What's the longest you have searched for a card(s) for your collection?
frankhardy
Posts: 8,130 ✭✭✭✭✭
What's the longest you have searched for a card(s) for your collection and what are (were) the card(s)? I have been searching for 4 short printed 1963 Jello Cardinals (Julio Gotay, Charlie James, Gene Oliver, and Lindy McDaniel) along with a 1971 Topp Greatest Moments Lou Brock. I have looked for well over 2 years for these cards and can't seem to find them. I did find the Lou Brock, but it was a PSA 8 and the asking price was over $200. I just want a low to mid grade.
Anybody else have any stories of searching long and hard for a certain card?
Anybody else have any stories of searching long and hard for a certain card?
Shane
0
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With the Tetley, I passed on one a few years ago because it went for over $50+ raw. I now have seen a total of two in 7 years.
I ran ads, I scoured card shops, searched every show.
Dodger Stadium used to have a service up in their memorabilia shop where you could register for hard-to-find items and they'd search their entire data base for you - Nada.
"All evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
Shane
Haven't completed any yet but I'm really close on the '55T, '54B, and '54 Red Heart
Don't know if it's a good or bad thing just yet, but now working on football from the same years.
Right now, my search for a 1973-74 North Carolina (college) playing card deck has been totally futile. I have never seen one, and have been searching eBay and the internet for a several years. At this point, I would consider it a victory just to see what the cards look like.
<< <i>What's the longest you have searched for a card(s) for your collection and what are (were) the card(s)? I have been searching for 4 short printed 1963 Jello Cardinals (Julio Gotay, Charlie James, Gene Oliver, and Lindy McDaniel) along with a 1971 Topp Greatest Moments Lou Brock. I have looked for well over 2 years for these cards and can't seem to find them. I did find the Lou Brock, but it was a PSA 8 and the asking price was over $200. I just want a low to mid grade.
Anybody else have any stories of searching long and hard for a certain card? >>
Here is a Brock for you.
Scott
T-205 Gold PSA 4 & up
1967 Topps BB PSA 8 & up
1975 Topps BB PSA 9 & up
1959 Topps FB PSA 8 & up
1976 Topps FB PSA 9 & up
1981 Topps FB PSA 10
1976-77 Topps BK PSA 9 & up
1988-89 Fleer BK PSA 10
3,000 Hit Club RC PSA 5 & Up
My Sets
Shane
<< <i>Thanks Scott. That is just a little too pricey for me, though. I would like one in a lower condition >>
You could just buy it and crease it yourself, or ding a corner. That would lower its condition.
Shane
Anyone have a scan?
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By Kevin Glew
To hobbyists, it’s simply known as “The Quest.”
It’s the unrelenting search for that elusive card needed to complete a set or collection. Some have dedicated years, traveled hundreds of miles and spent exorbitant sums of money – all in the name of that evasive single.
“We once had a customer working on a complete PSA 10 graded set of cards and I was told that he paid $10,000 for the last card to finish the set, when it normally would have only sold for about $1,000,” recalled Joe Davis, president of J&J’s Sports SuperStore in Snellville, Georgia.
Coming across these tenacious collectors is not uncommon for Mickey Wagner, who runs The Fan’s Hangout in Pahrump, Nevada with his wife, Fran. One Frank Thomas diehard he encountered purchased 20 cases of 1990 Topps in an effort to uncover The Big Hurt’s no number rookie.
“Needless to say he didn’t find it and (he) now has a lot of useless cards,” said Wagner.
Frank Scarduzio, owner of Bud’s Sports Cards & Collectibles in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has witnessed similar pursuits. However, with the advent of the Internet, the veteran proprietor says today’s seekers have an advantage over those in past eras.
“There are so many sites out there … You have thousands of different inventories to look through rather than just one card shop,” he said.
But while the web has aided some collectors, for others, the hunt continues. Here are the stories of five hobbyists and their quests to find that elusive card:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED…
Name: Marc DeCaro
The Card: 1972 Puerto Rican League Stickers Mike Schmidt
Length of Quest: 18 years
Quest Status: Complete
After being given a 1972 Puerto Rican League Mike Schmidt sticker by his mom when he was 11, Marc DeCaro owned the collectible for a mere six months before a neighborhood “friend” stole it.
“For years after that I looked for the card,” he said.
With initial explorations proving fruitless, DeCaro unsuccessfully attempted to reconnect with his shifty childhood chum. Then one day, while doing an eBay search, he discovered his grail.
“Not only was it there, but it was a PSA graded 5 which was a bonus because I had read somewhere that these cards were being counterfeited in the ’80s ….” he said.
At this point, DeCaro participated in his first eBay bidding war. Noting that the auction closed at 4:00 a.m., he awakened at 3:45 to ensure he was included in any late-breaking action. DeCaro offered up to $1,000, before being outbid with seconds remaining.
Luckily, more stickers surfaced, and after losing other eBay auctions, he secured a low-grade copy for just over $130.
With fakes rumored to exist, DeCaro took his treasure to a post office to send it via registered mail to PSA for authentication, only to have the post office burn down shortly thereafter.
Fortunately, after nine panic-filled days, PSA confirmed that they had received his sticker.
“The card graded as a two, but I was thrilled to even have it ….” he said.
Name: Lynn Nagelsmith
The Card: 2000 Pacific Copper Andy Pettitte
Length of Quest: Five years
Quest Status: Complete
With the introduction of 1 of 1 cards, it’s not uncommon for player collectors to search for a card for years. For Andy Pettitte devotee, Lynn Nagelsmith, however, it was a card with a larger print run (99 copies) that proved to be the most elusive.
“It took me five years after the set came out to find it,” she recalled on her mission to purchase a 2000 Pacific Copper Pettitte.
In her half-decade quest, she explored shows, the web, and even placed calls to Pacific.
“I contacted Pacific many times. Most of the time (I) never received an answer, but the one time I did, they assured me the card was out there … Pettitte’s cards must have all been in the last of the boxes for this product,” she said.
As luck would have it, earlier this year, Nagelsmith stumbled across the card on eBay.
“The strange thing is this year all of a sudden many of them came up on eBay,” she said
STILL LOOKING…
Name: Rick Goldstein
The Card(s): Gregg Jefferies 1996 Pinnacle/Aficionado First Pitch Previews & 1949 Sealtest Phillies Puddinhead Jones
Length of Quest: Jefferies card: 10 years; Jones card: 25-plus years
Quest Status: Still Looking
E-mail Address: rickphils1@aol.com
Rick Goldstein is two cards from completing what is likely the world’s most extensive Phillies collection.
The devoted hobbyist has secured every nationally issued Phillies card from 1950 to 1996 except for the Jefferies Pinnacle/Aficionado Preview card.
“These were sent to people who answered trivia questions online,” he said.
So far, daily eBay searches, regular rummages through parallel boxes, and communications with the manufacturer have not produced the card.
In terms of duration, however, his quest for the Jefferies card pales in comparison to his 25-year pursuit of the regionally issued 1949 Sealtest Phillies Jones.
“I knew of two people that had the card. One asked me if I was interested and I asked him for a price. He … said he didn’t really want to sell now,” he recalled. “The other guy who had one died and a friend of mine was in charge of making sure that the contents of the collection were sold for a fair price and the proceeds would go to his estate. He told me he would try to put aside the Jones, but it wound up going with a bunch of other things to Hunt Auctions ….”
Name: Tom Bailey
The Card: 1952 Royal Desserts – Royal Stars of Hockey Gordie Howe
Length of Quest: 10-plus years
Quest Status: Still looking
E-mail Address: tombailey@iosphere.net
One might wonder “Howe” he’s done it, but Tom Bailey is one card short of a complete “Mr. Hockey” collection.
The only single standing between the Ottawa, Ontario native and closure on his Gordie Howe collection is the 1952 Royal Desserts issue.
Part of a set that also features baseball and basketball players, the hockey legend’s card is particularly difficult to find. In his decade-long mission, Bailey has doggedly scoured the Internet and card shows.
“I have only seen two Gordie Howe cards for sale for prices I could not afford … I was bidding on one and stopped at $1,000 … The other Howe card was part of four of the eight hockey cards in the set and went for a high price.”
Name: Spike Glidden
The Poster: 1969 Topps Team Posters – Boston Red Sox
Length of Quest: Six-plus years
Quest Status: Still looking
E-mail Address: obc_spike@yahoo.com
While moving to Boston might have been a good career move for Spike Glidden, it certainly hasn’t helped him in one of his hobby pursuits.
Intent on finishing the 1969 Topps Team Posters set, he remains one poster short – unfortunately that poster is the Bosox.
“I made good progress on that set over a two-year period. Then two things happened: I moved to Boston and the Red Sox won the World Series … Good luck finding one of those (a Red Sox poster) now,” he said.
His industrious quest to finish the set began in 1999.
“I have a special 1969 insert search on eBay that I check every morning. The major shows I attend will often have posters at team collector tables, but typically with $100-plus price tags for key teams,” he explained.
Glidden has come across Red Sox posters in the past with $60 to $80 price tags, but, regretfully, did not purchase them.
“$60 would be a no-brainer now,” he said.
As much as it drives me nuts looking for these items, it's half the fun for me!