selling cards at auction - learner's permit

[baradayo]

I need advice on selling cards. I have some old pre WWI cards that have never been graded, never been traded, hadn't seen the light of day for 60 years.

By sharing scans of the cards, I've been told some of the cards could have five figure value, and others in the 4 figures. Pretty impressive for little pieces of card board!

I've talked with auction house representatives and owners, local dealers, somebody's ex-boyfriend's cousin, etc. and have been trolling this forum for information which has given me a lot to think about, but now am hoping the wisdom of the crowd will help me resolve my many questions about choosing an auction house.

If I intend to sell at auction, and am going to chose among the most positively mentioned auction houses, what would make me chose one auction house over another, or do I simply choose the auction house that will provide me the best deal?

Given that there is probably a relatively small market for my cards can I assume that any of the good auction houses will successfully advertise my cards and bring in those buyers?

Is there an advantage / disadvantage in going with a smaller auction so my cards don't get lost among the 1000s of lots some of the bigger houses have?

Is there an advantage / disadvantage going with an auction house that is primarily baseball cards versus other sports and materials (such as rings, and jerseys and hockey sticks)

Is there an advantage / disadvantage in having the auction house manage the grading process?

I know that is a lot of questions and I look forward to the advice of this very interesting group of collectors. Thanks in advance

[slidekellyslide]

REA is your best bet and it comes up in April..I imagine their deadline for getting stuff in is approaching fast. I'd let them handle the grading. If you don't go with them you really can't go wrong with Goodwin, Mile High or Legendary.

[Orioles1954]

REA is your best bet and it comes up in April..I imagine their deadline for getting stuff in is approaching fast. I'd let them handle the grading. If you don't go with them you really can't go wrong with Goodwin, Mile High or Legendary.

or most especially Huggins & Scott :) And with six auctions a year...no real need to worry about deadlines. But hey, I'm biased...

[bbcard1]

If you have several cards and don't need to cash them all in right away, I might try doling them out a few at a time. Maybe try different auction houses. It's a mutual funds approach to selling, you won't get the top top, but you probably won't get hurt too bad that way. You also won't be competing with yourself.

[slidekellyslide]

or most especially Huggins & Scott :) And with six auctions a year...no real need to worry about deadlines. But hey, I'm biased...

Heh...I didn't leave them out on purpose. H&S is a great auction house.

[Fred]

It sure would be nice if you could share a few of the scans in this thread...

[ctownboy]

First off, I don't have the money to spend thousands of dollars on cards (though I wish I could) so I want to get that out of the way. Now, as far as your cards go, it would be nice to know or, better yet, see what you are talking about.

If you could list some of your cards, or even better, show scans of them then you could 1) get opinions from very knowledgable people on this board whether they are real or not and, if so, what condition they would grade. Also, by doing this, if the cards are real you would be giving a heads up to collectors on this board to what is coming to an auction in the future and whet their appetites fot it.

In short, you would get some info for you to think about and use and we would get to see some cards whether we can afford them or not.

David

[Exhibitman]

Without knowing what type of cards it is pretty hard to suggest the right auctioneer.

[ullmandds]

seems kind of rude to imply these cards may be fake....to me...but it would be invaluable to know what type of cards we're dealing with here as different auction houses cater to different clientele...with varying collecting interests. this would be pertinent to maximize your return.

[terjung]

Good questions and fair questions.

To answer them honestly though, it kind of matters what it is that you are trying to sell. Though there are several choices available, some sales might be better suited for some houses. As an example, REA's auction is a really big deal every year and it gets tons of attention. The catalog is huge and it is full of incredible stuff. If your items would be headliner type of material, that might be the best avenue for you. If, however, it was something more common like a high grade Goudey Ruth, it might get shuffled to the back and not get the attention that it would in a different house. I know that is the crux of your question, but in order to answer it effectively, the scarcity and desirability of the items is also very pertinent. REA is a once a year deal. Other auction houses have great items too though and have auctions more frequently.

Depending on how much you have, spreading them out may not be a bad idea.

To answer your question the best I can without knowing what you are going to be auctioning, I will say this... personally, I would consider:


the suitability of the items to be auctioned (weighing "standing out" in the auction)
the auction house's reputation,
the amount of the buyer's premium (or vig)
the willingness of the auction house to wave any seller's premium (should be 0% if you have really nice stuff),
the visibility and advertising associated with the auction,
how quickly you need your money, and
where the auction house is located (since that could remove significant buyers due to state taxes),


Those items are the ones that I would consider. Good luck!
Brian

[barrysloate]

Why don't you post a few scans so we can be a little more helpful. I too would want to make sure they were originals; that would be my first step.

[baradayo]

Good advice so far, and you've provided me additional things to consider in choosing a venue.

I've got two Brunner's (Cobb and Evers) and a mess of Standard Caramels all in about the shape of the one I've scanned in (Ames, Bender, Brown, Dooin, Evers, Gibson, Griffith, Joss, LaJoie, Leach, Mathewson, McGraw, Wagner, Wiltsie, Young).

Sorry I didn't attach images earlier. I finally figured out how to make the images tiny enough to upload.

It seems to me that all the acution houses promise they are the best in, or the biggest in, or the oldest.... I know REA rates in the top but have also read in this thread that buyers love REA but it may not be the best for sellers.....

I really appreciate the sharing of info and enthusiasm.

[e107collector]

Tough to say from the scans, but if that Cobb is legit, it's beautiful. The borders look extremely white, colors seem dark as well.

I'll wait to see what others have to say. Can you post more scans? Backs of cards as well?

Tony

[terjung]

I would definitely get the D304 Cobb graded (I'd recommend SGC) to make sure it is authentic. If real, unaltered, and untrimmed, that could be your money card. What's written on the back? It's back would also determine its value as well. I hope for your sake that it is real... tough to tell for sure from the scan.

As for E93 Standard Caramels, I'd say that REA is not your best avenue for those. A smaller auction house would be more appropriate for those. They'd get lost in REA, imo. Look for the best deal for those... in terms of visibility and low fees. (Lower buyers premium means more of the money comes to you - assuming the same final price.)

I'd grade the D304 Cobb myself and probably let the auction house submit the E93s.

[Kawika]

I reserve the right to be wrong but I am not liking Cobb #4 very much.
(#1 is mine, #'s 2 & 3 are auction scans)
http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/bbbofsfirstclass/miscellanybaseball/D304%20Cobb%20comparison.jpg

[ChiefBenderForever]

Where did you get the cards ?

[Kawika]

Better color match with the Goodwin/REA PSA8; such a nice rosy-cheeked psycho. Liking it a bit better but still skeptical. Get it authenticated. If it's real you're in Fat City.
http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/bbbofsfirstclass/miscellanybaseball/Item_13101_1.jpg

[baradayo]

Here's the back of the Butter and a Caramel. Caramels are definitely rougher.
Define "fat city"? Is the concern the color of the background? Would fakes have been made 60 years ago?

[Kawika]

Here's the back of the Butter and a Caramel. Caramels are definitely rougher.
Define "fat city"? Is the concern the color of the background? Would fakes have been made 60 years ago?
Fat City: (slang) an easy and prosperous condition or circumstance (per dictionary.com)
To the best of my knowledge fakes are a more recent phenomenon. The color of your card's background is less problematic on consideration of the PSA8 exemplar. Your scan is too small and blurry to assess anything else such as that funky light vertical line at the right border, paper texture etc. My concern is the general skepticism one develops after participating on this board for seven years and watching one huckster after another tout bogus cards. Am I calling you a huckster? No. Once in a while someone like Skydash comes along with the real deal. You might be another Skydash. I don't know. Anyway the question you posed concerned how best to market the cards and not whether some insomniac dickhead such as myself thought they were real or not. You've gotten some thoughtful answers from some wise folks. I will therefore back away from this discussion with a parting comment that the PSA8 at one time traded for over $200,000 - an aberration to be sure, but a good working example of "fat city".

[barrysloate]

You do need to get the cards graded and authenticated. If they are real they will sell for far more if they are graded.

As far as which auction house to use, nearly every auction house out there shares the same pool of bidders. Your cards will go for roughly the same amount in any reputable auction, large or small. The size of the auction house will not impact the price realized. The only thing I would stay away from is grouping your cards together. If one house is willing to break your E93's into single or small lots, while another only wants to sell them as one lot, then I would go with the one who is willing to do the extra work for you. But again keep in mind they all have the same people bidding. Nobody has that secret bidder list; it doesn't exist.

[glchen]

One plus for Goodwin that I like is that they promise not to duplicate cards in their auction. Sometimes cards will sell for less if there are multiple versions of the same card (but at different grades) in the same auction.

[baradayo]

thanks for the input. I'm not asking for a vote on authenticity, I'll let the graders manage that.

Still working on the good list of auction houses and how to approach them.

Two more questions:

Does the grading company matter? What do you recommend? Given that SGC was just bought / sold, something changed about it, will that make a difference? Many recommend SGC for vintage but some strongly recommend PSA.

Is now a good time to sell? I've been told the economy won't matter for these cards, and told that now is a great time for buyers. If these were your cards, and you didn't need the money right now, would you hold or sell?

[barrysloate]

Most of the board feels that PSA cards sell for more. My experience is that it doesn't matter. SGC offers a better product, and the only difference in the price realized would be if you have a high grade card which may be bought by a registry collector. Then you probably would get more with a PSA card. Otherwise, it's about the same. Just pick one or the other and go with it.

While the economy isn't good, high end cards still get strong prices. And if you prefer to wait out the economic slump...well, how long does one wait? A year? Several years? Now you're in the business of predicting the future.

[toledo_mudhen]

I would think that if that Cobb can be authenticated (I would say SGC) then it won't matter what the economy is like...WOWZA Dude

[Delray Vintage]

I have the cobb card you show graded by sgc which I bought this year. I do not think it matters whether it is psa or sgc. I bid in all the major auctions and use all the auction houses and as a buyer I must confess I am most excited by REA for their wow factor. However I do not expect to pay more or less there versus other houses. With quality cards you will get the market price in any of the reputable houses. I plan to hold my cards for at least five more years and would not sell until we see a full recovery. The prices of top quality cards are affected by the economy as are all collectibles.

[E93]

You are getting good advice here. I would not bother getting those graded. Let the auction house do it for you. The Cobb is where your big money is here. It looks to be about a PSA/SGC 5, an example of which sold in the last REA for about 25k if I remember correctly. That is a great cards and will perform in this economy. Top tier cards are bringing in big numbers because many of the people that buy those are less affected, or at least their card buying is less affected by the economy. The E93 Standard Caramels are also nice. I love that set. In mid-grade those cards have been very soft lately. They are not easy, but they are not that tough either, particularly in mid-grade. If you don't need the money right away, I would consider holding those for a couple of years. I think it would pay off for you. Right now mid-grade E93s are selling for about a third to a half of what they sold for three years ago. THe E93s are not cheap cards. Collectively they will probably bring you low 5 figures assuming the HOFs you mentioned are about ex. Good luck with this.
JimB

[baradayo]

thanks to E93 and Delray for their comments about the cards. All of the feedback has been terrific both to understand the potential value of the cards, the market, and the nature of card collecting. The images over in the hoarding topic make some of my passions for collecting look pretty puny!! I may not be a regular contributor but will continue to lurk and learn.