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Great Deal or Ripped Off?!

JackWESQJackWESQ Posts: 2,133 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
The market value on a 1985 Topps Mark McGwire PSA 10 is around
$500.00. An action for this card closed at $383. Either the buyer got
great deal or ripped off. To be honest, I am not sure why the card
sold for so little. Sure, the "entire card" is not pictured, but the serial
number is visible and it was verified on PSA's website. The seller has
really good feedback, but is located in Hawaii. So that might be a turn
off.

What do you guys think? Am I missing something. Any thoughts or
comments would be really appreciated.

Here is the link.
1985 Topps Mark McGwire PSA 10

/s/ JackWESQ
image

Comments

  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    I mentioned this card in a thread - I think the market for McG's rookies is at an all time low right now. However, I think you will start to see some speculators pick up on that and begin to buy, driving the price back up.

    While he was surely tainted with steroid allegations and his weak remarks at the congressional hearing, he still is a first ballot HoFer to be and still is dear to a great nunmber of fans.
  • A761506A761506 Posts: 1,309 ✭✭✭
    I'd say getting 76% of SMR on a modern piece of junk that was mass-produced in the mid 80's is a pretty good deal for the seller. There are over 200 PSA 10's and probably a similar amount in mint condition in GAI, SGC & BGS holders combined. I don't understand the allure of a card which is that common. I can't see how it could possibly be worth that much, not even 10-20 years in the future. Plus, there is still tons of unopened material from 1985, so more and more of these will continue to be found.
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    <<< Plus, there is still tons of unopened material from 1985, so more and more of these will continue to be found. >>>

    This of course is the big problem with investing in cards like this. Collecting? - Sure, definitely. But investing? - Not for my money.

    Steve
  • calleochocalleocho Posts: 1,569 ✭✭
    a PSA 9 goes for around 60 bucks...they look pretty nice
    "Women should be obscene and not heard. "
    Groucho Marx
  • Mac53Mac53 Posts: 805 ✭
    OK, so what is the year that would be the "cutoff" for unopened material? Meaning: what is the first year for which the amount of unopened material is so great that it is difficult to assess its value (purely investment-wise)? I had always thought that the year was 1989-1990, or around in there. But, you guys are saying it goes back to 1987.
    "Charlie, here comes the deuce. And when you speak of me, speak well."image
  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭
    It depends. Topps really went crazy in 1987, while Fleer and Donruss from that year are a bit more scarce. However, in 1988 - look out below! All three companies produced so many cards that you will probably find $10 wax boxes for the next couple of decades from anything that year. And, at $10 - you are overpaying for them. By 1989, Upper Deck changes the hobby, and some will say it was not for the better.
    image
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Topps 1991 was absolutely brutal. They had their 40th year promotion in which they promised vintage cards scattered throughout their wax packs. I bought around $400 - $500 worth of cards and got not ONE SINGLE VINTAGE CARD. They couldn't have thrown in a few 50s or 60s commons just as a find to be interesting? I wouldn't have complained then - but NOTHING.

    And of course I just got sucked in again by buying 10 small boxes of Topps 2005 for about $100 - not a single "insert card" - NOTHING!!! Can't these idiots just throw in something to make it fun??? Yea I know - I'm venting. But I must admit though these Topps 2005 cards are very nice looking cards.

    As far as the "cutoff" - for me it's the late 70's or even 1973 when Topps last issued cards in series throughout the summer. But the "cutoff" can really depend on the collector. I agree 1987 - 88 was really way out of control.

    Steve
  • larryallen73larryallen73 Posts: 6,061 ✭✭✭
    Starting at the top of this thread... what's wrong with buying from someone in Hawaii? Does that have known internet crime problems like Nigeria? Last I checked Hawaii was one of our states and I, personally, am more comfortable buying from there then several unnammed states. Just curious. Also, it's been covered above but it's a mass produced modern item and 75% of SMR is about right.
  • goudeygoldgoudeygold Posts: 701 ✭
    I think as far as unopened material goes, unopened packs start getting progressively more rare starting with 1983. However, in order to make it worth your while (likelyhood of getting something worth the price of the pack plus grading fees) you probably have to go back to 1975. Of course by then the packs start to really jump in price, so you better hope you get something good. Another obstacle is box coalation. Unless your buying form a very reputable wax dealer, the box could already be searched (high probability star card packs removed/replaced) and you will still get nothing.

    Very risky, but someone has to get the 52 topps PSA 10 Pafko right?!

    GG

    The 85T McGwire is taking a hit (still) and it wouldn't surprise me if it falls farther. However I would take this PSA 10 over two 89 UD Griffey Jr anyday.


  • halosfanhalosfan Posts: 2,634 ✭✭✭✭
    I have dealt with a number of Hawaiins with no issue. Heck, I'd move there if I could!!!
    Looking for a Glen Rice Inkredible and Alex Rodriguez cards
  • Dand52261Dand52261 Posts: 180
    Yeah Hawaiian is supposed to be one of the best ------!
  • CDsNutsCDsNuts Posts: 10,092 ✭
    Your missing the point if you don't see why modern cards increase in value, or at least hold steady. How many collectors still around grew up with Mantle as their favorite player? How many grew up idolizing McGwire? McGwire happened to be one of the top players at the time the card market went crazy, leaving lots of late 80s collectors loving the guy. Fast forward to today, and you see lots of young adults like myself, who got out of collecting for some time, but now that we have steady income, we're feeling nostalgic about that time and are going back to collect our favorite cards. The 85 McGwire, like the 89 UD Griffey, was one of the first 80s cards to be a nationwide hit with collectors and helped set card values for years to come. People like myself remember that and there are lots of us that would love to get a nice copy for our collections. Down the road there's not a ton of potential for value increase due to supply, but the bottom has already fallen out of the modern market and the mid 80s stuff won't take another hit unless the hobby as a whole does. I don't think this is a case of people buying this card for investment purposes, rather them trying to relive their childhood through collecting the cards that were cherished when they were a kid. Just like a lot of the... errrrrrr........ seasoned collectors do with Mantle and Mays. I never saw either of them play. Would I love to get some of their cards? Sure. Would they have as much sentimental value as a McGwire or Murray RC ? No.

    To contradict McGwire's riveting and informative congressional hearing statements, "This card is about the past. That's all we're thinking about now. Not the future, the past."

    Lee
  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,276 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i> I don't think this is a case of people buying this card for investment purposes, rather them trying to relive their childhood through collecting the cards that were cherished when they were a kid. Just like a lot of the... errrrrrr........ seasoned collectors do with Mantle and Mays. I never saw either of them play. Would I love to get some of their cards? Sure. Would they have as much sentimental value as a McGwire or Murray RC ? No.

    To contradict McGwire's riveting and informative congressional hearing statements, "This card is about the past. That's all we're thinking about now. Not the future, the past."

    Lee >>



    I have singing this song ever since I came to this message board. Lee, you will NEVER get the true vintage guy to understand WHY we collect what we do. It is 99.9% money with them and no matter how nice the cards are they are S**T without the prestige of a noticeable SMR ... I have accepted this and I go on collecting my garbage happily!!!

    Dan

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • CDsNutsCDsNuts Posts: 10,092 ✭
    Simply put: If you turn your nose up at anybody else for collecting what they do then you're not truly a collector.

    Some people collect little pieces of cardboard, some collect plastic cartoon characters with candy coming out of the neck (how ebay started by the way), some collect beer cans, some collect toy cars. For anybody to suggest that it's ridiculous to collect one of these things then justify collecting another is ludicrous. For someone to suggest that it's ridiculous to collect a portion of one of these things when they collect another portion themselves is completely and utterly retarded. That's like a Barry Bonds collector saying an Albert Pujols collector is an idiot for what they collect.


    Lee
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