Buying all #332 Tony Bartirome 1952 Topps cards + his Gold Canary + Griffey + Tiger

[dollarscholar]

I am on a mission to buy all of Tony Bartirome's 1952 Topps cards that are in existence. It is HIGH card #332.



This is my a family member & trying to secure them for family, relatives, grand kids in the future. Whenever they pop up on eBay I buy them. I will pay a premium.

Still need the PSA 9's that are out there & will pay $5,000 for one (one I saw on a private card website sold for $3000 or so).

Will pay $1,500 for a PSA 8 (the ones I see that sold on private card websites were $600-$700).

Also there are 12 BGS graded Bartirome, but I don't have one of them nor have I ever seen them. Would like to find those too.



I have 1 of the 10 Gold Canary cards of him from the 2011 Topps Lineage. Looking for the other 9 as well.

Send a PM! Or text 213 399 3335[/SIZE]

[autograf]

Wow....Tony must have a LOT of relatives......

[cozmokramer]

I wonder how many, or if anyone needs this card to complete a set... And how many 52 topps high number cards of the sample player does one have to own to actually affect supply to where it causes an actual increase in price?

[autograf]

I need Bartirome for my set.....I'm not sure someone could pull a Hunt Brothers on a single 1952 Topps High number. I would have no way to estimate how many of a single number were produced. A LOT, by all accounts, became fish food, so I guess you're starting from a much lower number to begin with. Great display of centered cards. Hard to find 52 Highs that consistently centered. Assuming he has a discriminating taste or maybe this card is more frequently found centered, don't know. Good luck on your quest!

I noticed quite a few of the 1983 Topps reprints of Bartirome for $6-$15 on ebay.....

[dollarscholar]

Originally Posted by autograf

I need Bartirome for my set.....I'm not sure someone could pull a Hunt Brothers on a single 1952 Topps High number. I would have no way to estimate how many of a single number were produced. A LOT, by all accounts, became fish food, so I guess you're starting from a much lower number to begin with. Great display of centered cards. Hard to find 52 Highs that consistently centered. Assuming he has a discriminating taste or maybe this card is more frequently found centered, don't know. Good luck on your quest!

I noticed quite a few of the 1983 Topps reprints of Bartirome for $6-$15 on ebay.....

Autograf - you peaked my interested.I googled "Hunt Brothers", but nothing relevant immediately came up. Tell me the story.

I am trying to own all #332 in existence, & realize it will take decades to do so. Only one by one, set break after set break, by those who hold #332 in sets currently, especially the 32 PSA 8's and 4 PSA 9's.

I now have 37 that need to be graded, & about 50 that already have. That picture of the collection is outdated.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by cozmokramer

I wonder how many, or if anyone needs this card to complete a set... And how many 52 topps high number cards of the sample player does one have to own to actually affect supply to where it causes an actual increase in price?

a lot more than what hes buying , plus hes not prepared to pay 2x 3x the price on 707cards and Deans cards whatever so a .5 increase isnt going to do much..plus many many hi grade sets already with the card on the registry.....plus as we all know in future years card collecting in general will have less people in the hobby until you show me that more people on the registry are younger than older that will be the case..

[dollarscholar]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

a lot more than what hes buying , plus hes not prepared to pay 2x 3x the price on 707cards and Deans cards whatever so a .5 increase isnt going to do much..plus many many hi grade sets already with the card on the registry.....plus as we all know in future years card collecting in general will have less people in the hobby until you show me that more people on the registry are younger than older that will be the case..

I just bit the bullet & bought 707's 2 for $600+.

So I am prepared to pay 2x - 3x the price. Just depends on my mood, & current expendable funds.

I see Mile High & HA auctions sold #332 PSA 6, PSA 7 and PSA 8's for 50% of what I would have paid for them on eBay.
I mean $597 for a PSA 8 #332 !?!? http://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-ca...=ha-rss-search
And $626 for another one!?!? http://www.goodwinandco.com/lot-5062.aspx
What is wrong with HA and Goodwin!?!? Don't they know a PSA 8 sells for $1,000 on eBay!?!? Wish I was aware of these auction houses when they were offered! Who are these owners!? I would love to offer them double then what they paid.

I wish I had started buying this card 5+ years ago. & wish I was aware that people are actually selling them anywhere other then eBay. I'm confused why people would cosign them over to HA, Mile High, Sirius, etc & get 25% of what they would get on eBay for them. 6% fees on eBay isn't that scary!

1952boyntoncollector, you believe 1952 Topps cards will decrease in value? I don't know why you believe less people will be in the hobby. As the population increases by tens of millions more, why wouldn't there be just as many if not more collectors of legendary sets like 1952 Topps & prior?

[1952boyntoncollector]

not sure why you encouraging these over market sellers to keep prices over market..i guess these sellers are hoping everyone has a distant relative that was a major leaguer


the reason i thought you wouldnt pay 2-3 x over market price was this comment:

"I will pay you a small premium above actual market selling prices, but not 2-3x value"


As for the hobby in general..i dont think im alone in that i believe there will be decline overall in vintage cards in 10 years or so.....always a market for Ruth etc but not PSA 8 commons that are going for $600 etc...plus the ebb and flow of the economy ........for 1952s..until you show me that the top 30 set collectors have an average age under 50 i will hold my position that the demand will decline for the commons versus supply..

[dollarscholar]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

not sure why you encouraging these over market sellers to keep prices over market..i guess these sellers are hoping everyone has a distant relative that was a major leaguer


the reason i thought you wouldnt pay 2-3 x over market price was this comment:

"I will pay you a small premium above actual market selling prices, but not 2-3x value"


As for the hobby in general..i dont think im alone in that i believe there will be decline overall in vintage cards in 10 years or so.....always a market for Ruth etc but not PSA 8 commons that are going for $600 etc...plus the ebb and flow of the economy ........for 1952s..until you show me that the top 30 set collectors have an average age under 50 i will hold my position that the demand will decline for the commons versus supply..

Not encouraging them. Watched Deans Cards offer a few #332's for months & I never caved in to their rip off prices. Apparently others did though. They are no longer available. I kept hounding them, trying to cut a deal, but they wouldn't do it.

Just depends on my expendable funds level. I really hold out on paying a big premium, but catch me on a good day like 707 just got the blessing of being on the receiving end of, & ok, good for them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-Topps-3...-/111785024544

I offered the guy $250 & he said no less then $400! He referred to recent sales. I said THAT WAS ALL ME!!! He held strong. I said OK $275 that's IT!!!! I thought no way in hell any one was going to out offer me, but apparently he sold it for $360 & he thought he was "cutting the guy a deal because he was buying other cards from him". So I was disappointed I missed out on it, & was going to either call his bluff & he'd cave in a week for $275, or I'd come up to $300, but it didn't happen, & he got $360 for a PSA 5. Guess my purchase with 707 gave him that perception that it was worth $400. So yes, my purchases of #332 has impacted the market.

I believe out of the millions of new people on this planet every year, there are hundreds - or thousands? - of new collectors that want to be a part of the vintage baseball card days. I don't see demand dropping. There will be new generations that will want to collect vintage baseball card sets, the same way new generations will collect antique toys, dolls, guns, etc.

My hope is the set holders right now will leave their 1952 Topps sets to their children, & once inherited, they will cosign PWCC's & Probstein's kids to sell them, & I will continue to pick up the SET BREAK #332 cards decades from now!

[ls7plus]

Delete--just read the intermediate sections of this post

[jason.1969]

It is strange to me for a collector to be concerned where an imaginary border created by a ink line lands on a cards edge.

Wow, if Net54 is the haystack, I just found the needle.

[dollarscholar]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

Wow, if Net54 is the haystack, I just found the needle.

I am glad I amused you

[jason.1969]

Originally Posted by dollarscholar

I am glad I amused you

And just to prevent any confusion, I meant ZERO disrespect in the comment. It's actually a refreshing and welcome thing to encounter a collector here who takes a fairly disinterested position on centering. (And no disrespect to the centering guys either--each to his own.)

[autograf]

I like the 1000+ range...............maybe 1250 or more.

349 graded by PSA
36 graded by SGC
12 graded by BGS
397 Total

In his picture he has 15 graded and 28 ungraded. So assume of the 397, there are some regrades on the high end. 10-15% maybe? that'd get you down to 350-360 or so. If the graded to ungraded number holds out at 2-1, you'd be easily at 1000+. I tend to think that theres a lot ungraded of this stuff out there. Especially Topps cards.

There are 1287 Graded PSA Mantles and 389 SGC graded, total 1676. So they're likely re-graded at a higher level than the norm for 1952T right? But then there's ungraded ones out there. Likely a LOT less than 2-1 on them and it's a DP card. So the 1000 number has to be pretty good if not low on the Bartirome. JMO................

[judsonhamlin]

I know this is the BST but this thread has a life of its own so if I may:

-I am not a 1952 Topps guy. I have a low number near-set in mid grade but have not bought a card in years. I have one (1) of each card that I have (and no Bartirome), so I don't really have a dog in this race.

-I find this kind of hoarding odd and more than a little annoying. Okay, I get the whole one for each of the kids, cousins, great-grand nephews, what have you. But unless the family in question looks like the one from the opening scene of Monty Python's Meaning of Life, I think they are covered and then some.

-so now we have an apparently well-heeled individual actively trying to corner the market on this card. To what end? Presuming he is a Bartirome relative does not obviate another profit-based motive. Again no crime in that, and maybe I am being cynical, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few years from now these reappeared in the market at inflated prices.

-I place this in the same category as Titus, 1964 Curt Flood, and other hoards known and unknown. Not my thing and an annoyance, I am sure, to set collectors everywhere.

-If I happen across a Bartirome at some store or show maybe I will buy it now. But I won't tell. Its my contrary nature.

[the 'stache]

This thread is surreal, but also fascinating. I feel bubbles in my head, like I've had too much champagne.

I'm curious as to why you want the 10 2011 Topps Lineage Gold Canary cards of his? Should you acquire all of them, how do you determine which family members get these?

Why if you're also hoarding the '53 cards do you only want PSA 7 +? That seems, to me anyway, to reinforce the notion that you are hoarding these cards for future profit. The '52 Topps cards are from the first full set Topps ever did, and are from the high series. They are innately valuable, condition not withstanding. But the '53s don't have the same demand. However, collectors pursing the 1953 Topps registry will want high grade examples of the card. Can you comment on that?

[Leon]

I took moderator privileges and moved this to the front page from the BST. It's an interesting discussion...

[Rich Klein]

I"ve written, commented on kind of sort of similar circumstances:

Here are some other exampels

The man who chases 1964 Curt Flood cards

The man (and he has a cool blog and I've sent him cards and will do so again) who chases every Tim Wallach card ever produced (No he will not get them)

The story Roger Neufeldt told me about George Kernek who at point had more than 100 of his 1966 SP Hi # Rookie Card (and his only Topps card I believe(

Now this ---

WHen I was a dealer/collector in NJ in the 1980's -- ( bought a ton of Joe Cunningham carfds in case I ever wanted to open a store in my home town.

Love to hear mose stories such as this and would love to talk to the OP -- and Tony became the Pirates trainer for many years.

Rich

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

I"ve written, commented on kind of sort of similar circumstances:

Here are some other exampels

The man who chases 1964 Curt Flood cards

The man (and he has a cool blog and I've sent him cards and will do so again) who chases every Tim Wallach card ever produced (No he will not get them)

The story Roger Neufeldt told me about George Kernek who at point had more than 100 of his 1966 SP Hi # Rookie Card (and his only Topps card I believe(

Now this ---

WHen I was a dealer/collector in NJ in the 1980's -- ( bought a ton of Joe Cunningham carfds in case I ever wanted to open a store in my home town.

Love to hear mose stories such as this and would love to talk to the OP -- and Tony became the Pirates trainer for many years.

Rich

Who is this 1964 Curt Flood chasing guy...we talking Topps? Theres 5 or 6 of them on ebay right now and several on no reserve auction including a psa 8....

I assuming he no longer chasing them....the cycle repeats..

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Who is this 1964 Curt Flood chasing guy...we talking Topps? Theres 5 or 6 of them on ebay right now and several on no reserve auction including a psa 8....

I assuming he no longer chasing them....the cycle repeats..

As mentioned in the article, he is still chasing them....in my dealings with him, he has been a shrewd negotiator and cites both the "Flooded" market for this card (90+ ebay listings) and the fact that he is responsible for creating it. Within the past year I refused to accept his (low) offer price and subsequently sold to another buyer at a higher price. In other words, at this point he appears to be in the market for only the more reasonably priced copies of this card and is now a victim of his own creation. Copies of this card, that based on their condition (low to midgrade) used to sell for $20+ in past years, sit today as unsold BINs for half the price.


The collector chasing the 61 Topps 242 Hal Smith card is still very active in regards to collecting every reasonable priced copy of this card. I would not be surprised if he has more copies of this card than the Flood collector has of his card.


If I were a collector of just a single copy of a card, I would patiently wait and buy as the cards appear versus publicizing my quest thus driving the price up.

[sac_bunt]

Originally Posted by Leon

I took moderator privileges and moved this to the front page from the BST. It's an interesting discussion...

Great thread!..so many story lines... thanks Leon for creating more visibility to this thread.

[jason.1969]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11...-baseball-card

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11...-baseball-card

yeah I know that..but wondering if he is still active ..as there are many on ebay..psa 8s in the 260 range with make an offer as well....

[z28jd]

The Tim Wallach site is really interesting and he is up over 15,000 cards already. I think he could continue collecting them all for years and not affect the market.

It also made me wonder how many Wallach cards Tim Carroll has cut up for his art. I'm sure 99% of people are all for thinning out the 1980-90's card population, while making art out of them, but the Wallach collector would likely shed a tear or two thinking about cut up cards

http://timwallach.blogspot.com/

As for the original poster, I know from personal experience that it's best not to talk about a player collection for a tough card, it only drives up the price. I think he would be better off just waiting them out instead of offering big money at this point. It's definitely costing him more than it should. If he's not in a rush, enjoy the hunt.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by z28jd

The Tim Wallach site is really interesting and he is up over 15,000 cards already. I think he could continue collecting them all for years and not affect the market.

It also made me wonder how many Wallach cards Tim Carroll has cut up for his art. I'm sure 99% of people are all for thinning out the 1980-90's card population, while making art out of them, but the Wallach collector would likely shed a tear or two thinking about cut up cards

http://timwallach.blogspot.com/

As for the original poster, I know from personal experience that it's best not to talk about a player collection for a tough card, it only drives up the price. I think he would be better off just waiting them out instead of offering big money at this point. It's definitely costing him more than it should. If he's not in a rush, enjoy the hunt.

All he has to do is refuse to buy from someone that paid a premium for that card which would then cost that person money.....if someone pays 1500 for the next psa 8 and he turns them down..then that's easily a 600-900 loss...

[TimCarrollArt]

Originally Posted by z28jd

The Tim Wallach site is really interesting and he is up over 15,000 cards already. I think he could continue collecting them all for years and not affect the market.

It also made me wonder how many Wallach cards Tim Carroll has cut up for his art. I'm sure 99% of people are all for thinning out the 1980-90's card population, while making art out of them, but the Wallach collector would likely shed a tear or two thinking about cut up cards

http://timwallach.blogspot.com/

As for the original poster, I know from personal experience that it's best not to talk about a player collection for a tough card, it only drives up the price. I think he would be better off just waiting them out instead of offering big money at this point. It's definitely costing him more than it should. If he's not in a rush, enjoy the hunt.

I probably cut a few when I first started, but I have been placing the Wallachs aside for the Wallach guy for the last 4-5 years. I'm probably up to about 200-250 cards in the stack, and I'll send them out once feel like I have run across all I have. I like reading about off-beaten projects like this, regardless of how impossible they are.

I'm actually surprised there are not more collectors like the OP going after as many copies of a single card of a family member, etc. With so many players making the majors and only having 1-2 cards, I would think family hoarders would be more prevalent. I know there were a couple of guys in the early 2000's going after every 2002 Prince Fielder UD Prospect Premieres Autographs, and there was one collector trying to land every copy of a specific Mark Teixeira serial numbered rookie. I believe that guy had over 100 of the 750 copies printed, and that was over a decade ago. I wonder if he kept going, and if so...what % of the population does he now own?


Tim

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by TimCarrollArt

I probably cut a few when I first started, but I have been placing the Wallachs aside for the Wallach guy for the last 4-5 years. I'm probably up to about 200-250 cards in the stack, and I'll send them out once feel like I have run across all I have. I like reading about off-beaten projects like this, regardless of how impossible they are.

I'm actually surprised there are not more collectors like the OP going after as many copies of a single card of a family member, etc. With so many players making the majors and only having 1-2 cards, I would think family hoarders would be more prevalent. I know there were a couple of guys in the early 2000's going after every 2002 Prince Fielder UD Prospect Premieres Autographs, and there was one collector trying to land every copy of a specific Mark Teixeira serial numbered rookie. I believe that guy had over 100 of the 750 copies printed, and that was over a decade ago. I wonder if he kept going, and if so...what % of the population does he now own?


Tim

TIm:

On Mark Teixeira: I believe there are 2 super collectors (one of which I know in the DFW area and I see him about 3-4 times a year) and their dedication is fascinating.

Way back in the day -- there was a collector who chased after a strang specific serial # for each card (and this wsa the days of 10K runs); today it would be far different

[jason.1969]

Life would really get crazy if multiple collectors with deep pockets chose the same card! Maybe nephews of both HOFers go after the 1982 Fleer "Steve and Carlton, Carlton and Fisk" or John Hilton and Ron Cey both tried to gobble up their 1973 Topps issue.

[jason.1969]

Here is a quote from a relatively recent article--

《The topic of Donald Sterling lights Bartiromo up. “How do we know Sterling wasn’t attacked and raped by black men years ago?” he asks, triumphantly raising his eyebrows and offering his pointer finger.》

The bulk of the article details his obsession with outing underaged perpetrators and victims of sex crimes.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...s-it-news.html

[jason.1969]

Not that anyone cares at this point but he falsely cites CNBC's Maria Bartiromo as a relative. And here he asserts Tony Bartirome, even though the names aren't the same.

He claimed Tony changed his name to give announcers an easier job. Not only is that a pretty bizarre tale but it doesn't seem to check out anywhere but in the OP.

This feels like a scam in action and perhaps should be reported as such. I wonder if the N54 guys he bought from will ever see their money.

[Bruinsfan94]

What a bizarre and interesting thread. Good job investigating. Whatever he was up to couldn't have been good.

[egri]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

He claimed Tony changed his name to give announcers an easier job. Not only is that a pretty bizarre tale but it doesn't seem to check out anywhere but in the OP.

+1. I have a signed Bartirome for my project (signed well after his playing career ended) and it very clearly ends in an e, not an o.

[1880nonsports]

top ten - don't want it to end.................

[ksabet]

Two things:

1. I really think this guy and Adrian are buddies

2. I know Leon won't but I would love to read the 5-paragraph post he was about to attach.

[RCMcKenzie]

What I took away from this thread is that 1952 Topps short prints have a population of around 1000 each. I had no idea they were that scarce. i may need to put together a low-grade 52 Topps set now. What else am I doing?

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by ksabet

Two things:

1. I really think this guy and Adrian are buddies

2. I know Leon won't but I would love to read the 5-paragraph post he was about to attach.

1. My thinking exactly.

2. Same here. This thread has been more entertaining than the Sunday Night Football game that just ended.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by ksabet

Two things:

1. I really think this guy and Adrian are buddies

2. I know Leon won't but I would love to read the 5-paragraph post he was about to attach.

Never underestimate the powers of persuasion. Here is his last email to me.

Here ya go....





I'm really busy right now, but your story will be compiled and published on the front page & when it does I will activate the multiple stealth accounts I have on net54 to spam the hell out of your boards to spread the word about the exclusive story of Leon Luckey. Don't think I have forgotten or given up. A month may go by, but when I have a weekend to finalize the finishing touches on the organization of the article, it will go live, & you will never get that removed.

Do me a favor and post this reply to my thread in the meantime, as I was unable to post it when you banned me during the writing of this reply:

Originally Posted by the 'stache

This thread is surreal, but also fascinating. I feel bubbles in my head, like I've had too much champagne.

I'm curious as to why you want the 10 2011 Topps Lineage Gold Canary cards of his? Should you acquire all of them, how do you determine which family members get these?

Why if you're also hoarding the '53 cards do you only want PSA 7 +? That seems, to me anyway, to reinforce the notion that you are hoarding these cards for future profit. The '52 Topps cards are from the first full set Topps ever did, and are from the high series. They are innately valuable, condition not withstanding. But the '53s don't have the same demand. However, collectors pursing the 1953 Topps registry will want high grade examples of the card. Can you comment on that?

I just know that I want all 10 of the 2011 Topps Lineage Gold Canary since they are rare & limited & only 10 in existence. The fact Topps would choose to re-honor my family member with a reissue, in all it's gold diamond features & glory, is extra special. I do realize part of Tony's inclusion in the Gold Canary set is because he is still alive, & could sign the cards for Topps.

I have never even looked at a PSA registry, or even heard that word "registry" before a month ago. I don't know what 1953 Topps registry even means actually. I just don't wish to be like Mr Wallach collector buying $1 cards every day. I don't want to buy $1-$10 1953 Topps Bartirome's. I just want to have the rarest ones from 1953 - so that is PSA 7 and up. I arbitrarily chose that number to go with. I wouldn't know what to do with stacks of $1-$10 cards.

And yes, I want ALL 1952 Topps #332 because "they are innately valuable, condition not withstanding." To me they are prized possessions, & part of an amazing, historical story.

The comment that said I could liquidate 1953 Topps Bartirome easier then 1952 Topps Bartirome, how do you figure? There are a 100 listings for 1953 Topps Bartirome. If I bought them all up at the listed prices, & wanted to liquidate, even if I list them all for half the prices, 90% of the 100 listings would just sit there. I was under the assumption barely anyone is buying a 1953 Topps Bartirome because there are far less set collectors. It has no story, no legend, no allure. There are 0 listings for 1952 Topps Bartirome. Even before I jumped into the market, there would only be 1-2 at any given time. Please elaborate why you think I could liquidate 1953 Topps Bartirome easier then 1952 Topps Bartirome.....

Due to the advice of some PM's, I am going underground now except to post an updated picture of all the cards before the end of the year on this thread. Perhaps I will ignore the #332 going on HA next month. I will not pay $1,500 again. Perhaps there was manipulation in after hours bidding or bidders trying to win it to then sell it to me. The winner of this:

http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4azjlobu.jpg

is willing to sell it to me for $300, but he has also been significantly bidding me up for the past handful of #332 auctions because he has been needing a Bartirome. I simply forgot to bid that evening, & lost out on it. Now, I would normally pay the $300 and get it, but this group conversation has convinced me to stop encouraging the higher prices. If I buy it, he will go back to bidding against me on all future ones until I slip up & he wins again. If I don't buy it, he is done & out of the market & I don't have to deal with him indefinitely. I will stop this madness for a few listings, & disappear, so hopefully people stop risking their high bids thinking I will buy from them. I can pass on a #332 & buy it the next time it hits the market.

Thanks guys! I'll reply to this thread with a few pics of.
the collection before the end of the year!


.

[jason.1969]

I would be careful dealing with him. I saw one of his many scams was selling on ebay but never sending the merchandise. Here, I suppose nobody will send him a card without PayPal first, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's more interested in the names and addresses of high end collectors.

[Jantz]

1952 Topps Tony Bartirome cards aren't the only items he is hoarding.

Here are a few others.

1986 Fireball Island board games
Western Digital external hard drives (along with various other brands of hard drives)

Hundreds of them!

Sprinkled in with cell phones, probably for changing the multitude of phone numbers he has had, along with buying 1989 Griffey rookies (notice the thread title).

His last confirmed Ebay username was awesomegreatness.

Now he has a new Ebay account. He "advertised" that point by posting here about buying all the Bartirome cards that he has. The new Ebay account that is buying the Bartirome cards is also bidding on cell phones, golf cards (this ties into the Tiger Woods cards he sold years ago & the Tiger reference in this thread's title) and paper money. If you watched any of the videos posted in the links, he has a sweet tooth for paper money & uncirculated bills.

Ironically he pays people when he buys and has had almost perfect Ebay feedback in the past.

I'm not sure if there is a scam in buying/hoarding the Bartiromes, but his buying habits show a pattern for buying the same item over and over again, whether it be a certain 1952 Topps cards, digital hard drives or a board game manufactured in 1986.

[ALR-bishop]

Wonder if he would want my Sonar Sub Hunt game

[PolarBear]

[jason.1969]

BTW, I just heard directly from a definitive source that Cole is neither related to Tony Bartirome nor is Tony's real name Bartiromo.

[jason.1969]

Let's put aside the history of fraud and felony, along with the false story of being a relative. Instead, let's just assume for a minute that someone really did want to corner the market on a card for profit. What would be the best formula?

1. Go with a classic set that will always have collectors
2. Choose a card there are the fewest of (i.e., high number, non-DP)
3. Choose a common since stars will cost too much.
4. Don't tell everyone what you're doing.

So our guy here succeeded with 3 out of 4. But let's imagine he went 4 for 4 and kept it up for another 15 years...

I'll assume he ends up with 600 of the card, at an avg purchase price of $300. That's $180K in all. I'll also assume there are 300 other surviving copies out there, scattered across various collectors holding 1-2 cards each.

Now there are two paths forward.

1. Call attention to the scarcity of the card and hope the market responds by doubling its valuation. If so, Cole could see a good profit on his first N sales, but at some point these sales would serve to erode the scarcity. So basically a fail.

2. In a high profile event, destroy all but perhaps the 10 highest grade copies of the card. Now the scarcity is permanent, and Cole holds perhaps 10 of the 15 highest grade copies. Because there are still 300 or so other copies out there, I still don't see enough scarcity to recoup the investment, but I would at least see immortality in the Hobby Lore and perhaps a handful of high-adrenalin sales in the $20K range.

Anyone see vastly different scenarios or outcomes?

[egri]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

Let's put aside the history of fraud and felony, along with the false story of being a relative. Instead, let's just assume for a minute that someone really did want to corner the market on a card for profit. What would be the best formula?

1. Go with a classic set that will always have collectors
2. Choose a card there are the fewest of (i.e., high number, non-DP)
3. Choose a common since stars will cost too much.
4. Don't tell everyone what you're doing.

So our guy here succeeded with 3 out of 4. But let's imagine he went 4 for 4 and kept it up for another 15 years...

I'll assume he ends up with 600 of the card, at an avg purchase price of $300. That's $180K in all. I'll also assume there are 300 other surviving copies out there, scattered across various collectors holding 1-2 cards each.

Now there are two paths forward.

1. Call attention to the scarcity of the card and hope the market responds by doubling its valuation. If so, Cole could see a good profit on his first N sales, but at some point these sales would serve to erode the scarcity. So basically a fail.

2. In a high profile event, destroy all but perhaps the 10 highest grade copies of the card. Now the scarcity is permanent, and Cole holds perhaps 10 of the 15 highest grade copies. Because there are still 300 or so other copies out there, I still don't see enough scarcity to recoup the investment, but I would at least see immortality in the Hobby Lore and perhaps a handful of high-adrenalin sales in the $20K range.

Anyone see vastly different scenarios or outcomes?

He's off his rocker, plain and simple.

I think the thing to remember is that for him to go ahead with his plan, it only has to make sense to him. I could never justify spending that kind of money on cards while struggling to make rent, but I'm not the one trying to corner the market here. My frontal lobes haven't even fully developed yet, and I can tell that's a bad idea. I could understand if he was buying a few for immediate family, but this amount of spending just doesn't make sense.

[ALR-bishop]

Based on sage PM advice he has gone underground...or been grounded

[PolarBear]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

Now there are two paths forward.

1. Call attention to the scarcity of the card and hope the market responds by doubling its valuation. If so, Cole could see a good profit on his first N sales, but at some point these sales would serve to erode the scarcity. So basically a fail.

2. In a high profile event, destroy all but perhaps the 10 highest grade copies of the card. Now the scarcity is permanent, and Cole holds perhaps 10 of the 15 highest grade copies. Because there are still 300 or so other copies out there, I still don't see enough scarcity to recoup the investment, but I would at least see immortality in the Hobby Lore and perhaps a handful of high-adrenalin sales in the $20K range.

Anyone see vastly different scenarios or outcomes?

In the coin hobby, you run across specific hoarders now and then. It never, ever, works out for them financially. They may sell the first few at high prices but the market is what it is. They can never sustain it and ultimately lose because the high market prices were caused by the high prices they paid to hoard them and is not something they are ever able to fully recover when selling.

[deucetwins]

Will we be able to use our stealth accounts to submit multiple answers to Leon's monthly contests in order to increase our chances of winning?

[iowadoc77]

DOUCHECANOE!!!!!!!
Still laughing to tears over this.
Well said autograf!

[egri]

Originally Posted by deucetwins

Will we be able to use our stealth accounts to submit multiple answers to Leon's monthly contests in order to increase our chances of winning?

Wait, you don't already do that?

[jason.1969]

And he's not even family. 100% scam.

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