The One That Got Away

[Piratedogcardshows]

We all have cards we missed out on for one reason or another.I want to focus on the ones you were offered,had the cash to purchase it/them,and for one reason or another passed on picking it up.

For me it was a 1909 Richmond Colts team postcard I was offered a couple years ago by a forum member for a very fair price.For some reason I passed to pick up a Orange Border T210 in which that particular player I have seen for sale a few a times since.I think I have seen 3 other examples of the OB but I have never seen another PC of the Colts for sale.I still think about it from time to time and it stings to this day.Sorry to rehash any old memories but I think we can get a few good stories in this thread.Any old time collectors pass on a T206 Wagner back in the day?

[Sean]

I passed up a T206 Walter Johnson portrait, ungraded but in excellent condition, for $500. I wish now that I had bought it.

[ullmandds]

At the 95 nat'l I passed on a binder full of t214 victory's...although I'm sure I couldn't afford them then! I also passed on a $1500 T215 pirate card that looked nrmt...I thought the price tag said $150 and I put it aside to purchase only to realize it was $1500!!!!!

At the willow grove show in the early 90's I passed on a bl 460 for $350 and an m113 for $300 or so.

[Sean]

Pete, where did you see that Pirate?

[ullmandds]

I think David festberg had it. He was all lovey dovey when I said I wanted it...then when I went to pay and he said...not $150...$1500...he wasn't so nice!!!!!

[bnorth]

Not pre war because I only recently started collecting it. I had access to buy print errors and proofs directly from Score for several years and the only thing my dumb a$$ bought was partial sets of 1989 & 90 baseball wrong backs. They are the only ones known even after all this time because Score had very good quality control for print errors leaving the factory.

The only other Score errors I know of that "left" the factory in any quality are the 89 blank fronts the Walt Ankerman has been selling for years

[atx840]

T206 test printer scrap, just couldn't justify the price at the time. At least it went to a good home.

[Vintagecatcher]

In the early eighties I saw two items that I should have bought at a rural New Hampshire antique center.

The first was a beautiful catcher sterling napkin holder. Can't remember the cost, but I went back a few weeks later and it was gone. Another dealer had a Ex-Mt Buck Weaver 1911 Obak for $90.00. I knew the story of "Eight Men Out" and I knew it was an Obak, but I didn't know if it was real. Went back a few weeks later and it also was gone. The concept of buying a card that was not a catcher for later trade bait had not occured to me. Regrets I have a few.


Patrick

[Fred]

I've got a few... the one that pains me the most is being offered about 300 T-206 cards (including HOFers) for about $1500 back in the early 80's. Sometimes I get this involuntary acid reflux reaction when I think about it....

[DeanH3]

I think it was around 2000 but I passed on a PSA 6 '15 CJ Matty. I passed because I was all caught up in the number on the flip and not the card. Beautiful card but I had to have 8's and therefore moved on. Ughhh, still haunts me to this day.

[pete zouras]

returned a e90-1 wagner batting because I was convinced it was trimmed after having the card for several weeks for 300 before the sudden rise in wagners. file under I'm my own worst enemy.

[steve B]

After 35-36 years collecting with a few less active periods there's a pretty long list of stuff I should have bought.

A drum at $200 - Second table at the show, just couldn't buy one card and walk out 5 minutes after getting there.

1912 world series pennant, small, maybe a foot long, red and white sewn felt. Not pointed, but one of the ones like a short flag with a v cut out of the end.
$100, I could have saved up as it lasted a while at that price, but I just never did.

Orr rookie, the USA test version. "only" $100. At the time that was enough to buy something like all the 60's and 70's regular issue hockey sets complete.

A boxful of the tiny Topps felt back football cards at $3 each. I still have no idea why I didn't buy at least one.

Maybe 7-8 Goudey Ruths. All at least VG. All handed to me by the place I was a regular at with a "it's $X you should buy it" Passed on all of them.

Those are the highlights, lowlights?

Of course there's the stacks of stuff that was cheap in the early 80's.

Steve B

[the-illini]

1915 Zeenut Fred McMullen in the old Larry Fritsch catalog for 75 bucks. :-(

[Roofman4]

Went to an in Delaware that was selling of the estate of an elderly lady that was down sizing and moving. I saw the add (with pictures) describing the typical items and "some old baseball cards". In that group was the card in the pic not to mention a few Goudey Ruth's and Gehrigs' and basically every Topps and Bowman Mantle cards up to 1966, not to mention a 1948/49 Leaf Jackie Robinson. Turned out the cards belonged to the ladies father who died in 1966. She found them in a safe among her dad's "stuff".

After a very close...and I mean close inspection there was no doubt it was real. Knowing that only a couple of cards might be possible, I took a sizable amount of cash to go for the 1914 Ruth and work down/back from there. The Ruth ended up at $10k. I was $2k short. At least I can say I had a "chance", I got to hold one and get a picture with it. just goes to show any card can show up anywhere...anytime.

[thehoodedcoder]

tinker, hands on knees cubs & chicago on jersey.

5k turned out to be a steal of a price, when it later went at auction for like 16k, then a second example sold for 30k later.

kevin