Heritage Auctions. Dilemma.
 

A year ago I purchased a 1926 Babe Ruth World Series Type I photo. I paid $660. A year later I get an email from heritage auctions stating that somebody wants to purchase the same photo for $1000 off of me thru Heritage Auctions. Minus 10% for Heritage. I’m not that attached to the photo. Nor am I in a money crunch. Is it better to hold on to the photo, or sell? It seems that Type I photos, especially of Ruth, are going through the Ruth. I mean roof. Thoughts?

Photo in question

If they want it that bad tell them $1000 to you and they can have it. Then use the $ to buy something you want more.:)

+1

They said 900. I said 1100. They came back 1000. I would just hate for it to be a 3000 photo a couple years from now. Agh.

I get it. I’ve been burned bad recently selling Mantle and Cobb cards just before liftoff. Made a nice profit but not move to Fiji rich. I don’t know how to deal with that, and I sense that the reason a lot of people don’t sell is because they want to wait until the bubble gets even bigger.... but you never know!

Got a funny story - has to do with a D304 Cobb before a rapid price rise a few years back.

I put a D304 Cobb on ebay with a min. bid of $1200 (it was in an SGC10 holder, deservedly so). It didn't sell.

A couple weeks go by and someone asks if I'll take $1100 for it. I decline and put it up for sale/auction again with a $1400 price tag. It doesn't sell.

A couple weeks go by and someone asks if I'll take $1300 for it. I decline and put it up for sale/auction again with a $1600 price tag. It doesn't sell.

A couple weeks go by and someone asks if I'll take $1500 for it. I decline and put it up for sale/auction again with a $1800 price tag. Guess what. It sold.

I think it was the same person that kept offering me $100 bucks less than the asking price.

Its not a bubble, its babe ruth!

I've been on both sides. Bought a couple of cards before big run ups, sold a few t206 Cobbs before they went crazy. If you don't need the money I'd say hold on to it. I can't imagine many Babe Ruth items losing value over the years.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I’m still lost. Hahaha

I'd be glad to give you my two cents worth, but I'd have to be able to actually see the photo first.

Since you don't want or need to sell it, and since it's Babe Ruth, you should have more control over this deal. Ask $1200 or as much as you want, and if they pass, it's over.

I once won a rare baseball book at Heritage that I didn't want to sell. Someone kept making offers which I turned down, until the third offer was almost double what I paid. I finally sold it. Stick to your guns.

Sell it.

agreed! I think ruth photos depicting him in action are much more desirable.

First run it on here as an auction with a starting bid of $1000, and if someone or if multiple folks bite, then you will have made more than you would have if you had sold it to the Heritage customer. If no interest here, then you still have the option to sell it to them.

Brian

If you are unsure, then don’t sell. Do some research and get more comfortable before pulling the trigger. A couple hundred $$ is not worth regret.

Ask yourself this: How many photos has Babe taken recently, let alone from 1926? Actually, none since 1948. So, it's rare and will always be in demand, even if not like a '33 Goudey #53. In short, if you aren't in a $$$ pinch, why sell? I don't think you will ever lose your initial purchase price.

I always find it interesting that Heritage asks you to kick back 10% to them for performing a service you never asked them to perform in the first place.

(I guess you can somehow opt out of the resale service.)

I agree. I only sell when I'm sure I want to sell. If someone's willing to pay a grand now, someone will later, too.

Hang on to it, Ruth type ones still have a long way to go in my opinion.

+1. Ruth is as safe as it gets.

Regards,

Larry

On second thought I do agree...if you indeed don't need to sell it, hang onto it.

Brian

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I believe that I will keep it. I wish I knew how to post bigger pictures. It’s a decent Type I. The scans came out really bad.

Seems like the OP has made up his mind, but I agree that he should hang on to the photo. The fact that he is asking for advice on here seems to indicate that he doesn't really want to sell.

A $240 profit isn't a huge amount of money to sell an item when you didn't solicit the offer in the first pace. It's not like Babe Ruth items are a thin market devoid of potential buyers if you decide to sell sometime in the future.

Thanks all for the advice and PM's. I'm probably going to hold on to it for now. I don't need to sell it and it really does look good on my wall with all of my other Type I photos. Annnnd it is Babe Ruth. Always going to be a market for Babe Ruth...

Seems like a piece where there will always be profit moving into the future. You said you don't need the money. Consider if it's a piece that you will regret selling at some point in the future. If the answer could even remotely be yes, don't sell. Seems like it is, so hold on to it.

Also worth considering how easy it will be to replace. I'm totally clueless on photos but I would say probably not so easy.

That's either not what "So" means or not what "rare" means.

I had a very good offer through the Heritage system, on a high end card, but decided I didn't want to sell. If you like the photo quite a bit I am not sure I would trade $300'ish in profit for it.