Out of Control Prices

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Posted By: Paul

I know some brand new cards can draw ridiculous prices, but this one may set a new standard. Wouldn't you rather own a nice VG Goudey Ruth?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2717078870&category=20876

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Posted By: Hankron

Don't get cocky just because you learned where to type in the title to your post.

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Posted By: Hankron

In light of arguments elsewhere on the board, I point out that I was merely teasing. Considering I (at least) onced mistyped my name on this board, I'm hardly one to hurl jibes.

The question isn't what the McGwire card is worth today, but what it will be worth in a few years. I would guess it will be worth about, oh, $30 in a few years. There is a scarcity to McGwire's signatures, especially on licensed products like trading cards. However, this scarcity is only temporary, unless McGwire's good hand has recently been amputated.

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Posted By: Paul

I knew you were teasing. It is surprising how tempers sometimes flare on this board.

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Posted By: Ben

This trimmed, torn, and battered n172 Rusie (which I was ignorantly hoping to snag for under $200) just sold on ebay for over 5k!!!!


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31719&item=2715909577&rd=1

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Posted By: Hankron

I never feel bad in a MastroNet auction when by bid in 'nipped at the last second' by $10,000.

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Posted By: RC_McKenzie

Baffling price. The high bidder almost won it for $324. 3 snipes, 2 over 5000 and the second under bidder at $319. It could very easily have sold for $324. I'd rather own 1000 shares of El Paso than that trimmed card, but it's their money and they can spend it in one of my auctions anytime.

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Posted By: TBob

Pete's E94s generally SGC 30's and 40's went for waaaaay too much. Congrats to Pete but what is everyone thinking???? Call it sour grapes because I was outbid on 8 cards (my snipe software didn't even get a chance to work the prices were so high at the end) but these weren't EX and EXMT cards.

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Posted By: Paul

That Rusie card is not just trimmed. It's practically invisible. I wonder if the two high bidders put in absurd prices, thinking no one would bid more than say $1,000, and the high bidder just got stuck. Let's watch the feedback and see if he actually pays.

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Posted By: Elliot

The same thing happened on other Old Judges in similiar condition from the same seller about the same time. A big gap between the two top bidders and the third one down. Looks like a bidding war between two guys, who didn't think that somebody else would put in a very high proxy bid. One lucky seller.

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Posted By: jay behrens

I believe one of the underbidders is Kieth Olberman.

Jay

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Posted By: Brian H.

I have a feeling that that Rusie is especially rare based on both the bidding (I think Jay is right about one of the underbidders) and the fact that Rusie wasn't even with the Giants until 1890 meaning that this card was only issued in 1890.
Jay Miller would undoubtably be know best...

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

Jay.....Olbermann was the underbidder. They collect OJ's by pose (at least Jay does). Rusie is tough anyway you get him (thanks for the one I bought from you Jay.....) but I'm sure this is a particularly tough pose.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

I think it's a little odd that a seller who sells new stuff and baby sports pictures would have two Old Judge Hall of Famers--particularly the tougher versions of them. The photos look okay but aren't the greatest clarity. Hopefully nothing underhanded going on from the seller's point of view.

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Posted By: Jay Miller

Rusie-NY is the toughest HOF team variation in the set. It isn't the pose that is the key(although I believe that this is Rusie's toughest pose); the key is that it is Rusie's 1890 card when he came to the Giants. All of Rusie's other cards are with Indianapolis. I believe that there are less than five of these known. Although it means nothing to me, this is probably what should be considered Rusie's rookie card as it is his first "major league" card.

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Posted By: Jay Miller

Tom--I think the seller is fine. I have paid via credit card and the cards have been shipped. These cards were given to him on consignment to sell on ebay which explains his lack of prior vintage sales.

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Posted By: RC_McKenzie

I guess it's a good price since you could always sell it to merkle923 for around the same price.

I noticed in Lemke's 8th edition that there are two New Yorks poses listed, 395 1B "pitching-hands at neck" and 395 4B "pitching-right hand forward"

I guess these both have low populations.

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Posted By: Jay Miller

First--the card was not purchased for resale.
Second--there are less than five examples known of Rusie NY, regardless of the pose.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

a card is worth whatever two bidders are willing to pay for it. I just had another great example. Last year around this time I couldn't touch an ex-ex+ N43 boxer for under $500, and I tried several auctions. A week or two ago I picked one up for under $300. Got it yesterday and was very pleased with the card--a very solid ex+ maybe even ex-mt card. So, is the card "worth" $300 or "worth" $500? The card is worth whatever two bidders are willing to pay for it.

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Posted By: John(z28jd)

Jay,if there is 2 poses with NY and less than 5 known could this be a one of a kind example? Do you know the breakdown of the other 3(i assume theres 3 others,correct me if im wrong)

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Posted By: Jay Miller

John--I believe that there is a copy in the Burdick collection. I saw the collection several years ago and I think it had the hand forward pose. I don't know if there is a copy in the collection at the British Museum. Otherwise, I am unaware of another copy in any of the major U.S. Old Judge collections. If SCD listed this pose in their catalog then I assume that there is at least one copy that I don't know about. My numbers are a guess; my calling the card rare is not.

Adam-- What you say is correct and, for that matter, obvious. Cards have no intrinsic value; they are just little pieces of paper. One can infer the value for a particular card based on its rarity and who the card pictures but that would at best be an educated guess. Rarity of a card does not directly translate to value, especially in an area where the relative rarity of particular cards is not well documented or understood.

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Posted By: RC_McKenzie

I didn't mean to come across as a philistine, although I would not deny that I fit the profile. When I was watching the war news on MSNBC yesterday, I couldn't help but think..."I wonder how much Nachman pays that merkle guy? I wonder if he's pissed that Miller sniped him on that OJ on ebay??"

I was not implying that you were in it to flip it for the money. It's just that somewhere down the road it will be traded again and now Lemke has a good idea of it's relative value.
I sort of have a game warden approach to sports cards. I want to learn all I can about the cards without actually owning them. I have owned a lot of cards, but I have very few in my collection. Anyway, learned alot about this card from this thread. Cheers.