Been so long

[Snapolit1]

Yep. Patience. Or develop a new focus, which gets even more expensive.


QUOTE=ls7plus;1752336]Hi, Steve.

You just have to be patient, as with the current growth in the hobby regarding demand for vintage cards (especially the rarest, most significant ones) due to the internet and a significant increase in the number of major auction houses featuring such material, more and more people are snapping them up. Just maintain your continuing searches. My opinion is that what you need will eventually show up on ebay or via auction house.

Good luck in your collecting,

Larry[/QUOTE]

[RedsFan1941]

this post caused me to think about my collection, which has been a work in progress for more than 4 decades. i wrote down my 5 rarest cards -- not necessarily most expensive but truly rare or at least scarce. 4 are pre-war and one is from the 1950s. 3 i bought in auctions, 1 at a NAtional and 1 in a private sale.

the years i got them were: 1985, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2012.

on 4 of the cards, i had seen less than 2 examples ever sell before i bought mine. on three of the cards, i've not seen an example come up for auction since i got mine.

i am in my late 60s. my collection likely will stay with me until i die.

i post all of this because i think there are a lot of collectors like me who when they add a truly rare card to their collection, it stays there. i am not a big fish in this hobby so i can imagine a lot of collectors with my mindset who instead of having 5 truly rare cards, have 20, 50, 100 or more.

even though you see many of the same high-grade and expensive cards come to auction every six months or so, there's a reason the really rare stuff doesnt.

[joshuanip]

Originally Posted by RedsFan1941

this post caused me to think about my collection, which has been a work in progress for more than 4 decades. i wrote down my 5 rarest cards -- not necessarily most expensive but truly rare or at least scarce. 4 are pre-war and one is from the 1950s. 3 i bought in auctions, 1 at a NAtional and 1 in a private sale.

the years i got them were: 1985, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2012.

on 4 of the cards, i had seen less than 2 examples ever sell before i bought mine. on three of the cards, i've not seen an example come up for auction since i got mine.

i am in my late 60s. my collection likely will stay with me until i die.

i post all of this because i think there are a lot of collectors like me who when they add a truly rare card to their collection, it stays there. i am not a big fish in this hobby so i can imagine a lot of collectors with my mindset who instead of having 5 truly rare cards, have 20, 50, 100 or more.

even though you see many of the same high-grade and expensive cards come to auction every six months or so, there's a reason the really rare stuff doesnt.

+1(guppie)

[ullmandds]

Been so long since I have been able to add a Miller to my run. It’s a travesty! Someone please help ! E92 nadja, t216 type 1, t216 ve. ��

[pokerplyr80]

The rare and exceptional cards that pop up on eBay tend to sell before most have a chance to even see them. There are many out there searching. Unless they show up in a pwcc or probation auction. Then we all get a shot, and everyone complains about the crazy prices they sell for.

[DeanH3]

Hi Steve,

Listing buy prices for the issues you're interested in might help. I think it's been a successful method for some. It might shake some cards loose that are hidden in collections.

[Rhotchkiss]

Things I “need” keep popping up all the time. Problem is, I didn’t know I “needed” it until it popped up!!

[joshuanip]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

Hi Steve,

Listing buy prices for the issues you're interested in might help. I think it's been a successful method for some. It might shake some cards loose that are hidden in collections.

The risk towards that is you might create a market against yourself. And you may overshoot significantly by re-rating the value of what you are buying. Not saying don’t offer above vcp, as I think you should pay what you feel is worth, but some expectations can get out of hand from some ask prices I fielded after I tried that route. Putting up a fair price may not shake loose those private collections. And providing a max offer way above market only frames the buyer in a disadvantage in negotiating a reasonable offer, as the seller usually then tries to ask for a price above that. For those MBA’ers, it’s a case of the BATNA’s. I guess the narrow road to walk is between what price would attract latent interest and providing some wiggle to make the deal work.