How to find single player low number commons
 

I'm having absolutely no luck finding cards anywhere. My only source was ebay, and it has all but dried up, and stumbling on one card by random search on Google. The only place I've found any are at PSA registry, and they aren't going anywhere. I've contacted all set builders that I could via PSA. All the AH are selling is higher dollar cards that I have looked at. I know I can't just snap my fingers, and all will appear, but I just can't find anything. I know they're out there just have no idea how to find them when they do show up. So if anyone can help locate any Verne (Vern, Vernon) Clemons cards, caps or anything related it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Chad.

Have you tried any of the major dealers? Often big chunks of their inventory is either only listed on their own website, or is only available if you call.

You’ll usually have to be willing to pay high retail, but maybe you’re willing to pay rather than spend years waiting for them to pop up on other venues for lower prices.

Vintage Commons
 

I have good luck with Sportlots.com tracking down singles. I share your frustration with tracking down commons.

1920s caramel/candy/strip card commons can be tough to locate and even tougher in decent condition that aren't unreasonably priced.

The stars pass around rather regularly, but the commons seem to sit around not on the market. I got a few I've been looking for years without grossly overpaying, myself.

Dave's Vintage (gfg.com) is a nice resource that doesn't cross-post all their stock on Ebay, but they don't seem to have what you're looking right now.

Personal resources such as friends who collect can also get some eyes on your wish list, but they have to be hitting up sources you already don't have access to.

I welcome any other places to hunt, myself. Good luck.

This is where building a network of friends across the country comes into play. It's nice to have extra eyes looking at different auctions and at random shows who will let you know when something you are looking for pops up.

Not sure who they are. I figured this was a pretty good bet to find owners of cards here or at least connected to others they knew. Every search I do on vintage resellers comes up empty when I type in his name. Same with auctions.

This is what I usually get when I search as well. I get I'm looking for 100 year old cards with very low population reports, but not sure if that's just because not many are graded vs sitting in some shoe box because it was just some non HOFer few people cared about. I was hoping to make connections here that could lead to a few hits.

I feel it's hard to build that network when you're basically a single player collector, and even more when its a common non HOF player who's few cards have little value in the grand scheme of it all. I live in a town of around 130 people looking for a player of that same small town. There's just not that much interest. Other then posting in b/s/t here I think there are many eyes to help, but so far has turned up nothing.

Oh, and every thread needs a picture of a card.

I sent you a PM. I found you a Clemons card for sale. The seller is holding it for you to make contact with me so I can put you two together.

Here it is. Pm me so that I can put you in touch with the seller.

Not trying to dismiss your concerns, but I think your problem is that there's just not that many out there, period. So there's going to be even fewer for sale. They're tough to find for a reason, and the only way around that is to spend a long, long time trying to find them. Beating the bushes. Turning over every rock. Letting everyone in the world know that you're willing to overpay to get them. It will probably take decades of patience, and you might have to be willing to do completely crazy stuff like buy a complete set just to get the one card that you want.

Personally, I think I accumulate more of a hoard card if I don’t talk about it. When people know, they artificially inflate the value and some won’t sell to the hoarder at all, anticipating even more escalating values as it continues. One will get more in the immediate short term by saying they’ll overpay and hoarding X, but after the initial flood it slows to a trickle and everything is at a heavily inflated price. I have stacked pretty large percentages of the population of certain cards - with no real increase in the price because nobody knows 2/3 of the POP report is cracked out in a box in my safe and I have what must be a ton of the never graded population. Patience might be the better route. I’m loud about my wantlist for singles, completely shut up about hoarding a player or card and never mention them at all.

Greg,

Please post the cards and players you are hoarding so I don’t pick any of them up by accident.

I don’t want to mess you up in your quest.

Just helping out a fellow collector. :)

Butch…

You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. How kind and considerate, I am touched by this selfless gesture :’)

If I were looking for Clemons, I would look on eBay under "auctions" for e120 and Neilson's Chocolate, etc. You can also search by his name. I watched a lot of 80+ Neilson type 1 including Clemons close for $2200 last night. If you wait and watch eBay, one will pop up every 3-4 months.

I would call what you are doing, "advanced collecting." If you collected Bob Watson cards like a lot of collectors, you could boot-up your laptop and point and click and you'd have any card you wanted at any time.

I contacted the seller of the lot you spoke of, and asked to pass my information to the buyer if they where interested in selling, but got no response back. That was like last Friday or Saturday. I think most his cards go in lots just like that. I can't justify the cost for 1 common card. Maybe if it was mint I would dip my toe in the water.

To the OP: REA, Heritage, Love of the Game, Golden, Sterling, etc. are all running weekly/monthly auctions now for lower dollar material with tons of slabbed cards. Check those out if you haven't already.


Good luck with your hunt!

I was thinking which in itself is dangerous, but I don't think there's a great total, but think more of them exist then i fiest thought, just not many are graded because they're just a common. Maybe I'm wrong? I think mant set in collections people have forgotten about because they're irrelevant like many other commons.

My first error was I didn't know much about the hobby, and I let several go on Ebay not knowing, and thinking with as many that at that time where listed I could get better cards, and could find them somewhat easy. That was before I knew pop count, set building, and on, and on. A 5 is actually the high end for graded cards, and I let at least 3 go before I figured things out. I'd imagine they're in the hands of set builders now, and are probably gone for a long time. I'm not going to go down a road once traveled, but will say I know a person that has some cards, but knows I want them, and set the prices so high I just can't justify it. I'm not a big player with endless wealth. Just trying to obtain history for our small town.

Yeah, I'm finding this out. I'd imagine the numbers would grow pretty fast if all the sudden the price tag for some of these common cards started to reflect the low volume.

I'm actually not hoarding, but have been caught by someone that knows I want them, and jacked up the price. He had 3 more i know of he told me he had, but I doubt after the last dealing I will ever get any of them. I was going to over pay, but not by more than double. I think I made him mad, and I was just trying to be honest on my end.

I'm just trying to get 1 of each of his cards, and the best ones I can get. I may have multiple to gain a better card, but I will only have 1 of each in the end of it all. I want others to also be able to enjoy them as well. This isn't a knock on you or others, and how you approach things. Everyone has a different view.

You did nail lots of what I have experienced.

I will. Is there any way to have something pop up if one comes up for sale at any AH or do you just have to keep looking?

How about BST here on net54. Also Facebook, search tobacco site. Lots of cards for sale there. Joe

Now that SGC doesn't have a registry, how do you get in touch with people that have them, and since set building isn't the same as PSA, would people be more inclined to sell them off?

I've been looking here, I also contacted a few members that had some known cards, but didn't get anyone that wanted to sell or no longer had or never responded back. I don't have Facebook, and maybe I need to. I just don't want it for anything other then buying, and selling. I don't want old friends or such contacting me.

Sorry, I sold my only one years ago:
https://photos.imageevent.com/imover...v61clemons.jpg

I think I actually inquired about this exact card. I seen it was for sale from btcarfagno Tom C@rf@gno? I seen it for sale on a different site yesrs ago, and the name matched up here in the member list. I'd love to have that card. I gave him a private message, but never got a response back.

I know you can set a search at Heritage and they will email you when one is consigned.

Thanks I'll see if i can get it set up. Another issue I have is I have found them listed with Verne, Vern, and Vernon.