[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

It may be true of all memorabilia, but I think pins are especially hard to “value”…

First, you’ll have the situation of multiple ebay bidders but with only two putting in big bids. Let’s say you had last minute snipes of $132, $475 and $500. The pin will sell for $480, but without either of the high bids, it would have gone for $133. Is it really “worth” $480? We’ve all experienced what I call “that one other guy” who either beats you or costs you a lot of money. And now, with the $500 bidder out of the way, the same pin might go for significantly less if it comes up again. There have definitely been times where, in hindsight, I was glad I lost out the first time around. Some of Paul’s inflated “values” may be due to the fact he regularly dueled with another big time pin collector.

Another factor, I think, affects pin value for a team collector like myself. I often joke with my fellow Giants collectors that “after you, me and he gets one,” these pins go for peanuts. That is, after we fight among ourselves, there’s no one for the next bidder to fight with. I know a newer Giants team collector who is frustrated some pins I have are now hard to find but if he does find them he usually gets them for less than what I paid (not always).

PM-10’s may be easier to value than “team” pins but, again, I almost think their value actually goes down as the collectors who want them, get them. To me, only the super rare, “seen once every 10 years” pins can really be assigned a value. Am I making any sense?

I agree with you, and have experienced the “one other guy” scenario. Like you, there are times I was a disappointed under bidder only to be glad later to get the same type of item for a lot less because the “other guy” wasn’t bidding this time. In such scenarios, applying the concept of current market value is complicated. But the point in my post is really directed to much more commonly available pins, of which there are often multiples selling on eBay for less, sometimes quite a bit, than the listed value. It’s not a big deal to me but I point this out for newer pin collectors.