The Agony of Defeat

It's been about nine months since I've found an addition to my John Jaha collection. Needing only a handful of cards for a complete run, it's not very often that something comes along that I need. About ten days ago one did: a 1998 Circa Thunder Super Rave numbered out of 25. The opening bid was $20, which is about what I'd expect to pay. I had to exchange a couple of emails with the seller to get them to set up to allow Canadian bids but once he did, I put in a bid of a little over $30. And there the card sat for the next six days.

For whatever reason the closing time was 4:00 AM so I was going to wake up either the victor or stung with a last-second bid. I wouldn't be in lamentation mode if I won the card. But while only one other bidder came along, I think I would have lost no matter what. You see, the seller had a few other Super Raves up for auction. Name-wise, Curt Schilling was the biggest. However he must know that there's a couple people out there building sets because I was shocked by some of the closing bids from lowest to highest:

• Jaha $34.56
• Reggie Jefferson $50.18
• Shannon Stewart $82.81
• Curt Schilling $91.38
• Joe Nunally $100.00
• Delino DeShields $229.49

How the heck can a Joe Nunally card reach three figures? Or a DeShields card for almost $230? I honestly don't know which is more shocking - the $17,000 Strasburg or the fact that a Joe Nunally card reached $100.

What these auctions do show is how frowned upon most of the current low-numbered stuff, including 1/1s, are regarded in comparison to some of the tough-to-find late-90s parallels and inserts. I regularly see generic 1/1s from superstars going for a fraction of these prices.

This was only the second or third Jaha Super Rave that I've seen. Hopefully with that low finishing price, I won't have much competition for the next one that comes along in 2014 or so.

Upper Deck Gives Back to the Troops

Making the announcement on Veterans Day of all days, Upper Deck is doing their part to send goodies to US troops stationed around the world. Participating in conjunction with "Operation Gratitude," Upper Deck has launched the "Million Pack March for the Troops," where they hope to see one million packs of cards donated in the next year.

Although the company is starting things off by tossing in 100,000 packs, they'll also be looking for donations from collectors and industry types. Part of the plan includes donation drives at major hobby events like the National as well as establishing drop off points at hobby shops. The program will include Upper Deck products in all sports as well as non-sport.

If you have sealed packs of Upper Deck cards you'd like to donate to the cause, they can be sent to the following address:

Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
Attn. Upper Deck’s Million Pack Drive to Support the Troops
17330 Victory Boulevard
Van Nuys, CA 91406

This isn't the first time a card manufacturer has sent cards to troops. In 1991 Topps caused a huge stir when they not only sent 1991 Topps Baseball cards to US troops fighting in Operation Desert Shield, they were customized with a special foil logo. As cards began to trickle back, they became an instant hit and still command a decent price today. This PSA 10 Frank Thomas finished for $560 a couple days ago.

Up in Smoke?

Like many collectors, for me there's no greater thrill than busting a pack or a box of a good product.On the flip side, bust something that's ugly, boring or too bloody expensive and the feeling of deflation can be unbearable.

I don't have the budget to bust a ton of boxes and my geographic location makes pack busting a treat, usually relegated to what repacks are available at WalMart (this being Canada, there's not many). So is this auction the ultimate in possible pack thrills or trouble waiting to happen? Is it even a pack?

$11,499 for a tobacco pouch - I knew taxes were bad but WOW! If this is the real deal and it hasn't been messed with, then there's some possible gold inside that there pouch. But read the description and you'll find that there might not be any T205 or T206 goodness inside, just century-old tobacco. But on the other hand, there might be multiple cards inside.

The tricky part is that there's so few pouches like this out there today (I'd think there'd be none but I've been proved wrong) so the number of genuine experts on the subject has to be pretty slim. Even the seller is reaching for hype when there's not a huge foundation for hope.

So let's pretend you're filthy rich and you can afford to send $11,499 literally up in smoke (in a worst case scenario), would you risk it on this pack/pouch? Or maybe pick up some mid-grade singles?

The First UD Jeter Buyback Autograph has Surfaced - Suprise! They Screwed Up

I just noticed the first 2009 Upper Deck Series 2 Baseball Derek Jeter rookie buyback autograph has popped up on eBay. It's a nice looking card for certain, although something tells me that $1,499.95 is a little on the steep side.

 

And here's a picture of the Buyback slip that presumably came with it:

 

 

Way a gosh-darn minute. 1992 rookie card? Note to Upper Deck: it's a 1993 card. Normally, it'd be a simple error that's not a big deal. I know I mess up with my spelling regularly. We're all human. But this is the card that has been hyped in the set. And he's one of the faces of your company. I wonder how many copy editors this slipped past.

And Then There Were Three

 

Tonight the final three competitors will go at it to see who's the season eight champ on American Idol. You've got Adam Lambert, the Broadway trained stylish guy who screams in every damn song he does, David Gokey, who with his glasses on looks a lot like Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man and Kris Allen, who I know nothing about and assume he's around still mainly because of the teenage girl vote.

As shown above, all three have autographs in Upper Deck's American Idol set. Here's a gallery of the autograph set. According to the prices that the three are selling for, there is a clear front runner. Allen's cards are currently selling on eBay in the $40 range. Gokey's been a little more scattered. While he's had one finish at $110, he also had one close for $18 right before it. The average cost right now is around $50-60. And then there's Lambert. Of the last ten sold, two sold in the $120 range while the last one went for a head-scratching $295. If that's the new benchmark, I don't expect it to go much higher if he does win next week.

As the show comes to a close, expect to see all but a couple of the autographs in the set to plummet in price as the signers disappear back into obscurity. But that doesn't mean that a couple won't reemerge. 

 

Such was the case with Jennifer Hudson. A couple of years ago I picked up a couple right before the Oscar nominations for less than $10. Two months later I had one end within 30 minutes of her winning Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls and managed to get $65 for it. Of course, the price has since dropped again to the $10-20 range but I'd consider it to be one of the better bargains in the non-sport realm as she continues to land strong Hollywood roles all the while singing still.

Rare 1889 Baseball Card Poster Heading to the Block Next Month

I've got two posters on my wall: a framed print entitled Legends of Baseball II that I got for Christmas many years ago that has some classy old-time ball cards and a Godfather poster honoring the 25th Anniversary theatrical release that I snagged from the back room of a theatre I worked for back in university. Both are very office-worthy in my books. I'd have them in the living room but I do share the house with my wife and kids so that's not really an option.

Next month someone's going to get an instant office makeover should they win the following from Leylands:

 

From 1889, the poster advertises the Goodwin Round Album - a nine-page full-color premium that was available as a mail-away offer. Two other posters are known to exist but they've got a different format. 

The unrestored piece of art includes a handful of Hall of Famers such as Cap Anson, Charles Comiskey and Mickey Welch. It was discovered at an estate sale in March. The story has two dealers passing it over before a family made the connection of baseball, cards and old and snatched it up. 

Its estimated value is $100,000 and will have a reserve of $45,000 when bidding opens in May at Lelands.com.

Case Incentives: Reward for the Dealer or Punishment for the Collector?

Dealer incentives have been a part of the non-sport hobby for years. The practice rewards dealers exclusive cards for ordering a certain number of cases as a product, often at different tiers. The more cases bought, the better the incentive. For example, with Rittenhouse Archives' recently released Star Trek the Movie In Motion set, for each ten-box case that was bought an Alfre Woodard autograph would be included at no extra charge. At this level, they're more of a bonus than anything and they're plentiful enough that they shouldn't empty a collector's wallet.

With three cases, dealers get a Grace Lee Whitney autograph. For most, she's not the biggest name in the world, but for a Trek fan, she did star in both the original series and later in the films. But now rarity is starting to come into play and influencing the price to a place higher than Whitney's signature alone would have supported.

Moving to the six-case incentive, it's a good 'un: Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. Like a lot of sets, the six-case incentive is better than most of the cards inserted in packs. Star Trek the Movies In Motion has quite a number of good signers aside from Nimoy incluing Patrick Stewart, Christopher Plummer and Kristie Alley, but Nimoy is definitely in the top tier. Nimoy has already signed for many sets, but those going after the master set will need this to do so and take the $200 hit. To get the Nimoy, dealers had buy 60 boxes. With Star Trek, the fan base doesn't make this a huge risk. For many dealers these are still bonuses as they might have ordered this amount anyway.

But what about a set with marginal appeal or is of a less established franchise? Incentives provide just that - a reason to go a little deeper with ordering than they might have. So even if boxes are sold at cost, the incentives make up the profit. But this leads to a couple of issues: over-ordering and added cost for collectors.

Like any collectibles, trading card prices are largely dictated by supply and demand. If there's a lot of a product out there, prices invariably drop. So when dealers are ordering an extra few boxes or cases to get that fancy incentive that's as nice or nicer than anything that's in the boxes they're shelling the money over for, there's going to be extra product out there. In the long run, this hurts the product as secondary market prices will drop. Manufacturers may say they don't follow or dictate secondary market prices, but they should because unless it's the last set they're going to make then it will affect their futures products. Dealers who lose money on one set have less money to spend on another. Collectors who bought early get frustrated when box prices drop quickly after release once it's realized that

Most of the time these cards are not available to collectors without going through their lcoal shop or eBay. And then they have to pay extreme prices for them. Take the X-Files I Want to Believe Mulder and Scully dual autograph that I believe was a 10-case incentive (100 boxes). Sure they're the lead stars in one of the biggest cult shows of all time but $500? That's the minimum you could expect to pay. Add to that, both can be found on more attractive individual autograph cards in the same set for about $200 each.

Perhaps one of the more frustrating and head-scratching multi-case incentives is from the upcoming James Bond Archives from Rittenhouse Archives. For every 15 ten-box cases dealers pre-order they'll get a bonus "Archive Box" that is a special hot box containing all of the pack-inserted autographs and costume cards as well as an exclusive John-Rhys Davies autograph not found anywhere else.

But here's where I don't get it. The master set collectors who want to get every card on the checklist are presumably some of the biggest pack and box buyers. But if they can only get a master set by getting an Archive Box, it makes the most sense to just buy it outright and skip the wax. Now there's extra boxes kicking around because the most dedicated fans were left to go for it all in one go.

I understand the economy is in trouble and collectible companies are walking a fine line where risks are probably going to be calculated at best. While these multi-case incentives may help an individual product sell through at the factory level and help the industry short-term, I can only see long-term troubles if these become more and more elitist. Longtime collectors with less funds are bound to become frustrated and cut their spending if not leave the hobby altogether. When that happens and there's nobody there to replace them the collecting base shrinks. And when the non-sport side of the hobby is already rather small, any shrinkage could have the end result of a manufacturer going under.

These are tough times. My hope is that the manufacturers recognize that there's a lot of collectors out there who don't have deep pockets. They may not lead to huge profits for a single product, but if they stay pleased they're going to stick around no matter what. Please them with more accessible sets sans gimmicks and near-impossible to find cards and they'll maintain the hobby through the economic storm. They might not spend more when things get better, but they'll have maintained an industry and kept it alive for when the big-spenders do eventually return.

The Yankees' Class Struggle

Mark Teixeira is apparently a Yankee. Eight years, $180 million.

In the past I've rooted against the Yankees but never hated them. Now I do. For a team that demands their players carry a certain image, wear their hair a certain length, etc. the Yankees as an organization are not showing a lot of class for baseball and professional sports in general.

It's plain to see that the Yankees front office is doing whatever they can to make sure their franchise is a contender next year. Whatever the expense. It's an important year, with the new stadium and all. They've got the revenue streams so why not spend it? I get all that, but it still disgusts me.

In a time when other teams are buckling down and preparing for tough economic times, the Yankees are going through as much cash as they are toilet paper. In the last week they've commited more than $400 million to three players. The signing of Teixeira comes one day after it was announced they owed $26.9 million in luxury taxes. The Florida Marlin's entire payroll was less than that.

Sorry to all those Yankees fans out there. I've joined the nation of haters. It's not a jealousy thing. It's all about class. The guy below, he was classy.

For the BIG Spenders: Clemente Jersey, Ruth Bat and Huge Photo Lot Hit the Auction Block

To me, dropping $20 is a lot for a single card. Needless to say, I won't be taking part in Lelands' latest auction. Their just released fall catalog includes a ton of items for those deep-pocketed souls not left reeling from the recent stock market roller coaster ride. I'll just window shop.

Here's some highlights:

• 600 lots of historical photos.
• Photo collection of Dallas Cowboys team photographer Ron St. Angelo.
• Hand-written letter from Roberto Clemente signed with his nickname "Momen."
• Clemente's game-used bat from the 1972 All-Star Game.
• Clemente batting helmet, circa mid-60s.
• Clemente game-worn winter league uniform from the San Juan Senadores, circa mid-60s.
• Signed document transferring Ted Williams to the Boston Red Sox from 1937, which is signed by Williams.
• Boston Red Sox World Series rings from 2004 and 2007 in their original boxes.
• A program from the first modern World Series in 1903 between Boston and Pittsburgh.
• Team-signed Yankees balls from 1927 and 1928.
• Three Babe Ruth signed balls.
• A 1932 hickory game-used Ruth bat.
• A whistle from James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
• A Cleveland Browns game-worn jacket from Otto Graham from the 1950s.

The photo lots include images of the Chicago Black Sox, including Joe Jackson, deal-ball era images of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Edd Roush, Evers, Eddie Collins, Chief Bender, John McGraw, Frank Chance and Ed Walsh; original Carl Horner images used on the T206 tobacco cards, Nat Fein’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Babe Bows Out,” vintage photos of Ruth and Lou Gehrig, , a large Jackie Robinson collection including photos of him in his first game with Brooklyn in 1947, famous moments like Sandy Amoros’ 1955 World Series catch and Willie Mays’ 1954 World Series catch, and vintage boxing images of John L. Sullivan, James J. Corbett, Jack Johnson, Jess Willard, Stanley Ketchel, Tom Sharkey, Bob Fitzsimmons, Joe Gans and Battling Siki.

Historical photography includes a vast civil rights movement collection, crime photography depicting Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, Ma Barker, Albert Anastasia, Lucky Luciano, Legs Diamond, and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. There are also several Ansel Adams vintage prints.

Lelands fall auction ends November 21 should you win the lottery before then. Here's a link to the auction's index should you want to browse and dream.

Wagner Fetches $1.6 Million

A T-206 Honus Wagner just sold for $1.62 million. It kind of make the $2,000/pack Presidential Cuts from Razor seem a little on the ProSet end of things. I love the bit about the buyer having a cut-out version of the card sitting in his back pocket back when he was a kid.

Here's a conversation of me going to the bank to get a loan for $1.62 million:

Banker: So, $1.62 million. That's a good chunk of change.

Me: Yes, sir.

Banker: And what do you need it for?

Me: A baseball card, sir.

Banker: Sorry for spitting my coffee all over you.

Me: No worries. You missed my eyes. It's the baseball card.

Banker: You mean that card with Michael Jordan taking batting practice is worth over a million now. I've got two of 'em somewhere in my basement. Maybe I should dig them out.

Me: No, sir. The T206 Honus Wagner. You see, legend has it Mr. Wagner didn't like smoking...

Banker: Save it, kid. You could buy four houses for that kind of money. If you're in a bind for some quick cash I know this person. I don't know her, but I know of her if you catch my drift. She offers fair rates for desperate folks like yourself. When we can't help you Jenny Bones can. But if you fall behind on your payments, her big-boned associate'll take a kneecap  -- from your daughter's puppy.

Me: Eek.

Banker: So you want her number?

I doubt I'll ever own a Wagner. But one can dream.