Are some cards too rare for their own good?

[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):

[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.

[h2oya311]

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]

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]

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.

[drcy]

I know of a dealer who had an 1800s 'cloth tintype,' a tintype on a swatch of cloth instead of metal. The only one I've ever seen. I'd read they existed so knew what it was when he sent me a scan and described it, but had never before seen one. He had troubles selling it for a fair price because buyers had no clue what it was. I recommended if he didn't get a fair price to donate it to a museum.

[TaxMechanick]

Expand it to other than cards as well.....That's the story of my life....that's what I collect and deal in...items too rare for their own good because they either do not have or have limited comps to determine a set market value!

Glenn

[darwinbulldog]

What do you suppose accounts for the prices of T231 cards (which do not suffer from being too rare) compared to other extreme rarities? Is it just Burdick's approval?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

What do you suppose accounts for the prices of T231 cards (which do not suffer from being too rare) compared to other extreme rarities? Is it just Burdick's approval?

Being a cataloged set adds a lot to the value, imo. Of course I am biased .....but if either of the 2 known (physical) specimens were sold it's really a crap shoot as to what they would sell for. I think there is a great chance I wouldn't recoup what I have into it. That's ok as I didn't get it for resale I got it to be able to complete the T cards.