Mike Baker Authenticated

[MattyC]

Long before there were even PWCC eye appeal stickers, cards with exceptional eye appeal for their grades would perform accordingly at auction. All it took were savvy, experienced collectors' eyes to be laid upon the cards, and the deserved fireworks would ensue. I know this because I was involved in many of those auctions. At that time, it's interesting to note that whenever such a card broke out of the then-sacrosanct VCP grids, some guys, I like to call them grade-queens who worship the sticker number, would lose their sh!+, wondering why on earth a 2 just sold like a 4, who were these morons that would bid up a 2 when they could get a 4, or a 6 when they could buy an 8, and so on. Others would get it. Different camps, whatever, the usual conflict and beef that breaks out among card people.

Then along came PWCC with their stickers, hanging lanterns on the sweeter-looking cards (in many cases also doctored cards from their big submitters, as we'd all later learn). Now, because so many people out there are insecure in their own opinion and eye, they start saying, "Well, if PWCC says this card is better than others in its grade or special, now, okay, I want it." So premiums for eye appeal become more commonplace, more mainstream perhaps one could say.

That's all this Baker diamond thing is, same as the PWCC stickers. The reason I spit on it is because it reeks to me of needing affirmation. If one's eye tells them a card is sweet, it's sweet. Then pay accordingly, because it's the specimen you want to enjoy looking at in your collection every day. Not because some random dude slapped some tiny sticker on the slab.

It's like if one got an A on an exam, doesn't the A suffice? Does one need a little puffy sticker from the teacher's assistant next to the A to make one feel better? Or if a guy went 4-4 at the plate, does he need some kind of extra affirmation from the coach or fans or his nana? You went 4-4. You know you did. In the same vein, we know if a card is pretty. We know if it's focused, centered, etc. Our eyes tell us that. So I don't get why we'd ever need a sticker from some random dude to tell us what our own two eyes know is a fact like the sun is in the sky. And then to PAY for that affirmation? Makes zero sense to me. Maybe if I didn't get enough love as a kid I'd go for it, I don't know. What I do know is I'll take my eye for free over paying for Baker's. And I'll bet a card I deem high end will sell for the same with no sticker as the same card with Baker's sticker.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Long before there were even PWCC eye appeal stickers, cards with exceptional eye appeal for their grades would perform accordingly at auction. All it took were savvy, experienced collectors' eyes to be laid upon the cards, and the deserved fireworks would ensue. I know this because I was involved in many of those auctions. At that time, it's interesting to note that whenever such a card broke out of the then-sacrosanct VCP grids, some guys, I like to call them grade-queens who worship the sticker number, would lose their sh!+, wondering why on earth a 2 just sold like a 4, who were these morons that would bid up a 2 when they could get a 4, or a 6 when they could buy an 8, and so on. Others would get it. Different camps, whatever, the usual conflict and beef that breaks out among card people.

Then along came PWCC with their stickers, hanging lanterns on the sweeter-looking cards (in many cases also doctored cards from their big submitters, as we'd all later learn). Now, because so many people out there are insecure in their own opinion and eye, they start saying, "Well, if PWCC says this card is better than others in its grade or special, now, okay, I want it." So premiums for eye appeal become more commonplace, more mainstream perhaps one could say.

That's all this Baker diamond thing is, same as the PWCC stickers. The reason I spit on it is because it reeks to me of needing affirmation. If one's eye tells them a card is sweet, it's sweet. Then pay accordingly, because it's the specimen you want to enjoy looking at in your collection every day. Not because some random dude slapped some tiny sticker on the slab.

It's like if one got an A on an exam, doesn't the A suffice? Does one need a little puffy sticker from the teacher's assistant next to the A to make one feel better? Or if a guy went 4-4 at the plate, does he need some kind of extra affirmation from the coach or fans or his nana? You went 4-4. You know you did. In the same vein, we know if a card is pretty. We know if it's focused, centered, etc. Our eyes tell us that. So I don't get why we'd ever need a sticker from some random dude to tell us what our own two eyes know is a fact like the sun is in the sky. And then to PAY for that affirmation? Makes zero sense to me. Maybe if I didn't get enough love as a kid I'd go for it, I don't know. What I do know is I'll take my eye for free over paying for Baker's. And I'll bet a card I deem high end will sell for the same with no sticker as the same card with Baker's sticker.

Ya, for me it's all about the eye appeal as well. I completely get the sentiment about not needing the Gold Diamond stickers too. I really do. I thought they were stupid at first too. But I happened to buy a card that had the little gold sticker on it, and for whatever reason I just liked it. I'm super OCD. As in remarkably so. When I was a kid, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night unless I got up out of bed and walked over to the light switch and flipped it on/off 3 times before going back to bed. In high school, after basketball practice, I couldn't leave the gym until I swished a 3-pointer, even if it made me late for class. If a card isn't well-centered, I can't stand looking at it. It's almost a physical reaction. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. An off-centered Mint 9 or even 10 card is pure trash to me. I can't change that. But for whatever reason, I really like how these Gold Diamond stickers look, particularly on SGC slabs (the silver stickers, not so much). So my OCD has decided I want more of them.

Again, I fully realize this is crazy. Hence my posts. Though I do find it interesting that the market does appear to place a value on the stickers that the data appears to suggest is in addition to centering alone. I think people interpret them as "this card is undergraded" and likely bid with the hope of cracking it out for a grade bump in mind. And to be fair, they probably succeed at a higher rate than they would with cards that don't have the stickers.

But overall, I'm very much in agreement with you. Buy the card, not the slab. And yes, these stickers are dumb. But what can I say, I like dumb shit sometimes.

[MattyC]

Hey man, if you dig'em, you dig'em, and enjoy. The cards you showed are all great-looking and I'm sure all collectors would agree they are. My friendly advice as a fellow collector would be just save your money and the risk of shipping them and just make your own; you clearly have a good eye so your sticker would be no different than the one that costs you money is all!

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Hey man, if you dig'em, you dig'em, and enjoy. The cards you showed are all great-looking and I'm sure all collectors would agree they are. My friendly advice as a fellow collector would be just save your money and the risk of shipping them and just make your own; you clearly have a good eye so your sticker would be no different than the one that costs you money is all!

It's not a terrible idea. It's just that if putting an MBA Gold Diamond sticker is already stupid to 85% of the hobby, then how stupid is a Snowman sticker? lol. I could put a little gold foil Snowman on there, hahaha.

FWIW, I don't like the PWCC stickers. Nor do I like the Silver Diamond MBA stickers. I only like the Gold Diamond stickers lol.

[Snowman]

Here's a fun card from this weekend's auctions that I know you'll appreciate MattyC.

I've been looking for a nice Roberto Clemente in a 4 or 5 holder to go with my 1955 Topps set. There were a few on auction this weekend that I was interested in. They usually sell for between $3500 to $4000 as a 4 (though it has been trending upward). The one I was most interested in was well-centered at Heritage. It ended on Saturday with a hammer price of $5760. I was the underbidder and I gave up at that point. I ended up settling on the one I liked 2nd most for another SGC 4 that sold on PWCC last night. It's centering isn't ideal, but it's still better than most 55 Topps cards (as most know, these are notoriously difficult to find well centered).

Here are the two cards that sold this weekend. $5760 for the centered one on Heritage, $3600 for the off-center one on PWCC. I won it for nearly half the price, but I'm still not happy about it and will eventually look to upgrade it. But it will do for now. I bet Mike Baker would slap a Gold sticker on that Heritage copy! Hahaha

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Snowman

It's not a terrible idea. It's just that if putting an MBA Gold Diamond sticker is already stupid to 85% of the hobby, then how stupid is a Snowman sticker? lol. I could put a little gold foil Snowman on there, hahaha.

FWIW, I don't like the PWCC stickers. Nor do I like the Silver Diamond MBA stickers. I only like the Gold Diamond stickers lol.

To be honest, the stickers are moronic. You're obviously an Anal Eddie and that's fine cause at least your honest with yourself.

That being said, I would much rather have a "Snowman" sticker on my card from an Anal Eddie, than that well known criminal piece Sh** like Mike Baker. The "Snowman" holds much more street cred. That's the god honest truth. Have a little faith in yourself.

Go find some slabs with PWCC stickers and purple stickers. Then, put a Mike Baker and Snowman sticker on it. Have you ever thought of that? They have to be PSA though and they have to POP so you can add all 4 stickers to the registry. That's what I would do if I were you and only collect those. 4 stickers for every bush!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Fuddjcal

To be honest, the stickers are moronic. You're obviously an Anal Eddie and that's fine cause at least your honest with yourself.

That being said, I would much rather have a "Snowman" sticker on my card from an Anal Eddie, than that well known criminal piece Sh** like Mike Baker. The "Snowman" holds much more street cred. That's the god honest truth. Have a little faith in yourself.

Go find some slabs with PWCC stickers and purple stickers. Then, put a Mike Baker and Snowman sticker on it. Have you ever thought of that? They have to be PSA though and they have to POP so you can add all 4 stickers to the registry. That's what I would do if I were you and only collect those. 4 stickers for every bush!

The Baker sticker is not that big. You could easily fit several sized like his on a slab.

[Yoda]

Travis, you obviously have a keen eye for the qualities necessary for a card to be added to your collection. At the end of the day, you are the property owner and can damn well do whatever you want with the card. If a Mike Baker sticker makes you feel better and more confident about certain cards in your portfolio, then why not pay for that sticker and be happy.