Trade with Dustin: a pair of Tigers not named Granderson

Dustin and I met up last Saturday for some awesome batting cage action, though both of us were rusty enough that "awesome" became more like "not entirely terrible at hitting slowly pitched balls."  Not bad for our first time out this summer, though, and hopefully there's more of that on the horizon.

Anyway, he mentioned he was bringing a couple cards along that I might like, and here they are:

These are 2011 Topps Diamond Die-Cuts of Tigers Austin Jackson and Max Scherzer.  As it turns out, Dustin was correct that I like these very much.  I'm glad I didn't have to jump through Topps' hoops of entering 250 codes to get something decent and can enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor!  As much as I rag on Topps, these really are nice cards to have (I just think their giveaway system needs a drastic overhaul, though not before someone gives them an emergency cranial-rectal extraction first) and will fit into my Tigers collection very nicely.

Really, my only nit with the cards themselves at all is that Jackson's features a pretty glaring error:  on the back, it states that his "Diamond Deed" came "...in a 6-4 win over the Tigers on September 4, 2010."  Uh, guys?  He plays for the Tigers--he didn't beat himself.

Anyway, like the football versions, the die-cut design of these is very cool, so I definitely appreciate the haul.  Thanks, Dustin--I'll get you back the next time we hit up a card show, maybe with some Mariners, assuming none of them have been traded to the desperate Yankees by then.

You can call me Al: another Dimwitted trade

That's right, it's been a good while since I did a trade post, but I finally made another deal worth posting.  Everybody's favorite Dimwit, Sam, has some of the best luck on his breaks that I've ever seen.  During this break of 2012 Gypsy Queen, he pulled an absolutely ridiculous Cal Ripken Jr. auto/relic.  It's already easy enough to be happy for a guy everybody seems to get along with, but I think we all know the proceeds of that card are going straight back into collecting, which benefits the economy AND us!

Anyway, another card in the break caught my eye and I knew I needed to get it from Sam, so I sent some stuff his way, including a decent Biggio jersey I picked up at the most recent show I hit up.  Sam--I would have posted this sooner, but the US FAIL decided to wait until today to deliver this baby:

Alex Avila 2012 Gypsy Queen jersey

This is my first hit of the Tigers' awesome all-star catcher and it features a pretty solid swatch of a gray Detroit jersey.  Cards like this are exactly the reason I no longer bust boxes myself--if I wasn't a Tigers fan, I'd be pissed to get a hit like this, but as a Tigers fan I'm thrilled to have it, especially without having to take the plunge and pony up for a box myself.  Sam made this a very easy deal and now I can be happy to add a nice relic of one of my favorite Tigers to the PC.  What can I say, I haven't been this excited about an up-and-coming Tigers catcher since Matt Nokes!

Thanks again, Sam, for another excellent deal.  I hope you keep pulling some big stuff in your boxes, just make sure to save the smaller stuff for people like me.

Owners unwilling to deal: an update

I mainly just wanted to extend a huge thanks to everyone who chipped in their opinions on Friday's post.  Keeping in mind that despite the small sample size I ended up with what I think is a pretty diverse group of readers and bloggers, I think your responses showed a few clear trends with just a bit of deviation:

1.  If you were in this collector's shoes, how would you feel about the other guy refusing to sell you the card and telling you not to contact him anymore (based on the little you know contained in this post, to be fair)?

The general consensus here was disappointment/frustration coupled with acceptance.  That's in line with what I figured I'd see from you guys--I know plenty of you are just as passionate about trying to complete projects like that, and maybe there's multiple reasons that this is the case, but I can't say I've seen or heard of any of you taking a similar tack to try to whine your way to sympathy.

Sample response:  "I would be devastated if the guy wouldn't part with the fourth card... but that's the way it is. Hopefully the discussion would've gone better than what happened with those two collectors though."  -- Captain Canuck  


2.  If you were the person in possession of that fourth card, how would you handle the guy trying to buy your copy?  Would you sell it to him or no?  Why not?  If you sold it, would you gouge the hell out of him or just go for a tidy profit?

This question elicited some very interesting responses in my opinion.  Some of you had no problem dealing with the guy to get him his complete set in the spirit of being helpful, that is, unless it was something you were very, very attached to.  Again, this is totally in line with what I thought because you can't go a day without reading somebody's blog thanking another collector for sending them a major need without expecting anything in return.  Definitely a different culture than the dog-eat-dog message boards, eh?

Sample response (and my favorite, definitely):  "Easy: I wouldn't sell him the card and i would demand that he give me his three so i would have a complete set."  -- Spankee

3.  Do you think collectors that are (presumably) acquiring a set of something rare like four 1/1 cards are entitled to the remaining cards (at a reasonable price, of course) when they get to a certain point?

Nope, not even close, according to all of you.  It's good to know that you guys wouldn't feel pressured to give up something you treasure just because some guy stakes his claim to it.

Sample response:  dhoff gets Biblical on our asses:  "I say, let's go King Solomon style on both these guys. We'll offer to take all four of the cards and slice each one in half, then divide the halves between these guys. We'll see who reacts best, and this collector will be deemed the true mother."

Having experienced this excellent discussion, I can proudly say I'd be willing to deal with each and every one of you in this same situation.  Unless it was a Rich Hill card.  Otherwise, I wouldn't gouge you guys like this was the Kwik-e-Mart, because it looks like all of you would do the same.  Thanks again for reaffirming my appreciation for collectors like you!

That will be $2000 and a case of National Treasures Football.  Thank you, come again!

Card show report: May 5, 2012: Rick Leach/vintage RC edition

This morning I hit up the first card show I'd been to in a while, and it certainly turned out nicely.  Highlights:

Rich Leach (l), former Michigan football star and Detroit Tigers first-rounder, signing autographs.  To his left is author Kurt A. David, who signed his book that featured a chapter on Leach, who also signed copies of the book (see below).

Me and Rick Leach.  Bonus points for lack of hoverhands!  

The signed book in question, which should be an interesting read.  It discusses post-sports career transitions of various area athletes, including Leach, Dave Bing, Frank Tanana, and more.  The deal was $20 for the book signed by both guys, plus an additional Leach autograph.  Pretty nice!

My inscription, from the author.  Definitely a nice guy, and if the book's any good I hope he does well.

A much-welcomed "Go Blue" inscription from one of the all-time great Michigan Men!

My Tigers ball gets a new signature.  On this panel alone you can see Leach (and his #7), Al Kaline and former Tiger P A.J. Sager.  The rest of the ball includes Tigers mascot "Paws", Don Wert, Mickey Lolich, Willie Horton, and I believe Matt Anderson and Gabe Kapler.  I like getting this eclectic signature ball signed especially because I figure signers won't think I'm out to sell it immediately.  That and it's fun to have such a wide range of guys sign it, though it's getting pretty full.

Besides some much needed top-loaders of various sizes, I did buy a few cards too:

Trade bait:

Here's a cool Biggio jersey that's already promised to Sam in a trade we just arranged.  Unfortunately just plain white, but very Refractory and #d to 50.

Somehow I got the feeling Jeff might like this 1961 Topps Billy Williams RC.  I was right--he's pretty geeked, so this one's also spoken for.  This, as well as the few other vintage cards that follow, came from a guy from whom you've seen cards previously, and he charges a reasonable 10% of Beckett's hi book for not-exactly-mint vintage stuff, which makes them very affordable.

This Brett '75 Topps RC is up for grabs.  I couldn't remember if I had this version or the Mini and I didn't bother to check, but I guess I have this one, only graded.  I might crack that one open at some point due to its low grade, but for now, this one, condition defects and all, is available.  It's got some bad corners and creasing, plus it's torn pretty much starting from the second "T" in his last name (which you can sorta see in the scan) but it's still a cool RC.  I paid $8 for it so I'd take that or the usual stuff I like in return for it if anybody wants it.

For $2 (in addition to $18 I spent on some Michigan guys you'll see on TMM tomorrow), I grabbed this 2005 Topps Pack Wars Helton jersey because I'd be happy enough keeping it, though I'm betting one of my Rockies readers will step up and claim it.  Not bad, including a nice purple pinstripe.  Have at it!

Personal collection stuff:

These last three came from the aforementioned vintage guy.  I'm very excited about what I got, but I'm saving the best for last.

 Fred Lynn 1975 Topps RC

Jim Rice 1975 Topps RC:

This pair came surprisingly cheap, even at 90% off.  I'm glad to add another pair of 1975 Topps RCs to my expanding collection of rookies and other stars from that set.  These two guys were going to be part of the nucleus that was going to win multiple championships, but alas it never happened.  Speaking of Red Sox stars that never won a World Series...

Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ on a Cracker, is that approximately 96% of a Carl Yastrzemski 1960 Topps RC?  Why yes it is.  This guy set me back $25 smackers, but you aren't gonna convince me it wasn't worth it.  This is easily one of my highest-end RCs regardless of its condition.  Finding a gem like this helps remind me why I always check that guy's table when I hit up shows even though I'm not an avid vintage collector.  It's definitely been my best source of vintage stars and RCs, and I look forward to finding more gems like this in the future!

Keep an eye on the other blog tomorrow for a few more Michigan-specific pickups.

A collecting discussion: owners unwilling to deal a rare card you need

Yesterday while cruising around the Blowout forums as usual, I caught this thread, which immediately piqued my interest:

It sparked quite a bit of discussion from the board, and rightly so, considering the content.  While much of the thread devolved into the inevitable bunch of childish insults and off-topic crap, there was some pretty good discussion going on, generally siding with my point-of-view.  Mainly, the two sides were:

• Jeez, what a douche!  If you offered him more than he paid for it, he's STUPID not to sell it to you, and by not doing so he has bad karma heading his way.  He totally owes you this card, bro.
• Um, he OWNS the card, and just because you have three of the other four he's obligated to sell his to you regardless of his attachment to it?  You probably screwed yourself by telling him this was the last one you needed anyway, now he's got you by the balls, and if I was him I wouldn't sell it to you because you're the one being a jackass.  Leave him alone and go cry, emo kid.

This made me wonder how the most reasonable group of collectors I've known--those of you that write your own blogs and/or read them--would approach this situation.  So in the interest of spurring some good old-fashioned internet discussion, a few questions:

1. If you were in this collector's shoes, how would you feel about the other guy refusing to sell you the card and telling you not to contact him anymore (based on the little you know contained in this post, to be fair)?
2. If you were the person in possession of that fourth card, how would you handle the guy trying to buy your copy?  Would you sell it to him or no?  Why not?  If you sold it, would you gouge the hell out of him or just go for a tidy profit?
3. Do you think collectors that are (presumably) acquiring a set of something rare like four 1/1 cards are entitled to the remaining cards (at a reasonable price, of course) when they get to a certain point?

Please have at it in the comments or by emailing me.  I'll be happy to update this post highlighting those comments if enough people make them and there's interest in me doing so.  This just seems like an appropriate instance for some actual card collecting discussion!

No, YOU check out MY cards: selling edition

I've seen enough people recently have some degree of success selling on COMC that I finally decided to give it a shot myself.  Armed with a $20 off coupon (that I might have ended up with thanks to one of you, I can't remember) I sent in 75 total cards for their one-week service, and yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find that they'd entered everything in two days earlier than estimated.  I set about pricing my cards, either starting a bit higher than my lowest accepted price and/or undercutting what was already there, and in no time offers came flying in!  As of this writing, I've sold nine cards for $81, which is definitely beyond my expectations this soon.  You'll all be happy to hear that every bit of money I make there will go back into cards--you know I'm not in this hobby for profit, what little someone like me can make anyway--especially now that I'll have lots of COMC credit to play with.

So having already deemed this experiment a success, two things:  one, please feel free to check out what I have up just for fun or to make me some offers, and two, if you've been thinking about taking the plunge yourself, I say go for it!  It's a great way to make a little money back on that useless trade bait of yours that nobody wants.

As for me, I'm off to sort through a bunch more offers and rake in some cash!