big ticket regrets?

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Posted By: jay behrens

Was yaking with the bro the other day and mentioned that back in the early 80s I passed on the chance to purchase a complete set of t206s in EX condition to buy a personal computer instead.

Wish I wasn't such tech geek.

Anyone else have to make a decision like this?

Jay

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

Hi Jay
Nice thread. My top 5:
1. 1952 topps Mantle nm/m 850.00
2. 1915 cracker jack Jackson nm/m 1200
3. 1915 cracker jack Cobb mint 1000
4. t206 Plank ex-mt + 2100
5. T206 cobb green back ground nm/m 1100

I let all of these slip through my fingers during the early to mid 80's because all of my money was tied uo in new product. Although I made a good bit of change selling cases of 84-86 Donruss, Mattingly rookies, and Fleer basketball, it doesn't replace the vintage cards that I could have had. I need a BEER.
LATER BRIAN

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Posted By: David

My only regrets were with the ones I bought.

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Posted By: Glen V

Everything I didn't buy 5 years ago:

$400 - NM Old Judge cabinet
$600 - EX+ SF Hess CA League
$175 - VG Sport King Cobb
$100 - VG/EX Plow Boy Tobacco
$350 - VG E222 AWH Caramel

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Posted By: Jay Miller

In a Rob Lifson auction(before he joined with Bill, when his catalog was a black and white fold-up)in the early/mid 90's I was the underbidder on a lot of something like 20 Kalamazoo Bats including a Met, at least one Giant and the only Pittsburgh team card I have ever seen. I stopped bidding at about $3000. Also in another Lifson auction there was a lot of I think 786 Old Judge (including many HOFers) that went to David Festberg at the minimum bid of approximately $17,000. This made up the basis of Festberg's auctions for many years.

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Posted By: Andy Baran

.....Back in 1987, when I was still in high school, a dealer in my home town offered me a lot of 100 Mint 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan Rookie Cards for 25 cents each. I passed on the offer, because in my own words, "What a waste - No one will ever collect Basketball Cards". It kills me when I think about how much profit I could have made on those cards. Oh well.

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Posted By: RobertS

Back in the early 1980s at one of the Nationals I was offered a T206 Wagner creased down the middle (virtually folded in half) for $3000. I happened to be either 11 or 12 at the time and had a whopping $75 to my name saved up to buy cards at the show! The dealer wouldn't take $75. Then again, who knows if the Wagner was real...

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Posted By: Scott M

Wish I had bought:

1. T214 Johnson for $1100
2. Roberto Clemente Rookie Nrmt $25-$50 (many times)
3. about 1200 E121, Goudey and Playball $2000
4. over 100 1952 topps high # commons in EX and NRMT - $500
5. Any of the E/T Wagners and Cobbs that I thought were outrageous in 1978 - yeah a whole $40-75 in vg+ condition.
6. A box of E and T commons that "just commons, no one would ever want" - was 800 count box full and I mean full - $250.
7. Group of Red Man with tabs (at the time I didn't realize the importance of the tabs) in perfect shape at a yard sale - $21 for 63 of them - yes a whole .33 a piece - but I was "only paying a quarter" or $15 - I mean after all who would really want cards that were square - they didn't fit into my boxes!!! - and actually the shape&size of the card had a lot to do with what I collect when I was young - didn't particularly like those little cards (E,T, and Old Judge) even though I loved the history of the game.


Wish I didn't trade (yes, trading used to occur regularly).

1. T214 Tinker and a common.
2. All my W cards. I didn't like the fact that there was nothing on the back - dumb.
3. E90-2 Wagner and a nice one
4. 1974 Willie Stargell - traded it for 78 Phil Garner that I didn't have - for some reason can still remember that trade.

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Posted By: TBob

But a few still jab me:

1) At the National in Kansas City in the mid 80's, I turned down a guy patrolling the aisles who had a stack of about 50 EXMT T205s with Matty on top. They were close to NRMT, absolutely gorgeous. I was busy collecting T206s and didn't want to get in to another set. He went from $400 to $300 to $200. I said no. Geez what a dumb move.
2) I traded a NRMT 1959 Topps set for Johnny Ray's rookie jersey for the Pirates (he played for our local college). The trade was made in the mid 80's. Ray's jersey probably goes for about $150-250. The Topps set probably goes for...I don't even want to know.
3) I sold Bill Mastro a near set of T212-3s. All but 3 cards. I defy anyone here to even try to put together a set of these rarities nowdays. I think I sold them, again in the mid 80's, for about $400.
4) I consigned a near set of T207s to Mastro's Auction in 1998. The cards were in super shape. Had I sold them on ebay now I could triple what I got. I have also tried to put together another set the last year and a half and of the 8 cards I need, 6 were in my old near set, all EX or better. Sigh...
5) In 1982 I got in to the vintage card hobby after giving up baseball cards in 1962. My first card was a Killebrew rookie which I bought from a (then) local dealer who told me that it was impossible to find a 55 Killebrew without a crease. (Was I naive or what?) I paid $10. He also gouged me on some other early Topps cards. My only solace was the next year (1983)I bought a NRMT/MT 68 Ryan rookie from him for $8 and tucked it away. When he made the HOF I sold it on ebay for $800. I made sure and looked him up to tell him. He was sick.

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Posted By: John(z28jd)

I regret passing on Tbob's T207 Hoff that he has up on ebay right now with a red cycle back...I hope everyone in my family enjoys their christmas presents knowing all the cards im missing out on in the next couple months

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Posted By: Brian C Daniels

My only regrets are the one's I sold!

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I've screwed up a few deals in my time; mostly I block them out of my mind, but here are the ones I can recall:

1. Traded a 1964 Mays for a 1966 Cepeda (hey, I was a gullible kid)

2. Ty Cobb signed checks for $50 each. Waaay back when they first hit the hobby in bulk.

3. Basketball cards: I too turned down Jordans in bulk. I also passed on a screaming set of 1961-62 Fleers for $300.

4. I traded a box (800 count) of 1960-1970 football stars for a couple of minor star 1941 play balls. I still hate Whitlow Wyatt to this day.

5. I accidentally gave away some 1952 Topps high numbers in a commons box I was selling.

6. My 1954 Aaron--I got a screamer of a card for $25, felt really smart when I sold it several years later for $125, and then ate %^*% when I repurchased it for $1,300.

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Posted By: Paul

A Just So Clarkson that went for about $750, probably 7-8 years ago.

An E-107 Delahanty with a vertical crease that went for about $600, also about 7-8 years ago.