Would you trade your ENTIRE collection for 1 card?

[quinnsryche]

Another weird question from me If you had the opportunity to trade your entire card collection for that 1 special card, would you do it? Now I don't mean your stockpile of 1987 Topps Bobby Thigpen rookies for a T206 Wagner! What I am getting at is a fair value trade, if your collection books at 10K or 50K or a million dollars and the other card also is valued as such, would you do it? Now the pretext is the single card is your "holy grail" and for argument sake, this would be the only chance for you to EVER own said card. Would anyone or everyone be comfortable owning 1 single, special card as their "collection" or is it the whole that does it for you? If you answer yes you would, what would that card be? My only hope for this post is to see what the different mindsets there are out there.
Thanks!

[Robextend]

That is a good question, I would say no. I'd rather have hundreds of quality cards over just one.

[botn]

Ok. I'll play...

I would trade what ever it took from my collection for an E135 Jackson and/or an E107 Wagner.

[T206Collector]

I had 521 of the T206 set and sold about 400 of them to make a run at Lionel Carter's Eddie Plank in the April 2007 Mastro Auction. Fortunately, I did not have to part with my Mathewson or my Cobb cards (full disclosure), but I did essentially liquidate my T206 set in order to get 1 T206 card. I have never regretted this decision, although I do occasionally miss 1 or 2 of my former cards....

From SGC Graded Cards

.....and now I am slowly putting together a raw PR-VG set and am about half way there. So, I am getting them back, to some degree.

[FUBAR]

Definite No from me, i collect what makes me happy and personally would rather have 100 cards valued at $500 then 1 card at 50k.

[Matt]

Not a chance - even at greater value. You can only look at a single card for so long.

[JamesGallo]

It's funny I never thought I would consider this, but after talking with someone over the weekend that maintains a small 25 card collection and not more then that it is something I am considering. His reasoning was if something ever happened to him it would be a lot easier for his wife to deal with 25 expensive cards over 500 or more cheaper cards. This really got me thinking about my set collecting and I will probably narrow down the set collecting.

So at this point I would say yes I would do it, and depending on the card I might have always done it.

James G

[tbob]

Absolutely not. Not even for the best T206 Wagner on the planet.

[Leon]

As a person who likes variety there is just no way I could do it in a collecting vein. If it were purely monetary, maybe.

[Wesley]

I would do it in a heartbeat. If for one of my dream cards (T206 Wagner, E107 Wagner or T210 Jackson) I would be happy to trade an entire collection worth similar value.

[teetwoohsix]

Great question Tony. I've often asked myself this,and each time I end up thinking "no".Right now,I really enjoy going through them all,staring at each one for awhile,and it never gets old.I don't know if I would get the same pleasure of pulling out just one card,staring at it,and putting it away.

T206Collector,I don't know if I could've done what you did,but look what you have now!!I am always very impressed with your signed T206 collection!!!It is amazing that you have so many signed T206's (and a Plank to boot!!).

Sincerely,Clayton

[JasonL]

Umm,....no

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by teetwoohsix

T206Collector,I don't know if I could've done what you did,but look what you have now!!I am always very impressed with your signed T206 collection!!!It is amazing that you have so many signed T206's (and a Plank to boot!!).

Sincerely,Clayton

Thanks Clayton! Now, I wouldn't have traded my entire signed T206 card collection for that Plank -- but I might do it for a nicely signed T206 Cobb card!

[Bosox Blair]

Nope.

I am a collector - I have an urge to collect. For me this means a long-term goal (or goals) I chip away at. I have already put years into this, and I would never trade it all away for any dream card of equivalent market value.

Cheers,
Blair

[deadballera]

I am with the majority and prefer to keep more cards that are worth less than just own one card.

[ChiefBenderForever]

I would say no because I enjoy my Bender collection very much,but to get started and maintain it I sold most of my previous collection so call me hypocrite!

[brianp-beme]

Absolutely not...that would require too much focus on my part, and like a magnifying glass in the sun, this would result in a little burn hole in the card.

Brian

[birdman42]

Does the "Big One" make any sense without the context of the rest of your collection? Do you want the Halla because it's a beautiful object on its own, or because it completes your 1911 Zeenuts? If you don't have any other Zeenuts, what would you do with the Halla?

On the other hand, (yes, I am a trained economist) I think I would be tempted to make the trade. I could consider my former cards as my very enjoyable way of saving up for the "Big One." And, as in the set-for-a-Plank trade, you can always begin "saving up" again. I suppose that if your trade bait contained items that were just as hard to find as your Grail, you might not ever have the chance to replace them at any price. Nevertheless, it's worth considering.

Bill

[HRBAKER]

No, maybe it's the Tiger Woods in me but I prefer variety.

[ethicsprof]

No.
there are so many wonderful types to love and so many beloved T206s.

No, never.

best,

barry

[Wesley]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

No, maybe it's the Tiger Woods in me but I prefer variety.

[Bicem]

nah, would get bored with just one.

[B O'Brien]

No way.
Bob

[sb1]

Not all it's cracked up to be

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by sb1

Not all it's cracked up to be

What did you trade and what did you trade for?

[sb1]

Got this, traded some irreplaceable cards.

[shammus]

I don't think I could do it, even if the monetary advantage was well in my favor.

At the end of the day, I'm a collector and I'll break cards out of their plastic prisons so I can look at them and their "same-set-bretheran" in a binder. There's too much enjoyment in a "group of cards" for me and I think that even if the one card was really spectacular, I'd miss having the "quantity" too.

Another thing, much of what's in my collection now came from a lot of trades, a lot of effort, a lot of chasing, a lot of waiting, a lot of sacrifice...etc..etc..etc... I don't think I'd want to eradicate all my hard work and then just have one really special card to show for it all....

[bbcard1]

Different answer...I collected all through the wild 80s days and dealt pretty heavily...I probably have 500,000 cards in all. And I am quite sure I could be very happy if I could whittle it down to 100 cards plus my Marshall University collection. On the other hand, I am constantly looking for new dragons to slay. Currently, I am thinking of a t206 short set (one of each major leaguer, allowing comparable size substitues for the super rare ones) and a really comprehensive Bill White collection (he seems underappreciated).

[base_ball]

If I had a large collection and I knew my end was near I would absolutely trade many cards for one card of equal value. It would make life so much easier for my heirs.

[36GoudeyMan]

Like many others who have posted, I collect, and I like the variety and goal-orientation of collecting. But if I could think of a single card I wanted THAT badly (and I don't really want a T206 Wagner, honestly), I might dump everything, get it, and then probably re-start the collecting again after that (or is that a viuolation of the hypothetical rules here?)....

[Kawika]

The only single item I would remotely even consider trading my entire collection for would be a check for an obscene and life-changing amount of money. Otherwise, no way, Jose.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by sb1

Not all it's cracked up to be

Um.... I don't know what you traded, but if they were cardboard pictures of baseball men, you did pretty good, in my opinion.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by sb1

Got this, traded some irreplaceable cards.

Well now that my jaw is up off the floor, I will just say that is awesome!

[mark evans]

No way. I like all my cards and look at them frequently. Plus, like Shammus, a good deal of time, effort and persistence went into numerous acquisitions which makes me appreciate them all the more.

[T206Collector]

I think it certainly has to be a function of replaceability. For me, the 400 T206 cards I parted with are available right now on ebay. I may not be able to technically afford a 400 individual T206 purchases on ebay at the moment - but the right budget can make it happen over a reasonable period of time.

The question does become harder when you turn to my signed card collection, for which it would be impossible for me to replace many of them regardless of money or time. Then it purely becomes a question of which item(s) I like more.

[DixieBaseball]

Easily no, would be the answer. I can only get a certain amount of joy from 1 card. I would not trade my collection for a card worth 25-50% more as I just can't imagine parting with a decade of enjoyment from building a collection.

[Exhibitman]

I suppose everyone has their price. If it meant a significant bump in value I can definitely see swapping the whole thing for one card, then selling that card and starting again. If it was a par trade, no, I'd probably not do it. If I had to swap more than the value of the one card for it, definitely not.

I could more easily see trading either my whole collection for a group of what I consider to be the all-time classic cards, or a chunk of my collection for one such card. I've effectively done that a few times selling off chunks of my collection to finance runs at certain cards at auction.

I will say that the choice definitely gets tougher as my collection expands and improves, especially as I've added really rare cards to the pile over the years, ones that I have waited years or even decades to find. They might not even have that much relative value but their replacement value is off the charts. I mean, how do you value a card with no other known examples? Is it "worth" more than a common yet pricey card?

[SteveMitchell]

Tony...

Interesting question but, for me, an easy answer: definitely No. There isn't a single card I desire that would get my relatively poor collection - unless it could be swapped. In which case, I'll take the finest T206 Honus Wagner and really have some fun!

Also, I believe you mentioned in a post sometime ago that you are Pat's son. If so, please pass along my best regards. We go back (through mail contacts mainly) about 40 years and I remember picking up lots of small original Conlon photos from him (for literally a song) not too many years ago at an early 1980's midwest show.

Steve
Just a Double-A ballplayer pretending to be a Big Leaguer

[Cat]

No, but there isn't a card out there that I want more than my favorite single card in my collection. A few years ago, I may have said yes. If I could take my favorite handful of cards off the table and trade everything else for a special card, then yeah I would do it.

[calvindog]

And then will you retire already, damnit?

[Easy506]

I would definitely do it because it would be much easier to reaquire the lower value cards than to ever have a shot at the one dream card.

[Cat]

Originally Posted by calvindog

And then will you retire already, damnit?

Well, then I would have to replace all those cards I just traded off.

[brickyardkennedy]

Nope. Derive great enjoyment from the variety of my cards. How long would the pleasure of admiring just one card, no matter how rare and desirable, last? Speaking, of course, only for myself, the thrill would fade, sooner or later. Also, I'd just start over, obtaining the cards I traded away, and who would want to go through that again?

[rc4157]

I would also find it difficult to reduce to just one card, I enjoy the variety of cards available but to each their own.
RC

[JP]

Yes. I would. But only for the PSA 10 1952 Topps Mantle....and only if I'm allowed to start over afterwards....

[Abravefan11]

I'm not a condition "rare" collector, so with that being said there aren't a lot of cards that interest me that would eclipse the entire worth of my collection. So it would have to be something truly "rare" and more than likely I wouldn't be interested at the cost of my entire collection.

[clamendo]

I think you need to differentiate a "collection" from an investment. One card is not a collection. A Collection is "a gathering of objects , as works of art, literary materials, etc.; a quantity of anything collected together into a mass; an assemblage" - per Google

[kmac32]

simple answer.......no

[nolemmings]

simple answer.......no

Agreed.................well, offer me a Just So Young and give me a chance to change my mind. Still probably no but what a great dilemma to face. I'm up for it....go ahead, offer it here.

[tbob]

Originally Posted by base_ball

If I had a large collection and I knew my end was near I would absolutely trade many cards for one card of equal value. It would make life so much easier for my heirs.

You think? Can you imagine several heirs fighting over one card? All the arguments about do we sell it now, do we wait, do we consign it to REA, etc.? What if some of the heirs hate baseball cards and want to get rid of it as quickly as possible and get their money and some of the heirs absolutely love pre-war cards and would like to keep it as a remembrance of their dad's passion? Who keeps the card, do you have joint custody and visitation agreements? Ack! Too many headaches.