Ever take a chance that paid off... Or didn't?

[commando]

We've all been there... Spotting an internet auction that has been poorly listed with bad photos and not nearly enough information about the item. Of course, there's only two hours to go before the auction ends, so you have to decide right away whether or not to bid on it. If the item turns out to be what you hoped it would, you will have purchased it for a fraction of what it is worth! On the other hand, if it turns out to be something else, you will have spent money on an item you probably don't want or need.

This has happened to me several times with vintage sports cards. I'm happy to say that more often than not, my judgment paid off when I decided to bid.


Anyone care to share a few of their stories?

[MikeSharon]

I bought a patch listed as a old baseball glove patch off ebay about 5 years ago. I like old patches and figured for like 5 bucks why not. When I opened the mailing envelope I found an original 1951 national league patch. That was a pretty good day

[toddhead]

I once found three auctions on e-bay listed by the seller as Quaterbacks of the Century 8x10 Plaques. The crappy images in the auction were really hard to see, but it looked to me like they were signed. I ended up paying $60.00 for all three and this is what I got:
http://www.honorcoins.com/ebay/marino.jpg
http://www.honorcoins.com/ebay/montana.jpg
http://www.honorcoins.com/ebay/unitas.jpg
Not bad for $60.00...

[earlywynnfan]

A couple years ago, a seller on ebay listed a GU Omar Vizquel bat. He had a negative feedback (how do you even get to list with that?) and one really crummy photo. But, he actually lived nearby and answered all my questions. I won the bat for half the going rate, and the guy even drove it to my workplace! Good deal for me.

Ken

[hiramman]

Several years ago when the National was in Atlanta, I walked in and was looking at one of the first tables near the door. The guy had several tables covered with glass cases containg baseball cards , programs, etc. I saw a MLB patch stuck in the back of one of the cases and asked how much for the patch. He said $5, which I immediately gave him. Turned out the MLB patch was an original 1969 MLB 100th Anniversary patch. Nice item for $5.

[beavisrules]

One of my favorite stories related to this thread: many years ago on ebay, I came across a vintage Notre Dame jersey. The item was titled (but spelled incorrectly) Notre Dame practice jersey. On seeing the picture, I immediately knew it was not a practice jersey - rather, it was a game worn jersey likely from the 1988 National Championship season with great game wear. Ended up only being 2 bids placed on the item, including my winning bid - of $26. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the acquisition.

[Birdbats]

In the Hunt auction that ended 11/28, I took a chance on what was advertised as a 1980 Jim Riggleman minor league Cardinals jersey. Based on the crew neck, the tagging and the uniform number, I was hoping it might be a Joe Torre shirt that was recycled through the minors. The Cards wore the crew neck style in 1971 and 1972 only, so if nothing else, I thought it would look good on the wall.

http://www.huntauctions.com/phone/imageviewer.cfm?auction_num=46&lot_num=805

The jersey arrived just a few minutes ago. After two weeks of anxious waiting, I finally had a chance to examine the back. Lo and behold, there is residue from removed letters. The letters are "TORRE". Wow. It doesn't have a year flag, so I can't be sure if it's from his MVP season in '71... but I don't really care at this point. It's a Torre jersey from the peak of his career, and I got it for $97.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w232/birdbats/Jerseys/Torrejersey.jpg

[karamaxjoe]

It's pretty frightning how Hunt could not spot the remains of TORRE on the back of that jersey. If it's that easy to see from the scan, then it should be easy to spot in the autheticating process.

You gambled and won BIG TIME. Christmas came early for Jeff!

[commando]

Congrats on the Torre jersey! If you ever want to double your money, let me know... :D