best card find for the value?

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Posted By: travis

i've seen all the recent pick up threads and i got an idea to ask what is the best card you have found for the value and price you paid for it?

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Posted By: jay behrens

That would be e90-3 Hofnlan card I recently sold in the REA auction and paid a mere pitence for it on eBay. I'd also have to add my e101 Wagner that I bought as trimmed and it came back graded by SGC

Jay

I love pinatas. You get to beat the crap of something and get rewarded with candy.

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Posted By: Jim Crandell

1939 Play Ball PSA 10 Waner pop 1. Paid $300--probably would sell at $5,000 or more.

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Posted By: Paul

I'm pretty happy with the $40 I paid for a Tharps George Sisler (SGC graded VG+) at the recent National. I also paid about $40 a couple of years ago for a very slightly trimmed E97 Joe Kelley from a board member who was understandably disappointed with the selling price. Also a couple of years ago, I picked up an E135 blank back Heilmann for $150. My slightly trimmed Cracker Jack Wagner for about $250 was also a good deal about a year ago. Going way back, I've always been happy with the $10 I paid for my Zeenut Cochrane.

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Posted By: fkw

Best % profit

About 2 years ago, In the minor league card category (great place for finds), I won a card for $1 (1949 Sunbeam Stockton Ports Sandel) with $2 shipping the total was $3, I sold it within 2 weeks for $175 (58X more than I paid for it, including shipping).

A few years ago in the memorabilia category, I won a postcard for $40 (Ullman C.Mathewson), sold it for close to $2K (about 50X more than I paid)

Those are my best 2 deals as far as the difference between buy and sell prices.

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Posted By: Paul

I got this about a month ago on Ebay for $87.00. Probably my best deal so far.

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Posted By: Joe D.

I think I paid about $400 for it (somewhere near that)....

with a pop of 1, and being that I have yet to see another example....

I am very pleased - and now put a $$$ Value on it at several times my initial investment (its my card, why not?)

I'm not sure the market agrees with me on valuation (yet), but I get a lot of enjoyment out of the card / so it is already a tremendous value pick up.

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Posted By: James Gallo

My best pick up is my 1915 Cracker Jack Mattswon



$300 after onsite grading.

Makes me very happy now if I can only get a wagner or cobb in the same manner my set will be all but complete.


James Gallo

Looking for 1915 Cracker Jacks and 1909-11 American Caramel E90-1.

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Posted By: Joe D.

great card - great value!

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Posted By: Bill K

Won a PSA4 Miller Huggins T206 portrait from James Verrill auction for $70, it crossed over to a SGC60 (after I broke it out). Sold it for close to $300.

Nine E95's from a board member a few years ago (including a chance, bender, evers, collins and merkle) for $250.00. I gave up on the set when the Wagner and Cobb started going for crazy money. I truly respect that board member because he helped give me a big start to my pre-war collection for a great deal. You never forget about the kindness people show.

Bill

My personal collection - http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f176/fkm_bky/

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Posted By: steve f

Hi Sean, err... Travis

Last year, I won a red Cobb for $150.00 The auction had a few red flags but I chanced it. Sent to BVG and rec'd 2.5.

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Posted By: J Levine

Two purchases last year qualify...

A complete vg 1941 Playball set for $300.
N300 Anson and Robinson both poor but presentable for $300.

Joshua

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Posted By: Martin Neal

For the new members of the board.
Last fall I purchased 30 T205s on Ebay for $1330.00. Only 15 or so of the cards were visable from the scan. I could tell from the scan and in talking with the seller that the group included a Cobb, Joss, Sweeney, Graham (Cubs), and a Suggs. I was lucky enough to win and in hindsight probably should have bid more.
Anyway, when the cards arrived, they included the following, which have since been graded:

Wallace one line psa 5
Hoblitzell no stats psa 4 I thought it had a chance of being a 5
3 Bresnahans open mouth psa 4, 5, 5
Wallace with cap psa 5
2 Rowans psa 4, 5
Dahlen psa 5
4 commons psa 6s
Cobb psa 2
Graham (Cubs) psa 5
Joss psa 3

I have since sold the duplicates and have recouped the purchase price.
Scan of t205s

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Posted By: CLAUDE

I picked up a Huggins Red Belt postcard and A.C. Williams Cy oung postcard..both for under $100.....each sold for over $300. Also picked up a '59 Topps #470 Musial 3000th hit card..(sorry, not a pre-war but still nice!)..got it for $30 and it graded a PSA 9 and sold for over $800!!

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Posted By: Scott

I bought a 1948 Leaf George Kell in GAI 4 for about $500. I broke it out and it came back PSA 5. It's probably worth 3X that. Not for sale.

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

I bought a 38 Goudey Bob Feller for $500 that came back a PSA 7. A PSA 7 sold for $2500 a month ago.

I bought a Johnson's Confectioners Cobb that probably could have been better described - I have no idea what it's worth, but $400 seemed like a great price.

I got a T205 American Beauty Bresnahan from a seller two Nationals ago for $150 that's in an SGC 60 holder.

Ive never had any major wins but a few minor ones like those above.

-Al

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Posted By: dd

I picked up a few hundred prewar cards on ebay over the last 4 years that just keep on appreciating...some of which are way over my card budget these days...

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Posted By: peter ullman

wow...what luck many of you have had...Martin you lucky SOB!!!! I bought a t206 Hofman w/drum back for $30 10 years ago and sold it 2 years ago for $1015 to buy a leather recliner which my cat has since destroyed!

pete ullman

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Posted By: martindl

The ones that stand out for me and all within the past 12 months all from Ebay -

Group of 17 M101-2's including an Ex Joe Jackson for $450, a Police Gazette Joe Jackson for $400, a 1915 Baseball Magazine 'Park Edition' one day issue insert of Mathewson for $16 and 3 T210-8's Chattanooga players for $30 (poor, poor, vg)

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Posted By: T206Collector

Bought the PSA 4 Cobb Batt Off for about $850. Crossed it over without cracking it out. The SGC 60 would sell for perhaps $2,000.



Bought the O'Hara raw on ebay for about $600. The scan made it look fake, but SGC said differently. Probable worth $1,200 - $1,500.




Bought a group of about 10 vintage cards on ebay for about $200. The lot included two T206 cards -- a Keeler PSA 4 portrait and a raw Bresnahan batting. I no longer have the Keeler, but the Bresnahan graded an SGC 70.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I actually got it for free from my mother who found this in a scrapbook she bought for $25. I removed it from the scrapbook.



Just this past week I picked up another Scrapps (Tip O'Neill)in a scrapbook for $20 at an estate auction. It's inspired me to try and put the set together.

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Posted By: Bob

Martin- I think that qualifies as the best pickup I have ever heard of in my days of collecting. WOW!
This is my favorite pickup. Paid $55 on ebay for it 6-7 years ago, have been offered $2000. It is a 1/1. The debate rages on whether or not it is a proof for a set which was never issued. Who knows? It is not one of the "notebook cover" cards Frank Ward uncovered with E95s and E96s on it. The key is the caption showing Chance with the Yankees, not the Cubs as on the E95 card. The time frame, being with the Yankees, lends credence to the belief it was a proof of a card in an intended set which never came in to fruition. I also have a Kling Boston and Keith Olberman has a Davis Cleveland, all appearing to be proofs from the same projected set. A mystery...

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Is it just me Bob or does it look like your Chance card had a dotted "Cut Here" type of line? It looks that way in the lower left corner.

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

Bought 5 uncataloged cards in a Dave Festberg auction in 1997. Cobb, Wagner, Evers, Marquard and Wood. $400 total, including shipping. The Marquard never even got a bid so Dave gave it to me for the opening bid - $25. These cards had photos that looked like M101-4s, but had different fonts, finish and feel. Blank backs so no idea who produced them.

I consigned to a Barry Sloate auction a while later and two guys got into a biding war and they went for over $4,000. I wish I had kept the Wagner or the Cobb. I've never seen anything like them before or since, although Lew Lipset told me that they he had seen a few over the years. Didn't have a scanner back then so I can't share the images.

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Posted By: Josh K.

I won the lot of 7 e93s pictured below for a little over $280 with the juice. Ive since upgraded all of the cards and sold the original seven for close to $750 total.



I also picked up this e93 wagner in the same auction for $900. SGC 40s are currently selling for around 2.5-3k.

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Posted By: Rhys

I am not really sure what my best deal is, but I think this one is up there. I bought a near mint Carl Horner cabinet of Rube Kroh with the original glassine envelope about 2 years ago for around $30 if I remember right. You can still see some of the reprints some guy made from it on ebay. I sold it about 2 weeks later for about $3500. Last fall I bought a 1914 Cracker Jack Chance for $50 and sold it for $1250. Not bad.

Rhys Yeakley

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Posted By: fkw

Paul, that E&S Mathewson Postcard has to be one of the biggest steals of the year! I remember when you found that, I was pissed I missed it!

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Posted By: Jeff Drum

E95 Cobb $600 - PSA7
George Miller Jimmie Foxx $50 - PSA5
George Miller Wes Ferrell $30 - PSA4
E92 Cobb $300 - PSA4

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Posted By: Paul

Thanks Frank. I just got it a couple days ago. It took 30 days to go from Tulsa to Austin. I thought it was history.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I bought a batch of 62 cards with E102's, T206's and a T202 for $6100 about 2 years ago. I got them graded and here's some highlights and what i sold them for:

E102's-
Miller Fielding SGC 60 -$5500
Miller Fielding SGC 50 -$2500
Cobb SGC 40 - $2600
Crawford SGC 60 - $900
Evers SGC 50 - $500
Collins SGC 50 - $500

T206's
Cobb - Red - $800
Cobb Red - $600

Along with these came another 40 or so E102's (4 more Crawfords, another Evers, a Bender, a Wagner batting poor, and many more - all told - 44 E102's ranging in grades from 20 to 60)...all sold the rest of these for over $4000.

Also in the bunch was a Chase/Wolter T202 I graded and got an SGC 84 - I sold that for $750 and paid $25 for it.

Also with the batch came a handful of T206's including a Baker that graded a 60.

Pretty good deal.

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Posted By: Josh K.

Incredible deal Andrew - where did they come from?

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Posted By: Richard

Jeff,

What was the back on this one?

E92 Cobb $300 - PSA4

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

a T200 premium, the big 21 x 13 one... Cleveland for $10. Joe J is standing, as big as your finger.

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Posted By: Jeff Drum

Richard,

It is actually a PSA3 now that I have pulled it out and looked at it. It has a Croft's Candy back - Croft and Allen Co. #03395406

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Posted By: leon

Too embarrassed to say....it was pretty good though...

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Posted By: judd hamlin

T206 Drum Sweeney (Bos.) from Howard's in Ohio (in 93 or 94) for 18.00 (vgex). I think Barry Sloate is still trying to get me to sell it.

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Posted By: Joe D.

about the T200 premium....

Jaw Dropping!

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Posted By: barrysloate

Judd- I'm just a phone call away. Good to see you post on the board. Hope you are well.

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Posted By: Richard

Jeff - quite an incredible card. Congratulations - I love these stories.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Leon, what was the "trucker boy find"? I've seen it alluded to here a few times, but never explained.

Nevermind -I always forget about that "Search" tool in the upper right corner.

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Posted By: Andrew Parks

Josh,

A gentleman who was selling them for a friend. I found the guy on Ebay.

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Posted By: NickM

Vintage: 1932 U.S. Caramel (or 1933, for the purists) Paul Waner in Fair condition for $0.25 (dealer's junk box at 1985 National).

Modern: 2003-04 Topps Finest gold xfractor Steve Blake (serial numbered 1/1) for $0.10 (dealer's dime box in 2004). [For those who couldn't care less about shiny stuff, it's probably a $25 to $50 card. Blake was the starting point guard for the Maryland Terrapins NCAA championship team, and he is having a decent NBA career.]