One that got away

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Posted By: tbob

I was at a large show in Kansas City in 1981 and a guy walking down the aisle stopped me and asked me if I would be interested in buying some T205s. I was collecting the T206 set at the time, having just plunged in to the vintage card hobby for the first time. I thought I certainly didn't need to start collecting another set, being a completist of sorts. He had about 45-50 T205s and all of them were in exmt condition or better. I looked through them and he told me he wanted $450 for them and I politely said no. "How about $350?" and I told him that I just didn't collect them. He thanked me, started to walk off, turned around and said, "ok, I am getting to ready to leave, how about $250?" I passed one more time, looking at the stack of cards in his hand. I don't remember now who all was in the stack but I will always be haunted by the one card I remember which was on the top of the stack, a near mint Matty.
24 years later that is still my worst nightmare, although at the National in '95 in St. Louis (my last one until this year when I am going to Chicago) I passed up 2 different Obak Buck Weaver cards for $75.00 each from 2 different dealers. One I remember appeared exmt but had a "diamond cut" but was otherwise gorgeous so I passed. The other was about vg+. Sheesh!