M101-2 Supplements in Memory Lane

[BobC]

Originally Posted by hcv123

is it possible people bought the cards and NOT the holders!? PSA rendered their opinion - apparently, the buyers disagreed?

Hi Howard,

I agree to "buy the card and not the holder", but look at what I just said/asked in my last post. If you are buying something online and can only view the scans, the way the item is described is going to have to also play a part in the decision of a potential buyer then. The descriptions by the AH repeatedly state that aside from the "minor spider crease" on the back of some of these supplements, there are no stains, pinholes, or "other visible issues" with any of them. As nolemmings posted and pointed out though, there clearly are other issues that if you can look closely enough at the scans, are visible. And the AH went even further to state that each of these M101-2 supplements looked to be at least EX condition, or better. Yet all five supplements only got PSA1 grades, so obviously there is something seriously not right with them.

My original post was because based on the scans and descriptions, there was no way I could see these all getting only PSA1 grades, yet they did. Now that the back issues were pointed out, it seems the AH descriptions don't make sense. And it isn't like this was something done on a single auction description, this was done over five separate auction lots, so whoever wrote the descriptions up, did so intentionally.

Usually the "buy the card not the holder" saying refers to instances where the card appears to be graded higher than it may seem to the person looking to buy it, and therefore the advice has been to not overspend just to get a TPG holder with a specific grade. These supplements would appear to be the rarer, opposite occasion, where the card looks much better than the technical grade then. So did the descriptions and scans unjustly play any part in making these M101-2 supplements seem that much better than the technical grades, and as a result bring in what seems like exceptional prices?

As I said, these appear to be exceptional prices for M101-2 Sporting News Supplements, especially given the technical grades. And don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic to see such prices for these as that hopefully means my collection of them is worth that much more. However, something about these auction amounts just doesn't make sense then, given the PSA1 grades. These M101-2 supplements aren't traditional cards and are more of a niche collectible, or so I thought. I always equated them as more on a par with say the S74 silks. Nice and collectible by some, but nowhere near the demand or prices usually for major stars (like Cobb) in the more mainstream, contemporary issues.

I know you don't see M101-2s for sale everyday, but have always been able to find them out there, so to my thinking they aren't super rare, and certainly never at prices like this before. So are these recent M101-2 prices from this auction due to this crazy pandemic surge we've seen over this past year. Or is this a result of the non-collectors/investors looking and paying handsomely now for Cobbs, Wagners, Mathewsons, and Jacksons in a more obscure set like the M101-2s, because they can't afford the prices anymore for these same superstars in the regular card sets? And even if either of these reasons were totally (or even partially) true, that still doesn't explain such prices for PSA1s of these supplements, regardless of how nice they may look. The technical grade is still always going to be factored into the price being paid, or so I thought. Now if these M101-2s were graded 7s, 8s, 9s, or even 10's, then I could understand some of the prices that just got paid for them. But for PSA1a??? If one of those same M101-2 supplements come up for sale/auction in the next several months at an actual 7, 8, 9, or 10 grade then (with maybe the exception of the Mathewson), are we potentially talking a six figure price for it? If so, that is insane!!!!!