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12-13-2015 "Hush now child, and don't you cry Your folks might understand you, by and by Move on up, toward your destination You may find from time to time Complication Bite your lip, and take a trip Though there may be wet road ahead And you cannot slip So move on up for peace will find Into the steeple of beautiful people Where there's only one kind So hush now child, and don't you cry Your folks might understand you, by and by Move on up, and keep on wishing Remember your dream is your only scheme So keep on pushing Take nothing less, than the second best Do not obey, you must keep your say You can past the test Just move on up, to a greater day With just a little faith If you put your mind to it you can surely do it" -"Move on Up" by Curtis Mayfield I usually don't lead with such a long quote. In this case, it's an entire song, and a good one to workout to at that. But after you read this post, check it out again and you'll see that more lines than not will apply. I'm going to tell you a story about two cards I just purchased. While I see tens of thousands of cards each year, something about these is different and makes them stand out to me. Believe me; I'll explain why. Probably the most interesting thing about them is that even though they were issued in 1948 (and 1949), their journey is far from over. First, the stars of this show: 
Nice cards, but still no huge deal, right? Maybe so. But maybe not. Background: I just purchased these from a good customer of mine last weekend. After seeing images of their fronts on Facebook, we agreed on a price and he brought them to me at a show. While there, I was busy and didn't have much time to look them over. (This violates my "Buy the card, not the holder" theory I preach to collectors. But hey, I'm a dealer; that doesn't apply to me in the same degree.) Anyway, when I got home, I realized they are more than just 'nice.' These cards have potential. But I listed them on eBay anyway, and even gave a customer a price which was on the very very high end of the market for their respective grades. Still, it wasn't until about a day later that I realized I shouldn't sell them as is, even though some inner debate was firing up inside me, and is the reason I'm putting this all into writing. These cards. Can be. Altered. The above article is far from hidden in some dark corner of the internet. It looks like there are over a dozen threads related to card soaking on popular card message board Net54 alone. Common and "simple" as it may be, I'm not into it. To me, it's an unacceptable practice. However, I now own two cards that are PERFECT candidates for such treatment. On the above scans, you can see there is no paper loss on the DiMaggio (a little on the Ruth). There is minor adhesive on the back, which I understand, anecdotally, will come off easily. The creases (except possibly on the upper corner of the Ruth) will press out easily on stock this thick. And thus, the effects of successful soaking would be very profitable. For someone. Not me, but someone. How much? The price of a DiMaggio 2 is around $400. 4s and 5s are both around $900. If some magician could get this spiffy enough for a 6 holder, it would be worth roughly $1300. (I won't worry projecting the Ruth since the paper loss limits its upward mobility.) So what to do with these cards? That's my dilemma. I'm not going to mess with them, but I know of at least five different dealers who probably would. And cards like these will eventually end up in their skilled, mischievous hands. So you can see where I'm leaning in this situation. Like I mentioned, most people blindly buy the holder and not the card. But eBay isn't the place to sell these. Although they were already listed (just ended moments ago, which is why I can post this now) I couldn't yank them (they were at auction) without paying a fee, and I pay eBay enough in fees. I did receive a couple questions about why I had them priced so high, and people weren't really digging little old me's explanation that they were nicer than the grade. I guess if you can't trust PSA, who can you trust? haha You'll notice I don't have a "Comments" section. Unless you're reading this via Facebook link. But I will post any comments you have manually at the bottom should you desire. While not doing the unspeakable acts to these cards, I will likely put them directly into the hands of someone who will. In that regard, I feel a little bit like the drug dealer who justifies his trade by saying, "If I wasn't selling to these addicts, someone else would be." Others might think cards are akin to art, which people accept altering. Or cars. In this way, a minority of people might think these soakers, pressers, adhesive-removers (and likely trimmers) are helping these cards reach their full potential. But then we look at other things like coins and vintage guns, where the collecting nation isn't as cool with alterations. Collectibles are a funny world. Have fun! -T |
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