'61 Bell Brand Koufax PSA 9 - heavy hammer!

MorrellMan · June 3, 2004 10:22PM

Almost twice SMR!

Cubfan · June 3, 2004 10:33PM

Boy, thats a real beauty.

Fuzz · June 4, 2004 5:22AM

Mark,
I would say that the buyer got a bargain to say the least.
I assume the buyer was KHT who currently has the best set and has a very top notch collection of Bell Brands. He would know the true worth.
Had I seen the auction, I would have come out of hiding for it. It would have gone for substantially more.
Based on July SMR article, there are only 9 PSA 9's for all Bell Brands together. I have one of them, it was easily more than double SMR.
Fuzz

rickster · June 4, 2004 5:26AM

Mark,
I don't have the pop report, but since this is supposedly a 1 of 1 PSA 9, newly graded card, with no PSA 10's, it seems to me that PSA is just guessing when it comes to establishing a value for its SMR. It will be interesting to see if its SMR increases as a result of one sale.

Rick

rickster · June 4, 2004 5:30AM

Had I seen the auction, I would have come out of hiding for it. It would have gone for substantially more.

Fuzz,
Glad you didn't see it then.

Rick

Fuzz · June 4, 2004 5:34AM

Rick,
I take it then that that one is headed to your house?
Fuzz

rickster · June 4, 2004 5:39AM

Yup, it matches up nicely with my 1960 PSA 9 Koufax. I don't even look at SMR when it comes to such thinly traded cards.

Rick

MorrellMan · June 4, 2004 1:20PM

Rick,
Congrats!
That's one prized puppy. I wasn't so much impressed by how far off SMR is on these cards, I knew that going in. I just continue to be incredibly impressed with the strength of vintage Bell Brands and other similar Dodgers issues, like those that were packaged with luncheon meats....

Griffins · June 4, 2004 1:40PM

Congrats Rick- that should be a great addition to your collection.

Was anyone else blown out by the price realized by the partial '58 Bell Brand set in the last Mastro?

MorrellMan · June 4, 2004 2:00PM

I don't remember the details, but I do recall thas a whole lotta money fo' such a ugly set....

Saw a '58 Gilliam at the show today...cute l'il thing....nice size and the green isn't that obnoxious...uh oh...I think I might be coming down with something....I know this feeling....

Griffins · June 4, 2004 2:15PM

The final price on the '58's was 5500. with the juice- and it was missing the short prints of Snider and Podres, although it did have Cimoli still in the wrapper. That one probably came from Marty's find a few years ago.

Mark- think I have the cure for what ails you!

rickster · June 4, 2004 10:30PM

I was interested in the '58 Bell Brands Mastro had up for auction, but when the cards were described to me they sounded ex-mt at best, with maybe two of them being nm. When the price hit $4000 I decided it wasn't the risk, we know how hard PSA is on grading these things. I was really mostly interested in the Cimoli (which I still need for my set because someone seems to be hogging them

Rick

Griffins · June 5, 2004 12:39AM

Rick- I"'ve got a Cimoli 3 that has 7 corners (just a kink in the middle you can only feel, not see) if you're interested. Wouldn't want to be accused of bogarting all of them!

rickster · June 5, 2004 4:42AM

Griff,
Thanks, but I'll just keep waiting for one that would grade a 6 or better. I already have a filler for now (someone tried to color one corner to improve it). I've been working on these Bell Brand sets for over 10 years, still need 1 '58, 2 '60's, 2 '61's, and a bunch of '62's. I hope the Lipitor keeps me alive long enough to finish these

Rick

onlychild · June 9, 2004 6:33AM

Well I've been lurking long enough...though I should post for the first time. I am the author of the Bell Brand article in the July SMR.

I actually helped with the sale of that 61 Koufax via email. The seller really had no idea what he had, it's a real beauty. I was quite surprised it didn't go higher, I expected it to go for around $4K. I just knew if was out of my price range. It was divorce vs. Koufax, tough choice. I thought if I can't have it, at least have a part to play in finding it a rightful home. Glad it worked out!

You are right, the Bells are highly undervalued. The actual price realized is usually triple book for PSA 7 and above...sometimes more. An adjustment was done about 2 years ago, after I sent an email to PSA showing examples of sold cards. Another should be made.

As for now, I will just try to finish putting together my pitiful 62 set then work on my embarrassing 61's....LOL. We all do what we can do with the funds we have available.

Kevin

Griffins · June 9, 2004 6:44AM

Kevin-
Just shot you an email, great article on the Bell Brands. They are really underappreciated (especially the '58's) and I would expect the exposure your article gave them will allow more collectors to appreciate them.
Welcome to the boards, please keep posting!
Anthony

snide comment from Murcerfan about the West Coast in general and Bell Brands specifically to inevitably follow.

NickM · June 9, 2004 9:18AM

onlychild - wives can be replaced. I don't think that Koufax can be.

Now quit writing articles about sets I like.

Oh wait. Never mind. That would pretty much take articles out of the SMR.

In any case, welcome to the boards. I too thought it was a great article.

Nick

MorrellMan · June 9, 2004 9:33AM

Kevin-
Great article; first thing I read when I got my SMR. Welcome aboard, good to have another '50s/'60s Dodger food issue guy around, especially one as prominent and knowledgable as yourself. Thanks for coming out!!!!

rickster · June 9, 2004 9:49AM

I no longer get the SMR. Guess I'm going to have to subscribe to SMR Online for July so that I can read the article.

Rick

Griffins · June 9, 2004 10:59AM

Rick-
check your pm's

onlychild · June 10, 2004 1:04AM

Thanks everyone for the great comments. Looks like the Bells will now get some much-deserved recognition as well as those who collect them.

As I mentioned to Griffins in my return email, maybe some wealthy sympathetic collector, placing aside all greed and, who was grateful for the article which will assuredly see his Bells vastly increase in value, will send me some freebies....LOL.

Alas, that Koufax could have been mine. I thought long and hard....$2.5K vs. half the house, alimony and child support. I think I made a good business choice. Perhaps it will be displayed on the registry so I can salivate and think of what could have been. It would have matched up well with my Duke. Oh well. We can all be assume that Bells will now come out of attics and storage and find their rightful place on the ebay selling floor.

Kevin

onlychild · June 28, 2004 1:38AM

Looks like the 62 Bell registry will be changing in....let's say....about 30 days. The latest ebay auction (sealed packs) brought out some familiar names and some very very deep pockets. I only got one, the others I was wayyyyyy off.

MorrellMan · June 28, 2004 2:31AM

Kevin - the Bells are definitely ringing! My 1/1 Moon in 7 has become 1/3 in the last couple weeks.

I watched those auctions last night in astonishment and posted this thread afterward. Congrats on the pick; I hope you let us know how it looks when you get it - and what you plan on doing with it!

onlychild · June 28, 2004 3:07AM

I just picked up one of those 1 of 3 Moon's today. Paid too much, but I'm trying to cling onto that #1 spot. The pockets for these collections are way too deep for me. Well, I can at least say I once was. Seems I wrote myelf out of collecting the Bells....lol.

We will have to see what my new "in package" Drysdale gets. My guess is a 5.

MorrellMan · June 28, 2004 5:05AM

That was my guess too - there's always the chance of the stain falling into the 6 or 7 catagory, but it didn't look from the scan like that would be the case.

as far as writing yourself out of affording a set....ever think of doing an article on Morrell's??

Griffins · June 28, 2004 5:14AM

Hmmm, might be a good time to sell that extra set of '58's I have laying around!

onlychild · June 28, 2004 5:37AM

Mark-

I'm really not a writer (or at least not a very good one) and not an expert on Morrell's...I'm a Bell guy. I wrote the article at Joe's request and other than the great feedback from fellow collectors, it was kinda thankless.

We do share something in common other than Bells. I also collect 59' Dodger postcards which feature the exact same photo's as the 59 Morrell Meats, except larger. Please don't start collecting those....I'm enjoying being the lone guy in that category...lol, and yes, I am missing that darn Koufax too.

PSA will sometimes give a card with a light stain a 7, depends on eye appeal. I just know I needed the Drysdale, plus I have a Alston on the way. That will bring me to 95%....one more left!

Kevin

MorrellMan · June 28, 2004 10:10AM

Kevin - I'm stumbling way behind - I've got a Moon, Drysdale, Snider and a Wills on the way - 20%. I picked up a partial '60 Dodger postcard set, missing Hodges and Furillo, many years ago for like 25 bucks....no tears or creases but each had some surface loss, probably from being in an album. I've looked longingly at the '59s, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. That accordion style fold-out of the 59 postcards that they sold at the Colisseum was on ebay recently, which was tough, because I got one at a game in 1959. It is, by the way, gone.

onlychild · June 29, 2004 12:55AM

I purchased a 59 fold out about 2 months ago, it was described as a postcard set. Thankfully the seller let me return it...nice guy. There is a 59' fold out on ebay right now, so far the price is right, now is your chance.

May I suggest looking longer and harder at your 59 postcad set and not pulling the trigger. I need just 4 more, two of which I have but will grade only PSA 1 or 2. They are difficult to find in good condition.

I'll keep an eye out 4U should I spot any Morrell's.

onlychild · June 29, 2004 12:51PM

Mark- check your PM

Kevin

'61 Bell Brand Koufax PSA 9 - heavy hammer!

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