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Sunday, June 11, 2017

Ecstatic!! Estate Sale Thievery

Last weekend, I went with a friend to check out a local estate sale.  She had word that thousands of sports cards were up for the picking.  The sale began on Friday so we could only hope there'd be a good find or two that Saturday morning.   

We were first in line at the door. Looking at the ridiculously overpriced items outside - a rusty, dented wheelbarrow for $35  [it did have a new tire] -  our prospects weren't promising. I had an idea there would be a LOT of junk.


And I was mostly correct.  The photos above are from the broker web site.  The tables were heavily picked over and looked nothing like these pictures.  The main table full of single cards was completely disarrayed with cards scattered and mixed into a biggly pile.

I found a box of 1992 Bowman marked complete set  but knew the odds were high with a $3 price tag.  The dealer said all prices were half off which made this box $1.50 and worth my time.  I found many of my favorite players and a Trevor Hoffman RC but no other RC gems. 


I picked up a sealed 2001 Bowman set marked $6.  This meant $3 so it went into my pile, knowing there'd be a relic and auto inside plus mint rookie cards!





An opened tin of 2005 Baseball Heroes marked $8. What could possibly be inside?  It was opened.



I love these cards, having often wondered about the release format and why I never saw any boxes available.  Now I know!  With eight cards per tin, it means there should be four more.


Ok, this is going well.  I get to look over the contents before deciding to pay the $4 price.  When do you ever get a chance to open the pack first???   What is card number eight???  BOOM!!!



FOUR DOLLARS FOR THIS TIN??   Into my pile it went.  There were also a few nicer cards 50% off tagged price.  What do we have here?  A Lou Brock auto for $3.  Duke Snider auto $8.  Bob Gibson auto $2. 




At this point I'm beginning to feel a bit guilty.  These people obviously know nothing about the cards they're selling.  Someone has trusted this company to sell their prized possessions and get them the best possible price.  I can see this isn't happening, not in the collectibles area of the basement anyway.

Time to check out the table of singles.  All unmarked cards were a $1 and unmarked autos $2 - and let me be clear, nothing on the table was marked.

We know this guy, and the card - known for chipping on the backside. No chipping, a gorgeous specimen - $1.


2007 Topps Co-Signers /100  Troy Tulowitzki    It may be a somewhat ugly card but for $2,  I found it quite appealing!



1954 Bowman George Kell.................. $1.


This is just too much!   I knew if I didn't buy these cards, someone else would.  At this point, I'm talking quietly with my friend about the situation.  Part of me wanted to say,  FELLAS!  You are giving these cards away!  Are you nuts????

I took one more dig into the table and picked up a card I knew did not belong there.  I looked at the sign again  - it did say that all unsigned and unmarked cards were a dollar.   This just can't be.   I took the card to the broker and pointed out that although unsigned, it wasn't a regular card.  How much do you want for this one?  He looked it over and said - $2.  Poker-faced, I replied thank you and added it to my stack.

Yes, I paid twice the asking price of $1.  Who does that?  Please, charge me more.  I did  - to alleviate any remaining thoughts of guilt.  I needed to know I'd made an honest purchase.  From his rookie year,  2001 Absolute Memorabilia Albert Pujols /200.  A gorgeous card for $2.  Although worth only what someone would pay, BV is $100-200.  


I rarely have this type of luck.  I picked up a few other cards CHEAP but these were the gems.  I'm still shaking my head over the deals.  The Yogi alone was enough to make me do a happy dance.  I was afraid if I didn't get out of there quickly,  a pole dance would be in order!

49 comments:

  1. That's the stuff dreams are made of!

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  2. Replies
    1. my friend and I still talk about what we left behind.

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    2. Can't believe there was anything left behind!

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    3. i know!! i could have picked through that table for another couple hours but wasn't up to it. perhaps someone on a TIGHT budget found a gem afterwards.

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  3. Wow, just wow! That's amazing.

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  4. Get out! Too good to be true or a dream come true. I'd say every collectors dream come true. How fun.

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    1. hard to believe, I know but I had a witness! I was unprepared for the sticker shock!

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  5. Wow! You sure made out. That Yogi is awesome!

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    1. Eight cards - $4 = 50 cents each. 50 CENTS for that Berra!

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  6. Holy crap! That's an incredible haul and and absolute steal of a deal on those! You have absolutely amazing luck. Estate sales around me are usually clothes that are 30 years out of date, rusty tools, and old dusty knick knacks.

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    1. apparently I need to pay more attention to the sales run by these folks anyway!! not gonna find deals like that anywhere else!

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  7. Pretty damn cool. I totally feel you on wanting to pay more. Empathy is a blessing and curse.

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    1. thanks N.O.! I realized it at the time, that someone else was losing money on the deal. I hope they did well over all.

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  8. Wow nice pickups the pics look like some great stuff. Happy that you were able to find some good *ahem* bargains ;)

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    1. can't believe the prices myself but it's all true! *bargain* doesn't begin to cover it!

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  9. Holy shit.

    Really - what more to say other than holy shit?

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  10. Two dollar autos? Of HOFers? Holy Cow! Nice find, Julie!

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    1. I know I left a few good ones behind. The basement was musty and dusty, with the smell getting to me I had to wrap up my shopping. Thanks for reading!

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  11. Right now, I can't decide if I should be happy for you, or mad that I wasn't there. Any Pistons?

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    1. there were prob other sports but i wasn't focused on them. I do have a growing stack for you though with a few bkball cards tucked in.

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  12. It's nice to see the pendulum swing the other way every once in a while! With that haul, get ready for at least 5 years of dealers at card shows asking for double book value on their Chris Sabo rookie cards.

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  13. Imagine if you had gotten there Friday!

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    1. true. probably some great cards but higher prices ($3 or 4 - ha) no telling what I missed other than a long line of 40 persons waiting to get in. They passed out numbers that day. Thanks for reading!!

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  14. Amazing finds! What a haul, congrats.

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    1. Hey there! thanks! Hope to be trading with you soon!

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  15. Holy hell! Bet that's an estate sale you'll remember for a long, long time. I've been lucky enough to have a couple experiences like this in the past, and felt a fair bit of guilt at the time, but I've assuaged that feeling by telling myself if I didn't buy them, someone else would.

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    1. That's what I keep telling myself - if not me, then someone else who perhaps would not appreciate them in the same way. The Kell is gorgeous and I love that Berra!

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  16. I'd say you did quite well. An amazing day, for sure. The Berra is just gorgeous.

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    1. who could get a card like so cheap?? awesome!!!!!

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  17. That yogi is amazing!! # drool

    You definitely got an amazing steal

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  18. I wouldn't feel guilty about it. I've been to a couple estate sales where crazy expensive items sold for pennies on the $. It is just par for the course on these type of sales. Right place, right time is the way I look at it.

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    1. i need to pull off that *right* combo more often. Thanks for reading Matt!

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  19. Congratulations! This is the stuff collectors dream of. I understand the whole guilt thing... and if this were a 5 year old set up at a garage sale, I'd feel bad. But it's an estate sale and those people were glad you helped them clear out a bunch of cardboard. Kudos to you for helping the family out.

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    1. i shoulda helped more! :) I'll be following that seller around now like a hound dog!

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  20. That is an amazing haul of cards! If that was left behind after Friday, what was picked up before you must have had some amazing cards!

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    1. yes, i'm sure some great cardboard went out the door early. i was lucky!!!

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  21. Incredible ! and I absolutely love those Baseball Heroes cards

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    1. me too! i'll scoop them up if I ever come across another stack!

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  22. The only person who had a better week than you was that guy who found all the unopened early bowman packs in his attic. Well done.

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    1. that's hilarious! maybe not that great but good for my standards anyway! im pretty low on the luck pole.

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  23. hey CJ - thanks! a rare stroke of luck for me!

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  24. I nearly fainted myself, maybe we're in heaven right now!

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  25. Wow!!!!! It took me 2 weeks to think of something to say but I'm still speechless about the deals you got

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