Vintage card regrets

[markcal02]

Originally Posted by Ricky

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

About ten years ago, I sold several vintage cards from my collection, probably 8 or 9 total, at a time when my daughter was going to college and we needed help paying for her tuition. Long story short, ten years down the road, even though it was the right thing to do at the time, I still regret parting with those cards, as I know that, with the way prices have soared in the past decade with vintage cards, I'll likely never be able to replace them.

I was wondering if other collectors had sold cards over the years that they now regret not having - and probably can't replace - and what those cards were.

For me, my top 3 that I sold and miss are:
• N172 Old Judge Hoss Radbourn
• N300 Mayo's Kid Nichols
• 1933 Goudey Ruth (red background)

After reading your posting to this thread you started, felt I had to say this. Baseball card collecting is an enjoyable hobby for many and some make their living from it. To make a posting about regret from not having baseball cards, which financed your daughter's college education is a little disturbing. Being able to give your daughter something that can never be taken away and being so important, but looking back at that gift as a regret doesn't make sense to me.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by markcal02

After reading your posting to this thread you started, felt I had to say this. Baseball card collecting is an enjoyable hobby for many and some make their living from it. To make a posting about regret from not having baseball cards, which financed your daughter's college education is a little disturbing. Being able to give your daughter something that can never be taken away and being so important, but looking back at that gift as a regret doesn't make sense to me.

Wow! I don't think Ricky stated he regretted helping out his daughter he stated he regretted selling his cards. I do not see those as the same statements. What a way to welcome someone.

[ramram]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Wow! I don't think Ricky stated he regretted helping out his daughter he stated he regretted selling his cards. I do not see those as the same statements. What a way to welcome someone.

+1

[markcal02]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Wow! I don't think Ricky stated he regretted helping out his daughter he stated he regretted selling his cards. I do not see those as the same statements. What a way to welcome someone.

That was my reaction too, "WOW". Being able to give your daughter a gift of a college education, but having to sell baseball cards to do it made him make this thread. If I ever had to sell something to give my daughter something so important as an education, I would be so grateful for being able to do it, "regret" would never enter my mind and would never post about it here. Merry Christmas to Ricky and all on this forum, Mark

[Ricky]

So, maybe I wasn't clear enough.

Certainly, my daughter and her education was and is, absolutely, #1. I don't regret what I did - at all. Looking back, it was a decision that my wife and I made and we probably did so in haste. We panicked a little at the price tag of the university that she chose and as it turned out, we were able to help pay for her education in subsequent semesters with no future baseball card sales involved. Probably could have done so without the selling the ones that I did.

My only intent in starting this thread was to see if there were others among you who had, over the years, sold cards that you miss today and wish you still had. That's all.

[pokerplyr80]

Tough crowd this morning. I knew what you meant Rick from your first post. I was buying a house a couple of years ago and sold a few more cards than I needed to in order to free up some cash. I regret letting a green cobb go as it was really nice for the grade and would probably cost me 2 or 3x what I sold it for now to replace.

[ALR-bishop]

Welcome aboard Ricky. You too Markcal, but if Rick'y's post generated a WOW you may find this place really entertaining.

[gregr2]

First off, welcome to the forum. Second, I have only been collecting for a few years and I can't afford the type of cards that could pay for college tuition. For me, I buy stuff that I like, some stuff I keep, other stuff I turn and sell but I have yet to have any regrets.

[dk1216]

Yep... A few years ago I sold several T206 scraps and a proof. The money I got for them was more than was fair, but I regretted it the minute I dropped them off at the post office. The only cards I've ever sold outright.

[JollyElm]

How about a friend's regret? My buddy sold all of his Mantles (in the 90's before the slab craze) to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. Broke his heart, but he knew he had to do it. Yup, you guessed it, their marriage didn't last. I refer to it as 'the day the cardboard died.'

[ls7plus]

1925 Exhibits Gehrig rookie in PSA VG and 1959 Bazooka Mantle in Near Mint (all dotted lines intake and no real flaws in the card) in the early 2000's when my focus had shifted to putting a 650 HP, 540 CID big block motor in my '72 Corvette, plus strengthened TCI Turbo 400 trans, custom 3" exhaust and fabricated headers, etc., etc. The car still runs great, and has been very reliable, but that's now a total of about $60K or more in cards. I could get them back if I wanted to, but really have no interest in investing that much at any one time in that area. Other priorities rank higher. Still, a lesson learned, as there were other avenues I could have taken with the car to get it to what I wanted it to be (yes, I am a certified gearhead in addition to card collector).

Best of luck to you all,

Larry

[deeg23]

Originally Posted by markcal02

After reading your posting to this thread you started, felt I had to say this. Baseball card collecting is an enjoyable hobby for many and some make their living from it. To make a posting about regret from not having baseball cards, which financed your daughter's college education is a little disturbing. Being able to give your daughter something that can never be taken away and being so important, but looking back at that gift as a regret doesn't make sense to me.

Tough scene.

I took it as he probably would’ve rather sold different cards or something else that hasn’t taken off in value so much!

Anyway - I don’t really have any regrets in collecting as I luckily haven’t had to sell anything yet (knock on wood)!