OT but front page worthy Jordan card ebay

[frankbmd]

Modern, Vintage, Prewar and Pop Goes the Weasel

A modern card in an 8 or 9 holder is virtually the same as the same card in a 10 holder.

Similarly a prewar tobacco card in a 6 holder, is also quite similar to its higher graded brethren occupying 7 or 8 holders.

However Pop reports in all eras suggest that there is rarity at the extreme upper end of the grading scale regardless of the era or issue.

So what difference does it make anyway, suits in the Topps board room manufacture rarity, card doctors restore tobacco cards and by doing so "manufacture" rarity, or graders by their pyramid of grading "manufacture" rarity at the upper end of the scale. All are weasels.

Card grading enhances the ability of collectors to deal via the internet, but
card grading and Pop reports a secondary effect, to facilitate "cashing" in on that rarity whichever factor was involved in creating it. Different weasels to be sure, but the same results when viewed broadly.

Exponential cost differential relative to linear grading increments seems irrational.
Should a card absent one microscopic imperfection be worth 10, 20 or 30 times the card with that imperfection. Probably not, but it is. The necessary catalyst for this construct to flourish is the buyer's ego without which pricing would lose much of its ever increasing exponential steps and return to a more linear scale.

Nothing earth shattering hear but to try to explain the difference between a high grade tobacco card that spent 90 years in a book as a forgotten bookmark, a mint 52 Mantle rookie card of which a small finite number exist, and a Michael Jordan green metallic refractor numbered 1/2 seems like a fruitless exercise. All are rare. Their rarity was created by different circumstances, but each will attract a collector with a wallet compatible with his ego, for a place atop a Registry, bragging rights or perhaps only to profit from a resale knowing that with our current system there will always be a greater fool who will pay more for that special card than he did. Or will there?

[ullmandds]

Auction ended...again???

[WillBBC]

It's still open:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-Metal-...frcectupt=true

[Snapolit1]

Sitting as a measly 121K. Mere bag of shells. Last time there was a $750,000 bid retraction, a $200,000 bid retraction, and a $176,000 bid retraction. From different bidders. And a $500,000 bid was cancelled from a seller with "0" feedback.

I don't know where you vintage guys get the idea this modern market for high end modern cards is anything less than being on the up and up. Perfectly normal bidding behavior. Nothing to see here. Move on.

[swarmee]

LOL; because all the eBay bids on vintage items are authentic...

[Dpeck100]

There are 2,484 watchers on this card.

Obviously plenty are just rubbing necking but that is a huge number and indicative of a very large number of people interested in this card.

The next closest card on EBAY using the search PSA is at 736 watchers and it is the Tim Duncan from this set.

To put this in better perspective the next highest is a Jordan PSA 10 rookie at 432.

[darwinbulldog]

If the buyer pays in the next few hours he gets $100 back in eBay bucks.