Your biggest mistake / buyer's remorse collecting purchase?

MULLINS5

If you could take back one collecting purchase, what would it be?

For me, I'd say my recent purchase of a CASE of 1983 Topps Jaws 3D cards. LOVE the cards, and my son LOVES the mini 3D glasses in each pack, but I probably should have bought a couple boxes instead

3BoyzTrading

Any young pitcher that starts off hot. Likely a 2007 Lincecum eTopps Auto that I bought for $400. It wasn't encased and didn't have the Topps COA. However, the holo went with the numbering of the others.

Dboneesq

I'd tell you, but it would take me hours to inform you of all the bad purchases!

MrNearMint

I have made a few regretful card purchases, fortunately nothing too expensive. These were all years ago and I'd like to think I'm now wiser and more selective about buying cards.

Bought a raw 1971 Topps Nolan Ryan for $110 that was very sharp and well centered but had a minor surface scratch (the seller told me about the scratch). I thought it had a chance at grading a bvg 7-8 til I saw the scratch. Ended up selling it for less than half of what I paid.

Again, overpaid on an 89 Topps Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. SGC 7 online because I thought it may have been mis-graded (it had very nice centering lol), I cracked it out of case and found out it was a 7 because it had a surface ripple wave I guess you could call it, on the back.

elsnorto

Too many from my speculative days.

Probably the biggest bomb was Akili Smith. I loaded up big on his SP, SPx, and numerous other tough autos/inserts.

Fortunately some of the other guys (Culpepper, McNabb, Edge, etc.) helped offset at least some of the losses.

Snorto~

flcardtrader

The year was 1989....the pitcher was Ramon Martinez.....the brand was Topps.

I am into those suckers for about $350 which I suspect is about $1000 in today's $$$.

Anyone want one?

rcmb3220

99% of what I bought until I stopped collecting in 1992 can fall under buyer's remorse. The other 1% being 84-86 T football that I kept loose in ziploc bags.

BaltimoreYankee

130 1987 Topps sets purchased in 1988 for $28 each.

LarkinCollector

10 vending boxes of 86T BB to rip/grade (eyes bleeding) or this one:



Although, at least the fake got me educated in the Sport Kings/Goudey issues and what to look for. I display it as a constant reminder to not bid on too good to be true purchases on my phone. Thankfully, neither was an outrageously expensive mistake.

Juggs

I bought a '71 baseball set that I didn't pay that close of attention to. Many of the cards had been touched up with black marker. Had I been patient and looked closer I would've saved myself a headache and a bit of money.

gregmo32

1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars JD Drew BGS 9.5 I got it for a steal at.......................................... $975.

Brick

Back in the early 90s I took out a license to be able to buy directly from the manufacturers. The hassle of doing things "by the book" was not worth the reward. I have a roomful of "worthless" unopened from this era. I will leave it all to my great-grandson with instructions to leave it to his grandchildren. By then it may have some value.

DanBessette

Bought a card from a board member, sight unseen. He mentioned a couple of touched corners and a small PD, but neglected to mention the honkin' crease thru the middle of the back. Not a surface wrinkle, a big ol' crease.

lightningboy

I bought 4 BVG 9 Arod Sp's for about $1000, probably the second before his world came crashing down

BaltimoreYankee

+1 for a Brick sighting! Hi, hello, how are 'ya?

gemint

Every time I've inadvertently purchased a card I already own.

Stone193

In the early 90s, getting caught up in buying by the stacks (bricks) of cards - especially RCs.





If anyone decides they would like 800 Glavine 2nd year Topps, e.g.? Let me know.

ga4213

Andruw Jones rookie cards

Brick

<< <i>+1 for a Brick sighting! Hi, hello, how are 'ya? >>



Well, I guess I'm doing fine.

custom352

Getting into unopened a couple years ago. Before I learned about Ebay's resealing and sequencing.

Some real junk 1972 and 1976 T FB packs

DrBuster

The 90s, the whole decade worth minus 1%.

2Clueless2

1990 Bowman Tiffany Juan Gonzalez PSA 10 @ $500 per. Bought several. Now..... worth maybe $10.

Tabe

I don't have too many but my biggest would be:

Back in the fall of 1984, trying to decide which "update" set to buy. Pre-ordering from Renata Galasso, they're both $7.99 (a lot of money to a kid getting 35-50 cents a week allowance!), so I can only pick one. I chose Topps since they were the "name" set. That went OK thanks to the Doc rookie but...man, woulda been nice to have the Clemens and Puckett from Fleer instead.

cardfan07

Back in 2003 passing on a 1952 topps mantle for $6500, sgc 5. A dealer in the Midwest offered to sell me one. I was poor and paying off student loans and a new mortgage.

Tomi

Mark Prior. Was hoping he would pitch again just so I can get something more for the crap that I have of him. Oh well.

GoDodgersFan

1991 Fleer Ultra Update Juan Gonzalez @ 25.00 each. Purchased about 50 of them.

Brick

I bought a case of 91 Fleer Ultra Update from Fleer. Still have about 48 full sets. Ouch.

milbroco

I guess you could say I was one of the lucky ones. Since I never had any money, I never had money to lose...................

I never took chances on rookies buying in lots. The most I would buy was about 20 cards like Corey Snyder at .10 each, maybe 5 Ramon Martinez at $1.00 each, a couple of Jeff Bagwells at $1.00 each.....etc. But it evened out since I bought 20 McGwires at .25 each and sold them at the height of its market for about $100.00 each. I can still remember two guys coming down from New York to the Fort Washington show and paying me $125.00 for PSA 8's, $100.00 for nrmt ungraded and $75.00 each for 4 ungraded in ex condition.

Ahhhhh the good ole days.

I just wish I kept my 1984 Topps Football cases I had in 1985. I had 4 cello cases and 4 wax cases. I sold them at shows for about $25 to $40 per box way back when..............

Robert

begsu1013

would have to say the first and only time I paid via "paypal gift". didn't really do my research and figured out that it's basically a no return policy. guy did the bait and switch on a resealed holder. $500 down the drain, but chalk it up to a learning expierence. to this day I refuse to use it ever again!

noticing a lot of responses about 80's and 90's junk....during my collecting hiatus, so maybe I lucked out there!

BLUEJAYWAY

92 Stadium baseball case, Glavine rookies and his 90 Leaf cards,96 Topps 1952 Mantle refractor. I felt somewhat discouraged on this and my other bad buys until I saw what some posters here got stuck with. My sympathys go out to all of you who really got shorted.

itzagoner

well, there might be that auto'ed Bo Jackson Topps Rookie i got from lock-em-up-bob.

Jakt

I overpaid for more than a few of the cards in my collection. One of them was a 53 Mantle. I don't think I could resell it for what I paid for it from 6 years ago. Being too eager cost me a few bucks.

begsu1013

talking w. another member about golf cards and this one came up. at least none of us are this guy!!!

i did what?

ashabby

Buying doubles of cards I already have. Not two many high dollar. Just reminds me at times I need to focus more

addicted2ebay

<< <i>talking w. another member about golf cards and this one came up. at least none of us are this guy!!!

i did what? >>




Wow! Last one sold for less than 6k, what a disaster!

Woods

Baez578

<< <i>Buying doubles of cards I already have. Not two many high dollar. Just reminds me at times I need to focus more >>



Unfortunately I can relate to that

hyperchipper09

Any number of buys from 1988 - 1993

Bliggity

Um...about 15 boxes of these. Yeeeah. If anyone wants some unopened 1988 Score, just let me know. Although to be fair, I did pull some late 70s Topps packs and a couple decent graded cards also.

begsu1013

<< <i>

<< <i>talking w. another member about golf cards and this one came up. at least none of us are this guy!!!

i did what? >>




Wow! Last one sold for less than 6k, what a disaster!

Woods >>



I know right. couldn't imagine losing $119,000 on one card. probably one of the biggest losses in history...card wise.

itzagoner

it must have been nice having those comparatively few moments of lucid satisfaction before a lifetime of regret and denial set in.

begsu1013

you could use that card as an excite bike ramp!

oops. wrong thread.

eagles33

My biggest miss was not buying all of the 82 All Star cards that were for sale on Wrestlingprints.com. The manufacturer had excess stock that was never packaged and sold as sets so the header cards like the Andre the giant had perfect corners. I only bought 1. He had about 20 along with hogans, flavors ect... Oh well. My biggest score was prob a 74 Yamakatsu Andre that I got before I ever knew anything about the set. There was a typo in the title and got it for about 20 bucks. I spent over a year trying to get the set approved by psa and was able to sell it for several hundred. If you count the time I spent arguing with the specs department though I prob lost money on the card

alnavman

probably the case of 1991 low series upperdeck football from the first year they came out......only paid $70 a box.

LarkinCollector

<< <i>In the early 90s, getting caught up in buying by the stacks (bricks) of cards - especially RCs.

If anyone decides they would like 800 Glavine 2nd year Topps, e.g.? Let me know. >>


I might be interested in some of those 90 Bowman bricks if you still have them. There's quite a few variations in that set including the Nolan.

dberk12

In 1992 I decided I had to have Sega Genesis. My job in highschool was working at "Kenny Rodger's Chicken" making close to minimum wage. Despite the job elevating my status with the ladies (lol) it made it difficult to save enough money in a short period of time. My solution to this problem was selling my 1986 Fleer Jordan RC which was pristine and pulled directly from a pack. In retrospect, Sega Genesis did go to college with me and lead to many great times (NHL - '94, Tecmo Super Bowl, etc.) but it was not worth it to get rid of my prized card. Currently, my Sega Genesis is in a box somewhere in my basement and my card display case sits without a 1986 Fleer Jordan RC.

Mapleleaf

Buying a case of 1989 OPC Hockey to try making a PSA 10 set.
The whole case was junk - not a single 10.