Home› Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum

Went to view a friends father's collection yesterday

WondoWondo Posts: 2,916 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
The poor guy brought out some Fritsch sets, Baseball Immortals, Conlon's, etc. I reviewed what the cards are and showed him current ebay prices. Needless to say, he was not impressed by the prices and the fact that I had no interest in them.

He did have a 1910 issue of John McGraw's "How to Play Baseball", but he thought it was worth $250.

He also spoke of 1941 Playball sets and a 1948 Bowman set, but those I never saw.

He was so dissappointed; it was sad. image I felt badly for the guy.

Plus, now he thinks I'm a shyster becasuse I did not want the new cards and told him his 48 Leaf Boxing commons are only $5-$10 cards. Of course, everything is "Near Mint".
Wondo

Comments

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,422 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wondo

    A common tale but true...

    People who bought junk around 1990 thought they were gonna be rich.

    Everyone envisioned themselves as being the next Mr Mint.

    But...

    Hard to do on 90s production stuff.
    mike
    Mike
  • shagrotn77shagrotn77 Posts: 5,607 ✭✭✭✭
    I hear ya. I almost don't even want to look at people's stuff because it's almost never as good as described, or what they thought it was worth.
    "My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. Our childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When we were insolent we were placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds - pretty standard really."
  • zef204zef204 Posts: 4,742 ✭✭
    Yeah, that is a bad situation to be in. I have been there too and felt really bad.

    I am however, really looking forward to my wifes grandma letting me go dig in the basement for my father-in-laws cards. Even bad Mantles are good Mantles.
    EAMUS CATULI!

    My Auctions
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,422 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Yeah, that is a bad situation to be in. I have been there too and felt really bad.

    I am however, really looking forward to my wifes grandma letting me go dig in the basement for my father-in-laws cards. Even bad Mantles are good Mantles. >>


    Wow Jordan!

    A treasure hunt!

    Good luck - keep us posted.
    mike
    Mike
  • RipublicaninMassRipublicaninMass Posts: 10,051 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Wondo

    A common tale but true...

    People who bought junk around 1990 thought they were gonna be rich.


    mike >>



    LIKE WHO???? imageimage

    When my basement got flooded... the second time was a blessing, the first time i lost some good stuff though.
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,422 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My father-in-law brought me a page with 1928 Yuenglings pasted to it.

    No high $ cards - I believe one of the Waner brothers - but still cool.

    They belonged to his sister - and he took them back.

    She's gone and my wife asked him what happened to the cards - when he was packing, he said I could have them.

    My wife never found them - this one card fell out of some papers.

    image

    And what's interesting? It's blank backed - most have writing with the offer of trading the set for ice cream or something.

    mike
    Mike
  • KnucklesKnuckles Posts: 2,512 ✭✭✭
    My cousin got talked into buying a case of 1991 OPC hockey "an incredible investment". Though I can't remember what he paid, it was in the hundreds..

    Pretty well worthless and I had to be the one to tell him.. I hear ya, it sucks.


    image
    image
  • meuandthelotmeuandthelot Posts: 183 ✭✭
    IF I do look anymore, I start with... Please don't kill the messenger.
    Remember I too have thousands of those "Cardboard Memories"

    It's like you become the Grim reaper, a liar, boogie man, tax man, a thief
    and the original seller.
    Plus the one who caused the prices to do what they did(Usually plummet)
    on that overproduced stuff all rolled into one.

    PS: Funny thing, the better vintage come from the quieter unsuspecting people.

    The ones who start out with, Yeah but(as they adjust their belt or suspenders)..
    I have complete sets, photo's, commemoratives, all in original packing...

    Are the ones I send to a card shop image Sorry guys
    Sig: Looking for a recent smr magazine, Please pm if you have one to recycle. Thank You
  • 2dueces2dueces Posts: 6,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I took an ad out in the local papers about 6 years ago that I bought Baseball Collections. After 50-100 phone calls and disappointments of their priceless collections I amended the ad stating nothing after 1973 Please!!!. The calls stopped and so did me having to tell people that they would actually have to pay their son college tuition with money, not 1990's baseball cards. There was some sad, sad people when I told them what they had was worthless.
    W.C.Fields
    "I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
  • bri2327bri2327 Posts: 3,178 ✭✭
    last year I posted an add on craigslist stating I purchased cards. There were roughly 50 or so emailed responses, all by folks who had late 80's to early 90's junk.

    Man, there were some angry people. More than half of them just wouldnt or couldnt believe it when i told them what their collections were worth (or not worth).

    I was called a liar, a thief, and lots of other stuff I cant post here.
    "The other teams could make trouble for us if they win."
    -- Yogi Berra

    image
  • chaz43chaz43 Posts: 2,140 ✭✭✭
    image
  • jrinckjrinck Posts: 1,321 ✭✭
    I was the bearer of bad news to an old neighbor of mine. He said his son had a "great" collection of "old" cards and asked me to have a look. The son was about 25 or so, and this was around 2002, so you can deduct, by doing the math, what comprised this kid's collection. Yep, '85 through around '89 (with no McGwire or Clemens rookies).

    Nada-zip-nothing.

    At least he took it graciously.
  • kingraider75kingraider75 Posts: 1,500 ✭✭
    same story with a guy at work. I told him to check ebay and see what the prices were going for. He never got back to me. He wanted to unload it cheap, but I told him that most of it was to cheap to bother listing.
    Running an Ebay store sure takes a lot more time than a person would think!
  • daveryan2001daveryan2001 Posts: 43
    I've quit telling people I collect cards. They all immediately haul out their binders of 90 Donruss or something and want me
    to tell them what it's worth.

    They all seemed to have a Beckett from 1992 and dad gum if Juan Gonzalez was worth $10 in 1992, he must be worth double that now.

    Or they've priced a PSA 10 Griffey rookie or something on Ebay, and think they're nicked up Griffey is a 10.

    <<<<<<sigh>>>>>>>>
  • magellanmagellan Posts: 2,099 ✭✭✭
    I did a lot of card shows in the late 80's into the 90's . We (my partner & I) basically stopped after the profusion of crap kept increasing. I looked at many collections then and still do get an occasional call. One just this week from a friend who has "all" the 1980-1992 Topps , Donruss, Fleer factory sets. Of course they've all been opened. He at least has some decent stuff with 80 Topps, 82 & 83 rookies and the 84 & 85 sets .
    Topps Heritage

    Now collecting:
    Topps Heritage

    1957 Topps BB Ex+-NM
    All Yaz Items 7+
    Various Red Sox
    Did I leave anything out?
  • originalisbestoriginalisbest Posts: 5,934 ✭✭✭✭
    Heh, I remember working in a card/coin shop when I was in HS, '86-90, fun times. I recall liking the '85's best for modern cards then, never really got too much of any product. I think I have a '90 topps set somewhere, and that infamous '89 UD update set. Oooh! How scarce. But though I missed buying truckloads of modern whatnot, I shoulda picked up nice vintage.

    Ah well, woulda, coulda, shoulda!
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,422 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>image >>


    image
    Mike
  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭


    << <i>I was the bearer of bad news to an old neighbor of mine. He said his son had a "great" collection of "old" cards and asked me to have a look. The son was about 25 or so, and this was around 2002, so you can deduct, by doing the math, what comprised this kid's collection. Yep, '85 through around '89 (with no McGwire or Clemens rookies).

    Nada-zip-nothing.

    At least he took it graciously. >>




    I've walked this road as well, and it always amazes me how many people DON'T take that news graciously. You come to their house, you tell them their cards are worth nothing, and you walk it like you talk it by not even making them an offer. If you were trying to get over wouldn't you at least toss a sawbuck on the table and offer to take the shoebox off their hands? Unbelievable.
Sign In or Register to comment.