What do you regret passing up?

[tbob]

Too many regrets to even list

[brianp-beme]

There have been several missed opportunities, but one that sticks in my mind was at a card show in the mid-80's--a guy was parading around the show with a well-wrinkled but still decent looking Sports King of Babe Ruth. He wanted $25.00.

Brian

[ksabet]

When I was 19 I met super model Niki Taylor at a party in Miami and actually got a bit of flirtation my way, but my nerves kept me from pulling the trigger.

I am happily married with two kids now, but that would have been a great story.

[wolfdogg]

Passed up on a 1910 T210-8 Jackson in around GD-VG (raw) for under $7500......oh well

[Butch7999]

KSabet, we feel your pain...
However, as to the purported subject of missed opportunities with sports cards and memorabilia:
We still remember being witless teenagers (as opposed to the witless adults we are now) visiting the County Fair forty years ago and running across a vending machine full of 1940s and '50s baseball exhibit cards. Coulda emptied the machine for a nickel a card, all pristine. All we were interested in at the time, though, were Topps high numbers from that current season, impossible to find in our town. No interest in those outdated antiques...

[ErikV]

Probably 30 years ago now I had the chance to buy a rookie Ernie Banks card for $1.

About 20 years ago I had the chance to pick up 6-8 1951 Topps Connie Mack All-Star
cards. As I recall, all were in very nice shape.

More recently, I passed on picking up a PSA 5 1934 Goudey Lou Gehrig #37.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.......

ErikV

[ethicsprof]

in '84, offered a stack of Mantles from the 50's and 60's in exchange for a hundred new silver dollars i had gotten from the bank over the last couple of years. Passed because those were the poor days at the end of the PhD studies.
i periodically have a dream about it.
maybe i should call it a nightmare.

best,
barry

If we could only turn back the clock

Our twelve biggest card collecting mistakes

1. N 43 near mint sent (1981) from Tom Collier $6000
2. 1915 Cracker Jack Poster (1984) Rob Lifson $20,000
3. Sol White Colored Baseball (best condition copy) 1979-show $350.00
4. Round Album Advertising Poster (1981) - Herman Kaufmann $18,500
5. Bought and sold 100 T212- 1981 bought $300- sold $1,200 same Philly show
6. Underbidder at Sotheby's for only Baseball Oscar- won by S Verkman
7. Near Mint Large Gypsy Quenn- $1,500 Chicago National- early 1980's
8. Ron Oser's NY Kalamazoo Bat"find" of New Yorkers- should have sold the ranch to buy them all
9. Chance to buy 5 near mint N 162 bb sets- 1984 -Goody Goldfaden- bout one for $200- should have bought all for $1000.00
10. Near Mint-Mint 1933 Goudey set - 1982- Cliff Lambert- $1750.00
11. Complete Set of T 200 Premiums- $10,000 George Lyons 1981
12. Old Judge Advertising sign with Player photos- 1989-Lew Neman-- $8000

We learned that one can never pay too much for ultra rare quality material.
Our new strategy has enabled us to acquire more than 30 additions to
America's Toughest Want List since Memorial Day.

In the words of a famous general- We have only just begun to fight

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

[Peter_Spaeth]

Essentially Mint Wilson Franks Williams in a Boston card shop.

[milkit1]

1988-1989 - 4 signed Babe Ruth 1933 goudeys for $2400
this was the days before authentication but they did look good. Little too pricey for a boy with a paper route though

[bigtrain]

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

In the words of a famous general- We have only just begun to fight


bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

I believe its "I have not yet begun to fight" - John Paul Jones, Captain USN

[barrysloate]

I've told this story before, but in 1995 Rob Lifson was running an SCD Auction (pre-REA days) and he offered Barry Halper's Old Judge collection as one lot. It was loaded with Hall of Famers, Spotted Ties, Brown Champs, and assorted rarities. There were roughly 750 cards, with no pictures and minimal description (although he provided a set of black and white photocopies by request).

The lot opened at $17,500, roughly $25 a card, and received only the opening bid. Nobody would touch a large lot like that back then because there was no place to go with them. Wish I bought the lot and kept it.

[Volod]

"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Pogo, Walt Kelly.

[kkkkandp]

A few years ago at a Fort Washington show I arrived early on a Saturday morning and found an Old Judge Taylor Shafer card on Roger Neufeldt's table. I hadn't much money with me at the time and decided to walk around to see if there was anything higher on my want list before pulling the trigger. Before I could get back to the table Jay Miller was showing me his new acquisition - MY Taylor Shafer card! To this day John Dreker has never let me live that one down.

[drdduet]

Passed on too many Caramel Cards (mainly E90-1 and E95) in the early to mid eighties. Commons were about $5, HOFers were ~$25-$50 and Cobb ~$75-$100. Tobacco was king.

I did pass on a T206 Magie error in the late 1990's--it was in G condition and the price was $1000.

There have been way too many....

[Doug]

I remember passing up on a PSA 3 T206 Plank 10-12 years ago for $10k. Oops!

[incugator]

When I would go to shows as a kid (late 80s) my dad would put me on a limit of $20 no matter how much I saved. I always liked the vintage, but I would never go to the show and buy 1 card. I'd pick up a few 57 HOF'ers like Al Kaline, Nellie Fox, and Bob Lemon. I wish I would've just spent it on 1 Ted Williams, Hank Aaron or Willie Mays now. I was never a Yanks fan so I never went after Mantle. I wanted to buy a 53 mays, but even back then it was about $50-$100 for one that wasn't in poor condition.

-Ryan

[chaddurbin]

slim, slender brunette...jacuzzi, 3 years ago. she was going to show me some caramel cards, or at least some type of candy.

[judsonhamlin]

A stack of Broadleaf 350's and 460's at a Philly show about 10 years ago - about 6-10 460's at 50-75 each. Even though I had the cash to buy the lot, I only bought two. I think I was saving for something really special, like post-war commons...

[shimozukawa]

.

[ValKehl]

Several years ago, I couldn't pull the trigger to purchase what I believe is still the only 1925 Holland Creameries - Peckinpaugh card known to exist. If I recall correctly, the price was in the $2,500-3,000 range. I don't recall if it was the only one I needed to complete this set back then, but it is now!
Val

[mintacular]

Still kicking myself on this one, could've bought an '87 Fleer Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, and Todd Benzinger (yes THAT Todd Benzinger) for $10 duriing hte Summer of '88. . This was before the grading craze and these bad boys were solid NM-MT (or better) with razor sharp/razor sharp+ corners (wow!) with only minor chipping on the edges...