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Have you ever "cornered the market" on a card?

You or someone you know?

I'm not trying it myself but it seems like an interesting idea.

Say you've got 18-20 RCs of one player where the print run is numbered to 25, or you've got 10 out of 13-14 PSA9s of a card.

Separate of the "buying group" discussion, have you ever known anyone that has done this? Did it turn out lifting the prices? I'm kind of surprised you don't hear about this happening more.

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    MrNearMintMrNearMint Posts: 1,209 ✭✭✭
    I'm in the process of it. I currently own 4 Jordan rookies and I think 12 second year fleer Jordan's, IM ON MY WAY! Lol
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    BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 8,248 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I suppose if you possess a 1 of 1 card you have "cornered" the mkt. At least I'd like to think so with my 1 of 1 2007 Topps Update Prince Fielder autograph. Pulled it out of a pack in one of those Target rewrap packages where you got 10 packs for $10.
    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
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    doog71doog71 Posts: 405 ✭✭
    Originally posted by: MrNearMint
    I'm in the process of it. I currently own 4 Jordan rookies and I think 12 second year fleer Jordan's, IM ON MY WAY! Lol


    You're WELL on your way lol!

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    lahmejoonlahmejoon Posts: 1,686 ✭✭✭
    PhilG currently has 139 of the computed 241 print run of Randy Myers 1993 Finest refractors. I think that's really impressive.
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    MULLINS5MULLINS5 Posts: 4,517 ✭✭✭
    Since I am a collector and hoarder of my favorite book "The Great Gatsby" I unintentionally cornered the market for many editions of the novel.



    I was the only one offering many editions when the movie came out, so I set some pretty insane prices on these books and people were happy to pay.



    For example, "Superman" used to be one of the most valuable armed services edition books out there. I always picked-up "Gatsby" at between $20 to $60 on eBay. When the movie hit I was selling them for $400 all day long (I sold one for $1500 that was in fine condition that I paid $55 for). Other dealers caught on and started listing theirs for the same. Now it goes for $600 to $750 and is the most valuable armed service book.



    I started stocking up on early printings of "To Kill A Mockingbird" a year before it was announced Harper Lee was publishing her second novel (I had about 60 in my inventory). When the news hit I unloaded books I paid $20 to $50 for for $300 to $500 a piece. One of them for $3450 that I paid only a few hundred for.



    If one is going to have success at this I think they have to have the combination of owning a lot of the inventory and it has to be great timing.







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    doog71doog71 Posts: 405 ✭✭
    Wow Mullins that's really interesting. To pull this off you've got to have 1)cash 2)great timing 3)an item people will really care about owning. 4)intestinal fortitude. (Spending a lot without knowing what the outcome will be).
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    70ToppsFanatic70ToppsFanatic Posts: 2,104 ✭✭✭✭
    At one time I had 3 of the 4 1971 Brooks Robinson PSA 9s. Now the population is slightly higher, and I sold off 2 of my 3.


    Dave
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    mtcardsmtcards Posts: 3,342 ✭✭✭
    I have 7 of 25 parallels of a current rookie.....still buying them but doubt I will get them all as some have sold for well more than Im willing to pay. Also have 4 of the #ed to 10 of the same, but know of one that was sold that I wont have. Probably would be cheaper to purchase a run of a common #ed to 25 to do it though
    IT IS ALWAYS CHEAPER TO NOT SELL ON EBAY
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    Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,381 ✭✭✭✭✭
    No.



    Back around 2004, we had a member - Beachbum - he was cornering the market on Cole Hamels cards.



    Not sure how that worked out.



    We did have some "healthy" discussions here back then. Some might be tempted it to call it the "Colt 45" days of CU? image
    Mike
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    Ask the guy buying the 52t Tony bartiromes. He must have half the given pop of graded cards. Also, he has pushed prices and bought so many collectors are scrambling, frustrated, and over paying to add the card to their set.
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    PMKAYPMKAY Posts: 1,372 ✭✭
    I am dominating the market on this card

    image
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    GDM67GDM67 Posts: 2,523 ✭✭✭✭
    There was a time when the 1977 Phil Niekro O-Pee-Chee card was a pop 4 in PSA 9 (with no 10's) and I had 2 of the 4. That's about as close as I've gotten.
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    mouschimouschi Posts: 687 ✭✭✭✭
    I had always wondered about this as well. I thought to myself "what if someone grabbed ALL the Mother's Cookies cards of a key player's rookie from a stadium giveaway or something, and well ... burned all but 1, 2 or 3 ... about what would happen to the price.



    Actually, something intriguing is unfolding right in front of our eyes right now. Remember the 1990 Upper Deck black box Mike Witt error? That card used to command a few hundred, if I recall correctly. Welp, someone came forward and said they had an 800 count box of them or something crazy like that.



    Check ebay and see! At the end of June, one sold on bids for nearly $200. Since then, there have been many BINs for $40 and the last bidding one a week ago went for under $20. Crazy, huh?
    Tanner Jones, Author of Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict - Now Available on Amazon!
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    gemintgemint Posts: 6,074 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Isn't there a guy who's hoarding 1964 Curt Floods? That's why his 8 is so expensive. I think PSA had a story on him and he has hundreds of them.
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    craig44craig44 Posts: 10,768 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Andre Dawson tried obtaining all of his 1993 finest refractors. don't know how close he got though.

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

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    If you want low prices, keep quiet as there are a few who jack bids up to mess with people. Same goes if you want best prices--just let one go here and there.
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    Originally posted by: gemint

    Isn't there a guy who's hoarding 1964 Curt Floods? That's why his 8 is so expensive. I think PSA had a story on him and he has hundreds of them.




    His name is Mike Hally. eBay ID and PSA registry ID are madcardbuyer. ESPN.com did an article too. His passion is 64's, as he also has the registry's #1 1964 Venzuelan set. That's the only Venz set where Josh Alpert isn't #1. I started a 64 Venz registry a few months back and I've bought from Mike 3 times. Great guy.



    Regarding the OP, there are certain Gino cappelletti or John Hannah cards where there are like 3 graded copies and I own them all. That's about it for me "cornering the market."
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    billwaltonsbeardbillwaltonsbeard Posts: 3,748 ✭✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: RipublicaninMass
    Ask the guy buying the 52t Tony bartiromes. He must have half the given pop of graded cards. Also, he has pushed prices and bought so many collectors are scrambling, frustrated, and over paying to add the card to their set.


    This Net 54 thread is one hell of a read. If you have a few hours of free time today, you should check it out!
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    bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭
    Apparently years ago someone corned the market on the Topps 1952 gray back Reiser card and is holding them all in perpetuity.
    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
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    Dpeck100Dpeck100 Posts: 10,910 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't really view it as cornering the market but I have a handful of cards that come to mind.



    1982 WAS Junkyard Dog. I have both 8.5's, four of the seven 9's and the 10.



    1982 WAS Jack Brisco. I have both 9's and the 10.



    1982 WAS Pat Patterson. All three of the 10's.



    1982 WAS Kerry Von Erich. The 8.5, both 9's and the 10.



    1982 WAS Rick Martel. The only 8 and the only 9.



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    LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's pretty easy to corner the market on foreign issued Sportscasters. I think there's several where I own all the graded copies or all but one.
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    jfkheatjfkheat Posts: 2,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Didn't a member here try to corner the market on 1988 Donruss Jose Canseco cards a couple years ago? image

    James
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    Originally posted by: jfkheat

    Didn't a member here try to corner the market on 1988 Donruss Jose Canseco cards a couple years ago? image

    James




    Sadly those were lost in an aquatic recreational mishap.
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    jfkheatjfkheat Posts: 2,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: DanBessette

    Originally posted by: jfkheat

    Didn't a member here try to corner the market on 1988 Donruss Jose Canseco cards a couple years ago? image

    James




    Sadly those were lost in an aquatic recreational mishap.




    So that would make the few remaining ones worth more, right? image
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    mtcardsmtcards Posts: 3,342 ✭✭✭
    I think cornering the market on graded cards would be difficult as there are always more to be graded unless it is a rare issue.

    There was a guy a few years back (maybe more than a few) who was buying all the BGS Gem Mint Emmitt Smith Pro Set Rookies, but pretty sure that
    turned out bad as the amount of unopened is still high.
    IT IS ALWAYS CHEAPER TO NOT SELL ON EBAY
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    PhilGPhilG Posts: 237 ✭✭
    Originally posted by: lahmejoon
    PhilG currently has 139 of the computed 241 print run of Randy Myers 1993 Finest refractors. I think that's really impressive.


    Phil here. Yes I have 139 Randy Myers or 57.68 percent of the production run. I also have 96 Rob Dibbles or 39.83 percent of the production run. What I like is making shortprints. A shortprint is defined as at least 20% of the production run or in the case of the 93s its at least 49 cards. So far I have made 24 shortprints of the 93 Finest refractors. Currently I am working on making another 6 shortprints. My web site is up-to-date with what I have.

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    TNP777TNP777 Posts: 5,711 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: gemint
    Isn't there a guy who's hoarding 1964 Curt Floods? That's why his 8 is so expensive. I think PSA had a story on him and he has hundreds of them.

    Maybe that's what I was trying to remember. For some reason I was thinking it was the '66 Bart Shirley/Grant Jackson RC. Those are pretty damn tough, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if someone was trying to grab all he could.

    Curt Flood hoarding story
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    DialjDialj Posts: 1,636 ✭✭
    That was one crazy thread!!!!
    "A full mind is an empty bat." Ty Cobb

    Currently collecting 1934 Butterfinger, 1969 Nabisco, 1991 Topps Desert Shield (in PSA 9 or 10), and 1990 Donruss Learning Series (in PSA 10).
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    lawyer05lawyer05 Posts: 2,144 ✭✭✭✭
    I'm in the process of it. I currently own 4 Jordan rookies and I think 12 second year fleer Jordan's, IM ON MY WAY! Lol


    lmao
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    lawyer05lawyer05 Posts: 2,144 ✭✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: PMKAY
    I am dominating the market on this card

    image




    lol
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    dennis07dennis07 Posts: 1,842 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: PhilG
    Originally posted by: lahmejoon
    PhilG currently has 139 of the computed 241 print run of Randy Myers 1993 Finest refractors. I think that's really impressive.


    Phil here. Yes I have 139 Randy Myers or 57.68 percent of the production run. I also have 96 Rob Dibbles or 39.83 percent of the production run. What I like is making shortprints. A shortprint is defined as at least 20% of the production run or in the case of the 93s its at least 49 cards. So far I have made 24 shortprints of the 93 Finest refractors. Currently I am working on making another 6 shortprints. My web site is up-to-date with what I have.



    $329 for a Charlie Hayes. Who knew?
    Collecting 1970 Topps baseball
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    I don't know if anyone in this thread was part of the Los Angeles/Orange County collecting scene in the late 70s through the mid 80s, but there was a collector who would purchase any 1961 Topps Jim Gilliam card that was for sale. He wasn't trying to corner the market, instead it was his favorite card from his youth and it was affordable to purchase. Before I lost touch with him, he had 100s of the Gilliam. One could purchase 100s of "hot" rookies (i.e. Mike Greenwell) at our monthly Fountain Valley show from Carson Ritchie. I had a friend at that time who would purchase the second year card of players hoping to strike it rich one day, in his case he purchased 1,000 1987 Topps Canseco cards.
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    clarke442clarke442 Posts: 605 ✭✭✭✭✭
    image



    Have both of them
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    StatmanStatman Posts: 597 ✭✭✭
    Back in 1996 when the first tough mirror Golds came out, I tried to get as many Michael Pivonkas as possible. Why Pivonka - I was doing shows in DC, and while he was a common, he was a popular player here. There was supposed to only be 30 of each card available and I got up to 28 of them at one time. Then i kept seeing more of them out there and realized the limited number of 30 was a joke, so I sold them off a few years later. While I only paid $1-$5 each for them, i think I only got about $10 per card when I sold them.
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    Brian48Brian48 Posts: 2,624 ✭✭✭
    Short answer, Yes. Well, I tried anyway. Failed miserably.
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    scooter729scooter729 Posts: 1,730 ✭✭✭
    1910 C52 set - rare Canadian version of the more popular T218 boxing set.



    PSA has graded 120 total cards from the set; I have 75 of them in my registry set (and probably 10 more dups not part of the set). Not so much fun to compete though, when I've got the only set on the registry!
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    KK Posts: 1,364 ✭✭✭
    image

    I think I have a 4th PSA 10 as well.
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    KK Posts: 1,364 ✭✭✭
    image

    I have these also...
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    maddux69maddux69 Posts: 2,131 ✭✭✭✭✭
    There was a guy who attempted to buy every 96 Finest Gold Greg Maddux. Topps released specific production numbers, 150 exactly and the guy ended up purchasing 220. He would pay up to $1000 per copy, so he was in pretty deep. He sued Topps and settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.



    Maddux and Jagr
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    I also have a friend who has purchased multiples of the 65 Topps Conligiaro and Oliva simply because he likes the looks of both cards.







    Phil aka Tere1071



    Looking for 2009 Topps Heritage SSP Jeter, Pedroia, P. Martinez and Feliz

    2010 Topps Heritage Color Plate variations- Sizemore, Sandoval, Happ, Jeter, Braun and Wright
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    Dpeck100Dpeck100 Posts: 10,910 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: Harvak

    1 2 3 4 5 of 5. Ain't no Mike Trout though.



    image

    image







    My brother idolized Steve Vai. Cool cards.
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    CooptownCooptown Posts: 397 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: billwaltonsbeard
    Originally posted by: RipublicaninMass
    Ask the guy buying the 52t Tony bartiromes. He must have half the given pop of graded cards. Also, he has pushed prices and bought so many collectors are scrambling, frustrated, and over paying to add the card to their set.


    This Net 54 thread is one hell of a read. If you have a few hours of free time today, you should check it out!


    That was one helluva read. Usually after a thread gets after three - four pages, I have no interest as I figure it's all drama (how there is drama among grown men collecting pictures of other men on cardboard is beyond me) and arguing. But my girlfriend and dog fell asleep last night, and figured what the heck. I am only on page 9 right now, but wow. That guy is a character. It's amazing to me how many characters there can be on sports cards message boards, but I guess whenever there is money involved, characters come out of the woodwork. That guy gave Felicia/Iluvcards or whatever his/her name was a run for their money. I'm excited to see how the next 9 pages of that thread play out!

    I had a connection to an old time ball player. My Dad's cousin married Billy Herman's niece. I used to love telling people that...and actually still do. Every year when I make the pilgrimage to Cooperstown for HOF Induction weekend, I will buy Billy Herman plaque postcards to send to friends and family. My Dad and my grandfather used to go to RedSox/Yankees games when Billy was a coach for the Sox in the 60s. I met Billy once when I was young in the 1980s, and I used to collect all his stuff. I may need to take it out and go through memory lane.
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    Would love to see your Billy Herman collection! I only have one playing era card of his:



    image
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    CooptownCooptown Posts: 397 ✭✭✭
    That's a beauty! What does a card like that run?
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    Originally posted by: Cooptown

    That's a beauty! What does a card like that run?




    PM sent.
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    seebelowseebelow Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭
    now that i own the last of the POPs i can admit it.....i cornered the market on '52 mantles PSA 9's...yep, so u gotta go thru me if u want one,,,ill name the price......we can dream...can u imagine???
    Interested in higher grade vintage cards. Aren't we all. image
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    I'm sure there are some people that have the corner of the market on some unopened!
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