Pistol Pete Maravich Treasure

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 03:35 PM

First of all, apologies for the long read. This was an incredible story and I thought many of you would appreciate it, the background, and it's rarity.

Close to a month and a half ago, my buddy received a message from an employee in his school that he was looking to sell some sports stuff, and knew my friend collected. He asked if he'd be interested in coming over and taking a peek at what he had. My friend, always on the lookout for stuff, obliged.

Some sports stuff was an understatement. Turns out he had an entire room of stuff he was looking to sell. Unopened boxes, cases, sets in binders…. stuff dating back to the 60's. But then my friend spies some stuff that really gets his attention- multiple items signed by Pistol Pete Maravich. Turns out, this guy had a relation that had worked on a book (and movie) on the life of Pistol Pete. He knew he was going to get the opportunity to meet Maravich, and went out to collect the nicest copy of each Topps card he could find to have Pistol Pete sign. This guy got the opportunity to meet Maravich a few days before his death in 1987 (I believe). Maravich signed, in total, 12 cards for him, including two rookies. He also signed a program from the tournament they were meeting at, a book cover that had just been published, and a few other items.

My friend was quite stunned by what he was seeing. After agreeing on a price, he came back to load up an entire truck full of cards, memorabilia, and other things. As a new member to PSA, he submitted all of the autographs for authentication. Many of the cards had never been certified by PSA/DNA before. Here is the breakdown of what he received:

1970 Topps Rookie (received 2): 1 graded PSA 5, one not able to authenticate (will explain later). Only 4 have been certified by PSA.

1971 Topps PSA 6 (8 graded, this is the highest grade)
1972 Topps THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE MISSING

2 out there!
1973 Topps PSA 5 (only one graded by PSA)
1974 Topps PSA 5 (only one graded by PSA)
1975 Topps PSA 6 (only 4 graded, this is the highest grade)
1976 Topps #60 PSA 7 (only 3 graded)
1976 Topps #130 PSA 7 (only one graded by PSA)
1977 Topps PSA 8 (only 4 graded, this is the highest grade)
1978 Topps PSA 6 (only 6 graded, this is the highest grade)
1979 Topps PSA 5 (only one graded by PSA)-- THIS one was actually signed both front and back!
1980 Topps PSA 8 (only 2 graded, this is the highest grade)

The two rookies were actually signed a few weeks apart. One was signed for his brother and sent to him through the mail- he mailed him the card a few weeks before they were to meet just to tell him they would get a chance to meet Pete later on. The second was signed with everything else. PSA would not authenticate the stand alone autograph. They didn't say it wasn't real- just that they couldn't authenticate it with 100% certainty. No big deal for my friend- he's going to keep it anyway, and he knows it's real.

As of now, all items my friend is selling have been sold. I actually sold the rookie through my ebay name (What a time for ebay to give me a $10 max final value fee promotion! Saved $700+ on that one!). He found someone who purchased all of the rest of the available cards. That guy had one of the two copies of the 1972 card my friend didn't get. Now he has an entire run of Maravich Topps autos, including 4 that had never been certified by PSA before. The rookie was purchased by a collector who is completing the entire set of 1970 Topps autographs (and boy, with only 10 left, was he incredibly happy he found this one that only has 4 copies and isn't likely to find many more any time soon).

My friend was able to sell most of it rather quickly, keeps a signed rookie and a program signed by Maravich only 5 days before he passed away. He also got a signed book cover, and multiple movie posters, as well as a true reel-to-reel of the original movie premiere.

All of the cards are pictured below. The autographs on them were incredible. Pete literally sat on the back of a car and signed all of these for the guy at one time. He had pictures with Maravich that they took when they met. Truly a once in a lifetime find- the one my friend always seems to stumble across!

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 03:38 PM

Some pictures….

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 03:39 PM

More pics….

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 03:42 PM

And finally….

S2H904 · 05-09-2016, 03:43 PM

Unreal........thanks for sharing. Wow!

SPauthentic84 · 05-09-2016, 04:05 PM

Great find for sure. Ive searched Maravich far and wide and these are some of the nicest autos out there

Seller and I didnt come to a deal, but thanks to OP for putting me in contact

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPauthentic84

Great find for sure. Ive searched Maravich far and wide and these are some of the nicest autos out there

Seller and I didnt come to a deal, but thanks to OP for putting me in contact

No hard feelings at all- actually felt bad it didn't work out. He ended up doing really well, he just had a higher number in mind. The best part of dealing in super rare things is you don't have to expect rational when it comes to buyers- some just need it for a reason, and they develop their own number. I keep mental rolodexes of certain key things just because I make my side cut when I play middle man. All items went to great places, just personally disappointed because I bat pretty close to 1.000 when I know what people are looking for!

dasiegel · 05-09-2016, 04:11 PM

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, i wouldnt even know what to do with that. it's like do you keep it, sell it or bring it to a basketball museum

rodmanmartinez · 05-09-2016, 04:14 PM

If looking to sell one lmk, i need one for my 50 greatest set.

Beautiful stuff btw

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SPauthentic84 · 05-09-2016, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylermckinzie

No hard feelings at all- actually felt bad it didn't work out. He ended up doing really well, he just had a higher number in mind. The best part of dealing in super rare things is you don't have to expect rational when it comes to buyers- some just need it for a reason, and they develop their own number. I keep mental rolodexes of certain key things just because I make my side cut when I play middle man. All items went to great places, just personally disappointed because I bat pretty close to 1.000 when I know what people are looking for!

Umm he did? By the numbers he told me in negotiations, he ending up losing over 13k

rodmanmartinez · 05-09-2016, 04:20 PM

So who owns all of this? Op?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPauthentic84

Umm he did? By the numbers he told me in negotiations, he ending up losing over 13k

Maybe from where he started his original asking price (which we both admitted from the beginning where kind of a shot in the dark, we didn't know a lot about all of this when we started)….. I just meant from where I know you guys were kind of at a stalemate to where he ended up.

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodmanmartinez

So who owns all of this? Op?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All regular Topps non-rookie autos went to a guy in NJ. He is a major EBay seller so you may seem them listed on there soon. Or maybe he is keeping them all intact as a complete print run. Not sure.

The graded rookie auto went to a set builder.

Everything else my buddy is keeping. He still has a room's worth of stuff on top of this. This was just the jewel.

njdunkin1 · 05-09-2016, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jameis1of1

Pistol was the man ... and ended up following the man (Jesus Christ) ... he is one oof my favorite athletes of all-time and a true legend in every sense of the word!

This is news to me, but very good news indeed! Glad to hear it for sure - awesome he put Scripture verses in with his autos as well. Makes me want to start collecting his stuff! Thanks for the read OP - awesome cards!

Deadshot · 05-09-2016, 04:36 PM

Incredible story. I'm just waiting to luck into a signed 72 some day!

SPauthentic84 · 05-09-2016, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylermckinzie

Maybe from where he started his original asking price (which we both admitted from the beginning where kind of a shot in the dark, we didn't know a lot about all of this when we started)….. I just meant from where I know you guys were kind of at a stalemate to where he ended up.

Its not here nor there, but he told me he paid between 30 and 40k, it wasnt his asking.

Not trying to take away from how cool the cards are.

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPauthentic84

Its not here nor there, but he told me he paid between 30 and 40k, it wasnt his asking.

Not trying to take away from how cool the cards are.

I gotchya. Hard to separate the Maravich's from the collection though…. that's where the confusion for me was. There were a ton of older sets back to the 50's and 60's Topps…. all that. I don't even know what he paid for the whole thing. Nor am I going to try to sell that stuff!

Mires · 05-09-2016, 06:36 PM

I ran across these on eBay earlier today. Now I'm directed to this thread. Incredible stuff!

daeve · 05-09-2016, 07:12 PM

wow, those are incredible

boosta · 05-09-2016, 07:14 PM

Great story and cards!

tylermckinzie · 05-09-2016, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deadshot

Incredible story. I'm just waiting to luck into a signed 72 some day!

Haha- actually thought about you when this came up.... unbelievably it was the only one he didn't have!

tylermckinzie · 05-10-2016, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mires

I ran across these on eBay earlier today. Now I'm directed to this thread. Incredible stuff!

Thanks man. I sent you a message about some things on the side!

05-09-2016, 03:38 PM	#2
tylermckinzie Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 1,334	Some pictures…. __________________ Over 1200 feedback on sportscardforum under same name + 300 on ebay. Lots of references on here from previous deals. Not new to online trading, don't worry! Last edited by tylermckinzie; 08-16-2018 at 11:14 PM.

05-09-2016, 03:39 PM	#3
tylermckinzie Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 1,334	More pics…. __________________ Over 1200 feedback on sportscardforum under same name + 300 on ebay. Lots of references on here from previous deals. Not new to online trading, don't worry! Last edited by tylermckinzie; 08-16-2018 at 11:15 PM.

05-09-2016, 03:42 PM	#4
tylermckinzie Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 1,334	And finally…. __________________ Over 1200 feedback on sportscardforum under same name + 300 on ebay. Lots of references on here from previous deals. Not new to online trading, don't worry! Last edited by tylermckinzie; 05-10-2019 at 12:26 AM.

05-09-2016, 03:43 PM	#5
S2H904 Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Jacksonville, FLA Posts: 7,543 scotty2hotty9042012	Unreal........thanks for sharing. Wow! __________________ autograph collector since '88

05-09-2016, 04:11 PM	#8
dasiegel Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 27,556	wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, i wouldnt even know what to do with that. it's like do you keep it, sell it or bring it to a basketball museum __________________ Board man. Board man gets paid.

05-09-2016, 03:35 PM	#1
tylermckinzie Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 1,334	Pistol Pete Maravich Treasure First of all, apologies for the long read. This was an incredible story and I thought many of you would appreciate it, the background, and it's rarity. Close to a month and a half ago, my buddy received a message from an employee in his school that he was looking to sell some sports stuff, and knew my friend collected. He asked if he'd be interested in coming over and taking a peek at what he had. My friend, always on the lookout for stuff, obliged. Some sports stuff was an understatement. Turns out he had an entire room of stuff he was looking to sell. Unopened boxes, cases, sets in binders…. stuff dating back to the 60's. But then my friend spies some stuff that really gets his attention- multiple items signed by Pistol Pete Maravich. Turns out, this guy had a relation that had worked on a book (and movie) on the life of Pistol Pete. He knew he was going to get the opportunity to meet Maravich, and went out to collect the nicest copy of each Topps card he could find to have Pistol Pete sign. This guy got the opportunity to meet Maravich a few days before his death in 1987 (I believe). Maravich signed, in total, 12 cards for him, including two rookies. He also signed a program from the tournament they were meeting at, a book cover that had just been published, and a few other items. My friend was quite stunned by what he was seeing. After agreeing on a price, he came back to load up an entire truck full of cards, memorabilia, and other things. As a new member to PSA, he submitted all of the autographs for authentication. Many of the cards had never been certified by PSA/DNA before. Here is the breakdown of what he received: 1970 Topps Rookie (received 2): 1 graded PSA 5, one not able to authenticate (will explain later). Only 4 have been certified by PSA. 1971 Topps PSA 6 (8 graded, this is the highest grade) 1972 Topps THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE MISSING 2 out there! 1973 Topps PSA 5 (only one graded by PSA) 1974 Topps PSA 5 (only one graded by PSA) 1975 Topps PSA 6 (only 4 graded, this is the highest grade) 1976 Topps #60 PSA 7 (only 3 graded) 1976 Topps #130 PSA 7 (only one graded by PSA) 1977 Topps PSA 8 (only 4 graded, this is the highest grade) 1978 Topps PSA 6 (only 6 graded, this is the highest grade) 1979 Topps PSA 5 (only one graded by PSA)-- THIS one was actually signed both front and back! 1980 Topps PSA 8 (only 2 graded, this is the highest grade) The two rookies were actually signed a few weeks apart. One was signed for his brother and sent to him through the mail- he mailed him the card a few weeks before they were to meet just to tell him they would get a chance to meet Pete later on. The second was signed with everything else. PSA would not authenticate the stand alone autograph. They didn't say it wasn't real- just that they couldn't authenticate it with 100% certainty. No big deal for my friend- he's going to keep it anyway, and he knows it's real. As of now, all items my friend is selling have been sold. I actually sold the rookie through my ebay name (What a time for ebay to give me a $10 max final value fee promotion! Saved $700+ on that one!). He found someone who purchased all of the rest of the available cards. That guy had one of the two copies of the 1972 card my friend didn't get. Now he has an entire run of Maravich Topps autos, including 4 that had never been certified by PSA before. The rookie was purchased by a collector who is completing the entire set of 1970 Topps autographs (and boy, with only 10 left, was he incredibly happy he found this one that only has 4 copies and isn't likely to find many more any time soon). My friend was able to sell most of it rather quickly, keeps a signed rookie and a program signed by Maravich only 5 days before he passed away. He also got a signed book cover, and multiple movie posters, as well as a true reel-to-reel of the original movie premiere. All of the cards are pictured below. The autographs on them were incredible. Pete literally sat on the back of a car and signed all of these for the guy at one time. He had pictures with Maravich that they took when they met. Truly a once in a lifetime find- the one my friend always seems to stumble across! __________________ Over 1200 feedback on sportscardforum under same name + 300 on ebay. Lots of references on here from previous deals. Not new to online trading, don't worry!

05-09-2016, 04:05 PM	#6
SPauthentic84 Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: PA Posts: 11,317	Great find for sure. Ive searched Maravich far and wide and these are some of the nicest autos out there Seller and I didnt come to a deal, but thanks to OP for putting me in contact __________________ Follow me on Instagram: Spauthentic1

05-09-2016, 04:14 PM	#9
rodmanmartinez Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Honduras Posts: 3,367	If looking to sell one lmk, i need one for my 50 greatest set. Beautiful stuff btw Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ @rodmanpc on INSTAGRAM - Check my website https://rodmanpc.smugmug.com

05-09-2016, 04:20 PM	#11
rodmanmartinez Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Honduras Posts: 3,367	So who owns all of this? Op? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ @rodmanpc on INSTAGRAM - Check my website https://rodmanpc.smugmug.com

05-09-2016, 04:36 PM	#15
Deadshot Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 7,694	Incredible story. I'm just waiting to luck into a signed 72 some day! __________________ He said he name was “E”, so I introduced myself as “G”...The license plate said “IMNBITZ” or “IMNBISZ” or something. - G YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPuD3WYJ0rkpLqDdyavC2WA

05-09-2016, 06:36 PM	#18
Mires Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Weatherford, TX Posts: 792 itr862	I ran across these on eBay earlier today. Now I'm directed to this thread. Incredible stuff! __________________ "I think you are officially the #1 Maravich Guy." - SPauthentic84 -

05-09-2016, 07:12 PM	#19
daeve Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: savannah GA Posts: 13,230 accrules	wow, those are incredible

05-09-2016, 07:14 PM	#20
boosta Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: South Australia, Australia Posts: 261 clemboy76	Great story and cards! __________________ Have US address.