An Analysis of the Yorktown Heights T 206 PSA 8 E-Bay Auction

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Posted By: bruce dorskind

While I appreciate Jim B's point, as well as the "ego" issue that Leon raises,
the simple fact is this

(1) In every collectible (at least every valuable collectible) condition matters

Look at 18th century American furniture
Coins
Tiffany Lamps
Rare watches

Items in very high grades or near perfect condition command prices of 10, or in
some cases 100 times, what lower grade items command.

A number of baseball card dealers began their career in coins. They can
certainly speak at great length about condition rarity and its concomitant
impact on prices.

Secondly, one of the great joys about living in this country is nobody can
tell you how to spend your money...whether it be 10 dollars, 10,000 dollars
or 100 million dollars.

Some people have world class card collections and live in a $600 a month apartment
other people who buy beaters drive a $80,000 car or spend their money on wine,
women and song.

It is not appropriate to condem someone because they have the means to
buy what they wish. I don't hear anyone saying that John Travolta should
not have his own 727 jet or that Bill Gates should not own a $50 million home.

God bless the brilliant minds that were able to earn tens of millions of dollars
and chose to spend a small fraction of their hard-earned wealth on rare baseball
cards.

You never hear those gentlemen belittling people who have more than they do.
They are rarely sarcastic in their comments. And the fact that someone believes
that he has built one of the most remarkable collections in the hobby on $1500
is no more a badge of honor than someone who has done so by spending 15 million.

Remember this is about baseball...and the greatest team ever- The Yankees have
always won by growing their own talent and by buying talent when they had the
opportunity. Not only are the Yankees the most successful franchise in sports
history but they are far and away the most profitable one in America.

My guess is that those lucky enough to be able to spend a million dollars a year
on cards will each do well when it comes time to sell, and they will enjoy the hobby
until they are ready to sell.

For those with more modest budgets, they too should enjoy the hobby. I am sure,
however, that there are very few collectors, regardless of what they spend, who would
not like to earn a substantial return on their investment when it comes time to sell.

I will end this message with a quote from Bill Mastro who spoke with me at great length
after I was outbid on a card I really wanted. He said, "Bruce, don't sweat it,,,remember
all it is a piece of old cardboard."