What's been the toughest card for you to find?

onlychild · August 25, 2004 7:48AM

It's easy to find the star cards but there is always those few cards that seem impossible to locate....even raw. What's been your challenge?

Mine has been the 1962 Bell Brand Willie Davis. The card is relatively easy to find raw but to locate one in decent condition (raw or graded) has been difficult. Funny thing is, the Walt Alston card has eluded almost every collector with only 3 graded, PSA 5 being the highest...that card was easy.

Kevin

67standup · August 25, 2004 7:53AM

Any - 1966 OPC Mays #1.
Centered - 1973 OPC #1 Aaron/Ruth
Common - 1967 OPC #12
High-end - 1966 Yaz Punchout Yaz, 1967 & 1968 Topps test Disc Yaz
Searched for years, but finally found - 1960 Yaz Venezuelan

jwasserman · August 25, 2004 8:32AM

Brace minor league postcards
1985 O'Connell & Son Ink
1985 Mets Police/Kiwanis

and of course- 1985 Mets Colla Postcard

Sideplate · August 25, 2004 8:40AM

1974 Topps #8 George Theodore in PSA 8 or higher. Man, what a pain in the neck card. By the time I got it I was willing to pay almost anything just to complete the set. There are lower pop cards out there, but that one seems to have my number.

speeder · August 25, 2004 9:10AM

hi all,

1) 1968 kahns, full tab. (johnny bench)
2) 1973 topps comics (johnny bench)
3) 1975 msa test disc, blank back (johnny bench)

one seems to be as tough as the other at this point.

my #1 ranked johnny bench master set (over 70 pics)

your friend, lee

PDUB · August 25, 2004 9:11AM

1979 Wayne Gretzky OPC PSA 10 and...
1979 Wayne Gretzky Topps PSA 9

Paille · August 25, 2004 9:14AM

Hello Everyone!!

!) 1964 Topps Hockey #80 Bobby Rousseau PSA8(NQ)
2)1964 Topps Hockey #92 Marcel Paille PSA8(NQ)

I cannot find these cards in high grade anywhere!!!!!!! I think I have just about given up.

George

Kosmo · August 25, 2004 9:22AM

My toughest cards:

1971 Brooks Robinson #300
1971 Mickey Lolich #133

Looking for high end PSA 8 examples. Any help would be appreciated. Will also consider SGC 88 or higher examples
of these cards.

nearmint · August 25, 2004 9:31AM

I'm down to 3 cards to complete my 1960 Fleer football set in PSA 8 or better:

#76 Paul Lowe - two 8's have been graded so far, and no 9's
#78 Blanche Martin - one 8 and one 9 graded so far
#84 Jim Woodard - highest grade so far is a 6!

Mike

Mantlefan · August 25, 2004 9:51AM

1957 Topps BB #300 Mike Garcia PSA 8

1958 Topps BB #289 Shantz/Burdette PSA 7 or 8

hbsturn · August 25, 2004 10:42AM

ANY 1957 Topps basketball in well-centered nm/mt, graded or raw - even the graded 8's are NM at best! (By the way, if anyone has any - I'm buying)................ Harold

jaybyrd · August 25, 2004 11:21AM

I am about 20 - 25 cards shy of completing the 1967 baseball set. The one card that hardly ever comes up on e-bay is # 82 Steve Barber in near mint or better. I don't care about graded commons, I just want that card in nice raw conditon.

mariner · August 25, 2004 12:21PM

1959 Topps PSA 8 card of Billy Pierce AS....the last card in the set.

glossycrazy · August 25, 2004 1:18PM

I'm still searching for PSA 9 1970 topps super glossy football
cards of Tommy Nobis, George Webster, Mac Percival, and
Greg Cook. I've searched for 3 years and haven't seen one
for sale yet! Any help would be appreciated! Paul

gmoneystyles · August 25, 2004 1:26PM

1950 Bowman Mel Parnell in at least Near Mint

boggs301012 · August 25, 2004 1:27PM

1982 RED sox HERALD stamps Wade Boggs never even seen one according to Beckett they Exist.

James

SDSportsFan · August 25, 2004 1:29PM

PSA 9 1979 Topps Rollie Fingers
PSA 9 1981 Donruss Rollie Fingers
PSA 9 1979 Topps Gaylord Perry
PSA 8 1969 Topps John Hadl
PSA 9 1981 Topps Charlie Joiner

Steve

mikeschmidt · August 25, 2004 10:49PM

I still need two cards from 1955 Bowman baseball in PSA 8. I've made such good progress over the past year or two - but am afraid I am close to my wall!

helionaut · August 25, 2004 11:04PM

Aside from cards from my sets, 2001 and 2002 Bowman Gold Parallels of Grady Sizemore. You'd think a modern 1-per-pack parallel would be easy, but since they're not RCs, and they aren't otherwise in demand, dealers don't carry them to shows, and they never get listed on ebay (though recently one was that I missed because I rarely look anymore). Three times I've ordered them off the Beckett marketplace, and all three times they ended up not being in stock, so I gave up on that place. I even had these wants in my sig here for months, no one ever offered them.

Actually, with the proliferation of sets today, it can be hard to track down a particular single unless it's a top tier star, and even then. So many sets are never heavily broken, and even then, buying off ebay can be offputting because the one guy who does have something like a 2003 Topps Total Frank Thomas wants $3.50 for shipping, about 7 times the value of the card, aside from the actual auction price.

miami3 · August 25, 2004 11:13PM

In 1960 Topps baseball I would say finding a nice example of #451 Curt Simmons is next to impossible.

I have about 40 of these in my inventory and all are no better than psa 5 or 6 grade as most are either badly O/C or they will have bad printing marks on them.

In each year from 1960 to 1969 there seems to be about 3 or 4 really tough cards to find in top grade, which is probably true for all years.

xbaggypants · August 25, 2004 11:17PM

1966 Topps Football Funny Ring Checklist in any condition.

1954 · August 25, 2004 11:26PM

1971 topps greatest moments #10 Jim Perry PSA 8.

SL

Southsider · August 26, 2004 12:48AM

1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski.

Scumbi · August 26, 2004 3:10AM

I can't find a 1954 Stahl Meyer Willie Mays in any condition. I've seen pictures. One guy has one in a PSA 9, but I don't want to sell my kidney to buy it. I guess my heart just isn't in the hobby anymore.

Best,

S.

onegaucho · August 26, 2004 3:36AM

In all my years of collecting PSA cards, I have yet to come across a raw 1959 Topps #465 Sievers Sets HR Mark Thrills card that would grade 9 or 10. The last time I checked the pop report (about 6 months ago) there weren't any in existence.

It's counterpart common (#466 Pierce) has 1 PSA 9 and I recall that going for $100 sometime earlier this year.

gaspipe26 · August 26, 2004 11:05AM

1969 Lou Brock centered.

AlbertanDude · August 26, 2004 1:44PM

To xbaggy pants........David Levin just listed that Funny Ring Checklist in EXMT Condition for $255.00 US.....and knowing Dave, its probably pretty nice......here's the url...........http://www.gfg.com/baseball/fb66.shtml

Anyways, I have only been collecting again for the last year and a half but I seem to be having a devil of a time
finding a high grade Bobby Orr from the 68/69 OPC Set???

Also a nice Serge Savard Rookie from the 69/70 OPC set............it's always the same.....you get down to the last few
cards you need and it takes forever to get them!

Devon in Cowtown

CON40 · August 26, 2004 1:46PM

Any condition: 1970 Topps Test Cloth Nolan Ryan, 1972 Venezuelan Nolan Ryan

Graded condition: 1975 Topps #500 Nolan Ryan in PSA 9 (crazy prices), 1987 Classic Nolan Ryan in PSA 9 (two candidates at PSA right now), 1993 Finest Refractor Nolan Ryan in PSA 9 (stupid crazy prices), and 1993 Stadium Club Nolan Ryan in PSA 9 (can't do better than 8 so far).

rvc · August 27, 2004 12:22PM

hey 67standup, that 60yaz venezuelan must be awesome! any chance of posting a scan? now thats one i dream of adding to my collection.
i have been looking for a 78topps molitor rookie psa 10 for a long time now . there are 8 of them out there somewhere.

bobby

Fuzz · August 27, 2004 12:48PM

Helionaut,
I'm sorry that I know squat about newer stuff. Try this, it might help, I;m not sure because, I still don't know squat qbout newer stuff.
Good Luck,

http://www.sportlots.com/cgi-bin/odbic.exe/inven/invenbin/byname.tpl?sport=Baseball&namesrch=sizemore&frstsrch=grady&start=1

Fuzz

RedHeart54 · August 29, 2004 9:54AM

Sorry if this is weak, but a 1989 Topps PSA 9 Steve Yzerman would make my day. Do any even exist???

On a more vintage scale, Sandy Koufax "leader" cards from the late 60s are almost impossible to find well centered.

ZodiacMindwarp · August 29, 2004 10:02AM

<< <i>1969 Lou Brock centered. >>

Amen.

goodriddance189 · August 29, 2004 10:15AM

<< <i>Sorry if this is weak, but a 1989 Topps PSA 9 Steve Yzerman would make my day. Do any even exist???

On a more vintage scale, Sandy Koufax "leader" cards from the late 60s are almost impossible to find well centered. >>

i own several '89 Topps PSA 9's. they are tough as all hell to find in truly Mint condition. never seen an Yzerman, but you might try contacting Brian Kritz (he posts on here as "bkritz") and ask him. i got several of my 9;s from him, and if i remember correctly he has hundreds of vending quality sets

goodriddance189 · August 29, 2004 10:18AM

<< <i>Aside from cards from my sets, 2001 and 2002 Bowman Gold Parallels of Grady Sizemore. You'd think a modern 1-per-pack parallel would be easy, but since they're not RCs, and they aren't otherwise in demand, dealers don't carry them to shows, and they never get listed on ebay (though recently one was that I missed because I rarely look anymore). >>

i have an 01 Sizemore Gold. whenever i can find it its yours

shagrotn77 · August 30, 2004 3:09AM

Been looking for a mint copy of Bryan Trottier's 1976 OPC rookie card forever. There are no 9's graded, and the raw cards on eBay are always low grade.

jwasserman · August 30, 2004 3:21AM

heres a bvg 9: link
that should translate to a psa 9- has strong subgrades at least

shagrotn77 · August 30, 2004 3:30AM

Thanks for the link. I'm actually looking for the regular issue. Plus, any OPC hockey from BGS or BVG with a 9.5 for edges is very likely sheetcut, which means PSA won't grade it.

What's been the toughest card for you to find?

Comments