Just a heads up... you'll be seeing a decline in the number of posts here on this blog over the next couple of weeks... possibly longer. Even though I'm on my summer break, life is far from rest and relaxation. Back at the start of summer, I didn't want to be bored... so I made sure to keep myself busy and right now I'm in the thick of things.
With that being said... my decision to scale things down on this blog isn't hobby related. In fact, I'm sitting on tons of material ranging from card show purchases, box breaks, care packages, COMC fodder, and mystery pack purchases from the Online Dime Store. There's even a Topps Magazine post I'm really looking forward to finishing and publishing eventually.
Unfortunately there just isn't enough time in the day. And over the past week or so, I've realized that it's hard enough keeping up with my blogger reading list... which right now I'm prioritizing ahead of publishing my own posts.
When can you expect to see a regular three to four posts per week blogging schedule? Not exactly sure. The new school year is just around the corner, so we'll see how that impacts my free time. For now... the goal is to publish at least once a week to keep me on your reading lists.
Okay... let's get to the actual card portion of the post. On Monday, I wrote about my experience on the other side of the table at a card show and Jafronius left a comment about not picturing a scenario where he would sell a collectible, because he wouldn't buy it... if he didn't want it.
I totally see his point and understand where he's coming from. In fact, I can't see myself selling most of the cards I've purchased over the years using his exact reasoning.
However it made me brainstorm a few scenarios where I'd be willing to sell something I purchased. Each of these scenarios were based on my recent card show experience in one way or another...
#1: One, Two, or Three is Enough
2007 UD Elements Clear Cut Elements #CCE-MC
Since then, I've acquired several on-card autographs of Miggy... which made this card expendable.
#2: Clearing Some Room
2001 Upper Deck Retail Golf Box
This isn't a new thing for me. Over the years I've built a collection of boxes with plans to one day have a box busting party. But something happened. People began paying ridiculous prices for unopened product. This box is a great example. I sold one box of this stuff on Saturday and the sale nearly covered the cost of the entire case.
Jafronius doesn't buy things he doesn't want. That makes sense to me. Most of the time, I wouldn't either. However after thinking about it, I did come up with one major exception to this rule: bargains.
But the best part about this sale it freed up some space for new cards for my collection.
#3: Too Good to Pass Up
2007-08 UD Premier Exclusivity Autograph #EX-KD
I don't have any online records of where or when I picked this card up... but I will say that there is no way I paid even a tenth of what I sold it for on Saturday. It was by far the largest sale of the day. Sometimes a deal is just too good to pass up.
The crazy part about this sale is that I actually sold it for less than the market value. Had I waited until next season, I could have gotten several hundred dollars more. However... I sold it at a discounted price to a Kevin Durant collector. He got a deal. I got a deal. It was a win/win situation.
#4: Opening the Door for Future Bargains
2015 National Treasures Player's Choice Signature Die-Cuts #37
One of my favorite online dealers was Jersey Coast Collectibles. He shut down his website a few years ago, but not before hooking me up with hundreds of awesome bargains. One of those was this gorgeous Mookie Betts bat relic autograph that I purchased for $14.49.
Now I love Mookie, but the fact is I already have another autograph of his:
2014 Five Star Autographs #FSA-MBE
This autographed rookie card was purchased the same day as the other Mookie, but for a few more bucks ($17.65). Do I need two Mookie Betts autographs? If I was a Red Sox or Dodger fan, maybe. But I'm not... so the National Treasures card became nonessential.
By the way, I actually didn't sell the bat relic autograph at the show. I sold it to my buddy on Tuesday when I returned the two display cases he loaned me.
Ultimately... I'm a bargain hunter at heart and when I hit the flea market or occasional card show... I'm always looking for deals even if they don't necessarily fit my collection. And if the right situation presents itself... I have no problem getting rid of that bargain in exchange for money that will allow me to purchase more bargains down the road.
I'm sure there are other scenarios where I'd be willing to sell something I purchased in the past, but these are the ones that relate to my recent card show experience.
Thank you Jafronius for being the inspiration for the blog post. That's why I love reading all of the comments people leave on my posts.
Feel free to comment on any of these scenarios or write about your own personal scenarios down below. Maybe it'll inspire my next blog post.
Happy Thursday and sayonara!
Extra Innings
By the way... here's the song that inspired the title of this post.
16 comments:
Next time your gonna sell some stuff, give us a heads up. First dibs if you will. Now.....go dig through those boxes and find us some stuff. LOL. Just kidding...sort of.
I’ve purchased cards with the intent to sell them (always cards that are undervalued by the initial seller) and I’ve also sold cards from my collection that no longer “fit” over the years. In fact I recently sold a few things that paid for an iconic rookie card which was nice.
I hear you...doesn't see to be enough time in the day. You always dig up the most amazing things and you always seem to have an eye for the good prospects!
I grab stuff I only want but sometimes in trades i settle for stuff just to finish up a trade and turn those cards elsewhere after.
I think scaling back, as well. Focus can change, our sometimes one just needs to clear out space. I've also contemplated selling off certain cards to replace with one I'd rather have. Like could I sell off $2500 worth of cards that don't mean much and use those funds to buy a low-grade Jordan rookie?
I understand no time for nothing not even to excrete bodily waste, OK maybe we have to make time for that occasionally during the day. My daily blog reading is nothing like it was maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Back then I used to read just about every post of every blog I was subscribed to. Some days it took some time to read them all. Now I just glance at the first page of recent posts on my Reading List and pick and choose which posts to actually read.
I would never buy a card that doesn't fit my collection just because I found a deal ... unless it's for another collector. I'm not in this hobby to flip and I've only sold sporadically. It's not fun for me.
Where's the song?
Love the Miggy card...post at your pleasure, it's been difficult for me to post the past month...I'll enjoy reading each and every post.
Good Job. 👍
Blog reading/commenting is practically a full-time job unto itself. And since you don't own it anymore, I feel completely comfortable saying that your former Durant sure is one ugly card! Not a great signature on that one either.
I can understand your want/need to scale back your blog presence and focus on personal things. Your attendance record here is second to none, so no need to explain yourself for taking care of non-blog business!
It's interesting to me how many collectors do not sell anything under any circumstances. And while I understand where Jafronius is coming from, you cited some prime examples of why selling shouldn't be ruled out. Personally, I can spend about $50 a month on cards before raising any red flags with my wife. So if I see a great deal on a set filler or PC hit, or my collecting focus shifts, sometimes the only way to acquire a card I want is to sell something I no longer need.
No need to explain yourself on blog posting! I've been behind on blog reading for weeks now and now blogger isn't showing my reading list properly so I could be in an even bigger hole.
Don't think I've ever inspired a blog post before so that's cool, thanks! Your reasons (and others) for doing so are valid and sometimes could be even beneficial in the long term. I just see myself buying, for example, a case of golf cards even at a great deal...because I don't follow golf. When I'd buy toys on clearance, it would be toylines I liked, so Transformers and Star Wars sure, but not say, Power Rangers. My mentality wouldn't be, "get that Power Ranger too so I could flip it later." I guess it's a collecting gene I don't possess.
johnnys trading spot - if i ever create a list of my inventory, i'll give you first shot. may be a few months... but more likely a few years before that happens ;D
gcrl - nice. have you shown this rookie card on your blog yet? if not... can't wait to read about it.
sumomenkoman - i wish i was good at prospecting. i think i've lucked out with bulk purchases where there have been rookie cards that weren't worth anything at the time, but turned out to be nice finds. the days of actually targeting specific rookies are in the past for me... unless we're talking about someone like tatis who plays on a team i root for.
matt - i remember the days of picking through lists just to fill out a trade. i'm sure there are a few of those singles in my sell inventory.
the lost collector - exactly. i'm all about turning stuff i don't really want anymore into something i do want.
captkirk42 - i should probably follow your lead on reading blog posts. right now i spending at least 90 minutes each morning skimming through blog posts (no way i could read every single word for every post). if a post really captures my interest, i'll read it all though (usually 2 or 3 each day). sometimes i'm too busy and i skip a day... that's when it starts to really take up my day.
night owl - i hear ya. i have friends who are the same way. i'm just addicted to finding deals. if is see a good deal, i'll grab it. it doesn't necessarily mean i have plans to flip it. sometimes i just like adding it to my binders. but yeah... there are times i buy collections and i know 95% of the stuff i won't be keeping (usually donated to goodwill or passed out in care packages).
anonymous - it pops up on a browser, but not on my cell phone. here's the link to "scenario" by a tribe called quest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJhgNDCz_A
john sharp - i love miggy! gonna miss him when he hangs up his cleats. i'm still on the hunt for a tigers on-card auto. and i appreciate you supporting the blog
jon - yeah, the autograph wasn't clean. i made sure to point it out to people when i listed it on ebay and anyone who looked at it at the show.
chris - thanks for the kind words. i was trying to get back into the 3 to 4 posts per week, but it just isn't in the cards. sounds like you and i are in the same camp... but different strokes for different folks. even if i was super rich and money wasn't an issue for me, i'd still have to sell stuff just to make more room for new stuff.
jafronius - i've been having issues with my blog reader list as well. saw someone else write about it this morning too. sure hope they fix that issue soon. i'm also running into an issue about my posts not showing up on published posts until way after it's actually published. i think i annoyed someone at blogger. i think the most important things involving collecting and whether or not people sell stuff is having fun and respecting others. as long as i'm able to follow these two big rules, i can live with myself. and thanks for the inspiration! i write to help document things. it'll be interesting to see if other scenarios pop up for me. or who knows... maybe i go back into my hoarding mode ;D
The Trade Deadline is a time of great jubilation for some(New York & LA) while simultaneously being tumultuous for others(DC & The North Side of Chicago) thus leading way to incredible bargains being had a the expense of a jaded fanbase. Back in the Deezy this often lead to altered, marked & otherwise mutilated cards of formerly cherished heroes. The Major Players in the Industry capitalized on the Trend to of jilted Collectors Crossing of Team names of These Traitorous playas by releasing the Ultra Popular Traded/Update Box Sets of the Mid 80's.
Kyle Schwarber fall under this Category in My Player Collection being the Result of my longstanding Yankees fandom That dates back to The Seinfeld Era. I've Collected Schwarber & Bryant as Prospects while their Cardboard cemented itself in My Collection When they proved their worth as Champions of The World for the Lovable Losers of The Windy City. They're not necessarily a priority in my collection and I have Cornerstone Cards that Will Remain in the collection permanently while continue to collect both of their cardboard iconography when it find a relative steal, however with Scharbino going to Those God Awful Bean Eatin Boston Sweat Sox, I'm of the Mind that I'll be Moving quite a bit of the Schwarb Ephemera I've accumulated now that I associate him with the Sawx. Bryant going to the Giants actual makes me regret selling any of this stuff as I have a favorable association with the Giants of San Francisco and their ties to New York.
Sending another care package shortly Cardboard Brother!!!🃏🎩🍸
I've been following you for eight years and I can attest you put out some awesome content. Just wanted to put that out there. Keep doing what you're doing.
xavier higgins - it was nice to see both of my teams (a's and padres) buying this year, instead of selling. they typically end up being the farm systems for teams like NY and LA. i was rooting for schwarber for a season or two, because i pulled a cool card of his out of an archives pack, but it didn't last long bc i prefer guys who hit for average and he's never been one of those players.
another package? i haven't even hit you back with one yet. by the way would you be interested in the archives schwarber rookie autograph? that could be part of your care package.
j. stoddert - thank you for the kind words and taking the time to check out my posts. the more the readers, the merrier.
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