Post your best story! The Buy that got away

[Fred]

If you're talking about a guy the said he had some really good stuff, but lied, then I've got a whopper of a story..... CRAZY CANUCK.... anybody remember that asshole.... I know a few board members got burned by that idiot....

Yes, I have a huge regret.... about 1984, someone offered me about (400) T206 cards (had HOF like Matty and others). Cards were in decent shape. I son't remember about the backs... don't even want to say how much it was offered to me for.... puke, blech... my head hurts now....

[Chris-Counts]

When I was a kid in the early 1970s, another kid who lived nearby me had some great cards. He showed them to me a couple times and tempted me with various deals, but he kept backing. After that, he would pass me on his bicycle and yell taunts to me about how he would never trade or sell me his cards. One day he particularly annoyed me with his comments, and I threw my baseball glove at him. My some random chance, the glove stuck in his gears, and his bike was immediately upended. He was literally launched over the handlebars face first onto the pavement. As a result, he got a little banged up, and I probably should have felt some remorse about it. His mom called my mom, but I didn't get in too much trouble. I never did get the cards, though.

[orly57]

Great stories! Keep them coming. Chris, thanks for the laugh. Awesome story.

[pingman59]

It's the spring 1978 Chicagoland Sports Collectors Association show at the Hillside Holiday Inn. I'm in college and have $40 to spend. I got there right when they opened the doors and soon after I ran across an empty display box labeled 1941 Play Ball: $35. I thought it was the coolest thing and I deliberated over and over on spending almost all of my money, not realizing at the time the scarcity of such an item. I passed on it and walked away only to come back 5 minutes later, after coming to my senses, to buy it. IT WAS GONE.

Huge regret.

[effe]

Originally Posted by pingman59

It's the spring 1978 Chicagoland Sports Collectors Association show at the Hillside Holiday Inn. I'm in college and have $40 to spend. I got there right when they opened the doors and soon after I ran across an empty display box labeled 1941 Play Ball: $35. I thought it was the coolest thing and I deliberated over and over on spending almost all of my money, not realizing at the time the scarcity of such an item. I passed on it and walked away only to come back 5 minutes later, after coming to my senses, to buy it. IT WAS GONE.

Huge regret.

Was Burleigh Grimes an autograph guest at the show? If so I was there too. I picked up a 1933 Goudey Ruth at the show for $40 and 3/4 of a 1954 Topps for $20.

[Rich Falvo]

Lost out on a very low pop T206 on eBay yesterday. Saw it posted with what looked like a reasonable BIN, but went to do a quick check on VCP and the PSA/SGC pop reports. Within five minutes, the card was purchased by someone else. Should have just bought it right away. Sometimes, making the rash purchase is better than doing due diligence!

[pingman59]

Originally Posted by effe

Was Burleigh Grimes an autograph guest at the show? If so I was there too. I picked up a 1933 Goudey Ruth at the show for $40 and 3/4 of a 1954 Topps for $20.

I don't remember if Grimes was there or not. If Grimes was there, I probably ignored the idea of an autograph from him, as I got him at a Milwaukee show in August of 77. I remember thinking that I'll buy a 33 Goudey of Grimes to get autographed (like they would be available in quantity...HA!). I got the Milwaukee Show program signed instead.

[bnorth]

Recently I was looking at a website and seen a cool autographed card. After looking closer it was a cool error card. I am not much of a auto guy but the auto on a error card had me very interested. The price was a little high but within reason. We where about to leave for supper and it is a site that you have to be a member and have $ in your account with them. I looked and did not have enough $ in my account and the wife was in a hurry. I figured since it was just listed I would buy it when we got back home. When we got back home I looked and it was sold. Then a few days later another member here emailed me a picture of his new autographed error card.LOL

[tjb1952tjb]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

When I was a kid in the early 1970s, another kid who lived nearby me had some great cards. He showed them to me a couple times and tempted me with various deals, but he kept backing. After that, he would pass me on his bicycle and yell taunts to me about how he would never trade or sell me his cards. One day he particularly annoyed me with his comments, and I threw my baseball glove at him. My some random chance, the glove stuck in his gears, and his bike was immediately upended. He was literally launched over the handlebars face first onto the pavement. As a result, he got a little banged up, and I probably should have felt some remorse about it. His mom called my mom, but I didn't get in too much trouble. I never did get the cards, though.

Thanks for the visual, Chris. VERY funny................

[damonh23]

good stories, keep them coming..

mrmopar..I botched it in the sense I didn't get the deal done. I should have called for backup.. To my defense I had no phone and no way of calling the owners in, to make things worse I remember my girlfriend and a group of her friends coming over acting loud totally distracting me.

I hope I educated him enough so he didn't get taken. But I'm highly confident that the guy probably gave them away for nothing!

[bigfanNY]

It was a long time ago I went to what was most likely the first card show in Connecticut. My Dad and I decided I would go right he would go left I had $20-$25 in my pocket but my Dad was there with more. The second table I see a dealer who I knew pretty well in his display ( old school plastic pages designed by stamp dealers on a stand) I see a Topps Dice game Mays and a common. I ask how much he says $100 for the Mays and $60 for the common. I say I will get my Dad go to where he is he is looking at some nice T201's picking out the last couple we need for set. I notice he has an extra Dougherty/ Lord and we agree on $3. We go back to Dice game Table Mays is gone but he says despite offer for common he waited until I got back. So disappointed Mays is gone and seeing two I figure I will get another chance at a hall of Famer so pass on common.

[Fballguy]

The buy that got away for me occurred 15 years ago when I sold my Priceline stock when it hit $10 a share.

$1,957 a share as of this morning.

Thanks for asking.

[scooter729]

Originally Posted by Fballguy

The buy that got away for me occurred 15 years ago when I sold my Priceline stock when it hit $10 a share.

$1,957 a share as of this morning.

Thanks for asking.

Ouch - glad to see I have company. Sold my 200 shares of Amazon stock in the 90s when it was in the same $10 range. Now about $1,400 per share. Just your everyday $280K I missed out on - nothing to see here.....

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

When I was a kid in the early 1970s, another kid who lived nearby me had some great cards. He showed them to me a couple times and tempted me with various deals, but he kept backing. After that, he would pass me on his bicycle and yell taunts to me about how he would never trade or sell me his cards. One day he particularly annoyed me with his comments, and I threw my baseball glove at him. My some random chance, the glove stuck in his gears, and his bike was immediately upended. He was literally launched over the handlebars face first onto the pavement. As a result, he got a little banged up, and I probably should have felt some remorse about it. His mom called my mom, but I didn't get in too much trouble. I never did get the cards, though.

Chris, that story was a scream! Nice going, my friend. Two sides to every story, and the jerk goes and bawls to his mommy about how this bad boy caused this horrible accident. "And I did'n do nuttin' to him!", I can just hear him whine.

You know, Chris, maybe it's just as well that you didn't get that bully's cards. I have found if I have a very bad memory associated with an object, I don't want the object anymore. Whatever you might have gotten from the boy, over time you probably would not have treasured them, all because it came from that jerk.

My wretched " the one that got away" was at the big 1974 Midwest Card Collectors Convention in Troy, Michigan. I saw a 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams at a dealer's table in EX-MT condition. He wanted twenty bucks. I asked him to save it for me while I went to my hotel room to get the twenty. Upon my return, he had just sold it to another collector. Classic example of why teens (I was 19) hate adults sometimes. The sad story with all its details became chapter 12 of my book on regionals, Never Cheaper By the Dozen. Yes, in the chapter I answer the obvious question, "WELL, STUPID, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, GOING DOWN TO THE CONVENTION WITHOUT YOUR MONEY?*%@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I recall, you love regionals, Chirs, so I thought you would appreciate and empathize with this succinct version of my yarn. I quoted you in my book, too!

----Brian Powell

[Chris-Counts]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Chris, that story was a scream! Nice going, my friend. Two sides to every story, and the jerk goes and bawls to his mommy about how this bad boy caused this horrible accident. "And I did'n do nuttin' to him!", I can just hear him whine.

You know, Chris, maybe it's just as well that you didn't get that bully's cards. I have found if I have a very bad memory associated with an object, I don't want the object anymore. Whatever you might have gotten from the boy, over time you probably would not have treasured them, all because it came from that jerk.

My wretched " the one that got away" was at the big 1974 Midwest Card Collectors Convention in Troy, Michigan. I saw a 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams at a dealer's table in EX-MT condition. He wanted twenty bucks. I asked him to save it for me while I went to my hotel room to get the twenty. Upon my return, he had just sold it to another collector. Classic example of why teens (I was 19) hate adults sometimes. The sad story with all its details became chapter 12 of my book on regionals, Never Cheaper By the Dozen. Yes, in the chapter I answer the obvious question, "WELL, STUPID, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, GOING DOWN TO THE CONVENTION WITHOUT YOUR MONEY?*%@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I recall, you love regionals, Chirs, so I thought you would appreciate and empathize with this succinct version of my yarn. I quoted you in my book, too!

----Brian Powell

Brian, I went to a show in Pontiac, MI, in 1976. I arrived on a red eye from California with my mom and my brother — and no sleep. I was 15. I stepped through the doors into this big room and walked up to the first table, and the guy had a shoebox full of 1953 Bowman Color Hall of Famers. Just about every card was perfect mint, and there were about a dozen of each, including at least that many Mantles. I spent all I had in the first five minutes of the show — I paid $11 for one of those Mantles — and then I wandered around the room for another two or three hours looking at all this amazing stuff I couldn't buy until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

[whitehse]

My dad and I started having "card shows" in our garage in 1979 when I was a sophomore in high school in far suburban Chicago. Our first show was incredible as I ran buy adds in the local newspaper for a week before and I could not believe the response we received. People were bringing us garbage bags filled with cards that we bought at prices that would make one cry today. I remember that we walked away with 2 Koufax rookies, an Aaron rookie and hundreds of cards that allowed us to put sets together but oddly enough no Mantles.

Flash forward a year or two and we were now holding shows in a local grade school gymnasium with a few other dealers present and in walks an older, white haired gentleman with a cigar box. As anyone who has done card shows knows, a cigar box is usually a very good sign. He approached me and allowed me to look at the treasure that was inside of the box.

Inside this box was hundreds of 1933 and '34 Goudeys in the most incredible shape. The man explained that these were his cards from his childhood and liked to take good care of them which is why they were in such incredible shape. I spotted all of the Ruths and Gehrigs and many other stars and being the set builder I am I suggested he may have the whole set. So we went to the teachers lounge by ourselves, sat down and sorted the cards. As we were sorting I explained to him that he probably would not have a whole set of the 33's as they did not make one card which was the Lajoie as they issued it the next year. He shook his head and looked at me and said..."You mean like this one?". I swear I almost passed out.

Long story short, the man was one or two commons away from a set and had many many more left over. I asked him if you he wanted to sell (more like begged) but he said he was going to get himself a safe deposit box and put them in there for his grandkids to enjoy. He simply wanted to know if he had anything that was worth money in his collection. I often wonder what happened to those cards and if they are still in that safe deposit box.