1960 Venezuela Topps Set how much would you pay?

sjeanblanc

Hi All,

Came into a offer for a 1960 Venezuelan Topps set (198 cards), in Exellent or Better condition with no back damage on any of the cards. The offer is at $8000.00, my question is, is that too much or too little. The main factor being that the only stars in the run are Early Wynn, Ernie Banks, Brooks Robinson, Whitey Ford, Al Kaline, Bob Gibson, Carl Yastrzemski (rookie), and the Rival All-Stars (Mickey Mantle, Ken Boyer).

All opinions are welcome and thanks ahead of time,

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
------------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

WinPitcher

that equals 40.00 a card, if your sure that all the backs are clean id say it was reasonable. im not sure if your the buyer or seller from your post,

ps id pass myself on it

sjeanblanc

I was out hunting for the ever elusive 1968 Venezuelan Topps Nolan Ryan and this dealer didn't have it but he does have the 1960 set for $8000. I have been mulling over the thought of purchasing it, for the last two days and I decided to throw it out here and see what you guys think of it. I know these things are rare, actually never knew they existed until the Ryan one was added to the Registry.

If I bought it, it would be graded and then sold at one of the major auction houses.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
---------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

WinPitcher

hmm i dunno scott, if i were you i would research it a little more. 8k is some serious cash to invest hoping you get all 5 and 6.....the only venezuala I need is the 67 koufax, id pay 300.00 for a decent example, as would prolly many others......

MorrellMan

Scott - I'm salivating and I don't even collect VZ!

Hang in there on this thread; there seem to be some pretty knowledgable Venezuelan card collectors around here.

67standup

A couple of thoughts from someone who collects Venezuelans (funny, I just posted a pix of the 60 Yaz on another thread.) I'm almost certain that I know the seller, nice guy, but very expensive; I have a wantlist with him. It's unlikely that this set would fetch near $8k on Ebay, so a private sale is next best option for the seller. However, how many times in your collecting career have you seen any V set - especially 59,60 or 68 - for sale? As a fan of these cards, I'd consider it, but defintely with a reasonable counter offer. You'd be one of the very, very few that owns a complete set. Please keep us posted, and DO NOT break the set if purchased.

With envy...Yazfan08

sjeanblanc

67Standup,

You know its been through my collecting of Nolan Ryan and trying to find some of his tougher cards that I have grown an appreciation for what is really rare. Which is why I am even considering this in the first place.

If I talked to anyone else about this they would think I was insane for just contemplating a purchase like this. That's what I love about this forum is that there are people out there that understand what a tearing decision this is, because they understand what it is and how rare it is.

Like I said if I do pull the trigger on this I will have PSA grade most of the set, and I would keep it intact and maybe sell it on Mastro as a complete set. The 10 million dollar question is would I make out or take a bath in it, with the $8000 up front plus up to $1500+ in grading fees. I've bought some stuff from this particular seller and his grading is on the conservative side, so there is a chance these might be in slightly better shape than described.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
----------------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

67standup

Scott,

I sympathize with your dilemma. Personally, I could fall back on the joy that this collectible’s rarity provides in case the investment aspect doesn't work out. However, I don't know how high Venezuelans are on your want list. That is, if you can’t stomach the low ROI – or even loss – I’d consider passing. For example, once the ’68 Ryan Venezuelan becomes available, I don’t think the resale downside will preoccupy your decision to buy. Such a mindset should be used when spending big $ (a relative figure) on any collectible. Although very few complete sets exist, Venezuelans are not among the mainstream. Therefore, the appeal - thus price - would only reach a very limited audience. If you have a complete set of 1968 3Ds or some other popular oddity, money will come from many directions. In regard to this set, only a few oddballs like myself will check their savings account balance.

bobsbbcards

Scott,
I'd have to agree with 67standup's opinion. The final buyer of this set (where thoughts of resale end) is going to have to be somebody like himself (with Venezuelan cards clearly part of his mission in life) or somebody like me who is totally obsessed with owning everything under the sun. There aren't enough star cards in the set to allow a buyer to break it up and get out from under $10K in cost (Banks, Brooks, Gibson, Mantle & Boyer, Mays & old guy, Ford, Yaz Rook, Kaline, + few semis).

Also, I have to think that some of the people that throw huge bucks at Mastronet tend to throw more cash at non-prewar PSA 7+ sets than (let's assume) PSA 5+ for the Venezuelan set. Although I would equate a PSA 5 set of '60 VZ to at least a PSA 8-9 set of '60 Topps, I am not sure you can count on Mr. Really Deep Pockets to make the same leap (IM very HO)

All that said, I hope you buy it so we can see how it grades out, and I also hope you submit it to Mastro so we can see how it looks with those 4800dpi auction pictures. Who knows, maybe 67standup and I can duke it out to buy it from them (on eBay with 20% vig).

Bob

sjeanblanc

Boy its funny how things can be resolved for you, I just found out today that the status of the IT group I work in is "TBD" (To Be Determined). Which to me doesn't sound good, which would also make a large monetary layout impracticle. Damn I really want to buy this set, its grown on me since I found out about it, but I am not going to be able to take advantage of the opportunity.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
----------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

Fuzz

Scott,
Hope all turns out well on the IT front.
I think you have taken a beating. The set is very rare, no doubt. But most won't appreciate that.
My opinion is based on the fact that it is currently in a knowledgeable dealers hands.
By the time you slab 200 cards (about $1K), pay 15% consignors fee and have a 15% hammer fee (I assumed that no fees would be waived but that could be wrong), you would now need to be near 12K to break even. Other VZ collectors at least no of the dealer in mind and haven't touched it at 8K.
I'm not sure that you can squeeze 50% out of the set from today. Could be rough.
If it is a short term investment, there are better that are much less risky.
If you were going to keep the set. I would have said BIN.
Fuzz

Bighurt4

Scott,

I hope all is well. Sorry to hear about the uncertainty in the IT group. Sounds like you will have kick some deadbeat's tail, or at least have the Don pay him/her a visit.

It would be hard to pass up a set of Venezuelans, no matter the year. I agree, though, that if you have no independent love or affinity for them, you should pass. That is a huge chuck of change for a set that you may or may not be able to move at your price.

Good luck deciding,
Brent

67standup

Hey, I just bought a 1960 Topps Venezuelan set for $7999. Kidding...

sjeanblanc

67Standup,

I will gladly share the source of these cards with you, if you have an interest. Just shoot me an email and I'll give you the contact info. I wasn't paying attention to the fact that you collect Venezuelans, Keith (Con40) hit me over the head with that earlier today when we were shooting emails back and forth about Dell stamps and Ryans.

God I wish I could buy this set, but it wouldn't be something I could hold onto. Going to have to stick to collecting Ryans.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
------------------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

onegaucho

Sounds like you've already made up your mind, but I'll put in my 2 cents and agree with 67standup as well.

I've come across a few really tough sets in the past, though not this expensive - and ended up selling them within a year to recoup my investment.

Unless you've got a ton of cash to spend, I'm guessing $8k is a large investment.
To get all of them graded, what if they didn't come back in the range you were expecting? It'd almost be better to keep them ungraded and then sell the lot at a major auction house (maybe grade the stars). However, I wonder how long the seller has had the set? I'm not sure how many actual buyers there would be out there...

Bighurt4

Darn, I was hoping that the Venezuelans would dry up your Ryan funds Scott. Oh well, back to whipping boy rank.

Brent

sjeanblanc

Bighurt4,

It would have dried up my Ryan funds like a sponge in the desert. Now I can reek more havoc on eBay Ryans, or whatever other source I find.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
--------------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

Bighurt4

I was afraid of that. I guess I need to look for second job.

Brent