1957 Topps Set Break Results

gemint

There was a complete 1957 baseball set broken recently on eBay that included all 407 cards graded PSA 8 plus the checklists (graded in the 4-5 range and one PSA 8). The sum total was $50.7k counting the checklists. Does that seem like a strong price? I've seen complete sets sell for up to $75k in Mastro auctions in the past. Granted those included some PSA 9's but also they weren't completely graded. For the $25k difference, you could buy some big name PSA 9's and end up with a PSA 8+ set vs a set with raw cards that would likely yield 7's, 6's, 5's and perhaps lower. I thought the set had a higher breakup value.

Wondo

I break a lot of sets, although I have never done a $50k+ one. It is really hard to find the correct balance between complete set and singles. Ten or more years ago, the break would easily yield more than the price of a complete set. I believe this was due to the additional work involved - one got paid for the effort. Now, with ebay and the net making singles aquisition relatively easy, the complete set is worth more than the sum of its prts. I can but a 1957 Dick Gernert in any condition any day. It's tougher to buy a complete set.

It does not bode well for the complete set collector to break a set - the entire set is usually worth more than the singles.

Does this make any sense?

markj111

It makes sense to me. The problem with moving a complete set is finding someone with enough money. I have a completely graded 61 set, all PSA 8 except for 4 7s and about 20 9s. According to VCP, the value is about $27,000. One card, the Hoak 9, has not been assigned a value. One could probably not put it together for that price when you consider shipping (not to mention the time). However, the number of people who can afford it is quite small.

gemint

I was always of the theory that there aren't too many collectors that will shell out $30k-$50k in one shot. Over time, I've seen several sets listed on eBay in that price range that don't move. There's actually a 1961 high grade set right now on eBay. It will be interesting to see if it moves. You can sell those sets through the auction houses for tens of thousands but when you take out the buyer and seller fees, you're still better off breaking the set and selling it on eBay. One thing is becoming clearer, the market for high grade cards is becoming saturated. The days of doubling or tripling your investment with sets appears to be over.

gemint

<< <i>It makes sense to me. The problem with moving a complete set is finding someone with enough money. I have a completely graded 61 set, all PSA 8 except for 4 7s and about 20 9s. According to VCP, the value is about $27,000. One card, the Hoak 9, has not been assigned a value. One could probably not put it together for that price when you consider shipping (not to mention the time). However, the number of people who can afford it is quite small. >>



I've been building the set through eBay to see how cheaply I can do it. I did have a 15% start on it through my own raw submissions that included a handful of 9s including the Bunning. But it also had some 7s. I'm at about 83% complete now and I have $14k into it. However I don't have a lot of the low pop cards. I'm guessing I'll need to drop another $7k into the set to get it complete if I were to pay normal eBay prices for the remaining cards (e.g., $600 for the WS game 1 card). However, I'll continue to slowly build it and shop for bargains and try to complete it for $17k-$18k.

WeekendHacker

Low pop commons (PSA 8's & 9's) can go for as much as 20x's book price. At that price, I have no problem filling my sets with a 7 or high grade 6.

Buccaneer

I obviously followed this with interest and saw that the prices were very good. The regular commons went for what they should and the low pop commons went for big money. It all depends on how much it had cost to buy those cards that determines how well the sales went. For instance, in my recent 1957 set break, I made about 30% because I got some great deals when buying, plus most of the star cards went for a good profit (as in well over SMR, which was what I had paid for most of them).

detroitfan2

I've been working on mid-grade PSA sets from the 1950's for about 4 years now. For whatever reason, it seems like "lots" of PSA graded cards often sell for more than the individual cards priced separately, certainly the seller would make more when considering listing fees and time. Never really understood that, and not sure if it applies to entire sets or not.

Just my 2 cents . . .

mealeworm

I too was bidding and watching this break. Alot of the cards I need went for over book. That being said some higher pop 8's (100-125pop) went for under $30. I might have taken a try at the complete set sale just to get a few buyers intersted. If you cut out the middle man you both win. Those numbers were before the sellers fees correct?

Dave

sagard

I too have looked at several sets over the last year and a half and I've been finding they tend so sell for over the sum over their parts with few exceptions.