The things we have done for Cards!!

[Rhotchkiss]

I was texting tonight with a friend and I told him about how I was sitting on the runway once, bidding on some Zeenut DiMaggios at an invaluable auction, which closes lot by lot, and the plane took of and I lost internet before the DiMaggios came up. I did not win them. He then mentioned that he has bid on cards from a mountain top, on a boat whale watching, and during a client meeting. That led me to think.....

What are some of the craziest things you have done for a card, or, what is the most odd place/circumstances you have placed a bid in auction?

I have woken up at 3am oversees to place bids. I have placed bids during weddings, concerts, and my kids’ back to school night. But my biggest “card move” concerned my biggest cards. In May of 2020, when COVID was brand new and the world shut down, I flew from Newport News to Detroit via Charlotte (and back), to pick up my T206 Wagner and Doyle Nat'l. I guess, at the time, I was literally risking my life for a couple of baseball cards (holding each in a separate pocket of an old pair of cargo shorts as I walked through empty airports).

Here is the Doyle; it now resides in a PSA 3.5 flip.

Lets here some stories of the lengths you have gone to for a card(s).

[babraham]

You lost me here:

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

to pick up my T206 Wagner and Doyle Nat'l.

[G1911]

It’s just baseball cards. It ain’t worth missing trips, missing family time, or risking a job by skipping or ignoring meetings to bid, or even missing a healthy nights sleep to bid. If I truly believed something was “literally” a risk to my very existence, I would not do it for a baseball card. I cannot fathom risking my life for a toy or an investment. I‘m a filthy casual

[DeanH3]

I've done some bidding at one of my daughter's dance recitals. Luckily, she wasn't dancing at the time or else I may have ended up with an elbow in my ribs.

[bcbgcbrcb]

After the completion of an auction, I met a previously unknown, fellow e-bayer on the side of the road on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to exchange an envelope with a cashier’s check inside for a paper bag with a Cameo Pepsin baseball pin inside.

[Andrew1975]

One of my favorite items in my collection is a postcard sent by Red Sox owner Joe Lannin from 1914 spring training (in Hot Springs, Arkansas) to Nuf Ced McGreevy in Boston. There is some great baseball content in the message. I purchased the postcard in an eBay auction, which was ending when I was on a boar hunting trip in Georgia. I was trudging through a swamp at night, by myself, with no cell signal, as the auction was coming to an end. I hiked almost a mile to where I knew I could get a signal, to place my final bid as the clock ticked down. Loudly yelled with delight when I won. Insanity for sure… but I sure am happy to have it!

[bnorth]

I have many very interesting stories about buying some very interesting things in some very interesting locations. Nothing from buying baseball cards though.

[atx840]

Awesome Ryan!

I was hiking with my wife and father-in-law, 3 days into a very tough mountain excursion. Jamie Blundell texts me that there is a HOF BL460 on eBay that is closing the next day. I knew I was going to be out of cell service range.

I am trying to balance impressing my father-in-law on my outdoor abilities and finding a way to get this card. I sneak out of our tent at 3am, total darkness, climb for over an hour up a Rocky Mountain peak to get cell service and bid one last time.

I won the card, neither my wife or her dad knew.

[hcv123]

When the Clemente estate auction was held by Hunt Auctions, I sat in my office at work - on the phone with the auction for more than half the day - instructing my team I was in "Do Not Disturb" mode. I gratefully won a few lots, but man! did some of that stuff get crazy!

[jchcollins]

Nothing super dramatic, but the topic reminded me of being on a mall shopping trip with family right before the holidays last year - which netted me a nice ‘56 Yogi Berra off eBay as I sat bored in a corner of some department store with my phone…

Ever have bad luck with postal situations? Once, a package made it to my local post office on a Saturday, but was addressed to my office which was closed for the weekend. So they just sat on it, and marked it “business closed.” On paper, I was going to have to wait until Monday. Since it wasn’t far away, and I knew the lobby of the location was open - I went down to investigate. Went inside behind the post office boxes, and wound up knocking on a back door where I convinced the employee who answered it to find my package and give it to me, LOL. I think it was a Clemente…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I flew from Newport News to Detroit via Charlotte (and back), to pick up my T206 Wagner and Doyle Nat'l.

You were in my town, is that what happened to Powell’s?

Edit: I just looked at your Flickr, that sure was Powell’s Wags. Congrats, I must not have saw that’s where it went when he broke the set. I thought that Doyle looked like the only one I have seen in person, lol.

[Powell]

I am a witness!

[atx840]

Powell you built an awesome collection and thank you for sharing The Wall!

[ALBB]

back when a lot of auctions had that 10 minute rule......sometimes still bidding as the sun was coming up !

[Leon]

I remember being the very last one to bid in some of Lew's phone auctions. Being the last person to bid had it's benefits!

I was in Jamaica on vacation, in a shower in 1997 or '98, bidding on the raw,'25 Gehrig Exhibit I eventually won, on the phone in a Mastro auction. They had it marked as NRMT but it graded a 5?....then went into a 6 holder later. Too bad I sold it to Hal. I could have retired with that card now.
.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Powell

I am a witness!

Hi Powell! I hope all is well. That was a wild trip for me- hanging out in baggage claim, looking at cards, while a few masked-passengers picked up bags now and then. Very good memory. I remember the Charlotte airport was freezing- they just pumped in freezing air hoping the airflow would minimize Covid spread; then you get on a plane, sit next to some random, and we all took our masks on and off to take sips of whatever we were drinking (bc you can’t spread Covid while eating/drinking!!)

Chris, great post- and that’s the mountain top story I mentioned in my initial post.

[LEHR]

-I paid something ridiculous like $30/$40 a day for internet service while on a Norwegian cruise ship for my honeymoon so I could bid on items from the middle of the ocean.
-I've stayed up till 4am bidding in auctions when I had to be at work at 6am.
-I've faked an upset stomach so I could miss a meeting and sit in the bathroom sniping stuff on eBay.
-I've bid on items at 10pm from a doom buggy in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.

My wife is very supportive of my collecting but she probably thinks I'm a little crazy.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was in Jamaica on vacation

I spend time in Ocho Rios each and every year. It has really become one of my favorite activities to sit under the thatched umbrella cabanas and spend too much money on my ipad. I always have to explain away the packages that show up when we get home, lol.

Having the beach butlers dropping off mixed drinks as soon as one gets low does not help the bidding inhibitions at all...

[MVSNYC]

Ryan and I spoke that night while he was at the airport...He sent a pic of himself holding the Wagner out of the blue (below). He kept the deal super private, and just dropped that photo on me. He then called, and we were giddy like kids...It was a lifetime achievement moment for him; happy he shared it with me. And like he said, that was very early during Covid, and it felt like a Navy Seals, secret mission to get in and get out, with the Wagner in hand!

Re: me, too many stories to list just one, but I've been there like many of you- bidding in auctions while on vacation. Doing trade deals on the phone while at work. Bidding on cards while at dinner, at events. Going into the bathroom to place bids, or in the "old days", stepping outside of a restaurant or an event to call the auction house to place phone bids, or close a trade deal with a fellow collector, etc, etc.

Great hobby. Great addiction.

[ullmandds]

I've flown across the country numerous times...sometimes staying less than 24 hours. I've endured annoying, boring blabber for hours...just because I had to have you!!!! Sat through movies and shows I had no interest in seeing. Hung out with your annoying friends!

The things I've done for sex!

Oh was this about cards???? I've pulled all nighters...met strangers in strange places...made a habit of visiting card stores when i've travelled...that's about it.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Ryan and I spoke that night while he was at the airport...He sent a pic of himself holding the Wagner out of the blue (below). He kept the deal super private, and just dropped that photo on me. He then called, and we were giddy like kids...It was a lifetime achievement moment for him; happy he shared it with me. And like he said, that was very early during Covid, and it felt like a Navy Seals, secret mission to get in and get out, with the Wagner in hand!

Re: me, too many stories to list just one, but I've been there like many of you- bidding in auctions while on vacation. Doing trade deals on the phone while at work. Bidding on cards while at dinner, at events. Going into the bathroom to place bids, or in the "old days", stepping outside of a restaurant or an event to call the auction house to place phone bids, or close a trade deal with a fellow collector, etc, etc.

Great hobby. Great addiction.

Wow some great stuff

Love the Ryan Story.

For me nothing extreme accept as I mentioned moving all my cards to raise funds to get my 1 key card my Rookie Ruth. Then building my collection with that 1 card as the only card and then the center piece.

Unless you consider making an exchange for a card for cash in a Burger King parking lot in Queens with SportsCard Pete as odd (or the norm)

[MVSNYC]

Jeff, a cash deal in a Burger King parking lot, in Queens...qualifies as a cool story.

I did a deal with Chuck (Hi Chuck!) in the back of a pizzeria in Queens a few years ago. Felt like a scene out of Goodfellas!

I've also met Ted Z (Hi Ted!) several times (once at a bar near MSG in NYC), and another time at a cafe in NJ (or was it PA?) to do deals in person.

PS- In my story, I failed to mention that Ryan was also picking up the Doyle! Not too shabby.

[teza11]

I'm going through one my my craziest moments right now. There's an auction this weekend with some tobacco collectables that I'm really interested in. The auction is in MI and I'm located in CA. The auctioneer will only accept in-person bids. My craziness includes a random post on the main page here for an "assist" and a random call to a real estate agent in the local MI area to see if they could be my proxy at the auction. That's pretty crazy... Nothing has landed yet and the auction is at 10am tomorrow. Doh!

Jeff

[jingram058]

No great things I have ever done for cards, it's what the cards did for me - like when I had to sell some cards in order to keep on living and not go to Captain's Mast.

[Yoda]

We know card fever is infectious but is it hereditary?

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Yoda

We know card fever is infectious but is it hereditary?

Sadly not for my family. Tried but none of my sons or daughters has any interest

[Jobu]

Powell had to do some pretty extreme stuff for cards --- like meeting Ryan H in person.

Originally Posted by Powell

I am a witness!

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Jobu

Powell had to do some pretty extreme stuff for cards --- like meeting Ryan H in person.

I didn’t have to travel far for us to meet, Bryan. Loved the in-person t213-1 Evers Yellow Sky handoff at the Hilton (or Marriot) on Connecticut Ave, DC 5-6 years ago. That was fun!

PS - currently in Madison right now visiting my son. Go Badgers!

[ClementeFanOh]

I can't top lots of these, but here's my effort...

About 7 years ago, I met a card collector at the The Toy Barn (a high-end car
dealership in Dublin, Ohio) to do a stone cold trade we negotiated online.
He drove from Cleveland and I drove from the Dayton area (so I won that
bit). I remember the card I traded- an E90-1 Ty Cobb PSA 3. For the life of
me, I can't recall what I got in return (I sure hope it was nice He was a
great guy, but I remember how strange the circumstance was, I felt like a
character in an espionage movie.

Trent King

[pokerplyr80]

I remember going out to dinner with some of my wife's friends, and a Memory Lane auction with several signed Mantles was ending. I ended up winning a couple, but she was not at all pleased.

[jethrod3]

I routinely risk my marriage every time I leave the dinner table to watch my bids on online auction lots that are about to close. Other than that, I braved busy streets, like many of us I suppose, to collect returnable bottles for the deposit so that I could buy 1973-1975 Topps baseball and football cards with the proceeds.

[fkm_bky]

Nice! I’m in Madison too, well Middleton. The great Wazoo is here too. On Wisconsin!

Never really did anything too crazy for cards other than some shell games with $ to keep it on the down low at home ��

Bill

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I didn’t have to travel far for us to meet, Bryan. Loved the in-person t213-1 Evers Yellow Sky handoff at the Hilton (or Marriot) on Connecticut Ave, DC 5-6 years ago. That was fun!

PS - currently in Madison right now visiting my son. Go Badgers!

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I didn’t have to travel far for us to meet, Bryan. Loved the in-person t213-1 Evers Yellow Sky handoff at the Hilton (or Marriot) on Connecticut Ave, DC 5-6 years ago. That was fun!

PS - currently in Madison right now visiting my son. Go Badgers!

That's neat (the Madison part)--we have more in common. My younger son went to UW Madison, albeit about twenty years ago.

[Rhotchkiss]

UW is an amazing school and Madison is a great town. I wish I had more time- I would try to meet some local-collectors. Instead, I am about to head to a fraternity tailgate and sit in a constant downpour watching our football team (the worst in 2 decades) play as underdogs to the university of Maryland (ironically my home/birth state).

[fkm_bky]

Me too! Except today I get to entertain clients at the new Covered Loge section in the south end zone. Warm and dry for me! I started here in 91’ so have seen this program grow over the years. Tough year this year but 2 out of 30+ years isn’t bad!

Enjoy your time here.

Bill

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

UW is an amazing school and Madison is a great town. I wish I had more time- I would try to meet some local-collectors. Instead, I am about to head to a fraternity tailgate and sit in a constant downpour watching our football team (the worst in 2 decades) play as underdogs to the university of Maryland (ironically my home/birth state).

[pokerplyr80]

Madison is my home town, I was back last year around the holidays. Didn't make it to a football game but did see a Bucks game while I was there. Enjoy the game today!

[lowpopper]

i fished wet 53 topps out of a dumpster. it was worth it

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by lowpopper

i fished wet 53 topps out of a dumpster. it was worth it

Nothing abnormal about that.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

UW is an amazing school and Madison is a great town. I wish I had more time- I would try to meet some local-collectors. Instead, I am about to head to a fraternity tailgate and sit in a constant downpour watching our football team (the worst in 2 decades) play as underdogs to the university of Maryland (ironically my home/birth state).

BMW Sportscards (Brian and Michael Wentz) is based in Madison. They have always had incredible cards and are very knowledgeable.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I've flown across the country numerous times...sometimes staying less than 24 hours. I've endured annoying, boring blabber for hours...just because I had to have you!!!! Sat through movies and shows I had no interest in seeing. Hung out with your annoying friends!

The things I've done for sex!

Oh was this about cards???? I've pulled all nighters...met strangers in strange places...made a habit of visiting card stores when i've travelled...that's about it.

Once I walked out of an endless movie, The Sorrow and the Pity, it just wasn't worth it. But fortunately she was bored with it too.

[Seven]

Not as crazy as some listed but

It was October of 2020. After having the very incompetent branch of the post office that is near my house, lose a 1953 Bowman Mantle on me, I did not want to risk another high dollar purchase being lost in the mail. I agreed to meet CharlieTheExterminator in downtown Brooklyn, to purchase my 1952 Berk Ross Mantle, in person.

Of course the day of the transaction, my car got a flat tire and I did not have a replacement. I proceeded to take the subway, to meet up with Chuck. We had a nice conversation, the money and card were exchanged, overall 10/10 experience. I took an uber back to my home afterwards, did not want to risk getting on the subway again with my new addition!

The card in question:

[Powell]

I am building a new wall…

[Eric72]

My crazy story is more of a slow burn than one white-hot moment. I acquired roughly 250,000 sports cards roughly 20 years ago.

These were the "common boxes" from a store that was changing owners. The old guy had a habit of breaking boxes for the hits. The new guy was going in more of a Pokemon card / Hallmark store direction and didn't want mountains of cardboard laying around.

If you've ever moved ~50 monster boxes of cards into your house, you know how bat-shit crazy this truly is. I went through them, one at a time. I pulled some decent singles from there; however, nothing earth-shattering. After I finished with each box, I would top it off with more commons and sell it on eBay.

Probably wound up with roughly $2,000 and about the same amount of value in singles I kept. It only took about a year (1 box per week) and about 50 trips to the Post Office.

[Leon]

I have recounted this before, I will never forget my rendezvous to sell a T205 Johnson in a 7 holder, I got from Scott B, many moons ago (22+ years). It was at a Taco Bell in, a really small out of the way town (at the time), Wylie. Tx.
I have gotten on planes to deliver cards a few times. Not a big deal.
.