What's The Best Bargain You've Ever Got On a Card?

PSAtan

Personally, I'm waiting for my first. I'm sure a lot of you have made some great finds in old antique stores. Anybody wanna share?

S.

murcerfan

Here's one that was truly priceless at any cost.
........as it lead me to the path of righteous salvation.
Just Imagine if it had been Jesus Alou !

EOMINT

How about EBAY...I bought a 51 Bowman Duke Snider PSA 10 for $2,500 about 3 years ago (subsequently sold to Branca for his set at substantially higher price)...talk about a find!

EO

NickM

'32 U.S. Caramel Paul Waner (in Fair condition) for 25 cents in a dealer's junk box - he had no idea what it was.

If it doesn't have to be an actual purchase, '72 Topps OJ Simpson card (in EX condition) for free (I purchased some old sports books at a garage sale and found it sitting inside one of them, where it had apparently been used as a bookmark).

Nick

Ullr

In the spring of 2001 I purchesed a Fleer Greats of the Game Steve Van Buren autograph Redemption card for $19.

It seems Mr. Van Buren never returned his signed cards to Fleer so they send me a wax box of some rookie and stars nonsense.

I called Fleer to say I only collect HOF auto's. The customer service rep at Fleer was totally understanding and ran through a whole list to choose from. I picked out Bart Starr as it was a player I needed.

Fleer let me keep the wax box which I sold on ebay for $46+s/h.

I made $27 on the deal and got a free Bart Star GOTG auto.

BTW 2 1/2 years later and I still need a Van Buren auto. He still has not had a certified auto released.

goodriddance189

nmmt 1963 fleer bob gibson for my lunch sandwich when i was 10 yrs old at a baseball camp. looking back, i should have traded my griffey rookies for his other 20+ gibsons

cmcclelland

I just picked this one up raw at the National. This is the only Red Back Panel ever graded a 10 (PSA or SGC).

murcerfan

Colt,
was there anyone you wanted to thank for dragging you to that table ?

Tipem

Mercerfan,

I think that we card collectors memories are as short as our next PSA 10. (Or 9 in most peoples case)


Vic

KING KELLOGG

Last night on eBay......

Picked up a complete set of 1978 Kellogg's...ALL GRADED PSA 9!!!

Item #2752335526.


Paid $255.00 for the set. 56 cards (#4 common was missing)...That's...Umm.....$4.55 per card..



My lucky day!!!




Larry

cmcclelland

Thanks Dave for dragging me to the table. I also picked up that PSA 6 E. Collins CMAS at the same table. BTW - the Lemon was sold sometime last week. I've got to start looking at those catalogues when they show up.

What did your message say before you edited it?

mikeschmidt

1972 Puerto Rican Mike Schmidt PSA 9 MINT sticker for under $1,000.

The last (and 1/1 only) PSA 7 was apparently sold by Levi Bleam for $800. I am also sitting on a raw sticker of the same that I picked up at the National for an attractive price -- that I believe should grade out at PSA 8.


There have been many raw cards I've purchased that have graded out as PSA 10 -- but they are all sentimental favorites.


From my other favorite set (1955 Bowman), I was able to pick up the Alex Kellner PSA 9 for $71 and the Billy Goodman PSA 9 for $82

schr1st

Greatest long term bargin? A 1988 San Bernadino Spirits Platinum Team set (#'d out of 1300) for $12 and a 1989 Upper Deck Gary Sheffield "error" rookie card. I was 13 or 14 at the time when I came across it at a card show in 1989. I had picked up the Sheff for $12 earlier in the show and didn't have the $20 that the seller wanted for the set so I offered him all the cash I had left and the Sheff. I'm sure it was a good deal for him at the time, but I wonder if he remembers the transaction as well as I do...

Best overall bargin? I'd have to say that autographed Munson Rookie I picked up a month or so ago was a pretty darned good one. Other than that, I'd probably have to say it was from a box break (which I guess is techincally not what you are looking for, but oh well): 2001 UD Prospect Premieres box $38 = one Tri-Jersey Prior/scrub/scrub (BV $40 at the time) and a Tribute to 42 Jackie Robinson Cut Signature/Bat card (1 of only 10 made, one recently sold for over $1200).

The53Kid

Well, it wasn't a great bargain at the time...but about 15 years ago I bought two raw 62 Topps, a Koufax and a Musial for under $100. The Koufax recently graded an 8 and the Musial a 9. I guess my eyes were better back then.

Best accidental bargain. I found a local drugstore had a big supply of 1987 Donruss boxes(back in 87) and I decided to buy them out. I brought 6 boxes to the register and the cashier rang me up for 6 packs. Just as I was about to correct their mistake, PSAtan ran up and told to to shut my trap. I was a kid....and today I try to strive to a higher standard. And that new stuff is worthless anyway.

To help show I'm not a bad guy, I recently corrected Levi's wife in her math that would have saved me $300...but cost them $300

savemoneycards

Paid $35.00 on a Buy It Now on ebay for a group of 1950 football cards and when my wife came home she asked why I was sitting at the table with a big smile. It was because when I got the cards in the mail it was the hole 1950 bowman football set - one star card.also all the cards were in nearmint to mint condition. It took a long time for that smile to go away....

murcerfan

not more holey cards ?

goodriddance189

i also bought a pack of 01 donruss classics for $10 bucks and pulled a Babe/Gehrig dual bat/jersey, which i sold for a cool $2 grand. not a bad return on your investment

PSAtan

My personal experience has shown me this - I search these baseball card auctions on ebay that are non-specific hoping to come across some treasure chest, but I only find mish-mosh dealer offering showing big book value and cruddy cards. The internet doesn't hold any bargains. If you're going to take the time to put up a website, you're going to know the value of what you have. Local and major shows are a shark tank. They just service "must buys" when the money is saved for a special card.

My suggestions -

I know old book stores often come across cards and have people calling to sell old cards. That might be a place to find some interesting cards. Somebody used to advertise in the back of Hemmings Automotive years before card values shot up. I don't think anyone has an ad back there. That's probably a decent place to get a different crowd that might be holding cards.

Has anyone ever jumped into an old station wagon and just wandered the States in search of baseball cards? I ask for two reasons. First, I've never driven cross-country. Second, I'm thinking of doing it to write a book.

Hope to hear more. Your sories are all exciting.

Best,

S.

1420sports

Last night I finally won a Joe Dimaggio card! After two years of some untimely computer gliches, cancelled auctions, hesitation, dealers unwilling to come down on prices, etc., I won.

The card is a 1948 Leaf PSA 5. The card was the PSA 4 I hesitated on a few weeks ago. When I decided what cards I would sell to buy it, another bidder used BUY IT NOW - great deal at $750. The card was regraded as a PSA 5 and the seller notified me it was on eBay. My winning bid was $761.

theBobs

I purchased a 4 card lot of 1965 Mets commons PSA 8 on ebay via BIN at SMR. One of the four cards happen to be #22 Smith, the difficulty of which is discussed here.. Getting one of the toughest 1965 commons at SMR was a great bargain. Luckily I hit the BIN just before Jay

I received more than a generous trade from Wayne. I believe the card has since gone to Mastro and now sits in Duke's set.

qualitycards

THEBOBS - It was over 2 years ago and I remember it as if it was yesterday, I even remember the eBay seller who was located in Brooklyn...jay

GoSoxBoSox

God knows but I can tell you I got a Bradshaw rookie at Nationals this year for $3 that came back from PSA as an 8. Not bad.

curmudgeon

Two that come to mind in the past two years:

1. a 1951 Topps Blueback panel Mize and Lopat SGC 96 for $200.00 (Mize alone books for $450.00 in mint); these panels are tough!

2. a 1916 "Sporting News " card that actually had a Morehouse Baking back, EX+, for 14.00

would also add the 4 1957 mint Swift Commons-SGC 96- I bought (I think from Steve Verkman) for $49.00 each.

Mudge

aro13

I bought a Larry Bird Sportscaster card for $15. I think the dealer had no clue what it was. Also, bought a beautiful K.C. Jones rookie at a local mall show for $10 and it now resides in a PSA 8 holder.

I remember in the late 80's and early 90's going to variety stores and asking them if they had any old (70's and early 80's) wax boxes that they did not return when they did not sell. One store told me had quite a few but somebody came in about a week earlier and bought them all.

pc

bought a raw vince carter jersey card for $200 got a psa 10 and $2700.
bought a psa 5 without a wrinkle for $8.00, had it reholdered without
monkey business into an 8 holder and got $2000+.

goodriddance189

i also bought a psa 7 1951 Laval Dairy Jacques Plante minor league issue for $350, my snipe was around $650. ive only been looking for this card for about 5 years

Skycap

When I was a young punk in the early 1980's I bought several 1952 Topps high numbers at a convention for $30 each. That was a lot of money for me at the time; I spent all I had saved up on these cards. A former collector had a table and was selling his complete collection of virtually every Topps card issued to date, and his cards were in beautiful shape. Anyway, after all these years, those cards graded out at PSA 9's and 8's a few months ago and are worth an average of about $1,600 each per the latest SMR (although certain cards would get much more than SMR due to rarity). I don't even collect the 1952 set but I love those cards. They're the crown jewels of my collection.

I have another great story about a mini-find, but I'll save it for another day.

Skycap

getupkid

1972 Topps Willie Mays In Action PSA 8 for $15.00..........