1966 Topps #591 Grant Jackson - why?

[BillP]

I had started a thread a week ago about the 64 Curt Flood and it stimulated some discussion on a 40-60% distribution split of the 1st series of 64 topps cards. Also the potential hoarding of that card and the '61 Brown card #242.
Now the ridiculous prices associated with the Grant Jackson combo rookie card '66.
I looked online today and saw many available, all 3 digits. I have a Beckett from 1993 that doesn't even list this card as an SP. I don't have any reason to support the heightened levels that prices of this card has gone except hoarding.
A good group of these are diamond cut, ok, that may support the increase in price. But it really shouldn't be any more than legitimate SP's like Tigers Team, Clarke, O. Brown RC, Perry, McLain to name a few.
Even card #544 Cards Team is getting up there.
That is what makes this set so challenging, the supply/demand of these high numbers. To the member who is starting to put this together, I wish you luck on the #591 card as investors seem to have entered the market to drive prices up. Almost like the rookie card craze of the mid-80's.

Comments welcome, BillP

[Rich Klein]

I have actually written several times about this specific card in my Sports Collectors Daily column. As loing as I can remember, the Grant Jackson #591 card has been a bear for collectors to get.

Having grown up in the NY Metropolitan area with a lot of trips to Willow Grove and knowing the dealers who did that show, yes that card was always guaranteed to be a quick sell.

I have told stories about a collector going to a NY area show, hearing Howie Gordon say, yes that card is $3, the collector stomping away and at the end of the show, throwing a $10 bill at him and saying give me the damn card.

Nothing has changed on this card since then, still a tough card and if you check the Beckett OPG, you will see a far more accurate price now that you would have a while back.

My editor and I discussed this card at one National and he realized he overpaid slightly but I explained to buy the card is worth it to get this done.

Are there other 66's as difficult. yes probably, but the Jackson has a special cache. Glyn Parson noted this as such in a recent post as to why he buys up all reasonbaly priced copies of this card.

Rich

[Rich Klein]

Lee Behrens of Sterling Sports had like a 10 card lot of 66 high numbers with a jackson in the lot and that lot sold for almost $375 with the buyers premium

http://www.sterlingsportsauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=14803

Regards
Rich

[Harliduck]

I put my 66 set together in 2012...and my one observation, something I have NEVER seen before or since, is there were 3 cards that routinely would have NOT ONE card on Ebay. I checked and searched for most of the high numbers and tracked them for a long span, and these three were extremely frustrating. I ended up getting all three off a retired local dealer who had a busted set and gave me a great deal. They were -

#555 Ron Perranoski
#570 Art Mahaffey
#591 Grant Rookie


Literally, there were days these cards had zero stock on ebay. What other cards can you say have periodic moments like this made by Topps?

As for the Grant Rookie...I am extremely happy I own one...:D...but I feel the same way about the other two as well.

[stlcardsfan]

When I was putting the '66 set together the Jackson booked for $20-40 in Beckett. After my search I thought $90-150 was more appropriate. They really missed the market on that card. Not sure what they have it listed for now, I gave up my subscription a while back.

[Rich Klein]

I did not check the low end, but the high end is now $200. About two weeks ago, I emailed the Baseball Price Guide Editor (Hi Brian! :) )
and nicely informed him he needed to change the price, like yesterday. Two days later, price updated :)

[stlcardsfan]

I did not check the low end, but the high end is now $200. About two weeks ago, I emailed the Baseball Price Guide and nicely informed him he needed to change the price, like yesterday. Two days later, price updated :)

Whoa! Well, they got it right now.

[NateMack]

Found mine at a card show a couple years ago in a stack of 66 cards. It was ex+ and I was super excited to find one. I handed it to the dealer and asked him how much. He looked it up in the Beckett and said, "books for $40, will you do $20?"
Needless to say, I couldn't get to my wallet quick enough!!

[robsbessette]

I can't stand the "it books for" guy at card shows. Once they pull out a price guide I know it's almost never going to work out.

I got my Jackson from a large lot on eBay. Advertised as a starter lot of 450 cards with a BIN of $150. VG/EX. Only one picture of a 800 count box. The description noted that there were no superstars, some semistars, LL cards, and almost all commons.

On the off chance I direct messaged him and asked if there were any cards over the number 500.

He responded with numbers that corresponded to cards like the Cardinals Rookies, Jackson RC, Skowron, Clarke, Snyder, Twins team, Coleman, and a couple more that I can't remember off the top of my head.

I couldn't hit the BIN button fast enough. I pulled upgrades and set needs, turned around and sold a nice starter lot and recouped all my money.



Found mine at a card show a couple years ago in a stack of 66 cards. It was ex+ and I was super excited to find one. I handed it to the dealer and asked him how much. He looked it up in the Beckett and said, "books for $40, will you do $20?"
Needless to say, I couldn't get to my wallet quick enough!!

[mintacular]

I found an EX-ish one in a dealer box at a small local show, I somehow thought I read a thread about Jackson being a tough card but wasn't 100% sure, and did not know it was much more than a $20 card....Anyway I bought it for around $5 and sold it for near $100 on eBay

[BillP]

If #591 is worth $200 in NrMt or better, then why not other SP's. I think everyone agrees that selected high numbers are in lesser supply than others but how about the 7 or 8 others. I have my list of who they are.
I hope collectors realize that #591 is the most expensive card in the set.

[stlcardsfan]

I bought this one for $7 at a show and a much nicer one that I don't have scanned for $35.

[Gr8Beldini]

Found mine at a card show a couple years ago in a stack of 66 cards. It was ex+ and I was super excited to find one. I handed it to the dealer and asked him how much. He looked it up in the Beckett and said, "books for $40, will you do $20?"
Needless to say, I couldn't get to my wallet quick enough!!

At least you were decent enough to pay without counter-offering off the $20. Reminds me of the time years back when I was in a baseball card store (remember those)? Will Clark rookies had just exploded and the price guides didn't reflect what they were selling for. Some doofus asked the kid behind the counter the price, which he quoted $2 each (book price, but the card was actually selling for $10-20 at the time). Instead of buying them all (about 50) and being happy with his very good fortune, the guy started harassing the kid for a better deal for all of them. Kid asks owner; owner kills the idea of selling any for $2. Buyer was outraged, exclaiming, "We had a deal!!!" I was happy to point out that there was no deal. Kid made an offer that the buyer refused.

[glynparson]

In most grades it sells fir the most money. This is true up to around an 8. There are more valuable 9s and 10s. The fact is the other sp cards are not as tough and don't have the same demand level. For whatever reason it is a very tough and popular card from the 1960s.

[Orioles1954]

I recent but a random assortment of cards from a card shop for 25 bucks. There were a couple of hundred cards there and imagine my surprise when found a 1966 Topps Jackson :) Sold on ebay for $150 or so.

[azsportsrelics]

A big reason why #591 N.L.Rookie Stars is higher in price than other short prints. Productions problems. It was most likely on the edge and (or) corner of the sheet, and for whatever reason there were machine problems that showed up on this particular card more than others. Many have surface problems and the edges are beveled (machine marks or raised area) Also many have the red guide line by the edge. Add hat to most being 75-25 or worse and(or) diamond cut. It most likely had a problem or two even before being put into a pack. I first became aware of it around 30 years ago. Certain dealers would go around wanting to buy them up.

[BearBailey]

Other than Jackson I can’t remember the other 2 numbers but the last 3 cards took me over a year to get in the condition I wanted, nrmt or better. This was probably 15 years ago or so. I’ve always said the 1966 Set is the most difficult regular topps set to put together. The 1952 Set is the most expensive but if you have an unlimited supply of money you can find any card any day, not the case with the 1966 Set.

[mrmopar]

Ah, I don't do sets and this card haunts me because of Bart Shirley, being a Dodger collector after all. Couldn't he have just been paired with someone else in the lower series and spared me the grief? It least it isn't a '63 Ken McMullen!

I still don't own one and probably never will, not for the prices they sell for.

[ALR-bishop]

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Bishop539/Scan1967591_zpsmmgleig7.jpg

[1963Topps Set]

WOW! I finished my 1966 Topps set on February 10, 2006 with the inclusion of Mantle. I don't recall this card being tough... but that was then..

[4reals]

I have two. As a variation collector I am always looking for print anomalies. I have a normal copy as well as a variation with a faint red print line above Grant's head in the border which has the characteristics of a cut line. I do not believe that it is, however, because the line is dashed not solid, and cut lines are typically black on white bordered designs. Also, it is not found on a consistent amount of copies for this explanation to be warranted. Copies with the red line are much more scarce, at approximately a 50:1 clip and every copy I've seen with the red lines have them in the same location every time.

Here's a sold one on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Topps-591-Rookie-Stars-Bart-Shirley-Grant-Jackson-RC-SP-TOUGH-HI-/254144386016?hash=item3b2c2f93e0%3Ag%3AfPgAAOSwESd ceDpq&nma=true&si=GhpBnAjrqoxHuRVOTKl7VB%252BihyM%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Here's another:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Topps-591-NL-Rookie-Stars-GRANT-JACKSON-B-SHIRLEY-High-Number-SP-ExNrMint-/254112551397?hash=item3b2a49d1e5%3Ag%3AC-0AAOSwti5cW6NC&nma=true&si=GhpBnAjrqoxHuRVOTKl7VB%252BihyM%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[JollyElm]

I have two. As a variation collector I am always looking for print anomalies. I have a normal copy as well as a variation with a faint red print line above Grant's head in the border which has the characteristics of a cut line. I do not believe that it is, however, because the line is dashed not solid, and cut lines are typically black on white bordered designs. Also, it is not found on a consistent amount of copies for this explanation to be warranted. Copies with the red line are much more scarce, at approximately a 50:1 clip and every copy I've seen with the red lines have them in the same location every time.

Here's a sold one on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Topps-591-Rookie-Stars-Bart-Shirley-Grant-Jackson-RC-SP-TOUGH-HI-/254144386016?hash=item3b2c2f93e0%3Ag%3AfPgAAOSwESd ceDpq&nma=true&si=GhpBnAjrqoxHuRVOTKl7VB%252BihyM%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Here's another:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Topps-591-NL-Rookie-Stars-GRANT-JACKSON-B-SHIRLEY-High-Number-SP-ExNrMint-/254112551397?hash=item3b2a49d1e5%3Ag%3AC-0AAOSwti5cW6NC&nma=true&si=GhpBnAjrqoxHuRVOTKl7VB%252BihyM%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I'm having a weird deja vu thing over here, but I swear we might have had this conversation before?? It seems reminiscent of the 1960 Ernie Banks card with the writing in the margin:

346768

[Baseballcrazy62]

PSA pop report doesn’t support the theory of it being s tough card. The sold prices on EBay say otherwise.