Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

[BIGSTIG]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

C'mon guys no reason to derail this post. The question was asked as to why it went so high. I think that it was answered. Congrats to my buddy for adding a truly unique piece to his collection. End of story.

[tjm5711]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

Yeah, one that I mentioned on post number 8 of this thread (in regards to your comment above referring to a max bid mentioned by karamaxjoe.....I stated "assuming there was no shill bidding going on with one passionate collector", that would be one explanation of the price that was reached).

But once again, tjm5711, you choose not to absorb what the forum will offer. Mentioning fans of a popular player, with a passion to own a one-of-kind piece (which frik jumped all over as being nonsense.....c'mon les!! ), as a likely reason it went to such a value.....the whole subject of this thread......and the truth comes out.

A passionate Mark Grace fan in fact paid less than he had planned to spend to pick up a one-of-a-kind rare Mark Grace game used item.
Congrats to that true collector, give him my best, BIGSTIG.

You continue to go from thread to thread contradicting any little thing I say ! Who are you to determine who a real collector is. Give up your silly little tirade here and the other thread and once again: LEAVE ME ALONE ! Stop finding every little thing you can in my posts to pick a part and attempt to contradict.

Take your passion theories and everything else and go bother somebody else. You're continued harassment of me will no longer be tolerated. I have already turned this matter over to the moderators. So, do us all a favor, and CUT IT OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!

[STLHAMMER32]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

I am glad to hear that it went to a Grace fan. It's an extremely unique item and one that you would be hard pressed to find for sale again. If you collect a certain player it's items like this that make you get excited and it's the thought of finding that specific item that keeps us all searching!

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

Thanks for that point. It's a very good one, and probably what happened.

Yeah, one that I mentioned on post number 8 of this thread (in regards to your comment above referring to a max bid mentioned by karamaxjoe.....I stated "assuming there was no shill bidding going on with one passionate collector", that would be one explanation of the price that was reached).

But once again, tjm5711, you choose not to absorb what the forum will offer. Mentioning fans of a popular player, with a passion to own a one-of-kind piece (which frik jumped all over as being nonsense.....c'mon les!! ), as a likely reason it went to such a value.....the whole subject of this thread......and the truth comes out.

A passionate Mark Grace fan in fact paid less than he had planned to spend to pick up a one-of-a-kind rare Mark Grace game used item.
Congrats to that true collector, give him my best, BIGSTIG.

[BIGSTIG]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

The winner of this jersey is a friend of mine. He is a BIG Grace fan, and I remember when he saw this he said he will pay X amount of dollars for it, and he won it below what he mentioned willing to spend, so in his mind he got a deal. As for us to place a value on it, something is only worth what one is willing to pay for it. Heck a normal Grace 90's jersey would sell for 2K at auction. Obviously someone else thought it was worth around the same as there was an underbidder. We have all paid dearly for an item that we REALLY wanted. This is a one of a kind item. This jersey was worn in an All-Star game, and no he did not get an at bat, but Grace only played in 3 All star games. So to get a 100% authentic Grace all-star gamer is truly RARE. If I had the $$ I would have given my buddy a run for his money on this.

[tjm5711]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

You guys are all forgetting that the certain auction house was probably pushing that auction to a level they were comfortable with.

Taken right from the auction rules: AMI reserves the right to place a bid on any Lot on behalf of the seller up to the amount of the reserve, if any.

The buyer may have placed a large max bid and paid the price.

Thanks for that point. It's a very good one, and probably what happened.

[karamaxjoe]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

You guys are all forgetting that the certain auction house was probably pushing that auction to a level they were comfortable with.

Taken right from the auction rules: AMI reserves the right to place a bid on any Lot on behalf of the seller up to the amount of the reserve, if any.

The buyer may have placed a large max bid and paid the price.

[STLHAMMER32]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

FAN FAVORITE! Short and simple, Grace is still a big pull in Chicago. For those who question the power of a fan favorite, go to a single A baseball game when they have a jersey auction. You will get to see a bunch of joes who will never see the bigs...and the jerseys will go upwards of $1,000 for some. I guess everyone has their reasons for collecting and some follow their hearts more than their wallets.

I think there are niche collectors that drive the price up on these items more than anything. I saw a Glenallen Hill world series bat sell for $500 on ebay..5x more than any other bat of his I have ever seen. Couple of collectors most likely are putting together a 2000 world series team bat collection or something and did not care about actual value because they were completing a set of some kind. We can all think of instances where something went for way more....

Fan favorites like Willie McGee and Grace will always get more than their stats dictate but I think usually when you see certain items far exceed other prices for the same player it is usually due to niche item that someone is looking to get at any cost.

[Lokee]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

Nice jersey but did Grace even get an at bat or even play in the game ?

According to Baseball Almanac he had no at bats.

Crazy amount of money in my opinion. HOWEVER iam not a Grace fan either.

[jppopma]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

FAN FAVORITE! Short and simple, Grace is still a big pull in Chicago. For those who question the power of a fan favorite, go to a single A baseball game when they have a jersey auction. You will get to see a bunch of joes who will never see the bigs...and the jerseys will go upwards of $1,000 for some. I guess everyone has their reasons for collecting and some follow their hearts more than their wallets.

[kudu]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

Another aspect to look at here is where these players played(ie Mark Grace, Mark Sanchez etc). Chicago is a big city with a lot of people who make lotsa money and are die hard fans. New York is the same. I can see why jerseys like Grace and Sanchez go for so much money when the players play in big city markets. Lets say Mark Grace played for Kansas City most of his career. You think that jersey is gonna be sold for $3000+? No way.

[tjm5711]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

My reason for this thread was to get your opinions on what you think this jersey is worth. I did not want this huge debate- although I do disagree with Steve's theory about passion. You should have unlimited passion for your family and friends, not enough passion to spend money you can't afford on a jersey. Thanks Tim for your opinion on the value, I even think your level seems very high.

The only reason I put a 2K price tag on it is because Grace was(and still is) a very popular Cubs player who didn't make many All Star Games. But sure, I could see this being worth well under 2K.

Let's face it, the only people who like these inflated prices are dealers and Auction Houses. If we as collectors refused to pay(and bid on) some of these silly prices, this hobby would be much more affordable.

[bagbig]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

My reason for this thread was to get your opinions on what you think this jersey is worth. I did not want this huge debate- although I do disagree with Steve's theory about passion. You should have unlimited passion for your family and friends, not enough passion to spend money you can't afford on a jersey. Thanks Tim for your opinion on the value, I even think your level seems very high.

[tjm5711]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

That's exactly how I feel. When I started out collecting, I didn't know how much things were worth, and so got burned a few times on items from a questionable source. However, knowing what I do now, I set a dollar amount in my mind that something is worth to me. Then, I try to come to a deal with the seller. If it doesn't work out, then so be it. My status as a passionate collector is not going to be ruined, or my ego shattered, because I cannot own a certain piece of used equipment. And I am afraid that too often in this business (hobby is too generous a word) that our personal worth is measured in terms of the number of jerseys we have.

Steve, you talk about passion, but there has to be rational calculation in there as well. We are not determined by our passions alone, and we would be unwise if we weighed our monetary decisions on what we are dying to have. Because there are often other things that take priority, especially when they have to do with our careers, our health, and whatever other expenditures we have. For instance, there is some game-used stuff I would like to have now, but my rational mind says to me that I need camera equipment, because I can make money on my photography. In life, I feel that reason is often a better measure of things than our passion. That may be where we disagree...

"RATIONAL" being the key word here. It's just not rational to pay two or three times what somethings Market Value is. Especially in this case where Grace's career is long over, and he realistically will not make the Hall of Fame. I guess you can argue it's worth $3500. But that's the only real argument here.

As far as the sky being the limit on what a collector will pay for something? Well, that's just not rational in my mind. To me Cost must be close to value. And as far as how much someone has, or how much they are willing to pay being a gauge of their passion as a collector. Well, that's just an inaccurate measurement in my opinion.

[NYCrulesU]

Re: Why did this Grace All Star Jersey sell for so much?

I will put it as simply as I can. Real talk.


I know what I am looking for, to a "T". If I find such an item, I determine what I am willing to pay for it. If I get it for that price or less, great! If the seller wants more and won't budge, or wants more than I am willing to pay or even more than I can afford? I simply move on. There's always another item, from another seller somewhere. This is a simple concept that I learned at the age of 7. 30 something years later, it still works There is NO that great that could make me want to break the bank or feel horrible about buying. Either I pay a reasonable price (set by me, the market, polling other collectors) or I just don't buy it.

That's how I collect on a budget. Now, if you have few hunred thousand to throw around and price doesn't even concern you, then by all means go right ahead. It's your money and you are free to spend it how you choose. Nobody here has the right to tell someone else how to spend their money or that they are idiots for paying a certain amount. Comment like that just reek of insecurity, jealousy and arrogance.