Here is a picture of the card that caught my eye:
This card is exceedingly rare, and armed with some funds from (finally) selling a ton, I made a bid. I was the high bidder for much of the final day.
And then I got a notification. Please, please, bids, don't be high!
The competing bids:
There is some interesting psychology that goes on in a person's head when they are outbid and have time to do something about it. For me, I went back and forth - should/can I responsibly go higher? I really wanted the card, but as I watched it go higher and higher, I came to terms with the fact that I had been squarely beaten.
But that's collecting. You don't hit home runs unless you take monster swings. That means striking out a lot, too. I struck out, but it motivated me to sell cards I didn't absolutely love that I may not have otherwise. In fact, I even sold a lot more *after* having lost out on the Gypsy Queen Connor, because selling mode was activated in me. My Canseco collection is a mere fraction of what it has ever been from a quantity perspective, capable of fitting in four 2-row boxes, but it is mostly all of the stuff I love - the stuff I didn't love is gone, for the most part. This whole exercise has made me really appreciate the Canseco cards I do have so much more, now that the "fluff" is gone. My gosh, I love these cards
Here are some of my favorites!
I seem to do a purge from time to time. In fact, I started off 2020 by selling vintage cards I had purchased in 2019 that I really didn't love. Eventually, I ended up selling virtually everything on a whim, and rebuilt. I made mistakes by selling some things for too little, and many cards sold low simply because I thought there was no way the PSA controversy / covid would bode well for the hobby. Boy, was I wrong!
But, that is not where the story ends. If I hadn't sold them, I wouldn't have been able to go on all the fun little journeys in collecting I did this year, and pick up the massive cards I now have.
Speaking of taking a big swing, selling off a bunch of stuff allowed me to do exactly that on another card that took my breath away the first time I saw it. If you close your eyes and think of a Babe Ruth baseball card, this one likely will pop up in your mind. It is arguably the most iconic card of the most famous player ever to have stepped on the diamond. This piece of art they call the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth is modeled after the famous photo taken by Charles Conlon.
But all is not as it seems ...
This looks like a 1933 Goudey. It is actually a
1933 World Wide Gum Babe Ruth. Sometimes called the Canadian Goudey, the Goudey Canadian Back, or the Goudey French back, both have virtually identical fronts, all the way down to the Goudey Gum Company copyright on the front (Goudey owned World Wide Gum).
The main differences are limited to the backs. This might sound familiar, as T206 cards can be found with various backs as well, ranging from fairly rare to insanely rare.
The 1933 World Wide Gum Babe Ruth is an exceedingly scarce issue, when compared to its Goudey counterpart. Here is a graph I did for fun showing the PSA POPs of a few cards:
The number of the World Wide Gum versions are significantly lower. While they aren't cheap by any means, they are not worth multiples of the more common Goudeys, like T206s with rare backs are. People do seem to be catching on to this scarce and drastically undervalued issue.
When I saw this 1933 World Wide Gum Babe Ruth, my first impression was that I had to do everything I could to get it into my collection. I had a PSA 1 '33 Goudey Ruth earlier on in the year, but parted with it, due to staple dimples, and creasing. ANY Babe Ruth is amazing to own, but I wanted something I couldn't take my eyes off of, and this would be the perfect candidate. As collectors, we want our collections to stand out from the crowd.
The iconic front and rare back combination makes it exciting enough, but the eye appeal is what really took my breath away. It has the appearance of a 7. Once I laid my eyes on it, I knew right away that it ruined any other '33 Ruth for me this side of $25,000.
The back shows an issue on the bottom left over the word "Printed". The centering, coloring, edges, and corners make this a strong candidate for being one of the most under graded cards I've ever seen.**That is a good thing, though, because I intentionally look for cards like this - plus - "buy the card, not the grade" - if this were graded as strong as its eye appeal shows, it wouldn't be in my collection.
I went back and forth with the seller for a week, making four offers, but he shut me down each time and said it would likely stay in his collection. Finally, he did counter - though the price was obo, he stayed firm at full price. I wrote him a long message thanking him for going back and forth with me, but said I would regrettably have to hold off. I pressed "send" on the forum, and watched my dream Babe Ruth sail away, knowing that my message was probably the last nail in the coffin he needed as confirmation to keep it. If I wanted a '33 Ruth, it was going to have to be a significantly rougher version.
I got up from my desk to get a snack, and ran through it all in my head again. I thought about all it had going for it: it was the rarest version of arguably the most iconic card of the most famous baseball player, ever ... and probably the nicest one I'd ever get a chance to own. As I said before, you have to swing hard to hit a home run, but that means you strike out a lot, too. I figured several other Babe Ruth Goudeys and a few World Wide Gums would pop up in the future, but just not this nice within my price range. Some harsh PSA 1s are now hitting the $2,500-4,000 range with versions ripped in half fetching several hundred dollars!
With all of this stirring in my head, I went back to my computer, and saw this ...
The forum had a server issue, and never sent my message! I came to my senses, and responded again as soon as the website was back up, this time telling him LET'S DO THIS!!! On Christmas day, we finalized the deal, and he sent the card. I figured that this card probably ruined any and all other '33 Ruths in my price range from here on out, so now was the time to make the leap! This is now mine. I can't tell you how much this card means to me. I have all the faith in the world that it will continue to climb in value, and have always wondered why it isn't already at or beyond '52 Topps Mantle levels.
So in the end, I was able to capture the King, though I lost the (Gypsy) Queen. In losing the Queen, I got the Babe
2020 has been a wild ride - a truly terrific year for my collection as well! Not because some expensive cards have made it into my collection, but rather *how* they made it into my collection. I sold many cards too low, and even starting off New Years 2020 by selling a card for too low. NOT fun, let me tell ya! I got a very good education in vintage over the past couple of years - and collecting in general!
What an awesome hobby we have! It is so rich in history. Shown below are two players who elevated baseball to a whole new level in two entirely different centuries. Nearly half a century separates these two cards, and still, both feel like ancient history. I'm so thankful they created cards back then for us so we can admire, collect, and remember our hobby's roots.
In 2021, I want to continue helping others in this hobby to achieve their goals. What this means for many is determining what you truly want in your collection, selling what you don't, and targeting what makes your mouth water. If you have any questions or need any help, I'm happy to help!
Happy 2021, everyone. May your hobby - and life - be richly blessed!