I Stored Vintage Cards in Shoeboxes and...

[Basketball B]

...when I wrote about my collection on here, many people told me how there's no way they could be in decent condition being stored that way. While I agree that wasn't the ideal way to store them, I was a kid when I bought them all 25 years ago.

But, my BILL WALTON rookie was graded a 9 by PSA. My ADRIAN DANTLEY rookie was graded a 9 (when I said it would be graded a 10, someone on here told me I was nuts; so...technically they're right, it got a 9).
A second year MICHAEL JORDAN I thought would get an 8, only got a 7 grade. So people that said I was crazy to think I could look at a card and come up with a proper grade PSA would give it...who knows. I was close.
My Magic/Bird/Erving rookie got a 7. My second Magic/Bird/Erving will probably get a 6.

My unopened packs of '61 Fleers got PSA 8 grades (and you can see a few of them on Goldin right now).

So, apparently storing cards in shoeboxes isn't all that bad!

And it's also why I thought I was offering people good deals by cutting the amount I thought they'd be graded and worth, by 50%. Everyone said I was nuts to think I could get that. Perhaps I was. But now with the high grades I'm getting on many of these vintage cards, apparently this was the way to go.

The moral of the story is...in the future, if a newbie comes on these threads and asks questions and might not know much about the hobby or how it works, perhaps be cool and answer questions, or ignore them if you think they're a fool. But you might also score a good deal for yourself if you answer questions or open up a line of dialogue with said person.

[JAMSC]

Originally Posted by Basketball B

My ADRIAN DANTLEY rookie was graded a 9 (when I said it would be graded a 10, someone on here told me I was nuts;

A second year MICHAEL JORDAN I thought would get an 8, only got a 7 grade. So people that said I was crazy to think I could look at a card and come up with a proper grade PSA would give it...who knows. I was close.

And it's also why I thought I was offering people good deals by cutting the amount I thought they'd be graded and worth, by 50%. Everyone said I was nuts to think I could get that. Perhaps I was.

Including grading fees, buying these at 50% of your perceived grade would have been a bad deal for any buyer. The Dantley specifically would have been a disastrous purchase at 50% the value of a PSA 10.

Your post literally just proved all of your naysayers right.

[mc1]

[nman84]

Did the Walton or Dantley have any qualifiers?

[drobfan8]

Wow man.

So you got correct advice and your cards didn't grade 10s, probably due to the way you stored them, and you wanted to try and give the "naysayers" a serve.

What an ultimate backfire.

[hxcmilkshake]

Didn't everyone tell you to grade them?

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[Basketball B]

What are "qualifiers"?

Also, I don't think they got 10s because of the condition, as much as the photo not being centered. Apparently that's the part of grading I was unaware of.

[Basketball B]

hx -- yes, many did tell me to have them graded, and many on here were nice about the advice they gave me. And I appreciated all their help. Many were rude though, and I just didn't get that, or what it was about.

JAMSC -- that's actually a good point you bring up. I guess that was a bad analogy to use the cards I thought would get 10, and got 9's. But I think that logic was solid for many of my '60s Topps cards that I thought would be 4, 5, and 6 grades.

[mc1]

This is why you got buried.

Originally Posted by Basketball B

You guys rock! I especially like the digs. I get that, and deserve that.
A few things. First, I stopped collecting in 1985, so...using terms like "book price" or whatever...I guess I meant the PSA website where you can look up values.

In regards to me selling some of my stuff elsewhere, yes...an auction house was interested in my 8 Pete Maravich rookies ungraded, my 2 Erving rookies, and Alcindor and Russell rookie cards, so...I figured I'd go that route with those, and my unopened '61 Fleer packs (two which had Elgin Baylor rookie cards on bottom that you can see).

Also, I didn't mean my entire collection, including common players, I would want top dollar for. I was going to sell those cards, for next to nothing (especially as the condition of them isn't perfect). It's the star players, that I thought -- if somebody bought the entire lot of star players (multiple stars from every year from '68 and up), I would want 35% off what the listed value is of that card.
Now, that being said...if you guys are telling me...that a 1970 Wilt Chamberlain card, which would be valued at $400 (if it's graded a 7, and mine isn't graded)....but it only sold on eBay for $25 last time somebody sold one -- then I didn't realize that's how you priced cards. And my bad for that.
I guess I sort of figured that in a way, as I have two Bird/Magic/Erving rookie cards, and saw they went for $500,000 and $800,000 in recent auctions, but were on eBay for much less. So yes...that's on me for not doing my homework.

I'm also not one of those collectors that is emotionally attached. I was years ago, but stopped collecting a long time ago, and want to sell them.

And, it was just the frustration of -- selling my entire football/baseball/hockey lot all at once for $500 -- that was the way it should go. A few people asked if I'd sell it for less, and I said no, unless I got no other offers. Then I got an offer, and someone took it.
And I literally listed, every single card in the collection!!!! With my basketball cards, I would do that, and list EVERYTHING, but...I want someone to agree that, they'd pay what PSA says the value is for the star players, MINUS 35% off that price, since it's not graded. That means the $400 Wilt card, they'd get for $260 (unless my math is off). Now, the Cavaliercards guy (as one example, as someone I was dealing with), could have easily said to me, "Yeah, well...we don't really go that high when we buy." But he responded, "No offense, but we don't pay the book value for cards that aren't graded." Yet I said 35% off, I didn't say "I want book/PSA value." Once I list them on these forums, I'm going to take 20% off what the PSA value is. And if I do this with cards, and they don't sell...I can decide if I want to go lower. But, if somebody wants to buy lots of cards, I would definitely go lower on prices.
I just think Cavaliercards could have explained his/her process to me on what their mindset is, so we could continue the conversation, or realize it wasn't going to happen.

Now, I got a handful of private messages, and one person asked about 15 different cards. I have everyone of them, but...this is what I wanted to avoid. Going thru my shoeboxes (yeah, I keep them stored poorly, but hey...I was a kid when I collected). I guess this is what I'll have to do when I sell.

So, right now...I got all the rookie cards separated from 1968 to 1984 if there's a player you're looking for. I also got all the Maravich, Kareem, and Erving cards separated, so...shoot me a message and we'lll see if we can work something out.

[Zedlaw]

Just ballparking here but an 87 Fleer Jordan is about $600 as a PSA8 and $400 as a 7. I’m not sure your buyers would feel great about you getting your estimated grades “close” was worth the opportunity cost.

[salthill]

Hey, I have what may or may not be a Picasso sketch. If it is, it’s worth $50k. I’m too lazy to get it authenticated, but I’ll take the risk and sell it to you for 35% off, ok?

[cowboyzqna]

Good stuff


"I was almost right"... Never sounded so very wrong. And then to make another thread? You win.


My favorite is the "didn't know centering mattered" Wauat??? So no one trusted what you thought the cards would grade huh? You don't say

[letsgocapitals]

Originally Posted by Basketball B

And it's also why I thought I was offering people good deals by cutting the amount I thought they'd be graded and worth, by 50%.

Yeah, but did you make a donation to the Boys and Girls Club?

[Laurent]

Hi guys...


I just can agree on your very first post here. I store all my cards, since day one...well protected in simpe shoe boxes! Since 1996!

I bough a few autographics in 1996, got them in sleeves and toploads or screewdown/magnetics....and they are still like fresh from the pack in 1996, no fading, no card issues!


So yeah, it isnt that bad. Question is surely: how much did you want to show/share your collection in real life?


Regards,
Laurent

[oldgoldy97]

At a certain point it’s best to just keep your thoughts to yourself.

Work on that.

[rifleman69]

Take the L OP!

[rasclat]

Amazing that you came back to post about this 6 months or whatever later and you still dont see why your line of thinking was/is wrong.

[nman84]

Originally Posted by Basketball B

What are "qualifiers"?

https://blog.psacard.com/2021/06/24/...lifier-policy/

[Springerj23]

Yikes!!!

Classic coulda, woulda, shoulda….

[discodanman45]

Not again!

If your pricing was good deals, people would have bought it here. You were charging a percentage of PSA prices when PSA was shut down and had no prior experience grading. You listed 5 cards you had graded. Each of these cards you gave as examples graded below what you thought they would. Give a list of all the cards you got graded, that would shut us up if they all graded at or above your opinions. How much did you pay to get your cards graded? It must have been $150 each.

You have a great collection but came in here with your own rules about how much money you should get from selling your cards. The people here gave you a hard time because we all know how to price raw and graded cards. You came in expecting experienced collectors to trust your opinion and your price model for PSA cards, when PSA wasn't grading cards. You can be upset all you want at people here and that is fine. However, even people that weren't attacking you and were trying to be nice, were giving you the same exact advice.

[grade]

Congratulations on the risk you took OP. Now you can get the full $150,000 you valued your collection 6 months ago.

Happy for you.

[gomiamigo]

Originally Posted by drobfan8

Wow man.

So you got correct advice and your cards didn't grade 10s, probably due to the way you stored them, and you wanted to try and give the "naysayers" a serve.

What an ultimate backfire.

I always appreciate when fools out themselves so publicly.

[nothinbefore]

go make your money king

[Basketball B]

Okay, okay. I'm 0 for 2 on my logic with these posts. I'll take the loss on these debates.

I should have made this post short and sweet, and just said -- people should be nicer. Some were, but most weren't (damn, I sound like a pu**y, don't I?)