point yet but I do use the cans in the house for shipping.

Fabfrank · May 6, 2003 2:13AM

When I started building the all-time quarterback, receivers, and rushers sets. I never saw B. Layne or N. Van Brocklin play and now I'm looking for their cards. (Recently picked up the Van Brocklin PSA 8 for $900). If it wasn't for the registry these card would have never been on my radar.

toppsgun · May 6, 2003 2:31AM

I knew I was hooked* when I caught a plane from Houston to San Diego on Super Bowl Saturday, just to take advantage of the $5.00 NFL Experience Set Registry Special. I flew back the same day after turning in several hundred cards. The savings would have paid for the trip, but I used FF miles, so it was basically free.

Bonus: Houston Texans rookie QB David Carr was on the same return flight and I got his autograph. Guess he didn't want to stay for the big game the next day, either.

*actually I knew I was hooked much sooner, but the other story is not that good.

gtbeaker · May 6, 2003 2:54AM

I'm not hooked...I can stop whenever I want...Who says I'm hooked? Honestly...I was probably initially hooked when I saw my 1st PSA graded card at a local card shop (back in 1999). Being ultra-competitive as I am, now it's a matter of pride!

carkim · May 6, 2003 5:21AM

I wanted to make a tounge-in-cheek remark but I can't. lol

I'M SO HOOKED (ADDICTED) THAT CANCER CAN'T EVEN STOP ME.

mrc32 · May 6, 2003 6:21AM

All great responses...

If you feel bad about paying big bucks for a card...look at this guy 1952 Topps common card WOW

toppsgun · May 6, 2003 6:38AM

Kinda ironic, huh? The seller's name is "never-pay-full-price" but the winner had the only bid, high enough to hit the reserve at $989.

Guess he paid full price after all, didn't he?

Mantlefan · May 6, 2003 6:59AM

I knew I was "hooked" when I sold some beautiful PSA 9oc cards and replaced them with lousy PSA 8's just to build up my set's grade average.

BTW avoid "neverpayfullprice.com" and his many other names "psa-card", "psa-card2", "jodi-mo" "oh-behave" etc. They're all the same dishonest guy who sold me several trimmed and restored cards. He's heavily into PRO stuff and is not to be trusted.

aro13 · May 6, 2003 7:12AM

mantlefan-I noticed recently that "neverpayfullprice" is selling mostly PSA, GAI and BGS cards. Is he trying to come clean? or is he still selling PRO cards?

Mantlefan · May 6, 2003 7:19AM

Aro..you're right. Maybe he's got WIWAG's re-sealing machine! Actually, most of his trimmed stuff is under the "jodi-mo" seller name.

qualitycards · May 6, 2003 7:51AM

I know I was hooked....When I stopped dreaming about swimsuit models and began dreaming of locating vintage wax boxes to crack open to submit to PSA

...jay

Dhjacks · May 6, 2003 8:10AM

I knew I was hooked.......when my wife pointed it out to me.

shockman · May 6, 2003 8:30AM

<< I know I was hooked....When I stopped dreaming about swimsuit models ...jay >>

Well, I will always dream of swimsuit models. mmmmmmmmmm

I think it was for me when I started spending $40 for a common PSA 8 and dropping hundreds of dollars on T206 HOFers. My latest is a Matty Dark Cap PSA 5 which didn't come cheap. I can't imagine spending (well I can imagine that), I should say can't imagine having the $$$ to fork over for PSA 8's of these T206 HOFers.

Alfiewt · May 6, 2003 9:12AM

I am not an addict, I can stop when ever I want to.

Virtualizard · May 6, 2003 9:42AM

I just realized it this week. I made some banking errors and nearly depleted my checking account last week. The truck payment and the cell phone bill will have to wait until next week because I've got to get those cards paid for.

Just ask Frank. I had to delay his payment by a few days. I should be back in business next week though.

JEB.

dstudeba · May 6, 2003 10:11AM

When I started calling debts in so I could pay Griffins for his extra Wilson Franks!

--------------------

Always looking for Wilson Franks; unfortunately acquired my first Stahl Meyers

mexisar · May 6, 2003 1:19PM

Mantlefan,

thanks for the info on "neverpayfullprice.com"

i am surpriced none of his accounts are suspended

Isaias

BobS · May 6, 2003 11:22PM

<< BTW avoid "neverpayfullprice.com" and his many other names "psa-card", "psa-card2", "jodi-mo" "oh-behave" etc. They're all the same dishonest guy who sold me several trimmed and restored cards. He's heavily into PRO stuff and is not to be trusted. >>

I have had over a dozen transactions with them, every one of them great. Just because a seller has/is selling PRO cards isn't neccessarily a reason for total avoidance. It is up to the buyer to make wise and educated decisions about purchases. If they have a 1950's HOF'er in PRO 9.8, use your head and avoid the auction. If they have a 1950's HOF'er in PSA 8, what does the PRO card have to do with this one - Nothing. Also, if they also sell high grade PSA cards, and are selling a "mint" 1950's HOF'er raw, use your head.

He has given me "off-Ebay" deals on some hard to find items, and has always shipped them out prior to my e-check from Paypal clearing.

I'm not him, nor am I saying "everyone bookmark this guy", but different experiences mean different opinions, especially in this hobby.

Cheers,

Bob (alwayspaysfullprice.com)

miami3 · May 6, 2003 11:26PM

Mantlefan,

The seller (Gary) has more secret ebay names than Maxwell Q Smart himself.

I used to buy raw cards from him years ago until I found out the hard way that most were trimmed or
doctored. I also know that he has some shell bidder accounts that will bid up his own stuff.

I know that he is hooked up with PRO pretty big, so I would avoid both of them like the plague......but Its only my humble opinion.

miami3 · May 6, 2003 11:27PM

Excellent work ToppsGun!

I know that this seller has multiple shell accounts on ebay and will bid up his own stuff even if he has to pay full price!

AlanAllen · May 7, 2003 2:16AM

I dunno Bob, I'd be wary of a seller with a few PSA cards and ton of PRO cards. I don't know this guy specifically, but if I saw that I'd think he trimmed a bunch of cards, sent them to PSA and got a few by them, and sent the rejects to PRO.

Joe

BobS · May 7, 2003 2:39AM

<< I don't know this guy specifically, but if I saw that I'd think he trimmed a bunch of cards, sent them to PSA and got a few by them, and sent the rejects to PRO. >>

That is also a possibility. I just hate seeing someone lamb-basted on the boards with whom I've only had pleasant transactions with. I know I'm in the minority on here defending him, so I'll let it....

Drop.

Mantlefan · May 7, 2003 6:43AM

He has given me "off-Ebay" deals on some hard to find items, and has always shipped them out prior to my e-check from Paypal clearing.

Bob S. Be careful. Mr. Moser came to my office [I am an MD] where I treated members of his family, and gave me expensive cards on approval. I too sang his praises until the cards came back "altered" and "trimmed" from PSA [we're talking about a Clemente rookie, Koufax rookie, 53 Bowman Reese and 53 Bowman Berra etc]. When I showed him the card alterations under Ultaviolet light, he professed innocence. He told me I'd get my money back when he sold them to someone else [hopefully not you]. I'm still waiting. [it's been 3 years].

Tipem · May 7, 2003 7:15AM

I am not hooked I am not hooked I am not hooked BTW, Is paying $1100 for a 56 Ted Williams PSA 8 an act that would be considered hooked ? And I keep telling my wife that I am going to sell those 3 closets full of cards soon.

Vic

When did you know you were hooked?

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