How to find single player low number commons

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Vintage Vern

I feel it's hard to build that network when you're basically a single player collector, and even more when its a common non HOF player who's few cards have little value in the grand scheme of it all. I live in a town of around 130 people looking for a player of that same small town. There's just not that much interest. Other then posting in b/s/t here I think there are many eyes to help, but so far has turned up nothing.

Not trying to dismiss your concerns, but I think your problem is that there's just not that many out there, period. So there's going to be even fewer for sale. They're tough to find for a reason, and the only way around that is to spend a long, long time trying to find them. Beating the bushes. Turning over every rock. Letting everyone in the world know that you're willing to overpay to get them. It will probably take decades of patience, and you might have to be willing to do completely crazy stuff like buy a complete set just to get the one card that you want.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by raulus

Not trying to dismiss your concerns, but I think your problem is that there's just not that many out there, period. So there's going to be even fewer for sale. They're tough to find for a reason, and the only way around that is to spend a long, long time trying to find them. Beating the bushes. Turning over every rock. Letting everyone in the world know that you're willing to overpay to get them. It will probably take decades of patience, and you might have to be willing to do completely crazy stuff like buy a complete set just to get the one card that you want.

Personally, I think I accumulate more of a hoard card if I don’t talk about it. When people know, they artificially inflate the value and some won’t sell to the hoarder at all, anticipating even more escalating values as it continues. One will get more in the immediate short term by saying they’ll overpay and hoarding X, but after the initial flood it slows to a trickle and everything is at a heavily inflated price. I have stacked pretty large percentages of the population of certain cards - with no real increase in the price because nobody knows 2/3 of the POP report is cracked out in a box in my safe and I have what must be a ton of the never graded population. Patience might be the better route. I’m loud about my wantlist for singles, completely shut up about hoarding a player or card and never mention them at all.

[butchie_t]

Greg,

Please post the cards and players you are hoarding so I don’t pick any of them up by accident.

I don’t want to mess you up in your quest.

Just helping out a fellow collector.

Butch…

[G1911]

Originally Posted by butchie_t

Greg,

Please post the cards and players you are hoarding so I don’t pick any of them up by accident.

I don’t want to mess you up in your quest.

Just helping out a fellow collector.

Butch…

You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. How kind and considerate, I am touched by this selfless gesture :’)

[RCMcKenzie]

If I were looking for Clemons, I would look on eBay under "auctions" for e120 and Neilson's Chocolate, etc. You can also search by his name. I watched a lot of 80+ Neilson type 1 including Clemons close for $2200 last night. If you wait and watch eBay, one will pop up every 3-4 months.

I would call what you are doing, "advanced collecting." If you collected Bob Watson cards like a lot of collectors, you could boot-up your laptop and point and click and you'd have any card you wanted at any time.

[Vintage Vern]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

If I were looking for Clemons, I would look on eBay under "auctions" for e120 and Neilson's Chocolate, etc. You can also search by his name. I watched a lot of 80+ Neilson type 1 including Clemons close for $2200 last night. If you wait and watch eBay, one will pop up every 3-4 months.

I would call what you are doing, "advanced collecting." If you collected Bob Watson cards like a lot of collectors, you could boot-up your laptop and point and click and you'd have any card you wanted at any time.

I contacted the seller of the lot you spoke of, and asked to pass my information to the buyer if they where interested in selling, but got no response back. That was like last Friday or Saturday. I think most his cards go in lots just like that. I can't justify the cost for 1 common card. Maybe if it was mint I would dip my toe in the water.

[LEHR]

To the OP: REA, Heritage, Love of the Game, Golden, Sterling, etc. are all running weekly/monthly auctions now for lower dollar material with tons of slabbed cards. Check those out if you haven't already.


Good luck with your hunt!

[Vintage Vern]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

If I were looking for Clemons, I would look on eBay under "auctions" for e120 and Neilson's Chocolate, etc. You can also search by his name. I watched a lot of 80+ Neilson type 1 including Clemons close for $2200 last night. If you wait and watch eBay, one will pop up every 3-4 months.

I would call what you are doing, "advanced collecting." If you collected Bob Watson cards like a lot of collectors, you could boot-up your laptop and point and click and you'd have any card you wanted at any time.

Yeah, I'm finding this out. I'd imagine the numbers would grow pretty fast if all the sudden the price tag for some of these common cards started to reflect the low volume.

[Vintage Vern]

Originally Posted by G1911

Personally, I think I accumulate more of a hoard card if I don’t talk about it. When people know, they artificially inflate the value and some won’t sell to the hoarder at all, anticipating even more escalating values as it continues. One will get more in the immediate short term by saying they’ll overpay and hoarding X, but after the initial flood it slows to a trickle and everything is at a heavily inflated price. I have stacked pretty large percentages of the population of certain cards - with no real increase in the price because nobody knows 2/3 of the POP report is cracked out in a box in my safe and I have what must be a ton of the never graded population. Patience might be the better route. I’m loud about my wantlist for singles, completely shut up about hoarding a player or card and never mention them at all.

I'm actually not hoarding, but have been caught by someone that knows I want them, and jacked up the price. He had 3 more i know of he told me he had, but I doubt after the last dealing I will ever get any of them. I was going to over pay, but not by more than double. I think I made him mad, and I was just trying to be honest on my end.

I'm just trying to get 1 of each of his cards, and the best ones I can get. I may have multiple to gain a better card, but I will only have 1 of each in the end of it all. I want others to also be able to enjoy them as well. This isn't a knock on you or others, and how you approach things. Everyone has a different view.

You did nail lots of what I have experienced.

[Vintage Vern]

Originally Posted by raulus

Not trying to dismiss your concerns, but I think your problem is that there's just not that many out there, period. So there's going to be even fewer for sale. They're tough to find for a reason, and the only way around that is to spend a long, long time trying to find them. Beating the bushes. Turning over every rock. Letting everyone in the world know that you're willing to overpay to get them. It will probably take decades of patience, and you might have to be willing to do completely crazy stuff like buy a complete set just to get the one card that you want.

I was thinking which in itself is dangerous, but I don't think there's a great total, but think more of them exist then i fiest thought, just not many are graded because they're just a common. Maybe I'm wrong? I think mant set in collections people have forgotten about because they're irrelevant like many other commons.

My first error was I didn't know much about the hobby, and I let several go on Ebay not knowing, and thinking with as many that at that time where listed I could get better cards, and could find them somewhat easy. That was before I knew pop count, set building, and on, and on. A 5 is actually the high end for graded cards, and I let at least 3 go before I figured things out. I'd imagine they're in the hands of set builders now, and are probably gone for a long time. I'm not going to go down a road once traveled, but will say I know a person that has some cards, but knows I want them, and set the prices so high I just can't justify it. I'm not a big player with endless wealth. Just trying to obtain history for our small town.