[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ Anatomy of a Trade: Knowing When Fair Is Fair

[msw_sportscards]

Seven days ago, our regularly scheduled broadcast was interrupted to make a special presentation of a special card that had made its way into my possession. That card was this:

Click through to read the article.

A big thank you to aceecards for a great trade.

[msw_sportscards]

Certainly all good points. Some of them I had already weighed. What's rarer than a 1/1? Granted Ozzie 1/1 autos typically sell for $200, but how do you really put a value on a 1/1? Do you view comparables? Someone may be willing to sell it for $200, but the collector may have been willing to go as high as $500. In addition, once he gets it, he may not be willing to sell it except for a crazy number. So really, what's its value? It's variable.

I had thought about the sticker autos....many, many times because I've always wondered what's going to happen when those cards get old, the glue crumbles, and those stickers fall off. One of the nice things about these sticker autos is that they're actually embedded and framed by the top layer.

I have no doubt that the Koufax is going to hold its value, especially if Kershaw makes the Hall. It may even go up.

You could certainly crunch the final numbers and it's obviously a little lop-sided, book value-wise....actually not as much as you estimated.

On the other hand, you could also say I paid $33 ($20 for the packs and $13 for shipping) for 4 cards that mean a heck of a lot more to me than the Koufax + another card. The way I see it is that we both got a good deal.

Once upon a time when I flipped cards, I fretted over the bottom line quite a bit. Often insisting that I get the better deal in every instance. I also sold off a lot of cards in order to bolster that bottom line. Now I wish I had many of those cards back, especially knowing what I sold them for.

My philosophy has changed. In my opinion, too many people worry too much about the business and forget that it's a hobby. It's much more enjoyable as a hobby and I have no qualms whatsoever sharing a bit of my good fortune by giving a good deal to other collectors who are more concerned in preserving the hobby rather than the business. In my eyes, he gave up more than what I did. If the situations were reversed, I wouldn't have given up what he did because I value those cards more than the Koufax. Perceived value is just that, perceived value. How do you quantify it? By allowing Beckett the all-knowing to put a number on it?


PS- My disdain for ebay goes much deeper than fees. They're just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of it has to do with their purchase of PayPal and, basically, making it a requirement that non-business entities use it to receive payments on ebay.

[pogue_mahone]

Hmm. Good points. I guess you're right about the value of 1/1's, but yeah I was using comparable past sales as a guide. Plus Ozzie isn't really like Omar Vizquel or Griffey who have some crazy collectors willing to pay anything to get their next 1/1...but point taken, 1/1's are pretty unique.

I hear you on the perceived value. I don't go by Beckett value at all, but I like to know what kind of value my cards have, should I want or need to sell them in the future. In that sense, it makes sense to me to get a fair amount for what I give.

I'm glad you are happy with your Cardinals haul - they certainly are some really nice ones in that lot. More huge pulls to you in the future! (Maybe just go buy another Heritage box and pull another K/K dual