selling cards at auction - learner's permit

[baradayo]

Here's the back of the Butter and a Caramel. Caramels are definitely rougher.
Define "fat city"? Is the concern the color of the background? Would fakes have been made 60 years ago?

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by baradayo

Here's the back of the Butter and a Caramel. Caramels are definitely rougher.
Define "fat city"? Is the concern the color of the background? Would fakes have been made 60 years ago?

Fat City: (slang) an easy and prosperous condition or circumstance (per dictionary.com)
To the best of my knowledge fakes are a more recent phenomenon. The color of your card's background is less problematic on consideration of the PSA8 exemplar. Your scan is too small and blurry to assess anything else such as that funky light vertical line at the right border, paper texture etc. My concern is the general skepticism one develops after participating on this board for seven years and watching one huckster after another tout bogus cards. Am I calling you a huckster? No. Once in a while someone like Skydash comes along with the real deal. You might be another Skydash. I don't know. Anyway the question you posed concerned how best to market the cards and not whether some insomniac dickhead such as myself thought they were real or not. You've gotten some thoughtful answers from some wise folks. I will therefore back away from this discussion with a parting comment that the PSA8 at one time traded for over $200,000 - an aberration to be sure, but a good working example of "fat city".

[barrysloate]

You do need to get the cards graded and authenticated. If they are real they will sell for far more if they are graded.

As far as which auction house to use, nearly every auction house out there shares the same pool of bidders. Your cards will go for roughly the same amount in any reputable auction, large or small. The size of the auction house will not impact the price realized. The only thing I would stay away from is grouping your cards together. If one house is willing to break your E93's into single or small lots, while another only wants to sell them as one lot, then I would go with the one who is willing to do the extra work for you. But again keep in mind they all have the same people bidding. Nobody has that secret bidder list; it doesn't exist.

[glchen]

One plus for Goodwin that I like is that they promise not to duplicate cards in their auction. Sometimes cards will sell for less if there are multiple versions of the same card (but at different grades) in the same auction.

[baradayo]

thanks for the input. I'm not asking for a vote on authenticity, I'll let the graders manage that.

Still working on the good list of auction houses and how to approach them.

Two more questions:

Does the grading company matter? What do you recommend? Given that SGC was just bought / sold, something changed about it, will that make a difference? Many recommend SGC for vintage but some strongly recommend PSA.

Is now a good time to sell? I've been told the economy won't matter for these cards, and told that now is a great time for buyers. If these were your cards, and you didn't need the money right now, would you hold or sell?

[barrysloate]

Most of the board feels that PSA cards sell for more. My experience is that it doesn't matter. SGC offers a better product, and the only difference in the price realized would be if you have a high grade card which may be bought by a registry collector. Then you probably would get more with a PSA card. Otherwise, it's about the same. Just pick one or the other and go with it.

While the economy isn't good, high end cards still get strong prices. And if you prefer to wait out the economic slump...well, how long does one wait? A year? Several years? Now you're in the business of predicting the future.

[toledo_mudhen]

I would think that if that Cobb can be authenticated (I would say SGC) then it won't matter what the economy is like...WOWZA Dude

[Delray Vintage]

I have the cobb card you show graded by sgc which I bought this year. I do not think it matters whether it is psa or sgc. I bid in all the major auctions and use all the auction houses and as a buyer I must confess I am most excited by REA for their wow factor. However I do not expect to pay more or less there versus other houses. With quality cards you will get the market price in any of the reputable houses. I plan to hold my cards for at least five more years and would not sell until we see a full recovery. The prices of top quality cards are affected by the economy as are all collectibles.

[E93]

You are getting good advice here. I would not bother getting those graded. Let the auction house do it for you. The Cobb is where your big money is here. It looks to be about a PSA/SGC 5, an example of which sold in the last REA for about 25k if I remember correctly. That is a great cards and will perform in this economy. Top tier cards are bringing in big numbers because many of the people that buy those are less affected, or at least their card buying is less affected by the economy. The E93 Standard Caramels are also nice. I love that set. In mid-grade those cards have been very soft lately. They are not easy, but they are not that tough either, particularly in mid-grade. If you don't need the money right away, I would consider holding those for a couple of years. I think it would pay off for you. Right now mid-grade E93s are selling for about a third to a half of what they sold for three years ago. THe E93s are not cheap cards. Collectively they will probably bring you low 5 figures assuming the HOFs you mentioned are about ex. Good luck with this.
JimB