Vintage card 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

[Steve D]

I regret having to sell my N172 Mike Kelly, T227 Ty Cobb and 1954 Bowman Ted Williams back in 1991. I was in the Air Force, and had just been transferred to Texas, after two years in Germany. I needed money to buy a car and furnish an apartment, as I was moving out of the dormitory/barracks. Like you, it was the right thing to do, I just regret that I had to do it. These three cards were but a small part of a much larger group of cards (including every T206 HOFer card except Wagner and Plank). I've subsequently re-collected the T206s, but have never been able to re-acquire examples of the Kelly, Cobb and Williams.

On the buying side, my big regret is coming in second on a T206 Eddie Plank about 12 or so years ago. I bid $16,100, and it went for $16,200 on ebay.

Steve

[hcv123]

So, In contemplating the question and thinking about many cards I've sold - As close as I could come to regret was a 1971 Bazooka numbered panel of Clemente - which is a legitimately tough item to find and I am not sure I will own one again. Other than that, seeing some of the prices of cards today that I sold years ago, it would have been nice to have them to sell for today's prices, but I don't much regret not having the cards and got at the time very fair prices for them - the worst - I sold a raw 1968 3D Clemente at the time PSA was becoming more known and there was much controversy whether they would last and be accepted in the hobby. It was in great condition - I would have called it near mint. I sold it for $6500. The collector I sold it to immediately sent it to PSA for grading - it came back a 9 - within a few months I watched a 9 sell at auction for about $30k!! Pain - yes, regret no.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Steve D

On the buying side, my big regret is coming in second on a T206 Eddie Plank about 12 or so years ago. I bid $16,100, and it went for $16,200 on ebay.

Steve

Just tell yourself that the person who won the card had a top bid of $25,000, so you never had a chance anyway.

Brian (self-delusional since the Eighties)

[riggs336]

In the late 70's I sold off most of my duplicate stars via The Trader Speaks. I still remember some of the prices: 1958 Aaron $3.00; 1954 T Williams #1 $4.50; 1948 Leaf Spahn $4.50 (the check bounced on that one).
I didn't regret selling them at the time and regretting it now would have to go really low on my list of Most Wanted Life Mulligans.

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Just tell yourself that the person who won the card had a top bid of $25,000, so you never had a chance anyway.

Brian (self-delusional since the Eighties)

Oh, believe me, that's what I've been telling myself ever since the auction ended.

It helps some, but not completely.

I am very glad though, that the winning bid was a full normal increment, and not some odd small amount where it was obviously the winner's high bid.

Steve

[Bram99]

My biggest regret is not about selling but about having spent any money that I did on the cards of the mid 80’s to the 1990’s. Also, the opportunity cost of spending that money on other than vintage cards.