What Can You Do With $1,000? Buy Some Mets Cards!

Twenty-six years of Mets team sets could cost you just under $1,000.

I found this eBay auction this week that is selling every Mets team set card from 1962 - 1988. The auction appears to include the Seaver and Ryan rookies... and Ed Kranepool!

The Rabbit - Jimmy Saxton

I had a good eBay mail day this week - Jimmy Saxton!

This one goes with my '62 Fleer Dallas Texans team set I'm building. Where did they take this picture? It looks like a river bank in the background.

I have no idea why Saxton was nicknamed the "The Rabbit" when he played for Texas before jumping to the Texans. Wouldn't Jackelope be a little more fun?

A Card so Nice, I Had to Buy it Twice

Actually, this card helped me with my 2011 New Year's Resolution: Check the spreadsheet before bidding!  

I already have this '52 Bowman Large card of James Hammond. The eBay auction bid was $4 so I placed the bid. After I won it for $4, I checked my spreadsheet and had my duh moment.

Oh well, it's $4, it's a cool card... I "won" auctions far worse than this I suppose.

Jim Lansford's 1952 Bowman Small Eludes Me

Jim Lansford: Why does your '52 Bowman Small cost so much?

I've been working on a Dallas Texans, 1952 Bowman Small team set for year or so now. I'm almost complete, except for Jim Lansford!

His '52 Bowman small is constantly listed at $65 on eBay, but it never sells. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks $65 is too much. The most I've spent for any card in this current set is about $20 - it isn't graded quality, but that's a not a big deal to me for this team set.

Perhaps I should contact the seller if it doesn't sell? Is that unethical?

Is This the Best the US Post Office Can Do?

You have got to be kidding me.

I sold a card on eBay, received payment and used the USPS machine to weigh and pay postage for the bubble mailer with the top-loader inside. I paid the amount through the machine and dropped in the mail box. I thought I was done - not so fast!

Three days later I receive the picture you see here. Yes, that's a post-it note on my bubble mailer saying I need to pay $.17.

It took them 3 days to determine their machine caused a 17 cent error and their way to correct the error is add more of a delay by putting the bubble mailer on their truck and returning it to me with a post-it note saying I owe them. Are you kidding me?

Why not correct the machine and move on instead of wasting time over 17 cents?

Your National Sports Collectors Convention Checklist

If a fanny pack is your thing, then Velcro it to your Hammer pants this week for the National Sports Collectors Convention.

Personally, I break out the JCPenny back-to-school back-pack when attending card/autograph shows and I'll definitely be in the spirit for this week's National.

The Voice of the Collector Blog had a cool Do's and Don'ts list last week.

Here's my packing list for the 2009 National in Cleveland:

• extra Official MLB baseball (you never know who you'll see walking around)
• cards you'd like to get signed if you see someone
• mini helmet of your football team
• bottle of water
• meal/granola bars (food is always expensive and it tastes as good 7-Eleven hot dogs.)
• pens and sharpies
• hand sanitizer (apply, apply, apply)
• digital camera (again, you never know who you'll see walking around or at a booth)
• pad of paper (take notes on the prices/products you see so you can comparison shop)
• cards you'd like to trade
• eBay pricing (know the price of your wish list before you go)

$6,500 for 2009 Allen & Ginter Card isn't Enough

This Abe Lincoln 2009 Allen & Ginter 1/1 DNA relic card finished with a high bid of $6,450 on eBay, but it wasn't high enough!

The reserve price was not met. The Buy it Now price was $14,999 - but it did come with free shipping.

Here's the link to the auction.

Sports Card Show Business For Sale

Interesting eBay auction here. Someone claiming to sell a "Sports Card Show Business." Really, all he's selling are cards he claims are Beckett valued at $100k.

Some interesting cards in the lot... who's bidding? Who's starting their own card show business on this?

Buy the Shea Stadium Wrecking Ball

For $35,000 you can own the wrecking ball that destroyed Shea Stadium - and the shipping is free! It could make the perfect graduation gift! Here's the eBay auction.

Thanks Home Run Derby.

Why is this Pete Rose Card Graded?

Am I missing something? I've blogged about Rose many times, I have several of his cards and autographs, but I can't understand why this 1973 Topps card is even graded. Please help me if I'm missing the obvious.

The BGS 9.5 grade has pushed the current eBay bid price over $50. Previous auction sales of this card without a grade have sold between $8 and $22.

Personally, I don't like the picture in this card and it also looks like he just hit a pop-up on the infield.

Gary Carter's eBay Autograph Policy

Gary Carter is tired of signing his autograph for free and he's not going to take it any more! Carter, currently the manager for the Long Island Ducks, has a new policy for signing MLB licensed products likes balls, bats, jerseys, photos: He's not signing it unless you donate $25 to the Gary Carter Foundation.

According to the memo posted on the Long Island Ducks' site, The Foundation believes that "MLB-badged" items being sold for profit and they are sick of it!

However, Carter will still sign any Long Island Duck merchandise for free... as long as you pay to get in to the park.

Thanks http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/

2009 Press Pass B.J. Raji - Sore vs. Soar

Check out the 2009 Press Pass inscription from the newest Green Bay Packer, B.J. Raji - "Sore Eagles" instead of "Soar Eagles." BRILLIANT!

The card is being sold on eBay with a bid price of $180 (as of this posting).

Thanks Deadspin

Remembering Your First . . . eBay Card Purchase

Doesn't everyone remember their first? The first card they purchased on eBay!

I was going through some of my cards Thursday night for several reasons. Most importantly because Mario @ Wax Heaven said I needed to have more card posts if I wanted a snowball's chance in Hell of cracking the "Heavenly Seven!"

OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but the "Heavenly Seven" is my not-so-secret blogger achievement goal!

Seriously now, this 1992 Babe Ruth Collection Card was the first one I purchased eBay ten years ago. I know, many will laugh, but I'll admit it. I liked it. And still do really. I didn't care who made it, how (in)valuable it was, or how it had no significance to the card hobby. I think I paid a dollar for it and that was probably overpaying. But I still like it because:

• Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Tris Speaker on one card was (and still is) pretty cool to me.
• The photo is taken after their playing days (obviously).
• The card highlights their Total Bases with a list of the top 20 (at the time) list on the back.
• Cobb, Ruth, and Speaker had 16,760 combined bases!

What was your first eBay card purchase?

$25K for a Steve Bartman Autograph

Would you go to a sports show, in America's 3rd largest city, where you are you tagged as the reason their favorite sports team hasn't won a championship in 100 years, and sign an autograph for $25,000?

That's the question Steve Bartman needs to answer. Bartman is wrongly (in my opinion) accused as the reason why the Cubs lost game six of the 2003 NLCS against the Florida Marlins.
UPDATE: Steve Bartman has turned down the offer.

SportsBuy.com is offering Steve Bartman $25,000 for his autograph at The National Sports Collector's convention next week in Chicago, IL.

According to the SportsBuy.com press release:
“All Steve has to do is show up, prove he is in fact the real Steve Bartman – not some earphone-wearing imposter – and he’ll move to the top of the autograph value list,” said Wesley Hein, CEO of SportsBuy.com.

The photograph that The National organizers want Bartman to sign is, of course, the infamous image from Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. Once the picture is signed, it will be auctioned on SportsBuy.com to the general public with net proceeds being donated to a Chicago-based charity. This photo, signed by Steve Bartman, would be, arguably, the most sought-after collectible in the history of sports memorabilia.

A couple of other blogs have already mentioned the Bartman $25,000 offer. Sports Cards Uncensored has a great list of what Bartman could do with $25,000

I hadn't heard of SportsBuy.com before this promotion. It's the auction site formerly known as Naxcom. The Sports Collectibles News blog aka Sports Lizard has a review of the name change of Naxcom to SportsBuy.

I haven't been able to dive too much into SportsBuy.com yet, but with eBay raising fees every quarter, destroying their feedback system, and not treating their best customers correctly, I'm anxious to find a new place to look for sports memorabilia.

Best Baseball Stadium Giveaway? Bobble foot?

The St. Paul Saints will give the first 2,500 fans to a May 25 game a "bobble foot!"

It's interesting that the Saints' web site doesn't mention Minnesota Senator Larry Craig's bathroom bust, but the bobble foot design is a bathroom stall, with a foot that peaks out of the bottom and “taps” up and down.

The St. Paul Saints say this is for National Tap Dance Day. Yeah right! The web site says people tap their foot because they are impatient.

For those that don't remember, an undercover cop claimed that Craig "tapped his toes several times and moved his foot closer to my foot" while using an airport restroom. The officer claims this is code for seeking something other than "sparing a square."

How much will these sell for eBay next week?

Buyer Beware of Favre Memorabilia

The auction markets are really pushing the Brett Favre memorabilia. The World of Sports blog has a great article about this.

If you're looking for Favre memorabilia pieces keep in mind:

• The sellers feedback rating and reputation
• The quality of the autograph itself
• The quality of the memorabilia the autograph is on - look at both independently
• Is it PSA or JSA authentic?
• Do you receive a photo of Favre signing the item

Remember: If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

Farrvvvrreeeeee Memorabilia

How does the Brett Favre retirement party affect his memorabilia sales?

I think like any other sports legend, we'll see a spike in card and autograph prices. But will it be as high as other sports legends? Did the 4-year rumor of his retirement already attract people looking for his rookie card or autograph helmet?

Be careful if you're looking on eBay for Favre memorabilia. Unfortunately, these types of legend retirement parties also bring out the people making bogus autograph memorabilia.

NAXCOM Capitalizing on eBay's Complete Nonsense

Maybe eBay/PayPal has some serious competition?! The Sports Collectibiles News blog has a great story on Naxcom taking advantage of eBay's poor customer service.

I hope eBay/PayPal take a hit with the arrogance they've been giving to their core client base. I talked about some of this with my post last month.

I haven't used Naxcom before, but I may now!

eBay Changing Feedback Policy - Sellers at Risk

The feedback system on eBay will be changing this spring - although I'm not sure if it is for the better.

Beginning in May, sellers who have bad experiences with buyers will not be able to leave negative feedback. EBay is eliminating the ability for sellers to leave negative feedback! How does this promote an open community forum??

A one-way feedback system seems to be a disaster waiting to happen. The feedback system is supposed to encourage an open community ... this can't happen with one way communication. EBay's feedback system was first introduced in 1996 to promote an honest and open market environment.

This really seems to put the sellers at risk. I'm surprised eBay is going this route since it's the sellers who pay their bills! I'm not a eBay expert or eBay watch-dog. I'm sure the Gavel Chat or eBay strategies blogs will have more on this.

I think the online community needs some alternatives to eBay and PayPal. They seem to have forgotten how they go to where they are.

When Sports Memorabilia Goes Too Far

What is the worst piece of sports memorabilia you can image? Check out this eBay auction.

Yes, that's a game used, autographed jock-strap they are selling on eBay! I don't know if I'd more embarrased to sell it, bid on it, or mark it as "watched item" on My eBay. I read this on another blog last week and Beckett pointed it out yesterday.

I did a quick search on eBay and found these other items:
Top 10 Too Personal Items Sold on eBay
(other than Ryan Braun’s jock strap)

10. Richard Simmons’ shorts
9. Britney Spears’ STD Cream
8. Marv Alberts’ hair piece
7. Pete Rose’s betting slips
6. Mark McGwire’s ‘98 androstenedione bottle
5. Lorena Bobbit's scissors
4. Barry Bonds’ game used Clear
3. Monica’s blue dress
2. Tom Brady’s black book
1. Wilt Chamberlin’s. . . uh, nevermind