Insane Babe Ruth card on Ebay

[fkm_bky]

Wow...last second jump to $49K. Is this a case of timing and luck, or is that really a $50K card in almost any auction?


Bill

[Zan]

Imagine going in to an attic to buy books and stumble into $50k

[brunswickreeves]

$48,998.88! So thrilled for Maine, the seller, and the buyer!

I spoke by phone with the seller a few mins before the auction just closed this am, and they really had no idea what it was or it's value-thought it was a candy card of some potential value.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by fkm_bky

Wow...last second jump to $49K. Is this a case of timing and luck, or is that really a $50K card in almost any auction?


Bill

Someone I know who collects ruth pegged it at 45k.

[brunswickreeves]

If the buyer slabs this with PSA or SGC and it grades a 2 or 3, they can flip it for $65-$75K, wow, win-win.

[Jstottlemire1]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

If the buyer slabs this with PSA or SGC and it grades a 2 or 3, they can flip it for $65-$75K, wow, win-win.

It will likely grade a 1.5 it has a significant corner crease and some minor paper loss on the back. Eye appeal is strong however. I had it “raw” to sell at 45ish and if authenticated and slabbed I’d think it would sell in 60s. Just my personal opinion.

[Shoeless Moe]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

$48,998.88! So thrilled for Maine, the seller, and the buyer!

I spoke by phone with the seller a few mins before the auction just closed this am, and they really had no idea what it was or it's value-thought it was a candy card of some potential value.

Ask the seller how they are going to ship it to the buyer.

I'm guessing they are going for a drive. Unless the buyer is on the West Coast.

[G1911]

This has got to be the ugliest picture I have ever seen sell for $45,000.

[brunswickreeves]

Since this involves eBay Authentication, the card gets registered mail sent to that program (I believe it's in FL), and once passes Authentication and Authenticity via that program it gets sent by eBay's authenticator to the buyer directly.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by G1911

This has got to be the ugliest picture I have ever seen sell for $45,000.

Agreed...because the Joe Jackson E90-1 costs more than that.

IMO, this Ruth is uglier:



I'll take $45K...

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Agreed...because the Joe Jackson E90-1 costs more than that.

IMO, this Ruth is uglier:

I'll take $45K...

Best I can offer you is the .45 cents I found under my couch this morning.

At least the E90 has a nice background? It’s an ugly ass card but these Ruth’s offend my eyes just a little more.

[Bored5000]

I could understood the angst about "outing" the auction if it was some obscure player or the name was spelled wrong in the listing. It was a Babe Ruth auction in which his name was spelled correctly. Babe Ruth auctions do not go under the radar on eBay.

The fact that the price jumped after this thread was posted here doesn't mean anything because most of the serious bidding comes as a snipe in the final five seconds.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Agreed...because the Joe Jackson E90-1 costs more than that.

IMO, this Ruth is uglier:



I'll take $45K...

but it's a "pitching" pose...so it's worth a fortune!!!!!

Most depression era cards are ugly...limited resources...snapshots of the country at that time.

JJ rookie is top 3 ugliest of all time.

[glynparson]

I think this post may have needed up getting more eyes in the auction but not more dollars in the sellers pocket

[Lorewalker]

I have mixed feelings on this one. I am sure that outing it here made more people aware but how many of those were actual players at 48K?

The seller should have done their homework to figure out what it was before listing but does that mean he/she should have the card sell for $1,254.67 because it was not listed with the right title?

In the end, I think the card still sold for less than it was worth based on recent sales. The buyer did well so did the seller but had he gotten the card graded he likely could have put more money in his pocket.

And for all you CSG haters guess what???? Andy Broome with be doing the AG on this one!

[Snowman]

Estimates in this thread are cracking me up. This is at minimum an $80k card, and almost certainly a $100k+ card. Congrats to the buyer.

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Estimates in this thread are cracking me up. This is at minimum an $80k card, and almost certainly a $100k+ card. Congrats to the buyer.

.. Unless it comes back from a grading company , after 31
days , as an " A" ....
Think happy thoughts.

..

[Aaron Seefeldt]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Estimates in this thread are cracking me up. This is at minimum an $80k card, and almost certainly a $100k+ card. Congrats to the buyer.

+1

[molenick]

I originally posted this in the wrong thread. Here is VCP for the card.

[JeremyW]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Estimates in this thread are cracking me up. This is at minimum an $80k card, and almost certainly a $100k+ card. Congrats to the buyer.

I'm happy for the buyer, if he is a collector. If he's a flipper, I'm still happy for him, but I'm not seeing the amazing profit. The card looks to me like a 1 or a 2. Memory Lane just sold one 4 months ago.

[Deertick]

Anyone know who the wet transfer is on the back?

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Deertick

Anyone know who the wet transfer is on the back?

Looks like a color bleed through similar to 33 Goudeys.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I could understood the angst about "outing" the auction if it was some obscure player or the name was spelled wrong in the listing. It was a Babe Ruth auction in which his name was spelled correctly. Babe Ruth auctions do not go under the radar on eBay.

The fact that the price jumped after this thread was posted here doesn't mean anything because most of the serious bidding comes as a snipe in the final five seconds.

I don't want to get into a debate about the merits of outing an auction as there have been multiple threads on this board about that in the past.

However, you would be amazed about how untrue your statement above is. Certainly most Babe Ruth (or similar top HOF) auctions do not go under the radar. However, there are always a few listings every year that do go under the radar and don't get the eyes or attention they probably should have. Even this year, I've seen an SGC graded 1914 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb go well under the market rate because the seller did not have much feedback. (I think the graded was 4MC). I've won a few Babe Ruth strip cards on ebay myself this past year that probably should have went higher.

Attached is probably one of my best purchases via auction on ebay from a few years ago that probably also went under the radar.

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Looks like a color bleed through similar to 33 Goudeys.

Ahhh, I can see it now that I looked at the last pic. Thanks!

[Republicaninmass]

Amazingly the PUMPERS in this thread are rich enough to walk away from 30-50k...based on their "estimates "

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by glchen

I don't want to get into a debate about the merits of outing an auction as there have been multiple threads on this board about that in the past.

However, you would be amazed about how untrue your statement above is. Certainly most Babe Ruth (or similar top HOF) auctions do not go under the radar. However, there are always a few listings every year that do go under the radar and don't get the eyes or attention they probably should have. Even this year, I've seen an SGC graded 1914 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb go well under the market rate because the seller did not have much feedback. (I think the graded was 4MC). I've won a few Babe Ruth strip cards on ebay myself this past year that probably should have went higher.

Attached is probably one of my best purchases via auction on ebay from a few years ago that probably also went under the radar.

Very cool card. The outing claim seems misplaced though. There was literally a news article on the auction. But more to the point, I think it’s good that it was shared with people that might be interested in it. Do I see your point though? Yes.

[NiceDocter]

To further expound, I posted because I wasnt sure what the heck it was and the seller didnt know either. Also, it looked a bit fishy with that box of cards and the usual story of "found in an attic".... I didnt mean to mess anyones bargain hunting up but like I said I wont do it like this again. I do respect what people have said and I agree its not fair to bidders to purposefully point out an auction where a low price might be had. But to me not knowing what it was, I thought it might be a fake or a reprint.... so in a way I was looking for feedback to benefit everyone here. But like I said.... I dont wanna be that "OUTER" guy and wont be ever again! Peace out my fellow Net54 friends! Its a beautiful war!

[bmattioli]

Ended in a bidding war. Will be nice to see the grade on this one if buyer chooses to..

[ullmandds]

I wish I had the balls to buy a card like this and get it graded and make a nice profit!!! But alas I am just a minnow and a collector at heart!!

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I wish I had the balls to buy a card like this and get it graded and make a nice profit!!! But alas I am just a minnow and a collector at heart!!

Same. Could be a missed opportunity for sure.

[chadeast]

Originally Posted by Carter08

Very cool card. The outing claim seems misplaced though. There was literally a news article on the auction. But more to the point, I think it’s good that it was shared with people that might be interested in it. Do I see your point though? Yes.

I'm pretty sure that the news article was a result of the posts here on net54.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Amazingly the PUMPERS in this thread are rich enough to walk away from 30-50k...based on their "estimates "

I had a snipe set up for it but retracted it with 2 hours remaining because I wasn't confident that I could move the funds in a timely enough manner. But if I had the cash in hand right now, you would have been seeing my screenshot instead of my "estimate". Or perhaps you'd have seen both. But if you don't already know WHY this is a $100k card and not a $50k card, then I can't help you (or won't rather).

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I had a snipe set up for it but retracted it with 2 hours remaining because I wasn't confident that I could move the funds in a timely enough manner. But if I had the cash in hand right now, you would have been seeing my screenshot instead of my "estimate". Or perhaps you'd have seen both. But if you don't already know WHY this is a $100k card and not a $50k card, then I can't help you (or won't rather).

I don’t know that I disagree with you. But how do you square that thought you with the sale from a few months ago? Not looking to pick a fight. Genuinely confident you probably have an answer.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by bmattioli

Ended in a bidding war. Will be nice to see the grade on this one if buyer chooses to..

It's a 2.5 all day, every day at SGC. At PSA... it'll depend on which new hire's desk it lands on.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Amazingly the PUMPERS in this thread are rich enough to walk away from 30-50k...based on their "estimates "

This was what I was thinking.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by Snowman

It's a 2.5 all day, every day at SGC. At PSA... it'll depend on which new hire's desk it lands on.

That’s my thinking too. It looks like a 2.5 plus but therein lies the risk and why even if I had the money (I don’t) I’d be nervous for it to come back an A. Seems like it sold for an A price so it’s little risk. I highly doubt the card has been altered but whether the grader you get agrees is more nerve wracking.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Carter08

I don’t know that I disagree with you. But how do you square that thought you with the sale from a few months ago? Not looking to pick a fight. Genuinely confident you probably have an answer.

First, I believe the one from 3 months ago undersold when it went for $59k. The same exact copy sold for $24k back in 2019 and $23k in 2018. This happens sometimes with cards that only come to market once every few years. Buyers just don't know how to comp them, so they just sorta guess and cross their fingers. But the market for Ruth cards, in general, has gone up by 4x or more in that same time span (this is easier to see with some of the cards like Goudeys that come to market more regularly). As an example, 1933 Goudey Ruths are going for around $16k right now in a PSA 3, whereas back in 2018 they were only going for around $3.5k. There are many other cards you could look to beyond just the Goudeys for Ruth, but this is a good starting point for estimating that valuation.

Second, the eye appeal delta between that PSA 2 that sold from Memory Lane and this one is pretty significant. Anyone who cares about centering and eye appeal (which I'm one of) would place a rather large premium on the copy that sold at auction last night on eBay (see pic below where the two are side-by-side). At first glance, it looks like it could be a 3.5, or at least from the front. But the reverse shows a light reverse crease in the lower right corner and a very small section of paper loss, so they're not going to give this a 3.5. It would drop it down to a 2 with strong eye appeal at SGC, which means they'll give it a 2.5. Assuming I'm right (as I don't have it in hand), and it does come back from SGC in a 2.5 holder, then I would value this card somewhere in the $100k to possibly even $150k range if the "right" buyers got into a war over it.

That said, I don't know enough about how the red ink vs blue ink affects the valuation of these. I'd have to research that more. If there is a substantial premium for the blue ink, then my estimate could be off by a factor of whatever the coefficient for the color variation would be. But I'm quite confident that this is nowhere near a $50k card and that someone just made a HUGE score.

[Shoeless Moe]

Condition yes favors to Red one, but in terms of eye appeal I'll take the blue one all day.

The red one is burning my retina.

[Popcorn]

so cool to see. with just listing it “old ruth card” they probably thought it might be worth a few hundred bucks. now they can buy a new Tesla lol

[ullmandds]

many of the rarer...more obscure ruths went underappreciated until just a few years ago. The jacks...the spaldings...the exhibits...some of the strips...the willards...low pop cards have finally got their just due!

[Republicaninmass]

Yes a card UNDERSOLD In a Goldin auction!

It just undersold on Ebay again

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Yes a card UNDERSOLD In a Goldin auction!

It just undersold on Ebay again

What point are you trying to make? That people are pumping ruth? Seems like an odd take but interested.

[Exhibitman]

At what point does 'undersold' become 'market'? Two sales? Three? Five?

I sincerely hope this bodes well for the offbeat, rare Ruth cards, but the card was already a $58K card, so not sure it does. That said, Ruth cards have seen amazing growth. I never, ever thought a 1921 Exhibit would be a $30,000 card but there you have it.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I had a snipe set up for it but retracted it with 2 hours remaining because I wasn't confident that I could move the funds in a timely enough manner. But if I had the cash in hand right now, you would have been seeing my screenshot instead of my "estimate". Or perhaps you'd have seen both. But if you don't already know WHY this is a $100k card and not a $50k card, then I can't help you (or won't rather).

Auction was up for 7 full days. You then have at least 4 days to pay for an item on eBay. Who do you bank with? Bank of Antigua?

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

At what point does 'undersold' become 'market'? Two sales? Three? Five?

It definitely happens. There are times when a card values drop significantly simply because the most recent buyers failed to understand the nuances that made one copy sell for far less than other copies in the same grade. It's happening right now with Wilt Chamberlain rookies in a PSA 7. They were selling for $20k until one of them that was WAY overgraded sold for ~$13k which had a horrible tilt to it, was way off centered, and had 4 soft corners. It would be a 5 if graded today, but it had an old school serial number of 02xxxxxx from back in the days when PSA overgraded cards. By itself, it might not have done much to the market, as the next one did sell for around $20k again, but the problem is that the next PSA 7 sale was another overgraded old serial starting with 0 PSA slab that again sold for something like $13k. Then the next time a 7 hit the market, buyers got scared because they thought the market had crashed on this card and a really nice copy then goes for $15k or so. Then, another. Now, it's the new baseline (until it isn't again).

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by Carter08

What point are you trying to make? That people are pumping ruth? Seems like an odd take but interested.

Certain people are so full of crap, their eyes are brown. Maybe they were the ones hoarding toilet paper.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Certain people are so full of crap, their eyes are brown. Maybe they were the ones hoarding toilet paper.

You're an idiot (as usual). You really think cards don't go undersold many thousands of times per day on eBay and for countless cards in literally every single major online auction? Countless bidders participate in these auctions for this very reason.

This card gets listed ON EBAY raw from an "attic find" with the title "Old Babe Ruth Sports Card" and you think it just pulled top dollar? GTFO here. Care to place a side wager on that ingenious take Mr. "Republicaninmass"? How about you put your money where your mouth is. If this card gets graded a flipped, I'll bet you a grand that it sells for more than $75k. Want to place a bet captain dipshit?

[Shoeless Moe]

um..................4-5 posts earlier in this thread you said it's valued in the 100k-150k range......why the drop to 75k?


inquiring minds want to know.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

um..................4-5 posts earlier in this thread you said it's valued in the 100k-150k range......why the drop to 75k?


inquiring minds want to know.

LOL. Oh don't mind him. He is just here to insult, rage and argue. Takes nothing to set him off too. He is a great read.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

um..................4-5 posts earlier in this thread you said it's valued in the 100k-150k range......why the drop to 75k?


inquiring minds want to know.

Where did I ever say I think it's only worth $75k? I stand by my estimate. It's a 6 figure card. Capatain Trumpster thinks it's worth $50k. I say it's worth $100k. $75k seems like a reasonable place to set a betting line. I'm trying to catch fish here.