REA and Mastro pick-ups

[mjkm90]

Any winners out there?

[HiNeighbor]

Need Oxygen....can't breathe....

First have to start off by saying my wife and I experienced our first trip to Yankee Stadium yesterday. Had a great time visiting Memorial Park, the staff there was fantastic, and about 75% of the fans were pretty good in general. Unfortunately, about 25% of the fans there, at least in our opinion were flaming (content edited for the protection of the kids). Had a great time chatting and taking abuse with the folks sitting around us which, of course, was all in good fun. I had a great time but unfortunately my wife is in shock and is still in the shower after two hours trying to wash the Evil Empire off her. :D

Anyhooo...after a three hour car ride, sat in front of the computer until 3:15 in the Freakin morning (I feel like I'm stoned). Just had to win a picture of Nuf Ced's Third Base and was fortunate that the pic I was after closed for half the price of one in a frame. I also threw in a bid when I thought everything was lost and won a great Royal Rooters pinback

[slidekellyslide]

Awesome pickups Greg. I was hoping you were in on some of those Nuf Ced items. And I am jealous of that great pinback.

I managed to pickup the one and only item in either auction that I was after
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/nudan92/Nebraska%20Indians%20Baseball%20Team/rea-greens.jpg

[Giants00]

I am trying to make rhyme and reason of the jersey pricing. A deadball yankee jersey with no name in the collar goes for 50k+. Wow!
I am still not sure what is going on in jersey land. I bough the tour of Japan pants, to go along with a tour of Japan jersey i have so that i can have a sort of complete uniform.

[aaron1050]

I nabbed the collection of PD2 Morton's Pennant Winner Bread pins from the Mastro auction (I'm keeping the ones I need, and the rest are going on E-Bay).

Also got the two unopened Heydler ONL baseballs from the REA auction (I'm keeping one, and the other is going on, you guessed it, E-Bay).

Congrats on the Rooters pin, Greg! Great pin, great price. I tried to hang in there on the Royal Rooters megaphone, but the bidding just took off during extended time.

[HiNeighbor]

Hey guys,

Thanks. Those are also great pieces you picked up there as well. It got real ugly at the end with prices (at around two in the morning for the Sox material). I was a little suprised at the price of the Rooters pin with Tessie song card. By no means cheap, but half the price the same pin sold in Lelands a year or so ago (without the card too). I just had to get the photo.

If anyone knows who bought the four piece lot with the interior bar scene could you please let me know? A friend wanted that lot (er, so did I but there aint enough money trees in the back yard). He went to bed thinking he had it but it probably got outbid around two in the morning. These types of auctions are brutal. Seems the west coast has a major advantage.

I still do not understand the prices that baseball cards bring in. Is it me, or are these things over priced for their "rarity". I don't know anything about cards (nor really care) but how does a, for example, Babe Ruth Goudey card sell for the price it does when there isn't a major auction every few months that doesn't seem to have one.

Crap, Doug M. just hit a homer for the Yanks....
Working on three hours of sleep...I'll be down by the fourth inning (which may be a good thing since Tavares is pitching)

Greg

[slidekellyslide]

Ruth's popularity coupled with the number of baseball card collectors will always keep the prices high for vintage Ruth cards. The Goudey cards are by no means rare, but neither is a Babe Ruth autograph and you can't get one of those for less than a couple grand. How many Ruth autographed balls are available in the major auctions in any given year? 50? More?

I would bet there are less than 5 of those Royal Rooters pinbacks extant - I think you got a heck of a deal on that lot.

[MGHProductions]

I picked up the Nellie Fox bat in Mastro.

[mjkm90]

You all made tremendous additions to your collections! Congrats to the good guys. Greg, I thought you would be drooling over that pinback. I am so happy for you.

[HiNeighbor]

Hey Mike,

It's a great and not so great feeling winning the pin, song card and photo.

The great part is that they're awesome items and I think I got the pinback at a pretty good price (relatively speaking).

The bad part is that I have to figure out what street corner I'm dropping off my family to sell pencils this weekend to pay for these things. I always have buyers remorse when I win something, but it usually passes. I hear retirement is overrated anyways..... :o

Anyhoo, the pin will look great next to the press pins and nuf ced and oh you, celluloids.

I wish there was and endless supply of $$ to buy more of the nuf ced material. I'm sure these things won't be seen again for a very long time.

All the best,
Greg

[ksfarmboy]

Great pickups everybody that won. Greg I'd like to see the display once you get everything in place. I know it's scary spending that kind of money but you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't get them.

-Clint

[aaron1050]

Hey Mike,

It's a great and not so great feeling winning the pin, song card and photo.

The great part is that they're awesome items and I think I got the pinback at a pretty good price (relatively speaking).

The bad part is that I have to figure out what street corner I'm dropping off my family to sell pencils this weekend to pay for these things. I always have buyers remorse when I win something, but it usually passes. I hear retirement is overrated anyways..... :o

Anyhoo, the pin will look great next to the press pins and nuf ced and oh you, celluloids.

I wish there was and endless supply of $$ to buy more of the nuf ced material. I'm sure these things won't be seen again for a very long time.

All the best,
Greg

Greg,

You got an amazing price on that pin, especially for it having been listed in a major auction. Anything less than $5,000 on the Rooters pin is a deal.

Also, I think everybody goes through the occasional moments of sleepless nights when making large purchases on collectibles (and everything is relative, so spending $30 or $3,000 could bother two different people to exactly the same degree), but there are a couple things I always keep in mind:

1. Buying truly rare high-end vintage sports memorabilia is very different from buying modern junk and manufactured collectibles. Unlike those volatile items, vintage memorabilia will mostly retain it's value and often times appreciate noticeably. So it's not like you're throwing your money away, never to see it again. You truly are investing it in the sense that if you ever do need the money, you can always sell an item or your whole collection and chances are you are going to get back most, if not everything you spent, and probably a bit more. (My wife often refers to my collection -- which is insured -- as our daughter's college fund.)

2. I have found that it's always the purchases that I DON'T make that haunt me with remorse -- not the ones I DO make (even when I know I've paid more for an item that it's actually worth in terms of re-sale value). Anyone who has read my blog knows that I am still haunted by the TWO times I botched buying a 1907 Cubs postcard in 2003. Four years later I still haven't seen the postcard offered and still think about it all the time. Conversely I ended up in a crazy bidding war in December over a couple 1960's Cincinnati Royals cuff links and I know I probably paid a few hundred dollars more than anyone else would have paid for it (except the guy I was bidding against!), but when I see those cuff links in my display all I think about is how cool and unique they are and how much I enjoy having them in my collection.

So to all vintage memorabilia collectors when facing "buyer's remorse", remember these two adages: (1) You will probably not lose money on an item; and (2) the items you don't buy will probably haunt you alot more than the items you do buy.

Speaking of which, I arrived home yesterday to find my winning lot (a pair of boxed 1920's Spalding ONL baseballs) from the just-closed REA auction waiting for me. Meaning that Rob sent me my item literally a couple days after the auction ended and the same day I received the invoice and BEFORE I even sent my payment out. Plus there was a personal note of thanks from Rob.

And knowing Rob he has this kind of relationship and goes out of his way to show appreciation for his customers with probably hundreds if not thousands of collectors. Dealing with Rob can always be described as "how it should be" in terms of how serious collectors would like to be treated by the dealers and auction houses they buy from.

And to Greg, I really wanted that Stall & Dean Cobb trophy in Rob's auction, but the wife was literally standing over my shoulder nudging me gently (but with a loving dose of rationality and guilt) that $3,000 was alot of money to spend on a trophy. When I thought about my sweet 6-month old baby girl and all the things I want to provide for her, I turned to my wife and said "of course, I know you're right" and passed on bidding.

A week later, I sure wish I had that trophy! ;)

[mjkm90]

Well said Aaron. I believe that buyers remorse is exceeded only by sellers remorse. Interestingly, I rarely have remorse about items I sell or trade to friends in the hobby. The same cannot be said for some items I have sold at auction or to dealers, even though the price was exceptional. Just knowing they are a key part of a collection and appreciated has a value all its' own that can lessen the sting.

I am convinced you cannot lose money long term on the type of items we purchase. There will always be demand for rare and top condition items almost without exception. I have made many purchases of quality vintage material over the last 20 years I was very uncomfortable with at the time. To this day, NONE have turned out poorly. A client of mine who collects art once told me the best time to purchase is when you cannot afford it. This, she said, ensures you buy what you love and what has true value. She went on to say that the pleasure you derive from the objects you love, while difficult to quantify, has tremendous value as well.

With an eye on quality, scarcity, and visual appeal, you will never be sorry Greg. Enjoy that pin.

Aaron. I can't access you blog these days. Is it still up and running (I hope)?:D

[HiNeighbor]

Morning guys,

Good points Aaron and Mike.

I guess I should have clerified "buyers remorse" when I mentioned it.:rolleyes:

I probably should have said buyers "oh, crap" or buyer's "how the heck am I going to pay for this" :D rather than "remorse". Actually the only reason I nabbed the pin and card was that I would have felt a lot of remorse if I didn't do so at the price it went for. I think it went as a sleeper (well, maybe more of a "napper") at that price. Heck, I would have bid fairly aggressively on the card itself.

By the way, I think this site's great as I always love to talk old stuff. Sort of got in a snag over at the Net54 site talking about the merits of "memorabilia". I guess there are a lot over there that hate the stuff and are just into cards. I guess that's ok (I dont' get it, but who am I to judge). This site's a lot more friendly anyway (why shouldn't it be) and there's never the daily catfight that seems to occur over there. Sorry Dan for making the reference to photos. I just made it as I think they're great (along with all the other junk we collect). Just wish this site was more active.

Anyway, off to my daughter's softball game. Tonight might be fairly ugly with Santana on the mound against Tavares. Can't complain though, my boys are doing very OK for now.

Have a great weekend guys,
Greg

[HiNeighbor]

By the way Mike.

Did you see that great looking Cubbies pennant from 1910 in the new Leland's auction?

They also have a great Royal Rooters card in there......but there's no way to continue collecting if you're wife's buried you six feet under.

[mjkm90]

I did see it Greg. I curled up in the fetal position for about 30 minutes after first viewing it.

Tavares is a complete choking dog.

[slidekellyslide]

Greg, don't sweat it about the mention of the photos post. I thought I laid out my argument well enough. The loudest complainers NEVER start threads....just about the only time you hear from them is when they are complaining. I don't think you should stop posting over there though - at the minimum you can always direct people to this forum if they are posting memorabilia. I have done it in the past and noticed that it has added a few posters over here.