hypothetical question: sets vs singles in an auction

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Posted By: cmoking

Here's a hypothetical question. Say you have a small set of vintage cards - let's use the E92 Dockman & Sons set of 40 cards (only because that's the only one I'm vaguely familiar with). Let's say all of them are graded PSA 4 or SGC 50.

Now you want to sell it. Which method would retrieve the most money?

1. Sell it as a set with Mastronet or another big auction house?
2. Sell the cards individually on ebay?

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Posted By: Sean Coe

With a set like that I'd go with Mastronet.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

the buyer gets from buying a whole set or a large number from one set...if the are MOSTLY in really nice shape..why sell them as a set? Besides, I've always wondered: who are the guys who buy a WHOLE SET? Dealkers mostly, because collectors will alrady have some--of course, a collector could always upgrade the ones he had and etc.

I say, try to avoid selling the cards so that great individual cards become bargains...

Unless you'te feeling charitable....

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Posted By: JimB

Some set collectors who are trying to put together a high grade set may buy the set if it had a significant number of upgrades for them and sell the rest or use them for trade bait for other similar (caramel) cards.
JimB

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Posted By: cmoking

I think it is clear that in the past, sets almost always sold for less than the sum of the parts. However, in recent years, there are signs that this is changing (I think).

In this past calendar year, I have seen a few 1933 and 1934 complete Goudey sets sell for equal to greater than their break-up value through the big auction houses. I think there were several T206 near-sets that sold too....how have those finished up in prices as a near-set relative to the break-up value? If they were close or greater than their break-up value, then they would be in line with what I saw in the Goudeys. If they are on the cheap side, then maybe it is the Goudey sets that are the exception rather than the rule.

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Posted By: cmoking

as for the question "who are the buyers of whole sets" ... well, I'd be a buyer of a whole set if it's a set that I've been interested in, but didn't get involved in yet. There are a few sets that I'd be interested in bidding on if I saw them in an auction. For example, I don't own one DeLong card, but I've had my eye on that set for a while. Since I am trying to complete other sets, I've decided not to start that set until I finish my goals in other sets. I just don't want to be searching for too many different cards all at once. However if a complete Delong set came up for auction, I'd definitely have interest in bidding on it. Also, in the future, when I finally turn my eye onto the T206 set, I'd probably be more willing to bid on a near-set than go card by card...there are just too many and the task seems too daunting to start from scratch. So, I thought that might answer the question of "who are the buyers of whole sets".

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Posted By: JimCrandell

Sell as a set and use one of the prominent auction houses. Many vintage collectors do not check ebay regularly but they would always look at a Mastronet or Robert Edward catalogue.

I also believe that for relatively rare sets that collectors would pay a premium over the individual value of the cards.

Jim