Recent Chicle Auctions
 

Did anyone win one of the Chicle cards from Memory Lane's recent set break auction?

http://www.memorylaneinc.com/site/ga...x?grdLots=1_25

I was the only bidder on one of the cards (my only win), but other than that, there were some strong prices!

The Nags went for 19K + BP

And the Ernie Smith surprised me - I didn't think that was a tough card to find centered, yet one without great centering in my opinion sold for 2,382 + BP

http://www.memorylaneinc.com/site/bi...d-d9e6cbfa6f0c

I'm happy for the seller - looks like they went with the right AH because these are some of the highest prices I've seen yet!

Not saying that the Nagurski wasn't nice but I would be a little upset about the little "wrinkle" in the upper left corner of the reverse for what they paid for it. Just my opinion.

Then again, PSA 6's don't come up too often...so.

No luck for me. I was underbidder on a couple of them that went for a reasonable price but most of these went for WAY more than their highest VCP.

Some very nice cards but I don't like to set new records when buying cards if at all possible :)

jeff

I picked up the Masterson. It will be broken out of its tomb and placed in a binder for my raw set.

I thought that was a pretty good price for the Masterson (nice card). Congratulations, good purchase!

I agree with Jeff though, it's kind of scary to see these prices when you're still working on a set. Ouch!

Dez, have you finished your set?

My main target was actually the PSA 5 Dutch Clark - I was thinking a midgrade low number might get lost in the shuffle, even a HOFer, but I was sure wrong about that - I think like several of the other cards - it sold much higher than it would have on eBay.

Brent, nice pick up on the Masterson - that was one of the ones I've actually seen a similar card sell higher in the past. I think it was Goodwin, but I can't say for sure.

Jeff, from what I recall, the only card you need to upgrade is the Burnett, surprised to see you bidding :) Agree about not being the one to set the record - I'd imagine the Ernie Smith blew away whatever data VCP has, right?

Scott, I just picked up Burnett, I need to post it now that I have it in hand, but it was a busy weekend. I still need Ernie Smith, Isola, Dutch Clark, Shipwreck Kelly, and Montgomery. I'm also always looking for upgrades esp. on the low numbers which usually don't break the bank until the grades get really high. Do you have a set on the PSA registry? I tried to find that Nagurski of yours, but I didn't see it.

I wish, John. I've got a bunch that I'm trying to upgrade but haven't had any success recently. Prices out of control!

What we need is a good market correction. Wait ... do I hear something? A stock market crash happening?

jeff

Hi Dez,
No, I don't really get into the registry. I actually prefer raw cards but for certain high dollar cards it almost seems like a necessity to have them graded. If I ever had to liquidate, god forbid, I would take a beating if my cards were raw.

I have all of the HoFer's and several of the low #'s from the Chicles (PSA 4-5). I'm trying to work on the HoFer's for the 1948 Leaf (especially Bednarik), 1951-1952 Bowman and 1955 Topps and then I'll go back to the Chicles and start filling in my common holes and work my way forward chronologically with the rest of the sets.

I'll check out the PSA registry and take a peek at your set(s).

Hi Dez,
Wow, talk about a birthday present from your wife! I need you to have your wife call mine and talk some football card sense into her. Football cards don't cost money, they make money...right! I was shocked at what the Tosi went for in the Memory Lane auction. That one is going to be a thorn in my side.

Your Rockne is undergraded in my opinion and your Nagurski presents really well for the grade! When I return to this set, I'll probably look for a complete low # lot and then piece the high #'s together one by one. Your set looks like it's in similar condition to what I have/collect.

Jeff, Don't remind me - I only check here and Yahoo! Finance during the day and the other site is too depressing today :)

Thanks Scott for checking out my set - the chicles have definitely become my pride and joy - some days the diamond cut on the Nagurski bothers me, but most days I'm happy with it. Funny you mention the Rockne - I sent that one in for a review and they upped it from a 4.5 to a 5. I think a half grade bump was about as much as I could hope for given how low it started, so I was satisfied. The Tosi was a great gift, but my wife isn't the one to talk to about the hobby unless you want to hear "Are you checking cards again?" every time you glance at your phone :)

Hi John,
Here a my HoFer's plus Feathers (I posted the Nag elsewhere-you've seen it). Like I said, we pretty much collect in the same grade only you're further along in completing your set.

Nice cards, guys! I still have some doubles for sale if anyone is looking for Chicles.

jeff

Here are some Chicle prices I'm sure we'd all love to see come back (from the 1983 Beckett)

Very nice Chicles!

Awesome Chicles! Scott, you have a good eye - those all look to be on the high end of the grade to me.

And love the price guide - wish I had gotten in at those prices. What was I doing? Putting sets together from packs. A vintage card to me was a Reggie Jackson or Ricky Henderson rookie - my card shop didn't even have football cards.

Ernie Smith
 

Anyone bid on this? Not to pile on, but I think it beats the Memory Lane one in just about every way and it was only about 100 dollars more by my rough math (not sure what BP is on the Memory Lane Auction):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1935-Nationa...vip=true&rt=nc

The only thing I didn't like was it seems to be swimming in that holder - its literally at the top of the holder in one scan and at the bottom in another. Hopefully, it doesn't mean anything as they have to allow some size tolerance in the holders.

I bid but dropped out waaaay early. Was a little bit suspect about the size as well.

Did pick up one Chicle that was an upgrade for me, though.

jeff

I was watching just because I wanted to see where it would end, then when I started typing my post last night, I noticed the size. Last time I asked about size it was on a Dale Burnett and people thought it was ok.

Jeff, I'll keep an eye on the pick up thread for when you get any new Chicles in hand.

Without my giving the context yet, check out this bidder information:

30-Day Summary
Total bids: 226
Items bid on: 88
Bid activity (%) with this seller: 100%
Bid retractions: 1
Bid retractions (6 months): 15

Is there any chance this is just a really loyal customer?

No chance whatsoever. I've been on ebay buying lots of stuff since 2009 and have never retracted a bid. I can understand hitting the wrong button once or twice in ones lifetime but any more than that is blatant fraud.

If ebay wants to clean up its act, the easiest way to do so is to disallow bid retractions. Lots and lots of shilling and other games will go away.

jeff

Thanks Jeff. Plus 226 bids with the same seller may not be a lot if you place 1000s of bids, but in this case it was 100% bid activity with the same seller. I also searched a few of the sellers other auctions and was seeing similar.

I pasted the link below. It went for right around what I was going to snipe and I think there was enough interest that the 9 feedback bidder didn't have an impact, but still......

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...p2047675.l2565

Yes. I certainly look to see whether someone bids a lot with a particular seller but that in and of itself isn't necessarily a red flag. I know people who just really like the 0.99 auctions PWCC and Probstein hold so bid mostly with them. Those two organizations also do a nice marketing job on their auctions so not surprised at all that they get better prices in general as visibility / demand is likely higher for them.

Retraction history, however, is a different story.

jeff

Picked up this Chicle upgrade for my set recently.

Attachment 212771

jeff

Nice pickup! I think Kercheval was an underrated player, not a star, but in an era when the kicking game was really important, I've read a few times that his peers considered him one of the best at it.

Great pickup Jeff! One of the most attractive cards in the set in my opinion and like Dez said, good enough of a player to make the 1955 Topps All-American roster as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!:)

Dutch Clark
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1935-Nationa...p2047675.l2557

Does anyone know if this (8,352.00 for a PSA 8 Dutch Clark) sold high or low relative to historical prices for a similar card?

I'm not looking for one graded quite this high, but I did keep an eye on it. A bidder who has only bid on one other item ever jumped in late to take the lead. Prior to that, I noticed a bidder with 9 retractions.

Don't know but looks trimmed to me at the bottom.

jeff

HIGH-GRADED 35 Chicles ----Memory Lane preview:
http://www.memorylaneinc.com/site/ga...x?grdLots=6_25

Whats there not to like? Did someone sell off their Chicle collection???
Tons of great stuff here. Starting with the 1st page-- Mantle heaven. Ruth rookie and more.

Thanks Chris - those are really high grade though. Where are the 4s and 5s? :)

Cant settle for the Nag? its a 5. And a beauty too!!
I had always want one of those, but my focus changed and decided to sell off my entire football RCs...still have the Unitas rc in a psa 3.5 left.
Out of all of them, i think i missed the Namath tall boy the most, but replaced it with a good baseball card.

Another AH, has a few Chicles as well, but i never seen the 35 Chicle Wrapper before--AMAZING!!
They have a slew of 50's Bowmans and some 55 All-American
http://www.milehighcardco.com/ItemIm...42926a_lg.jpeg

The Chicle wrapper is actually pretty easy to get as they come up on ebay every so often. Never seen one that is graded before, though.

jeff

Chicle wrapper
 

Chris msb sports have an ungraded wrapper for sale in their website

The theory is more wrappers survived than would have otherwise because they could be exchanged for premiums.

LAST NIGHT-- MEARS auction ended. Well i told 2 great members of the 35 CHICLE items, which said was from the BRONKO NAG collection.
I was told to mention this as many of you guys might of missed it last night.
Many of the 35 chicles were in "RAW" and there was not many bids when i notified them.
I know i posted about 2 other AH that will have some Nice 35 Chicles as well ( Memory Lane and MileHigh)
BUt like Dez and JP says-- It did not get much advertisement beinbg from the Bronko Nag collection and one mention why there wasnt more items from him.
Which i brought up the idea, why they didnt grade the cards and use the from the Bronko Nag collection, like you see on other baseball slabs.

http://sports.mearsonlineauctions.co..._cards-83.html
I am not a Nag collector, but i saw some neat items-like the 55 parkhurst

Probably one of several reasons why these weren't graded saying they were from Bronko Nags collection.

1) They don't have any hard evidence that they are ... never trust an auction house description as sometimes they are "puffed" a bit or even speculative.

2) The auction house is lazy.

3) The cost of getting them graded would have made the consignment not worth the $$$ they spent on these.

jeff

Thanks Chris for bringing this up. I mentioned some concerns via IM, so just to play devil's advocate this time - it's pretty cool to think that Bronko Nagurski may have collected cards. What I recall from the auction was that the Chicles were beaters, I don't think I saw one that had a chance of pulling more than a "1"/"10"/Poor, so that could've been a rational for not grading them. He didn't have a Nagurski either. Also, the set was pretty far from complete, but interestingly included a few high numbers. There was a wrestling card included that wasn't in as bad of a shape as the Chicles and also a matchbook, but it was the 36, not one of the earlier ones that don't come around often. What was lending credence to this being his real collection for me was that there were two checks and a a few modern throwback type items that it seemed plausible companies may have mailed to Nagurski as a thank you or courtesy.

All in all very interesting and I'm glad I saw it, but some red flags - would have liked if the LOA from the family member had been revealed... wondering if it could've been a distant family member? And definitely interesting to think of guys from the 30s wanting a card of themselves as that would seem a more modern phenomena.

another set break auction (PWCC)
 

It was nice to see a mid-grade set break. Most of the recent ones have been high grade. I decided not to go for upgrades, so I just focused on the 5 I needed (plus the Nagurski just because its hard to ignore. And it didn't disappoint - 10K in a PSA 4! - I don't have VCP, but my guess would be that's a record).

I assumed that the 2 high numbers would soar out of my price range early, so I focused on the 3 low numbers I needed. I soon eliminated the Montgomery because it looked like it might have been "worked on" (the second opinion I asked for agreed). Fast Forward to the last day and the Shipwreck had gone above my valuation for the centering (and I’m not even picky about centering) and the Dutch Clark was really close to my max, so I figured I would come away empty…. But then I looked at the Ernie Smith and Dell Isola and since they weren’t that high yet, I figured what the heck and set a snipe. To my surprise… I won both! I’m happy with them - they look nice in hand (even the holders are in great condition) and it means I’m done with the high numbers. Three cards to go! Here are the new ones:

Very nice cards. Congrats.

Nice snags, John! Yes, the 10K for a PSA 4 Nags is definitely a record. As I've said many times, anyone who wants one should get it soon as they can. It will continue to go up as the Chicle Nags is the perfect card storm in football. Prices always jump up and down a bit but the trend here is definitely up.

jeff

Nice coloring and contrast on both those Chicles - clean and pretty!

Thanks Shawn, Jeff, and Mike - I appreciate it.

Dutch Clark
 

After a dry spell, it feels like I'm on a roll.... Picked up this one in a recent eBay auction (which means I'm down to just needing Cliff Montgomery and Shipwreck "Kelley"):

Very Nice card. I hate to ask what you'll do when this set is complete :-P

Thanks Shawn - I'll be lost when its complete :) Probably just go for some upgrades, companion pieces - I don't see myself working on another company issued set.

Did you all see what the PSA 9 Ken Strong went for in BST Auctions?

http://www.bst-auctions.com/1935_Nat...ts-LOT787.aspx

WOW!

jeff

Jeff, I had forgotten about BST - thanks for reminding me - this is the one that I was checking from time to time even though it wasn't in my budget: http://www.bst-auctions.com/1935_Nat...mp-LOT790.aspx

I don't think I've ever seen a PSA 9 Chicle auctioned off - were you thinking that was high or low? Did you have any BST wins? I didn't wind up bidding.

I was surprised at how high the PSA 9 Strong went for. Understand its his rookie* and high grade but it went for nearly double what a signed cabinet of HOF baseball player Roger Bresnahan went for! To me, that's crazy ... and the registry people in action.

* never mind there are much older cards of Strong available

I'll tell you what. Whoever picked up that National Chicle Premium set got a STEAL. Just try putting that set together one by one for less than $4K-$5K in any condition. If I didn't already have the set, I would have been all over that lot.

jeff

Thanks Jeff - all this talk of 52 Mantles and Lucky 7 finds has my view of pricing a little distorted - I actually thought it might be low :)

I wasn't sure on the Chicle set either - I know some of the tough ones go for 600. Assuming no fees, you think the buyer can make money breaking it?

Future Chicle Auction
 

I noticed a set jumped in front of me on the registry. When I looked closer, it was this: http://www.psacard.com/PSASetRegistr...?s=215326&ac=1 Should be interesting. I'm 99% sure I don't get the REA catalog, I never bid with them - they seem to really focus on the high end of the market.