If you found vintage cards at a garage sale

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Posted By: Joann

I don't want to hijack the "shrewdest pickup" thread, but it made me think of something I've been meaning to ask.

Suppose you go to a garage sale and there is a shoebox of baseball cards there, mix and match age including both vintage and up through the 1990's, and it was priced for $10. You can see there are maybe a few dozen vintage in the mix, and can immediately tell that they are worth at least a few thousand - say $2,000 or $3,000 give or take. What do you do?

Do you call it to the seller's attention and then make what you think is a fair offer - more than $10 but maybe less that the $2K? By doing so you run the risk that the seller may immediately decide to remove the lot from the sale (including refusing to sell it to you), solely because you made him aware of the fact that they are worth substantially more than $10. If you hadn't said anything, the seller may have only gotten $10 from someone that who knows - may have thrown the vintage away because all they wanted were the 1995 cards?

Or do you pay the $10 so that you own them, and then right there at that time (once the $10 and cards have changed hands) call it to his attention and offer to pay a more reasonable price? Or do you pay the $10 and come back another day without the cards to discuss it? Or do you pay the $10 and never say anything?

Does the answer change if instead of a few thousand dollars it is only a few hundred dollars?

What if instead of $2K or $3K it is more like $20K or $30K?

And... what if you see the T206 Wagner? Now what?

What about if it is one you've never seen before like the Reccius Wagner - sure to be valuable but also unique so difficult to assess value on the spot?

Of course, it goes without saying that if you see the 1977 Topps Oscar Gamble PSA 4 VG/EX you quietly pay the $10 and go exult in your good fortune.

But seriously, when it comes to "finds" is there some approach that will give the seller more than the nominal amount asked while protecting the buyer and allowing at least some gain for having been the one to realize the value and "find" the cards?

Thanks for your input.

Joann