Has anyone risked a "too good to be true" purchase online, and had a positive result?

[Fastball]

Interesting thread because I will admit I did this very thing once a while back. However, up to this point I haven't put any effort into determining if it is authentic. So, upon disclosure I welcome any suggestions or help, or perhaps feel free to laugh. There was an auction on eBay that I saw close to the end that was selling a an original tintype photograph of Cy Young. There was a letter of provenance that said it came from his estate. I have no idea how to prove if the picture is really Cy Young; but, I thought it was cool enough and so I said what the heck. I don't have the picture here with me but can post it later. The truth is still yet to be determined or perhaps it's one of those cases where you'll just never know. But I even though I knew it was likely too good to be true, I did it anyway, but rarely do that.

[egri]

A few months ago, an eBay seller listed a lot of four signed 1953 Topps, including Fred Hutchinson. The photo on the listing was terrible (I could barely see the signatures, much less make an assessment) but at something like $80 for the lot, I figured it was worth a shot. I pulled the trigger, and they turned out to be four very nice vintage signatures, including a very bold Hutchinson. Two others were upgrades.

He also had a lot of 1951 Bowmans that had a Hutchinson, but by the time I went back, it was gone.

[IMG][/IMG]

[D. Bergin]

Back in the early years of Ebay I used to do searches for oddball playing card types, and ran across a lot of a couple dozen Fan Craze baseball cards, including a bunch of minor HOF'ers.

No pictures, just a written description. Probably won the lot for under 50 bucks. I was ecstatic when they showed up.

[seanofjapan]

I live in Japan and collect vintage Japanese cards.

The great thing about collecting here is that the hobby is in some ways like it was in the US in the 60s and 70s - there are still hoards of old (1930s-1960s) cards out there owned by people who are just looking to get rid of them and have no idea what they are or that they are worth anything. So when you see a "too good to be true" opportunity it almost always turns out to be both "good" and "true". Antique dealers are really good sources for vintage stuff since most of them don't know what they have on their hands either.

Stuff like this is what collecting here is like: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspo...40s-menko.html

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by seanofjapan

I live in Japan and collect vintage Japanese cards.

The great thing about collecting here is that the hobby is in some ways like it was in the US in the 60s and 70s - there are still hoards of old (1930s-1960s) cards out there owned by people who are just looking to get rid of them and have no idea what they are or that they are worth anything. So when you see a "too good to be true" opportunity it almost always turns out to be both "good" and "true". Antique dealers are really good sources for vintage stuff since most of them don't know what they have on their hands either.

Stuff like this is what collecting here is like: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspo...40s-menko.html

Fun read, thanks for sharing!

[mossy56]

Bought an album page that was signed by Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby and Roger Bresnahan. Most people didn't notice the Bresnahan. I bought it for $800. Sold the Ott and Horsnby as cuts for $800 and kept the Bresnahan and got it slabbed PSA DNA. So basically it cost me $150 for a Bresnahan.

[xbaggypants]

I was lucky enough to win the majority of these lots with some very valuable hockey cards: https://ebay.ca/sch/blueantique1/m.h...p2046732.m1684

[h2oya311]

In 2014, I bought a 1935 Wheaties Lou Gehrig (w/ nice full ornate borders) for $19.14 off eBay ($9.99 + $9.15 shipping). It had all the signs of trouble (poor image, low feedback, no other cards for sale by the seller, etc., etc.), and I don't believe it was listed in the usual spot on eBay. But something inside of me told me to take a chance. So I did. By the way, this was not a Buy It Now, this was a full-blown 7-day auction. When I got the card, I was floored that it was the real deal. The back had "$8" written in pencil. Ironically, that's pretty much what I paid for it.

Funny thing is, the seller felt that he "overcharged" me for shipping and refunded me $3.84 to get in line with the actual shipping cost. Oy vay. I feel like such a schmuck today now that I am recalling this "win".

I later traded the Gehrig for a very nice looking T205 Cobb that I subsequently consigned to an AH. It sold for $780. I'd say that the reward outweighed the risk.

By the way, the next thread should be about the bone-headed moves we've all made and later regretted (specifically as it relates to "too good to be true"). I've had plenty of those that have likely fully negated my very few wins.