2020 Recap: Your Favorite Pick-Ups And Why

[rsdill2]

Great thread.

My 2020 highlights in review:

Bought this raw in January in a lot. Paid less than $300 for the lot of about 10 '54s (rest were commons). Never had a '54 Kaline, always wanted one in midgrade. Wasn't the best scans in the listing so I took a chance that paid off.



Bought this in April. I had a 7 in my set but sold it at a show for $150. Bought this one for $130. Can't beat that.



Bought this in early July. Much like the Kaline, it was one I always wanted and took a gamble on a raw lot. It was a BIN obo, I got it for around $500 thinking it was a 5. Obviously, this one didn't pay off, but I still have no regrets. It's the best looking 1.5 I've ever seen.



Bought this in August. The one in my set wasn't up to par and I like to upgrade stars as I can. Wish I would've upgraded this one a year or two ago but prices continue escalating. This card is almost always o/c l/r, so I liked the centering on this one (although it is slightly o/c top/bottom).



I had a 5 in my set, but this card caught my eye. Upgraded to this for about $50 net.



Something I had been considering a while was refocusing my collection. I have (had) Topps complete sets back to the mid-50s. The mid-70s to today, I never had much attraction to. They were purchased complete, set on a shelf, and I never looked at them. Additionally, I don't plan on holding on to my collection forever, so I also looked at the investment aspect of it: I think holding a few higher $ cards is a better asset, and more liquid, than 50 years of Topps sets. Covid allowed me more time at home to get a plan together. I sold every complete set 1973-2019 individually locally on Facebook, Craigslist, shows, and a few I sold here on net54. I ended up buying a run of Mantle's including:











No regrets from that.

For about $75 net, I upgraded my '64 Mantle (5) to this:



I had a PSA 5 Mantle that was o/c (not qualified, but more o/c than I liked). I upgraded to this and actually made about $50 in the process.



Lastly, I bought this in November. Love the '57s, love Ted (and think he's criminally undervalued), and thought this was a great looking 5.



2020 was a weird year, unlike any year I've ever seen. But it was a fun year in the hobby and I look forward to what 2021 has in store.

[GasHouseGang]

I started getting some Bowman cards. They always kind of were in second place compared to Topps.

[ASF123]

It was a BIN obo, I got it for around $500 thinking it was a 5. Obviously, this one didn't pay off, but I still have no regrets. It's the best looking 1.5 I've ever seen.

How is that even possible?? It's a great-looking card. As someone who wasn't in the hobby to see the rise of PSA and get acculturated to them over time, it is absolutely astonishing that they have any credibility at all, let alone the market-dictating hegemony that they somehow have.

Also - where do you find such amazing lots?

[JollyElm]

2020 was a stellar year for my love affair with cards having qualifiers, so here's ten of them. Yes, I'm cheap, and would much rather save a crapload of money by grabbing cards with supposed 'problems' than dropping a sack of cash on something that was deemed to be a tiny bit better by some unknown grader. Most of the time, I seek out ones that look completely normal to any sane person.


A trio of sick 1970's rookies. The Brett is more off-centered than I usually prefer, but what the Eck's up with the OC on Dennis? He looks pretty sweet!! The coveted Schmidt rookie has some snow...boo hoo...but is otherwise a freakin' sharp cornered, centered 9...

1975minibrett228psa9oc.jpg1976eckersley98.jpg1973schmidt.jpg


Then there are these all time greats, looking pretty fine. The Bench has some invisible gum/wax residue. If there's ever another group sub, I'll crack him out and wipe away the schmutz for a regrade...

1974ryan.jpg1961robinson.jpg1969bench95psa7st.jpg


These two green tints are impossible to find in PSA 9 (with or without qualifiers), having POPs in the low single digits. Very few exist, and if one of them ever shows up, you'd have to drop a boatload of money to obtain it. No thanks. I'll grab ones with phantom print defects for a song...

1962geiger117PSA9pd.jpg1962score116PSA9PD.jpg


Joe Morgan's 1972 high number is extremely costly in a straight PSA 9, and this one looks as close to 'normally' centered as possible, so I done grabbed it. And the Mick? Who wouldn't have grabbed him and his buddies at a very reduced price...

1964topps331albombersmantlePSA9OC.jpg1972morgan752psa9oc.jpg

[rsdill2]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

A trio of sick 1970's rookies. The Brett is more off-centered than I usually prefer, but what the Eck's up with the OC on Dennis? He looks pretty sweet!! The coveted Schmidt rookie has some snow...boo hoo...but is otherwise a freakin' sharp cornered, centered 9...

That Eck and Schmidt are really nice. You've got a great eye for qualifiers.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

2020 was a stellar year for my love affair with cards having qualifiers, so here's ten of them. Yes, I'm cheap, and would much rather save a crapload of money by grabbing cards with supposed 'problems' than dropping a sack of cash on something that was deemed to be a tiny bit better by some unknown grader. Most of the time, I seek out ones that look completely normal to any sane person.

Nice cards, Darren. My Brett RC is close to dead centered, but yours has nicer corners. Also that's a nice '72 Traded Morgan. Mine is NM but off to the side maybe 70/30. Very difficult card to find even close to well centered.

[quitcrab]

I picked up a partial 1961 Topps sheet. Missing just one column, so it’s 120 cards not 132. Has Gibson and Drysdale and Spahn.
Scott

[Kevvyg1026]

I presume that is a series 3 slit. Can you post a scan of it?

[rsdill2]

Originally Posted by ASF123

How is that even possible?? It's a great-looking card. As someone who wasn't in the hobby to see the rise of PSA and get acculturated to them over time, it is absolutely astonishing that they have any credibility at all, let alone the market-dictating hegemony that they somehow have.

Also - where do you find such amazing lots?

The Milton Bradley Ryan completely perplexed me and if I ever decide to move it, I will likely crack it out and/or resubmit. I posted about it when I got it back from PSA: https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=292063

I'd say 50-75% of my purchases are on eBay with the balance from here, local shows, and auction houses. Both the Kaline and Ryan were eBay purchases. Like many on this board, I spend more time on eBay than I care to admit. Saved searches are your friend.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by GasHouseGang

I started getting some Bowman cards. They always kind of were in second place compared to Topps.

Well done, David. Those are great! I have always thought of myself as a Topps first collector, and there are still many Topps cards/sets that I want, but I have been buying quite a bit of Bowman this year. I'm about four cards from a '52 set, and I have picked up several '55 Bowmans as well. I also have my eyes on '50.

[rats60]

Picked up the Clemente Plak with Santo & Wynn. I alreay had the one with Yaz and Killebrew, but couldn't pass this one up for the price.

[Jim65]

My favorite pickup is my latest. 1977 TCMA Lynchburg Mets Stu Greenstein variation. Most people would not know or care about this card but according to most minor league collectors I have spoken to, there are less than 5 and I know only one other collector who owns one. First photo is the common version, second is the rare variation.

[71buc]

Although I am not generally a card guy I do dabble in some. I added Topps Rookie cards of Ernie Banks and Frank Robinson. I saw the spike in prices on such cards and had been procrastinating for many years so I grabbed nice copies while I could still afford them. I also picked up a 1971Bazooka Gum box with Clemente on it. However my favorite card pick was a lot of 1971 Pirate Action photos.

PSA claims there are 17 cards that comprise the 1971 Pirates Action Photos set. They include a Vic Davalillo. I have never seen one nor is there one on any registry. I will believe there are 16 until someone shows me a Davalillo. There is scant information about these. They are a tough issue judging by the PSA population reports which show the Clemente as having the highest population at 10. There are no complete sets in the set registry in either PSA or SGC. This is the only complete (?) set I have ever seen. I can understand the rarity. They measure 4.5" X 7.125" and are condition sensitive as the paper stock is thin. It is essentially similar to that of magazine pages. Thankfully these managed to survive and good shape with the Clemente being in the best condition.

[JLange]

I was fortunate to find some rare and unusual items for my Cleveland Type Cards collection:

-1960s Beisbolistas (Mexico) #106 Pedro Ramos
-1950s Pleybol Card (Mexico) #112 Beto Avila
-1953 Northland Bread for Energy Label Al Rosen
-1962 Sears Little Pro Jimmy Piersall
-1959 Kit's Manufacturing Co. Rocky Colavito card
-1960s Cleveland Indians Team Issue Tito Francona

I am starting to take this aspect of my collection more seriously, as I add interesting types from the 1950s to 1980s, and slowly chip away at pre-war Es, Ms, Rs, Ts, Ws and foreign issues.