REA successes & failures
 

How'd everyone come out in the REA auction that ended Sunday night?

I loved the 1950 Type I photo of Satchel Paige and Spec Bebop of the Indianapolis Clowns (LINK: https://bid.collectrea.com/lots/164770) ... but I didn't love it for $1,600+ all-in and bowed out.

I failed to remember it was closing and went to bed. :(

I would have placed additional bids on two items above their closing price.

Oh well.

Strong prices on desirable/high grade materials.

I did see a few deals, but you had to look hard.

Finally picked up 1 of the last 2 pieces that I need to complete my Mays master set. Another bidder (maybe someone here) and I went back and forth a bit over the last few days, but eventually he bowed out. Since the pictures still aren't showing up very well, here's the link:

https://bid.collectrea.com/lots/170584

Won and lost
 

Focused on two items: the 1949 Leaf Wax wrapper and the 1935 picture of Ruth and Maranville. Wasn’t willing to go higher in the second round as with all the fees it was inching to $800, and that’s without postage, tax etc.
I did win the Leaf wrapper which will look great with my eventual Leaf card display. Prices were insane, even cheap wasn’t cheap!

Mays
 

Nice !
Ive seen many panels..but never full piece like that

That numbered Mays is tough to find in any form. I was an early bidder on it when the price seemed way too low.

One of the bests selections of 1959 Bazooka cards I have seen in a while. I was considering 6 cards in extended bidding, but only realistically had the budget for 1 and came away with the lowest priced one: Ken Boyer.

Yeah...for a long time, the price was under $500, which everyone knew wasn't going to last.

I managed to pick up one cabinet. I was bidding on several but with LOTG recently ending and the holidays in full swing there was only so much cash to go around.

I was the underbidder on a 1913 Cubs panorama and Ive been kicking myself since that I didnt make one more bid...
If the winner is on here and wants to sell it, let me know!

Ended up winning a 1914 CJ Walter Blair

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Picked up the E135 Speaker, its been on my list for a while.
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I am the proud new owner of the two L1’s in REA last night. I’m pretty excited to have these guys coming in a couple weeks! I’ve never owned one, or seen one in real life since I’ve never lived close to real card shows.

1912 L1 Large Leather Premium #127 Ty Cobb
1912 L1 Large Leather Premium #116 John McGraw

I got beat out on most of the fun backed T206 HOFers I was bidding on, as the market was pretty strong on the good combos it felt like. I thought I had a chance on the AB350 Matty, but no such luck. I did land a couple smaller combos to replace a couple Piedmonts with Sovereigns in the HOFer set though.

Hopefully, our picture issues will get solved soon and I can post pics when I get them in hand.

Looking forward to seeing what you all landed,
Bob

Bazooka box Mays
 

Am I remembering incorrectly, or was that nice Bazooka box Mays from last night once in Howard Chaser's collection? I thought he had picked that up a year or two back, but as I get older, my mamory gets a litle cloudy.

Came second on the Gardner & Co. Caruthers cabinet https://bid.collectrea.com/lots/164408

I tried my best to get the Rube Waddell 1903 Cabinet but wow did it go higher than I ever imagined!

Actually, Howard was the first person I texted when I won. He tells me that he had a similar full sheet, but not this one. But I’ll let him share the full story if he feels like it.

Picked up this Harry Wright Tintype.

Was the under bidder on 34 Quaker Oats Ruth premium. Was trying to be opportunistic and then wasn’t sure how much I really wanted to spend. Now I get to spend the next week+ deciding if I regret not going “just one more bid”

The E106 Speaker is available at cost ($4428) plus shipping if anyone missed out and regrets it. I won more lots than expected across multiple auctions, and I picked up another Speaker that fits my collection better.

Great pickup, Phil. One of the coolest 1917 poses, IMO.

That's so awesome on several levels. Congrats.

Thanks Leon. I love baseball tintypes. Throw in an iconic figure like Wright, and it’s striking.

Won these two for my set which brings me to 108 with 36 remaining. Will need to win the lottery to acquire the Joe Jax... but a man can dream.

Same. I have a pretty spectacular Rube collection and wanted to add it, but not at that price.

I loved the Ruth-Gehrig snapshot and so did some other people, so survey says:

X

I won these 2. The postcard is totally out of my wheelhouse but I’m hoping that I got really lucky and that it is Babe Ruth taking BP. The postcard is of the 1915 Boston Red Sox.

Won this lot, a partial set. I was an under-bidder on the lot that featured the full set, including several graded. Whoever won it ... I'm still interested.

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7aa02e804b.jpg

Thanks Jim, agree with you on the pose, was somewhat surprised how rarely I see the card available.

Nice pick ups AJ, impressive run thus far.

Brendan, great Cobb photo! The postcard is cool but it is not from 1915 unfortunately. There are examples out there with postmarks from before Ruth played so there is no way he is in the picture. I could not tell if you were joking but this has come up before and I prefer more folks understand what it is (an awesome early Red Sox postcard but no chance of Ruth).

Javan, amazing Wright tintype! Do you know any history behind it? What year it was made, the studio that made it or any other details?

Alan

Thanks Alan, I don’t have any additional info. I’ve just never seen a Wright tintype before. My guess is the case is not original but who knows?

Brendan, great Cobb photo! The postcard is cool but it is not from 1915 unfortunately. There are examples out there with postmarks from before Ruth played so there is no way he is in the picture. I could not tell if you were joking but this has come up before and I prefer more folks understand what it is (an awesome early Red Sox postcard but no chance of Ruth).

I wish you would have told me that before I bought it :D

But great info. Thank you!

The Red Sox postcard is awesome (I have one), but it is not Ruth. I have seen multiple examples over the years with postmarks before Ruth's arrival in Boston. One with a 1913 postmark sold on EBay within the last few weeks.

I looked at the description and I am surprised REA said it was from 1915 when the grading company used 1910s which is accurate. I am guessing they went by the mailing date but I am disappointed they used that.

Alan

Happy to pick this up!

Probably overpaid (who didn't) but really liked the large borders and centering.

I get a PSA 8 is more valuable but how much more valuable and why?

I think the why is mostly about the set registry. Particularly at the highest grades.

Precisely how much is really up to the market. Seems like the spread had been getting smaller, at least for prewar, over the last 5-ish years, and particularly for low to mid grades. Although more recently, with some of the fears around SGC's durability, I wouldn't be surprised if the spread comes back.

So maybe some of the spread is also around whether SGC will still exist in 5 or 10 years?

Was beat out on all the items that I was in for. I thought prices were very very strong, especially on the quality T206s I was looking at. Lots of stuff over recent prices it felt like.

If someone here won the T209 Contentnea lot, I would be interested in one card. Please send me a PM. Thanks!

That belongs on the HOF.

I won the autographed RC of Warren Spahn.

Psa 9 Mantle 1956 Topps for $160k
https://bid.collectrea.com/lots/162137


Much nicer PSA 8.5 for $56k
https://bid.collectrea.com/lots/161788

Looks like some rats chewed on the lower right corner of the 9…

The final boss of “Buy The Card Not The Grade.”

Great pickup, Jeff. Congrats!

Thank you, Daryl!

Very nice card with great centering. What type is the back of the card?

I can't see how this card wouldn't look better than almost every other specimen out there. Even the most OCD of OCD collectors would be too impressed with its positives to be hyper-focused on the negative.

Thank you, Steve. I assume you mean the all caps vs. caps plus lower case in his name. This one is the mixed, caps and lowercase.

Guessing the back mostly explains the grade. But certainly understand why we would all prefer this 2 to just about any other 2 out there.

Love this card Phil. I bid on it early but wound up sitting out the entire auction. One of my favorite Speaker’s. And they are very tough to find.

This small purchase was received yesterday (Tuesday) via UPS, super quick shipping!
p.s. only about 50% complete, so I have a long way to go catch up to you AJ!

I haven't seen one of those Cobbs in a while, Jeff. Really nice.

I was active with a few of the Zeenut lots and the two Caramelo Deportivo Ray Dandridge cards before bowing out on those. Happy with my two wins, which seemed to avoid any crazy last-minute bidding:

https://res.cloudinary.com/robertedw...l/162021-1.jpg

https://res.cloudinary.com/robertedw...l/170128-1.jpg

I know I shouldn’t care who wins my consignment, but I always feel better when it lands in the hands of a collector and not a flipper. And it lands in a world class Cobb collection to boot.

Sam, I'm thrilled that this was your card -- I know for a fact you have good taste :) Thank you.

Jeff, just a stunner. I have had a couple of 3's over the years but your card leaves them in the dust. If I was the grader at PSA, I'd give it a 4.5.
What Cobb cards are still left on your want list?

John, thank you. There aren’t many Cobbs left that I want. Some are just various backs but I haven’t gone after all of them and probably won’t. But in terms of actual cards looking to buy, they’re mostly just upgrades. A few M101-4/5s I suppose, depending on how stupid I feel when an auction is occurring. And an M110! Somehow I haven’t picked up one of them yet.

Beautiful Cobb, Jeff.
This was my solitary win. That was a terrific auction.

Brian, I loved that Greenberg. I’ve tried so hard to avoid pulling that thread on signed Hank cards, but that one is a beauty.

Thanks, Jeff!

Fantastic eye appeal on the Cobb and signed Greenberg
Congrats gentleman!

Thanks, Craig!

Man...that's a great looking card!

Thank you, fellas!

I'm with all of you guys, I also think that Jeff's new E103 Cobb is incredible - congrats on that pick up!

Only one thing for me. I couldn't resist this 1920 photo of Babe Ruth in his first season as a Yankee and Eddie Cicotte in his last season in the majors. When the shutter clicked on this photo Cicotte didn't know that he would pitch just 12 more games before Kenesaw Landis ended his career through a lifetime ban for his role in throwing the 1919 World Series.

It is fun to think about what they are both laughing about, the grizzled vet and the 25-year-old Bambino. There are lots of fun details - Cicotte holding the ball in a pitching grip, both players with tattered sleeves on their shirts, Ruth's belt buckle to the side.

The note on the back from the photographer ends with "To Ed. Cicotte" so it seems like there is a good chance this photo was once Eddie's. Did Eddie realize that the photographer probably got a good shot of him and immediately ask for a copy? On August 1, 1920 Ruth already had 37 homeruns, 8 ahead of the previous full-season record of 29 that he set in 1919, so maybe Eddie wanted a memento of an intimate moment with someone he knew was in the midst of changing the face of the game? Or perhaps the photographer thought it was such a fun shot that he knew Eddie would like one and gave it to him? No matter the answer, the questions this photograph poses 105 years later had me hooked.

Great card, Jeff, and awesome photo and historical context, Bryan! You should print that out and keep it with the photo.

Bryan, that is an interesting view of The Babe. If I had looked at this pic without being aware that it was Ruth, I doubt I would have realized it was him.

Thank you, Steve.

Wow....that's a nice one. I bet it might have a smidge of back damage, or an almost imperceptible wrinkle somewhere. A perfect card.