I know what you mean. A green Cobb is all I need...and this Babe Ruth. The green Cobb and the Babe Ruth, that's all I need!

After "needing" a few more things my family thinks I've gone nuts! :D

Haha

Got my catalog today.
Thick & smells Great!!!

The material in this auction is absolutely insane. Hoping to land a couple items.

Fantastic offerings. Can someone please lend me a $1 million? I promise my estate will pay it back as best it can after the cards I buy are liquidated after my death.

My first-ever consignment of more than one card--so bid hearty, me laddies.

With that strategy you will be able to limit the number of competitors. The problem is you will be limiting the wrong ones.

The guys you knock out probably weren't going to win the lot anyway. The ones who are likely to win it are still there. So you are only creating the illusion of less competition.

So true, Barry. It's much easier to place in the race than win it.

What do you have out there, Greg?

Catalog arrived today (Northern Virginia).

You are probably right, as I end up the high bidder probably 50% of the time when all is said and done. End of the day, no matter how you play it, if you want the card, you need to be high bidder when it’s all said and done

Got my catalog on Friday! Probably because of my large number of consignments - delivered via FedEx.

Very excited about one lot in particular...will be bidding strong on that one with “house money”.

Bid strong my friends. Bid strong! But not on the lot that I want!!

Got my catalog today. With hopes of not offending, my wife calls it "card porn". I make jokes about having her draw a bath, pour a glass of wine and getting out the REA catalog in advance of a romantic evening!

Yep, lot goes to the highest bidder. That's how it works.

That's good to know. :eek:

Took me a long time to figure it out.

The serious bidders are aggressive on the last day or in extended bidding. As stated by others putting bids in on the first day on items of interest allows me to review the items I might go after depending on where the price is on the final day. Most importantly it allows me to bid during the extended period when the action becomes serious. I have never been one to put in top all bids other than on ebay snipes. Even on ebay it never feels good to put the highest price I would pay in the snipe software.

Note to Clydepepper since you asked: About 40 scattered lots. Major ones might be the Plank Sepia PC, one-of-a-kind Allegheny, Gem Mint WaJo WG5, top-graded Rose PC for Chance, rare Cy Young PC, Evers t206 Hindu, Matty t206 Cycle and PSA 5 Bernhard Hindu, Evers Newsboy, rare and wacky Hartnett Whiz Bang, PSA 4 Mayo fo Hugh Duffy, a nice Red Sun and so on.....

I put a bid in every lot I was interested in. Not going to chase windmills until extended bidding....

I found that setting a high bid early only gives serious bidders a mental readiness to bid higher in a bidding war. The bidding war will come but better to have your competition less time to think about stretching his bid...

Now I'm beginning to understand why I never win anything! :D

My REA phone book arrived in the teeming metropolis of Manassas, VA, today.

Just got my catalogue, post office delivered it. And I still have one high bid.

And now I will stop the updates on that one bid until May 7. :rolleyes:

My catalog goes straight into the recycling bin.... I have been outbid on all 40+ lots I bid on (totally expected). I have not placed a max bid, only placeholders, and the next 20 days will be spent on deciding what 1-5 cards I really want to pursue. Because I blew my wad on a t206 plank last month, I won’t be a contender on any real big boy cards, but, IMO, the biggest superstar (and there are many) is the CJ Matty - I have seen and held it and it is awesome.

The May pickups thread should be fun...

Oh, and as an aside, now that REA is out, do we even care that Heritage is ending in 5 days...??!!

I don't know why REA auctions inspire these lengthy threads and Heritage -- IMO the clear industry leader now -- never does.

IMO, because REA only runs twice a year.

I think they are both amazing. Between the two, however, I think REA has the edge on content and Heritage is superior on auction format (interface/auction website, per-lot extended bidding, allowing bids between increments, etc).

LOL painful truth. If you want the card enough, you'll do what you need to get it. And there's always some jerk out there willing to pay whatever it is to get it. Just hope he's not collecting the same things as you. Cough.

I don't think one bidding strategy is going to work best in all situations. I think your lake front property cards aren't worth trying to scare people from cause they will always be desirable and there are enough whales who want the best of the best. However, I firmly believe you certainly can discourage people from bidding on ghetto and flood zone cards where people will want to consider all better options before settling.

That said, I've placed over 100 bids in REA so far and only 1 lot have I placed a max bid (which I think is pretty obvious) and I'm still high on that one with plenty of room to increase more :cool:

PS big improvement on the REA site: you no longer have to click on an extra button to see thumbnails of the lots you bid on. That's actually a nice addition and much appreciated.

haha...flood zone cards!!!

REA is REA...but Heritage's current auction has a tremendous marquis in the mantle and is a much more interesting auction for me.

The Nadjas, the E98's, lots of caramels, sporting life cobb, plowboys, oj's, m101-6 ruth, nice cj's...nm7 ruth rookie...amazing stuff.

That sf hess Welch is sick!

Peter, you need to learn when to close your mouth :p you know I'm just playing around and I 100% agree with you. Actually, I find the current REA auction a bit blah, especially by REA standards.

The post war selection in Heritage is incredible too.

Ya...I hadn't got there yet when I posted!!! Those mantles...a psa 9 51 bowman to go with the topps.

ya...i thought of you when I saw those...it's like xmas/hanukkah/Kwanzaa for you i bet!:D

I wonder how many catalogs were shipped.... wow, they go through great expense to lay it out, print it and ship it. Now for an update:

It was Professor Plum in the Conservatory with the REA Catalog....:eek:

Epic blizzard here in st paul...may go til monday! Nothing to do but drool over cards!

Fred that's funny!

Heritage has much bigger cards, for sure, but I think there’s a purity about REA that many collectors appreciate.

A “purity???”

Sometimes it is good to let something go.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...highlight=w555

.

Agree
 

REA always has a great vintage spread! I might sit this one out though.

Pete, you’re on the board enough. I don’t believe I need to explain the comment to you. But the headline is I think a lot of collectors appreciate the way Brian and team do business. They set the standard.

Brian and crew are the best. No doubt.

100% agree

REA has always been the auction we talk the most about. It is the catalog I most look forward to and spend the most time with. It feels more exclusive since they only do 2 auctions a year. I have bought from Heritage and REA regularly and both are certainly top of the list, but it isn’t quite as worthy of a lengthy thread when Heritage puts out several big auctions each year.
Both have great stuff and it is difficult to truly compare them. Both also have terrific customer service in my opinion.
REA catalog is iconic. It’s like Christmas when it arrives. And delivery people everywhere flood their chiropractor offices after delivery.
I enjoy both auction houses but twice a year we get to see REA’s catalog and have a few threads like this. Good stuff.

Very well said.

They're both fantastic of course. I'd have to compare their current auctions relevance to me by the number of placer bids. I have about 8 in Heritage and 25 in REA. I don't place bids on cards I want badly but could never afford. ( except that Mantle Dice game:D)

The difference for me with REA and other auctions is that they come up with items that Ive been looking for years and have not seen anywhere for sale or auction. There are 2 such cards in the current auction. One of which I’ve never seen once elsewhere. While Heritage has a lot of quality items over the course of a year, I don’t see the obscure items as much.

A lot of rarities in this auction. Is one of the Serota brothers selling their collection?

rea
 

its only the beginning
october might even be better:)

Two cents
 

I feel like REA is for collectors and heritage is for investors. I know that’s an oversimplification but just my two cents

Interesting. I can certainly see that point.

I can't at all.

Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out why a huge rarity is a $6,000 card and why a different huge rarity is a $60,000 card. I know that the Stanky, Konstanty and Roberts cards from the 1951 Topps All-Stars are legendary rarities, but I didn't realize that the Roberts card was a $62,000 card when the last example sold. The current Roberts card at REA is sitting at $48K with the buyer's premium.

I guess it just surprises me that the Roberts card sells for 10 times that of a huge Phillies rarity of the same era like a Lummis Peanut Butter Richie Ashburn card. Of course, it could be the aesthetics of the Topps All-Stars card that makes it a $60,000 item. ;)

https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com...e?itemid=48918

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/...e-ashburn-sgc/

Explain to me how some dog eared 1951 cut out card sells for multiples of a 1920s Ruth Champions Exhibits card that is stunning and seldom seen. But there are so many examples one could come up with. I guess it's the vagaries of collecting.

Is that a cross between vagaries and vulgarities? :D

Or peculiarities?
It makes little to no sense. But I get it as a back collector for T206 McGraw cards. Some of them have very very few copies and if two people have to have them, they go for a ton. Many times, if only one person wanted the card it would go for a fraction of the price. Those prices on the 1951 All Stars make absolutely no sense to me, but I don’t collect them so that’s understandable. That’s one of the great things about these auctions. I see a lot of things I haven’t seen before.

And what's the deal with the Green Cobbs? I thought I might spring for one since there are a few nice lower grade examples. On the third day a few already have 30-35 bids and are deep into four figures, and these are a 2 and a 2.5. Is this market real, or is someone manipulating it? I mean folks, this just isn't a rare card. What are there, like two or three thousand of them out there? I call foul.

Barry-buy what is overlooked, not what is hot. Is there a more overhyped T206 than the green Cobb?

Eddie, I internalize this with the "Honus Wagner" theory. The T206 Honus Wagner is neither the most scarce in supply nor the most aesthetically pleasing Honus Wagner card. However, it is nearly orders of magnitude more in demand than other Wagners, thus the six figure price tags for deplorable examples.

It's all about Supply and Demand. I can name a handful of collectors whose entire collecting focus is Topps cards from 1951 through the modern era (wherever you'd like to define that cutoff). The Stanky, Roberts and Konstanty cards have been known, reported on and discussed throughout the hobby for many decades, thus increasing their sex appeal.

You're absolutely right about the Lummis Peanut Butter Ashburn card. However, it's a curious use case: 1) Some collectors eschew the set because they look identical to the Sealtest, but for the card backs 2) They're so rare to find, set "completion" is a fairy tale for all but a handful of collectors and 3) there are many other Ashburn cards that are much more plentiful, but cost must more $$$ because of the many collectors who want the card.

If the Ashburn Lummis ever becomes a hot commodity worth $60k, I'll be the first to sell :) I've only ever seen a single example - and was happy to purchase it a number of years ago

:DThe Magee/Magie error. Who cares? :D

True. True. But it is so easy to go after what is hot because you feel like if it is that hot you have to have one. I have been guilty of this several times. Never seem to notice until after I have purchased for too much.

I agree Jay. I think it is also a case of panic buying, that if I don't buy one today it will just cost more tomorrow. As such, I will live without a Green Cobb. I can't tell you how many dozens of them I had in my early years in the hobby, so the appeal just isn't there at this price point.

rea
 

am i missing something here
ive seen 8 or 10 lummis ashburns which appear every year
there are only 2 or 3 of each current all stars which appear once a decade or more
rarity for the currents is greater and the demand is greater
therefore the price is greater

To Barry's point here. The Green Cobb and Bat On have nearly the same population on the PSA pop report. Two factors here . One is the popularity of the Green Cobb. Just a typical supply and demand curve. While no more rare than Bat On the popularity (demand) has increased the value. Second and more to Barry's point is several people are buying the Green Cobb's paying what they have to and then holding/hording or reselling at a substantial profit . There were dealers at the 2017 National with as many as 20 Green Cobb's who admit to buying all the Green Cobb's they can find. All Cobb T206's are up big though. I purchased a Red Portrait in a 2.5 with a PB back 2 years ago for 800.00. Now a PSA 2.5 goes for 2k or more

I guess like the 52 Mantles, there is a nice supply of them and good demand so is it's a great card to build a market around. Hard to get excited about a one of seven card that no one ever sees if your goal is a quick buck.

And what's with the photo of Ruth and his Dad behind the bar? Was there a law passed somewhere that every major auction now has to have one of these. The first 4 or 5 times I saw one was kind of interesting but now just seems like a hot potato people buy and quickly pass to someone else.

No you haven't, Larry. There have been less than two Lummis Ashburn's to trade publicly over the last decade. You are probably thinking of the Sealtest Ashburn - which is a sticker, not a card, a slew of which found their way to market over the past few years.

I am agreeing with you that the demand is (much, much) greater for the Currents than the Lummis. You are perhaps current that the Lummis are slightly more plentiful than the Current - but only slightly. I'd argue that fewer than fifteen examples exist of some of the Lummis Phillies

Thanks for the thoughtful post, Marc. If the Lummis Ashburn card would ever climb to $62,000, I would hope that a Puddinhead Jones card from the set would at least hit low five figures the way Stanky and Konstanty Topps All-Star cards have. ;) I bought my Jones card on eBay from John Rumirez; he wrote me that he has been working on the set for 30 years and only has nine of the 12 Lummis Peanut Butter cards.

I know there is also another member on this board who has a Lummis Ashburn card.

lummis
 

delete

Thanks Rick. So if many people are hoarding Green Cobbs then that creates an artificial price point. No need for me to get caught up in it. There are plenty of other great cards to buy that are not in such great demand.

Just don't start vacuuming up 19th Century. The last thing we need is a new whale.

I don’t think your point jives with Rick’s. He said that people are buying a bunch of Green Cobbs and then selling them for substantial profit. So how is “hoarding” creating an artificial “price point” if the hoarders are selling at a higher price?

The greater fool theory

Rick said holding/hoarding OR reselling. In other words they are depressing the available supply and trickling them out at an inflated price.

Peter, it was mentioned that there are display cases of 20+ Green Cobbs offered at the National by these “hoarders.” And they’re selling. How is that trickling out supply?

I am just trying to interpret Rick's words, I have no idea about the Green Cobb market. Though if they're all priced to the moon, then they might as well not be for sale at all, unless you're someone who is price inelastic and just has to have one.

Didn't a member show a pic a few months ago of a couple dozen green Cobb's he's hoarding?

As Peter mentioned it is creating a price spiral. The hoarding causes greater demand and the price keeps going up. If dealers or collectors decide they no longer want to keep buying them, the price will go down. Cards that get very hot typically cool off. Can't say for sure, but right now it looks terribly overpriced.

I am just trying to replay Rick’s words (hi Rick), not interpret them. At the end of the day, he’s right, there are tons of guys who buy cards at auction and then offer them up at the National at significant markups. A bunch of guys on this board do it. And it must work, because it keeps happening. Not for me as I’m purely a collector, but as a capitalist, I can’t begrudge someone else for doing it.

These things usually self correct. Ultimately the supply is too big to control although you can create some short to medium term dislocations.

Yeah, that’s mr rareback. Don’t know him personally, but I think he’s just generally buying a bunch of Cobbs. To own. For a long time. I don’t get the sense he’s trying to manipulate price as he’s said in posts that nothing is for sale. But he can speak for himself if he wishes.