Cal's Minor League cards are on fire!
ripkenintheminors
Posts: 2,186 ✭✭✭
Greetings everyone. I hope all is well. Two weeks ago I felt the need to make a post in regards to sales of Cal's minor league cards on my facebook page. Here was the info I shared:
June 6: PSA 6 WBTV - $2,499 (Ebay Buy It Now)
June 11: PSA 6 WBTV - $3,499 (Ebay But It Now)
June 11: PSA 2 Charlotte Police - $2,499 (Ebay Buy It Now)
June 14: SGC 40 WBTV - $2,750 not including commission (Huggins and Scott)
As it turns out, those numbers were just scratching the surface. Take a look at sales from over the weekend:
June 30: PSA 5 Charlotte Police with 17 singles from the 1980 Charlotte Police set - $6,500 (Ebay)
June 30: PSA 6 WBTV with the rest of the team set - $4,500 (Ebay)
June 30: 1981 Rochester Lot. The lot included PSA 9 copies of Cal's TCMA, WTF and WTF checklist. The lot also included singles from the 1981 TCMA set and a Brooks Carey card from the 1981 WTF set - $1,650 (Ebay)
June 30: 1981 WTF Rochester Red Wings Uncut Sheet (There are only 50 sheets in existence) - $600 (Ebay Best Offer)
Obviously I am a bit partial when it comes to Ripken minor league collectibles. Partial or not, take a look at cards getting similar prices as Cal's minor league cards and you have to be impressed.
June 6: PSA 6 WBTV - $2,499 (Ebay Buy It Now)
June 11: PSA 6 WBTV - $3,499 (Ebay But It Now)
June 11: PSA 2 Charlotte Police - $2,499 (Ebay Buy It Now)
June 14: SGC 40 WBTV - $2,750 not including commission (Huggins and Scott)
As it turns out, those numbers were just scratching the surface. Take a look at sales from over the weekend:
June 30: PSA 5 Charlotte Police with 17 singles from the 1980 Charlotte Police set - $6,500 (Ebay)
June 30: PSA 6 WBTV with the rest of the team set - $4,500 (Ebay)
June 30: 1981 Rochester Lot. The lot included PSA 9 copies of Cal's TCMA, WTF and WTF checklist. The lot also included singles from the 1981 TCMA set and a Brooks Carey card from the 1981 WTF set - $1,650 (Ebay)
June 30: 1981 WTF Rochester Red Wings Uncut Sheet (There are only 50 sheets in existence) - $600 (Ebay Best Offer)
Obviously I am a bit partial when it comes to Ripken minor league collectibles. Partial or not, take a look at cards getting similar prices as Cal's minor league cards and you have to be impressed.
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I think I recall one going in auction in the past year for like $1,600 and there was concern it was fake. I believe it was an 8. Clearly the prices have strengthened since then.
Do you recall this situation and if so was it indeed a fake one?
Always buying Bobby Cox inserts. PM me.
<< <i>Ultimately, I think minor league issues for all HOFers who began their careers in the 80's will continue to appreciate. From early 80's guys like Cal and Gwynn all the way through late 80's future HOFers like Maddux, Randy Johnson, and Glavine. >>
I agree 100%. The lower production runs make this a certainty. For a time minor league cards were very popular, and many of these players came from obscure sets that were not widely collected when released. Mainstream issues are fairly easy to find in 10s, it is a challenge to find high grade minor league cards of these same players.
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<< <i>Ultimately, I think minor league issues for all HOFers who began their careers in the 80's will continue to appreciate. From early 80's guys like Cal and Gwynn all the way through late 80's future HOFers like Maddux, Randy Johnson, and Glavine. >>
I agree 100%. The lower production runs make this a certainty. For a time minor league cards were very popular, and many of these players came from obscure sets that were not widely collected when released. Mainstream issues are fairly easy to find in 10s, it is a challenge to find high grade minor league cards of these same players. >>
Agreed. One needs to be cognizant of pops and print runs for this era. If anyone wants me to scan the price guide of graded cards from the April 2000 Standard Catalog of Minor League cards, it would blow your mind! 1987 Procards Gastonia Sammy Sosa PSA 10 was $5050! Now $50-ish. Yet a 1990 Tampa Yanks Mariano Rivera PSA 10 was $16 while now it is $350-450. The Don Jennings all star sets of the 80's were so highly priced in 2000. Rediculous print-runs and pop reports makes them non-investments but I do not complain that now a 12 year-old can pick up a 1986 D.J. Glavine PSA 10 for like $15 either.
I've seen the 1986 Pittsfield Maddux PSA 10 (currently pop 57) go from about $350 a few years ago to over $700 lately. Same for the 1986 West Palm Randy Johnson PSA 10 (currently pop 18) even as pops slowly climb. The stock market crawling back I am sure doesn't hurt these numbers.
I was looking at the 1988 Ballpark Cape Cod league cards I have (not the overproduced white P&L Cape Cod cards!). The Ballpark (Ballpark is the brand name) ones are really nice cards. Stunning poses. The Bagwell and Thomas are just classic looking.
To the OP, the 1980 WBTV team card was listed a few days ago on ebay with an auction starting bid of $25. Didn't make it 2 hours b4 the seller "ended" the auction because the item was no longer available.
ALL MY PSA SETS
I checked the population reports and see that there are now 21 confirmed copies graded by PSA/BGS/SGC. Of course we have no way of know if any of these are resubs.
I personally think that we are only going to see higher premiums on minor league cards. My reasoning is because collectors are notorious for doing anything possible to make their collection stand out. For example, a lot of collectors can have a run of Cal's MLB rookie cards. What happens to make a collection stand out? Folks begin buying cards in high grade. Population reports catch up to the demand and several collectors have similar collections in high grade. Now we see an increased premium on autographed rookie cards. Once upon a time having a card signed was frowned upon. Going the route of minor league cards is one of the final frontiers in regards to making a Ripken collection stand out as there is a small number of people who can say that they own all of Cal's major league and minor league rookie cards. In addition, you have a lot of collectors who are now learning of the scarcity of the orange Police Ripken. These collectors are now entering the picture.
Earlier today I checked the population reports for "The Card", the T206 Wagner. I am not going to suggest that the 1980 Police Ripken will ever bring the premiums of the T206 Wagner. However, compare the population reports for the 1980 Charlotte O's Police Ripken and the T206 Wagner. There are 21 known ripkens in comparison to 47 T206 Wagners (PSA & SGC). When you consider the popularity of Cal Ripken, Jr., it surprises me that the card does not receive more hobby attention.
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Just think if Bluefield issued a card set that season!
[URL=http://s88.photobucket.com/user/whhp72/media/Misc Ripken/1Blue.jpg.html]
<< <i>picture of a 18 year old Cal Ripken Jr. playing shortstop behind Tim Norris in Bluefield, WV (1978); Original photo from the files of The Baltimore Sun...
Just think if Bluefield issued a card set that season!
[URL=http://s88.photobucket.com/user/whhp72/media/Misc Ripken/1Blue.jpg.html]
Love this!
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<< <i>Nice mention in the Sports Collectors Daily!
That is pretty cool. I was asked to do an article for Freedom Card Board about the recent price increases. The article has been sent. I will post a link once it goes live. Of course I am partial because I wrote the article, but I think it is a great piece. The article includes some quotes from a pair of hobby experts as well.
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<< <i>nice centering. Let's see how long it lasts: 1980 WBTV Ripken >>
Good luck!
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<< <i>nice centering. Let's see how long it lasts: 1980 WBTV Ripken >>
Sold!
<< <i>What does a TCMA rookie in PSA 9 go for? >>
$250 or so, and about $700 in PSA 10. But to put in perspective, the TCMA is 1) a second year card and 2) just so many out there compared to the 2 1980 Issues. The TCMA currently has 484 in PSA 9 and 226 in 10. The 1980 WBTV Blue has 61 total Ripken's graded by PSA while the orange police issued set only has 14 total Ripken's graded by PSA (the numbers the OP provided is by all reputable TPG's). That's really, really rare for a modern issue.
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<< <i>What does a TCMA rookie in PSA 9 go for? >>
$250 or so, and about $700 in PSA 10. But to put in perspective, the TCMA is 1) a second year card and 2) just so many out there compared to the 2 1980 Issues. The TCMA currently has 484 in PSA 9 and 226 in 10. The 1980 WBTV Blue has 61 total Ripken's graded by PSA while the orange police issued set only has 14 total Ripken's graded by PSA (the numbers the OP provided is by all reputable TPG's). That's really, really rare for a modern issue. >>
Congratulations on another great sale!
The total PSA population for the WBTV Ripken card stands at 34. PSA has graded 61 WBTV cards in all.
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http://freedomcardboard.com/blog/2013/07/18/cal-ripken-minor-league-cards-reaching-major-league-prices/
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Always buying Bobby Cox inserts. PM me.
<< <i>Wow that's awesome. I have a wbtv blue Cal that would probably grade a 4-5 I was saving to get autographed but I'm now leaning towards getting it graded and listed at those prices. >>
Card finally popped today. I'm the proud owner of a WBTV 5 EX Ripken. Took a gamble on a raw auction and it worked out.
Ripken
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<< <i>Ended at $10,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>
I just went to the Huggins and Scott page to see what the 78 and 79 boxes ended at that were referenced in another thread and saw this final price.
Very strong price for a 1980's card!
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<< <i>Ended at $10,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>
I just went to the Huggins and Scott page to see what the 78 and 79 boxes ended at that were referenced in another thread and saw this final price.
Very strong price for a 1980's card! >>
With the history behind that card, I'm not surprised. I'm very happy to see it go for so much! These cards are very scarce and heavily counterfeited. It was fun following the Facebook updates from "Ripken in the Minors"!
<< <i>Very strong price for a 1980's card! >>
I'm loving the resurgence in the high end cards from the 80s. It's everything that got me into the hobby in the first place.
Jeff
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<< <i>Very strong price for a 1980's card! >>
I'm loving the resurgence in the high end cards from the 80s. It's everything that got me into the hobby in the first place. >>
I think it is great too. I read lots of general comments that no cards past 1980 will ever maintain their value. Obviously when you see results like this that is not the case.
What I find so fascinating about early cards such as this is that no one could have guessed when Cal was in the minor leagues at this level he would go on to be one of the most celebrated baseball players ever. There were fans of the minor league team at the time that get to see players come and go and one of them turned out to be a very special athlete. Very cool in my opinion.
I view cards as pieces of history and clearly this is one.
Congrats to those who have been on this train.
$11,850 is the final price using that information.
<< <i>RITM, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the lengthy interview you posted about Bob Bonner. Thanks for sharing it. >>
Thank you so much! The Bonner interview is one of my favorite interviews. A great guy with a very gentle spirit.
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<< <i>To think, that's just for the PSA 4!! >>
Although I agree that a card in higher grade should bring more money, this is a scenario where you either have it or you don't. It has been over seven years since a copy hit public auction. A person with the cash to own one cannot assume one will just show up. I know plenty of people with the cash that simply cannot find one right now. Keep in mind the background of these as well. It is going to be tough to find one in better shape. Among the PSA report, there is a PSA 7 and PSA 8. We are still yet to see a WBTV card grade Mint. If any of the 1980 Charlotte cards had a shot at a Mint grade it would be the WBTV cards. They were distributed in set form and people had the info in advance that they would receive a set. Kids who received the Police cards were literally out on the street at the time they got one or two of them. I am sure than many of them went to pockets.
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<< <i>A PSA 5 1980 Charlotte O's Police sold tonight on ebay for $15,000. >>
Amazing! Thanks for posting!
Jeff
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
<< <i>Yeah that's awesome but its the same guy buying all of them. Every Cal Minor League card that has gone for big $ is being bought by ONE person. Goes to show that's all you need to drive up a market. >>
Could be true. What I know is that Huggins and Scott had two diferent people bid at least $9,000 on their Charlotte Police auction.
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<< <i>Yeah that's awesome but its the same guy buying all of them. Every Cal Minor League card that has gone for big $ is being bought by ONE person. Goes to show that's all you need to drive up a market. >>
It should also be added that I know the seller of this card and he told me that he had a standing offer of $12,500 for this card, if no one made the minimum bid..So much for the driving up the market thought.
IMF
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