Are some cards too rare for their own good?

4815162342 · #1 11-05-2014, 09:51 AM

Great thread topic, Leon. Here's my match for your Jennings and Doyle. I think I've seen a Dooin, but I've never seen a Jacklitsch.

GregMitch34 · #2 11-05-2014, 09:54 AM

1 of 1.

http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...1&d=1415202871

barrysloate · #3 11-05-2014, 10:14 AM

The cards that are most talked about are the ones that are the least rare- the T-206's, of course. A card has to be accessible for it to be of general interest. How many discussions have we had about Four Base Hits? Maybe two over the last decade. If it's too rare to be collected, it can fall off collectors' radar.

slidekellyslide · #4 11-05-2014, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The cards that are most talked about are the ones that are the least rare- the T-206's, of course. A card has to be accessible for it to be of general interest. How many discussions have we had about Four Base Hits? Maybe two over the last decade. If it's too rare to be collected, it can fall off collectors' radar.

The T-206 does have rarities, but I'll bet 90% of the regulars on this forum own a card rarer than the T-206 Wagner.

chipperhank44 · #5 11-05-2014, 10:49 AM

Through experience I've found that anytime you find yourself having to explain how rare a card is (or even what the card is) to a potential buyer, you're in a bad position and your card is too rare for its own good.

aljurgela · #6 10-22-2018, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipperhank44

Through experience I've found that anytime you find yourself having to explain how rare a card is (or even what the card is) to a potential buyer, you're in a bad position and your card is too rare for its own good.

Pretty much my entire collection! Here are some examples:

Leon · #7 10-25-2018, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aljurgela

Pretty much my entire collection! Here are some examples:

Gorgeous cards that don't really get their just dues relative to how rare they really are. Thanks for showing...
Some of us just like the fact we have some cool cards that you can't go buy every day...regardless of the size of your bank account

.

Runscott · #8 11-06-2014, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

The T-206 does have rarities, but I'll bet 90% of the regulars on this forum own a card rarer than the T-206 Wagner.

I had a Mino Wagner, which is even rarer than his T206.

rman444 · #9 11-06-2014, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Runscott

I had a Mino Wagner, which is even rarer than his T206.

There are 10 T206 Wagners for every Mino Wagner throwing pose. As for the Mino Wagner batting pose, I believe there is only one example known to exist.

ullmandds · #10 11-05-2014, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The cards that are most talked about are the ones that are the least rare- the T-206's, of course. A card has to be accessible for it to be of general interest. How many discussions have we had about Four Base Hits? Maybe two over the last decade. If it's too rare to be collected, it can fall off collectors' radar.

Totally agree...I am "talking" less and less on this forum(much to the delight of many I'm sure!)...mainly because I have shifted my focus to rarer cards the last few years!

philliesphan · #11 11-05-2014, 11:09 AM

When cards are so rare -- who can you really "talk" about with them?

Some collectors don't like to disclose the rarities they have (particularly on a public forum), as it exposes them to risk or relentless trade requests. But beyond that, there's the show-n-tell, and the "Wanting to Buy" posts, but there's not much else in terms of novel insight that can be brought to the hobby.

For example, in the last fifteen years, I think total transacted volume of Lummis Peanut Butter singles is less than five:

(This example is not mine -- show for reference):

bcbgcbrcb · #12 11-05-2014, 11:14 AM

I'm a very big believer that some cards are too rare for their own good. For years, I specialized in that kind of stuff and lost money when it came time to resell more times than not because there was such a small market for my items.

h2oya311 · #13 11-05-2014, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

I'm a very big believer that some cards are too rare for their own good. For years, I specialized in that kind of stuff and lost money when it came time to resell more times than not because there was such a small market for my items.

+1

Maybe people don't think something is rare because you and I (and many others on this board) have shown off our cards in the past. I have a few cards I've searched for and could not find over the past decade and finally landed. When it comes time for me to sell, despite the rarity, someone will think to "I know I've seen that card before, so it must not be that rare!" And I'll take a beating.

Oh well. I know a few people on this board (at the very least) can appreciate some of the rarities in my collection. I certainly enjoy seeing theirs!!

Bored5000 · #14 11-05-2014, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by philliesphan

When cards are so rare -- who can you really "talk" about with them?

Some collectors don't like to disclose the rarities they have (particularly on a public forum), as it exposes them to risk or relentless trade requests. But beyond that, there's the show-n-tell, and the "Wanting to Buy" posts, but there's not much else in terms of novel insight that can be brought to the hobby.

For example, in the last fifteen years, I think total transacted volume of Lummis Peanut Butter singles is less than five:

(This example is not mine -- show for reference):

I was shocked to see there was a Lummis Peanut Butter card that sold in an eBay auction a few months ago. I missed the auction as it was happening, but noticed it in the completed sales category.

Being a Phillies fan, it surprises me how cheap the Father and Son Shoes cards sell compared to their rarity. I know there isn't much star power in the set, but four Father and Son cards in a group averaged just $155 each including the Buyer's Premium at Heritage this past summer.

bnorth · #15 11-05-2014, 12:50 PM

Not vintage but I have a few hundred only known 89 & 90 Score wrong back error pairs from the junk era. I have a ton of people that want to buy them. They only want to pay what similar year Topps wrong back error pairs sell for and there are insane amounts of them out there.

Al C.risafulli · #16 11-05-2014, 10:19 AM

Those Alleghenys are a great example, Greg.

I have these E121 Henry Johnson Confectioners cards:

Finding one isn't such a big deal; sometimes you'll see one hiding in a group lot of E121s or W575-1s, and you can also find them on eBay pretty frequently.

I have 60 of them, and will eventually complete the set. I'm not aware of any complete sets in the hobby, though I suppose its possible, but the issue is so tough I'm not sure that a complete set will have much collector value (besides the Ruth). It's just rare enough that a lot of people don't care. I asked a prominent auction house owner once what he thought a complete set would be worth, and he said "Nothing, because you're the only guy who collects it."

-Al

Danny Smith · #17 11-06-2014, 10:39 AM

Damn Mello Mints. I don't know who in their right mind would collect those!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4815162342

Great thread topic, Leon. Here's my match for your Jennings and Doyle. I think I've seen a Dooin, but I've never seen a Jacklitsch.

clydepepper · #18 10-20-2018, 10:59 PM

Rare with an even smaller market:

1941 Play Ball - Carl Hubbell (Hand-Cut) PSA-9.jpg

oldjudge · #19 10-20-2018, 11:39 PM

In answer to Leon�s original question�No. Rarity does not depress price. If there is one Four Base Hit of player X, the card would be worth more than if there were 10 cards of player X. However, as was pointed out above, supply is only half of the value equation. If there is little demand for the series the card is in then even being rare may not translate to much value. Being part of a collected set, especially a really popular set, translates rarity/scarcity into significant value. The T206 Wagner is not a rare card; it is just a scarce card of a popular player in a heavily collected set. Virtually every Old Judge pose is scarcer than the T206 Wagner, but there isn�t one, except maybe the Anson in Uniform, that is in the same zip code for value as the Wagner.
Some cards can be hyped to create enough demand to overcome seemingly adequate supply. The �52 Topps Mantle is the poster boy for this. This card isn�t rare; it�s not even scarce. However, the hype, and the registry disease, have made it one of the top few cards in the hobby. Go figure. In some respects, this is a hobby of sheep collecting cards.

bigfanNY · #20 10-21-2018, 12:00 AM

In 1989 or 1990 I was at a flea market near lambertville NJ. I found a group of T5 pinkerton cabinets. A few common Philadelphia players A complete Toledo Minor leauge team including Joe McCarthy I think the only card issued of him so Rare. And one C. Winger numbered 1613. A complete outlier. next highest number in set is in the 1100's So numbered 500 after next known T5. Only one ever seen I sent in picture to Beckett and had it cataloged. Value... very little compared to Rarity.

Last year I see a 1949 Sacramento team picture I look close and see it was issued by Sunbeam bread. It was the team giveaway that went along with the 1949 sunbeam postcards also of the Sacramento team. Sunbeam team cards have been in catalogs since the 70's but I had never seen a single one. I asked a number of west coast collectors they said as rare or rarer than bishop team cards. It is in REA now but I don't expect much. But it is as Rare as a card gets.
Jonathan

Exhibitman · #21 10-22-2018, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldjudge

the registry disease

Great description! Thanks for the chuckle.

Since this thread originated, marketing has been ever more the driver of prices on cards with good sized populations. Look at the manipulation/bubble we had on so many postwar rookie cards or the way the 1952 Mantle has gone into the stratosphere. Hell, PWCC is one big marketing engine, with its certifications of graded cards.

KCRfan1 · #22 10-21-2018, 06:54 AM

That's a beauty Raymond.

clydepepper · #23 10-21-2018, 07:05 AM

Thanks Lou

There's been one on EBAY for a while.

The regular Play Ball PSA-9 is listed at $4K, but the paper version, which, I've been told, is significantly rarer, can't seem to be sold for a fourth of that.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20-off-SMR-...UAAOSwldRaH2U6

I paid $1 ,500 for mine...guess I'll hold onto it for a while...and then some...

.

kevlar7 · #24 10-21-2018, 04:28 PM

Love reading this thread. Thanks for all who have contributed.

I would love to hear thoughts on if rarity impacts cards differently than memorabilia.

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