View Full Version : Finally, the Oldest Card is Identified
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10-02-2007, 01:56 PM
Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/1902-antique-THE-OLDEST-BASEBALL-CARD-IN-THE-WORLD_W0QQitemZ250170160422QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1370 5QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://cgi.ebay.com/1902-antique-THE-OLDEST-BASEBALL-CARD-IN-THE-WORLD_W0QQitemZ250170160422QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1370 5QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a><br><br>Adam B
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10-02-2007, 02:00 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>He received offers of $40,000 but has now decided to start it at $9.99. If anything, he's a savvy businessman.
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10-02-2007, 02:02 PM
Posted By: <b>Cat (ret.)</b><p>It was my grandfather's favorite possession, but I'll let it go for $9.99.<br /><br />edited to add: ' between the r and s in grandfather.
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10-02-2007, 02:03 PM
Posted By: <b>Tony Andrea</b><p>Barry -<br />Not only is he starting the bidding at $9.99, but with no reserve.<br />Very savvy indeed.<br /><p>Tony
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10-02-2007, 02:07 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>So if this time around his best offer is fifty bucks, he's cool with that. What a numbskull!
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10-02-2007, 02:19 PM
Posted By: <b>Paul</b><p>I will be selling my entire collection on the B/S/T soon to raise cash. I will win this card!<br /><br />edited to add- I just realized I have some 19th century cards, so it cant be the oldest. Something seems fishy with this auction.
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10-02-2007, 02:28 PM
Posted By: <b>Zinn</b><p>Come on, how do you really feel?<br /><br />In all fairness to the seller he has zero in the item so whatever he gets, $9.99 or $40,000.00 it's new found money.
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10-02-2007, 02:32 PM
Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Until the buyer realizes he's been had and then the seller must return the "free" money...
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10-02-2007, 02:35 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Zinn- the question is why did he turn down the $40,000 (which of course is fiction as nobody ever offered him that)? Seems even if you didn't need the money at that moment, you figure sometime in your life that 40K might come in handy.
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10-02-2007, 02:40 PM
Posted By: <b>Bob</b><p>I know this is all fiction, but if it were me, I'd go back to the guy who offered $40,000 and ask him what his best offer is now and take it. It's got to be better than $9.99
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10-02-2007, 02:49 PM
Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>Back when cards were embroidered.
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10-02-2007, 02:53 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>On the subject of this all being fiction:<br /><br />Leon and others have been asked by ebay to look for scams and report them so ebay can shut them down.<br /><br />Considering this guy is lying about this being the oldest card, lying about his grandfather being in the same orphanage as Ruth and giving this to him later in life, lying about the $40,000... and for all we know he probably never even had a grandfather- don't you think this loosely falls into the "should be shut down" category? I know there is not a lot of money involved but the seller is scamming potential bidders with a made up story.
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10-02-2007, 02:59 PM
Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>I looked at the "story" and I am not sure it technically fits the "shut down" category. As devils advocate...he did put a question mark on the title, and how can we prove it wasn't as he said? Of course it's all lies but I don't think it could be proven.....Again, I obviously know what this is but technically...not sure it gets there....unless I missed something.
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10-02-2007, 03:08 PM
Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>Wow, now I feel really stupid for offering him $40,000 for that card last year.
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10-02-2007, 03:10 PM
Posted By: <b>Fred C</b><p>Give the guy some credit, it's not like he said that his grandfather found it stuffed into a wall from an old home he used to live in... this was his grandpa's. The story is supposed to be some type of provenance... $9.99? Wow, what a bargain. Is it possibly a one of a kind type card? If this is from 1902 then the Babe would have been about 7 years old... is it possible that this is the proof everyone is looking for: Seven year old Babe (on steroids).
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10-02-2007, 03:19 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Leon- I realize it's debatable but if a guy is lying repeatedly in his description he not a really trustworthy seller. Then again, if you win the photo and he delivers it I guess I agree with you.<br /><br />But this silly story is designed to get more money for the item than it's really worth, so it's dubious.<br /><br />What if in my next auction somebody consigned to me a 1933 Goudey Ruth, and my description read: "the consignor claims this card was Ruth's personal copy, who gave it to his father and it has been in his family ever since." How would that fly?
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10-02-2007, 03:21 PM
Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Given the last few days of how things have gone for me I am going to bow out of this one <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>.<br /><br />edited spellin'
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10-02-2007, 03:24 PM
Posted By: <b>Fred C</b><p>Lock the thread Leon.... <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> Just kidding...<br /><br />Barry, if someone were to tell you that story they just might have the audacity to somehow try and back it up. Do you have Ruth's personal 33G? <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>
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10-02-2007, 03:29 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>No, I made up an example. I don't think this listing has to be shut down, I'm just saying he is lying about everything so I would be very reluctant to participate (assuming I even cared about the item).
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10-02-2007, 03:37 PM
Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>What if Mastro was wishing this was a home run ball by Babe Ruth in 1918?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2mm847" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/2mm847</a>
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10-02-2007, 03:44 PM
Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Or how about the wishful thinking on Mastro's part that this ball is an 1890's Reach baseball - when in fact it looks much more like an oilcloth ball from the 1920s used by kids on the playground or at carnivals to knock down bottles.<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2kpaua" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/2kpaua</a><br /><br />I hate to go off the main topic here, but it seems that wishful thinking bordering on fantasy is becoming a major part of this hobby.
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10-02-2007, 04:07 PM
Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Dan- the Ruth ball actually has the notation, although nobody has a clue how it got there.<br /><br />But you might want to email them about the other ball. No, none of this stuff is good for the hobby.<br /><br />And a guy making up crazy stories on ebay about a generic photograph is also probably crossing the line.
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10-02-2007, 04:25 PM
Posted By: <b>dennis</b><p>Item location: GUS FINK STUDIOS i just find this funny.
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10-02-2007, 05:01 PM
Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>One would have to be an uniformed buyer to think a card from 1902 is the earliest baseball cards. Even collectors of the 'shiny' cards know there were cards before 1902.<br /><br />Besides, the photo is from later than 1902.