The Weekly Rip 5.12.24 [The art of irrational collecting]
We explore the irrational behavior in collecting. There's bad irrational behavior, but oddly enough you'll find some good, too.
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I’ve always found that the best collecting decisions I’ve ever made are likely the most irrational.
There’s an art to being irrational with our collecting. It might sound like an oxymoron, but we make our own rules when it comes to the precious time we invest in the hobby. The word invest has such a negative connotation from the MTV Generation of the hobby. If you used to wear NBA champion jerseys to your best friends house this likely includes you. I just got home from picking my girls up from daycare while listening to Alice In Chains “Dirt”. I’m included in this bunch, too. We’re here for the cards. We want to invest the little time that we’ve got available into cards, but don’t want someone telling us what cards we should be investing in.
There’s two types of irrational behavior in the hobby:
Good irrational behavior: The pursuit of cards that fit perfectly in your collection and serve a purpose. There are cases where we have to irrationally set all-time highs on cards because they’re like a piece of a puzzle that we’re unsure will be able to finish if we don’t take action in that moment.
Bad irrational behavior: Taking the advice of other individuals on what cards that we should buy because the belief is that we’ll be able to make money off of them. Typically, bad irrational behavior takes place when you start trusting loud individuals because they have big follower accounts.
Luckily, I think the opportunity to fall into bad irrational behaviors over the last couple of years has gone down as the market has gone down. It’s a lot harder for hucksters to prey upon the unexpected when not every card under the sun is going up in value. The pandemic bubble of the hobby still very much feels like a fever dream and many of the loudest people in the room are nowhere to be found today.
When you start to break down the elements that make up good irrational behavior it starts with passion. I’ve been a product of good irrational behavior this year in my pursuit of the 2012 Gold Prizm Indianapolis Colts Team Set. I’ve been an all-time high setter for almost every card in that category that I’ve bought this year. I proudly wear the badge of purchasing the most expensive Robert Mathis card of all-time. I don’t view this as a negative. I view this as an opportunity. My guiding post is the fact that I’m trying to build the set. I don’t have the time, patience, or energy to pass on a card with 10 copies that came out 12 years ago. I don’t believe that hope is ever a strategy and this especially true in collecting sports cards.
I thought it might be interesting and likely relatable for me to walk you through one of these good irrational collecting moments that I’ve been faced with over the last week. I’m writing this newsletter right now and the result of me winning this card or not is yet to be determined. The victory or defeat isn’t the lesson. The process and decision making that went into this pursuit is what I’d like for readers to get out of this. It always starts with a card. The card that is the catalyst for this story is the 2002 Finest Marvin Harrison Hot Box Xfractor /20 PSA 10.
When I saw this card pop up on eBay it gave me a funny feeling inside. It was that voice that we all get inside our head that says, “go”. This was my first time ever seeing this card and instantly I knew that it was a card that I needed in my collection.
Here’s the reasons why:
2002 Finest Xfractors are the first year that Xfractors were ever produced. If you’ve held one of these cards in your cards you just know the power of it. 20 copies makes these cards challenging to pursue. They’re an aesthetics masterpiece.
I own a copy of the Peyton Manning Xfractor. As a Colts fan, there’s no greater duo. Also, they’ve got the credentials to back it up. No other QB and WR tandem in NFL history is responsible for more TDs.
I’ve got a PSA 10 version of the Gold Marvin Harrison /25 of this card (Thanks @timmerscards)
Continuity drive my collecting
This card shot up instantly out of the gates. The card moved from $375 to $435 and is currently $515 as I type this. If you look through the recent sales history of the Xfractors in Card Ladder you can instantly notice that this card is going to be a big sale.
It becomes like an anonymous game of chess when you’re trying to do some good irrational collecting. I feel like there’s a few other bidders likely in a similar spot than me when it comes to pursuing this Marvin grail. The move that I recommend anyone do when you’re in a similar situation is start asking friends who aren’t competing with you what they think you should bid on this card. The more and more I source my network for their opinion on these types of cards the more I win them.
I hope by the time that I hit publish on the newsletter that I can say I’m the new owner of this card, but who knows?
Cards that are rare, scarce, and nostalgic to other collectors are the cards that continue to climb in value in the hobby. These cards are products of influence from the mainstream. They’re growing in value because they’re cool as shit and remind us of great moments during our fandom.
*UPDATE*
The auction ended for the 2002 Finest Marvin Harrison Xfractor /20 PSA 10. The card ended at $1,813 and I was the underbidder. My bid was well above the current market for 2002 Finest Xfractors and was a reminder that highly desirable cards bring out heavy competition. I got a chance to connect with the new owner this morning and congratulated him on the victory.
Cards will always go up when they’re desired and scarce.
A Weekly Content Roundup
In the flagship episode this week I explored the topic of how collecting helps us break up the monotony of our everyday lives. We’re spouses, parents, professionals, and wear dozens of other labels. The hobby is our escape away from reality. There’s a myriad of things like buying, selling, collecting, creating, communicating with other collectors that makes this space such an enjoyable escape.
We covered the amazing sales that went down for The Wharf Sports Cards this week on Auction Talk, but that wasn’t the main headline. My favorite part of the conversation was the time Nic and I spent giving flowers to different cards and collectors that add value every day to our instagram feeds. Two collectors that we shouted out were @blackhat_cards and @coldlunchcards. Make sure to give them a follow.
If you’re interested in consigning your cards with The Wharf Sports Cards Nic dropped a new promotion. Use promo code “stacking93” to get a 93% payout on your next consignment. This is the last week of the promotion!
On Friday’s collector's conversation I explored what was going down in the 2024 card show scene with Kevin Randall (@dacaptain37). Kevin sets up at a ton of shows and thought he brought a level headed perspective for dealers and buyers who are attending shows in the Summer months.
Joining the Stacking Slabs Patreon is The Best Way to Show Your Support
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Auctions to Follow
There’s some great cards ending this week in auction format. Here are some of the cards from members in our group to highlight.
2014 TOPPS CHROME WWE GOLD REFRACTOR ROMAN REIGNS AUTO DNA 10 /10 PSA 10 GEM
Last Sold: No Recent Comps; PSA 9 10/10 sold for $1,802.78 on 8/19/2023 via eBay Auction
2010 TOPPS CHROME GOLD REFRACTOR DREW BREES /50 #C220 PSA 10 GEM MINT
Last Sold: No Recent Comps; A PSA 9 sold on 11/7/23 via eBay auction for $202.50
1999 TOPPS GOLD LABEL CLASS 1 RED PEYTON MANNING 1/1 #61 BGS 9 MINT
Last Sold: $2,070 on 12/31/23 via PWCC Weekly
2015 PANINI FLAWLESS DUAL PLATINUM PEYTON MANNING PATCH 1/1 BGS 9.5 GEM MINT
Last sold: No Recent Comps
A Collector To Follow
There are very few that have the ability to find “magical” cards like @gunthercards. It seems like he’s always got a pulse on where the cards that are impossible to find sit. Also, he’s got a pretty incredible Brady collection himself. I always enjoy his pursuits, passion, and the Brady mind blowers he drops along the way.
It’s amazing how 1 card can change the trajectory of your week. When a card takes your brain off of life’s stresses for a moment and is available it’s a signal to pursue.
The more we take the time to truly understand what we value in sports cards the more fun that I’ve found it. This hobby rules.
Take care,
Brett