Collector's Nightmare - the trashcan

[midmo]

I think I accidentally threw away a box of pins when I did a major house cleaning a few weeks ago. Last week while continuing to inventory (I decided to downsize a bit) I noticed that some pins I had recently sorted through were missing. This past weekend I did a methodical house search with no luck. Now I keep picturing them 10 feet under mounds of trash at the dump, never to be seen again. It's a horrible feeling.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what's missing (hopefully no cards), but it's tough. Here's what I know so far:

1898 Cameo Pepsin Brooklyn (purchased at the National this year)
1909-12 PX7 Domino Disc extreme miscut (Russ Ford/Tex Erwin)
1933 Cracker Jack Dazzy Vance
1947(48?) Jackie Robinson ROY
Some high grade PSA 1956 Topps & Yellow Basepath pins
several PX3's and PX7's
several 1950's Brooklyn Dodgers charms
1960's large Sandy Koufax b&w stadium pin



Has anyone else done anything this dumb or have other tragic loss stories?

[Leon]

Sorry to hear that. Most of us that have been doing this long enough have had at least one "woops" moment. I know I have ruined a few things opening them, over the years....

Originally Posted by midmo

I think I accidentally threw away a box of pins when I did a major house cleaning a few weeks ago. Last week while continuing to inventory (I decided to downsize a bit) I noticed that some pins I had recently sorted through were missing. This past weekend I did a methodical house search with no luck. Now I keep picturing them 10 feet under mounds of trash at the dump, never to be seen again. It's a horrible feeling.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what's missing (hopefully no cards), but it's tough. Here's what I know so far:

1898 Cameo Pepsin Brooklyn (purchased at the National this year)
1909-12 PX7 Domino Disc extreme miscut (Russ Ford/Tex Erwin)
1933 Cracker Jack Dazzy Vance
1947(48?) Jackie Robinson ROY
Some high grade PSA 1956 Topps & Yellow Basepath pins
several PX3's and PX7's
several 1950's Brooklyn Dodgers charms
1960's large Sandy Koufax b&w stadium pin



Has anyone else done anything this dumb or have other tragic loss stories?

[bnorth]

Not prewar but I was sorting threw several piles of cards to get rid of some commons from the junk era. Later noticed I no longer had any Donruss Aqueous Test Issue cards.

[JustinD]

My mistakes have been many, but my favorite "always double check" story involves buying a traded set at the height of the ARod craze after he signed with the Yankees.

I opened the packing peanut filled box and removed the set and tossed the box in the dumpster. A few days later when I got around to looking for the ARod, I noticed it was missing from the set and emailed the seller.

I received this reply -
"I removed it from the set and it was in the box in a card saver as it is the best card"

Sigh...

At least that couple hundred dollar loss is now a faaaar smaller loss now, lol.

[philliesfan]

Dang. Sorry to hear that. I am extremely cautious, my grandfather taught me that. I never really had an accidental loss like that but I did throw away a load of 1984 Topps football commons way back. They were all commons but a few Marino's and Elway's may have been in there. But at the time I did not care because they were only about 50 cents when I trashed them.

[NiceDocter]

Dont give up hope yet! I have "lost" items that I couldnt locate after a reorganization of my collection only to have them turn up in the bottom of some box years later where I had obviously put them without thinking. Yes, you could have tossed them out but the bigger your collection the more likely they are stashed somewhere and you just cant find them right now. Are you certain you kept them in the same box or could you have transfered them to another container? KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!

[71buc]

Although my mistakes have been memorabilia related they were painful nonetheless. About 20 years ago I purchased a game worn signed Steve Carlton jacket. I was so excited When opening the box I cut a two inch hole into it. Recently I placed seven 1971 post season press passes to San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore in a large book. I got distracted and forgot about them. My wife subsequently sold the book to half price books. I didn't think I would ever see them again. I called them a couple of days later and they still had the book and returned the passes to me.

[egbeachley]

Some years ago I wanted to sell my N559 Lake Erie Governor card (non-sport) because I knew I wouldn't be able to complete the set as it became too popular. Couldn't find it. Looked everywhere...nothing. Checked again a few weeks later after a thorough Spring cleaning/organizing. Still missing. Gone. I must have accidentally thrown it away.

About 2 years later I was walking through my bedroom to the closet and it was laying in the middle of the bedroom raw with no top-holder but in the same condition I last saw it.

Baffles me to this day!

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by egbeachley

Some years ago I wanted to sell my N559 Lake Erie Governor card (non-sport) because I knew I wouldn't be able to complete the set as it became too popular. Couldn't find it. Looked everywhere...nothing. Checked again a few weeks later after a thorough Spring cleaning/organizing. Still missing. Gone. I must have accidentally thrown it away.

About 2 years later I was walking through my bedroom to the closet and it was laying in the middle of the bedroom raw with no top-holder but in the same condition I last saw it.

Baffles me to this day!

Seems pretty clear to me that whatever poltergeist swiped the card in the first place also had trouble completing the set, and it finally just gave up and returned the card.

[robw1959]

Once I cut open a bubble-wrap envelope to remove a 1961 Topps Sandy Koufax card. Unfortunately, the seller failed to secure the opening at the top of the plastic toploader, and somehow this card managed slide out of the holder and lodge itself right into the crevice at the top inside of the package where it was sealed. I then, with my heavy duty scissors, cut right through part of the top of the Koufax card! Now I always double-check that sealed fold at the top of the bubble-wrap envelope to be sure nothing is lodged in there before opening it.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by robw1959

Once I cut open a bubble-wrap envelope to remove a 1961 Topps Sandy Koufax card. Unfortunately, the seller failed to secure the opening at the top of the plastic toploader, and somehow this card managed slide out of the holder and lodge itself right into the crevice at the top inside of the package where it was sealed. I then, with my heavy duty scissors, cut right through part of the top of the Koufax card! Now I always double-check that sealed fold at the top of the bubble-wrap envelope to be sure nothing is lodged in there before opening it.

OUCH! I'm sorry for your experience. I'm still looking for the first and second year cards of Bobby Orr from my childhood I stupidly lost track of 30 years ago! Monumentally stupid!!!!!!!! ---Brian Powell

[Stampsfan]

Geez, usually we blame our mother for throwing these things out.

[midmo]

Originally Posted by NiceDocter

Dont give up hope yet! I have "lost" items that I couldnt locate after a reorganization of my collection only to have them turn up in the bottom of some box years later where I had obviously put them without thinking. Yes, you could have tossed them out but the bigger your collection the more likely they are stashed somewhere and you just cant find them right now. Are you certain you kept them in the same box or could you have transfered them to another container? KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!

I really hope that's the case. My home is basically a big open loft with only a few rooms so unfortunately there aren't many hiding places. I've kinda resigned to them being gone. If they show up on my bedroom floor a couple years from now I'll be ecstatic.

[MEBBoy]

I stupidly threw out the entire large set of 1970's Sportcaster cards 11 years ago before another military move. I had them for many years and kept them through multiple moves in the military.

I was out of collecting for years and started to get back into it a little, around 12 yrs ago, but I never saw any info on these cards. I kept them in storage and finally threw them all out in a storage dumpster while cleaning out my storage space before my next move.

A few years later after the move, I started really getting back into collecting more seriously, and I saw some of these Sportscaster cards for sale at a collectable show and was blown away by the prices listed. The Bruce Lee, Babe Ruth and Duke Kahanamoku card prices alone were huge. I'd see just 1 or 2 of these cards listed by a seller at a show and get sick to my stomach as I had ALL of the cards - the entire set of 1500-2000 cards or so (not sure the exact number, but I had everything) every sport - track & field, soccer, baseball, football, karate, boxing, etc....

I'm more sick to my stomach that I did not lose the cards, but threw them out myself. I kept them for almost 30 yrs and then threw them out, in haste, during a stressful military move, just to save space during the move.

Needless to say, I learned my lesson and am reminded of it every time I see a Sportscaster card for sale with a nice price tag on it. :-(

MEB Boy

[midmo]

This table/case has been in a closet for a few months. Today I decided to carry it downstairs and figure out what to do with it when I heard something slide around. I forgot it even had a little drawer. Total surprise when I opened it. I had written these pins off for dead. Monday happiness!

[ksfarmboy]

Worked at a baseball card shop as a kid. Worked my butt off for several weeks and the owner paid me with a mint 53 Topps Yogi Berra. To this day 30 plus years later I have no idea what happened to it. Still bugs the crap out of me.

[Sean]

Nice ending to this story.

[JollyElm]

This story is like an alternate ending to the movie, Titanic, where that old bag doesn't actually throw the blue diamond back into the ocean.

Awesome!!!!!!!

[RedsFan1941]

Nice table too

[Leon]

Lunch is on you. THAT is freaking great. Very happy for you and the pins.

Originally Posted by midmo

This table/case has been in a closet for a few months. Today I decided to carry it downstairs and figure out what to do with it when I heard something slide around. I forgot it even had a little drawer. Total surprise when I opened it. I had written these pins off for dead. Monday happiness!

[autograf]

Great to hear!!! Love when a story winds up the right way. Especially from someone who collects pins and looked at that Brooklyn Cameo and went back to buy it and it was already sold! If it's the same Brooklyn and I'm pretty sure it is. Anyway, glad they all surfaced! Hate to see anything thrown away.

[midmo]

Originally Posted by autograf

Especially from someone who collects pins and looked at that Brooklyn Cameo and went back to buy it and it was already sold! If it's the same Brooklyn and I'm pretty sure it is.

Lol, yeah it's probably the same one. It was one of the few things I picked up at the National last year. I only saw a couple and the other was fairly worn.

[njdunkin1]

Awesome ending, congrats on the find

[brian1961]

Justin, so very happy for you, bro. Thanks for sharing your good fortune in finding your little beauties. ---Brian Powell

[gemmint77]

Glad to hear you found the pins. Nice collection!

[Jobu]

Please let me know if you ever plan to sell any furniture on Craigslist

[midmo]

Originally Posted by Jobu

Please let me know if you ever plan to sell any furniture on Craigslist

Ha that's funny cause that's almost exactly what happened! I just hate dealing with craigslist appointments (so many flakes) so decided to stash it in the closet instead.

[BruceinGa]

Fantastic, things like that turn up every now and then!