Your Best Deal Ever (Going Back All The Way!)

[Exhibitman]

I picked up this card years ago when I was purchasing offbeat Ruth cards because they were so cheap, relatively speaking:



Per REA, which is selling a 1.5 condition card now:

"Exceptional and extremely rare example of #60 Babe Ruth from the unusual Jean-Donat Dupont set issued in circa 1936. This card (3 x 2-3/8 inches) is from a multi-subject set issued in France that features 64 different subjects (including athletes, cowboys, planes, etc.) and is one of only two cards in the series representative of the game of baseball. This is an extraordinary card. Few card issues of any type approach the rarity of this unusual issue, which is no doubt related to the fact that they were issued only in France. This is the key card of the set and the first example we have ever offered. The photograph used for this card, dating from the famous 1934 Tour of Japan, features Ruth’s mighty home run swing. "

Pop as between all services is 5 cards, next highest grade besides this one is the 1.5. Needless to say, I am truly intrigued to see what REA gets for the 1.5.

There are a lot more deals to be had on memorabilia and regionals with little history. This was a $10 pick at a local cafd show that I especially relished:



it is from the integrated California League. The guy on the left is Biz Mackie, who played winter ball in the league for 26 seasons.

[Smarti5051]

I think I have a "deal" that is pretty hard to beat, as it is 100% by accident. I have been a ticket broker for the better part of 15 years. In 2011, one of the teams we held season tickets for was the Anaheim Angels. They had a promotion going where if you bought 400 and 500 level seats, you could get 4 season tickets for the price of 2. So, we purchased 4 tickets in 406, A for the equivalent of about $2000. We proceeded to resell all of the tickets that season and netted about a $3000 profit. Stubhub was one of the primary companies we moved our tickets through, and they had an integration deal with all of the MLB teams. So, instead of shipping the physical tickets when they sold, you just scanned in the barcodes. We then tossed all of the scanned tickets into a banker's box and forgot all about them for a decade.

During the Covid lockdown, I noticed a couple of crazy Ebay sales for the Mariners v Angels game from 2011 (Trout's first game), so I went back to box and unearthed all four ticket stubs in essentially mint condition. Over the next three weeks I listed and sold 3 of the 4 tickets for about $1100 each. I have kept one for myself just in case prices go even crazier in the future. So, I basically made over $3000 + the one remaining ticket in a box that I gladly would have let go for $100 before I did my research. To all of the hoarders out there: don't let them throw your stuff away, there is gold in there! LOL

[egri]

A few years ago, I found a lot of four signed 1953 Topps, including Fred Hutchinson (died in 1964 and very highly collected) on eBay for $80. There was only one picture of the lot, and I could barely see the signatures, much less make an assessment of their authenticity. I figured at that price it was worth taking a chance. Not only was the Hutchinson good, but the other three cards were beautiful vintage signatures as well. Then a few months later, I found a few other tough cards with an error in the title; me and another board member were able to grab vintage signatures of Hank Thompson, Chuck Dressen and Cliff Fannin for under $100 total.

[jcmtiger]

1980’s Sports Collectors Digest buy. T206, Cobb Green, Cobb Bat Off, Cobb Bat On purchased Raw $265.00, still have the receipt. Since sold. Got them graded in the 1990’s. Pictures on my old computer. Joe

[G1911]

Have gotten lucky my fair share of times, but this was my best. $90 a few months ago on eBay, listed as an uncut sheet of reprints.

There are 4 known copies of this card outside of this unfinished sheet panel. The card was unproven to exist at all until 2006.

[Pat R]

Originally Posted by G1911

Have gotten lucky my fair share of times, but this was my best. $90 a few months ago on eBay, listed as an uncut sheet of reprints.

There are 4 known copies of this card outside of this unfinished sheet panel. The card was unproven to exist at all until 2006.

Greg, have the sheets the seller pulled come back up for sale anywhere?

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Pat R

Greg, have the sheets the seller pulled come back up for sale anywhere?

Not that I have seen, sir - I'm still hoping the ones that were listed and then pulled turn up somewhere eventually, and that pictures of the presumed missing-in-action panels at least turn up. What we've learned about sheet sizes and the printers were as fun as the panels themselves.

[CTDean]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

1980’s Sports Collectors Digest buy. T206, Cobb Green, Cobb Bat Off, Cobb Bat On purchased Raw $265.00, still have the receipt. Since sold. Got them graded in the 1990’s. Pictures on my old computer. Joe

Joe, was that an SCD phone auction? I had four Cobb's in one of my auctions in the early 1980's and I think three went to a Fireman in Virginia. Was that you?
If your invoice says Dean, Secretary, Md. That was me.

[jcmtiger]

Originally Posted by CTDean

Joe, was that an SCD phone auction? I had four Cobb's in one of my auctions in the early 1980's and I think three went to a Fireman in Virginia. Was that you?
If your invoice says Dean, Secretary, Md. That was me.

I would have to locate the letter telling me I won the Auction. Not a fireman from Virginia though lol

[Ricky]

In 1987, I traded a bunch of Topps football cards from the 1970 and 71 sets for a 1939 Joe DiMaggio Play Ball card. Years later, I had it graded and it came back PSA 5.