At what point in your stashes career did you make the most $

Conversations with people who don't prospect always lead to an assumption that the premise is: you buy some cards of a guy before he makes it to the MLB, and when he does, you sell.
I try to point out that that's not always the case, and there's no basic strategy time-line for when you cash out. Which brought me pondering the question.

When did I sell Player A for profit, and where was his career. In the last few years for me, I can't think of a single guy off the top of my head that I sold upon call-up or in the first week or so of MLB time. By the time any of my guys make it, I'm usually out.

The Alcides Escobar callup this morning got me thinking - I kinda wish I still had some nice cards.

So, finally, the poll question.

When did you cash out on your guy and make the most money?
For Call-up Time, I figure to give it a week or so before and after the call-up
For Pre Call-up time, I mean anytime in the minors when MLB call-ups weren't discussed yet.

Examples?

When Micah Owings was called up and doing really well, I sold roughly $1500 worth.

I was into it for a total of about $150-175.

Had over 20 chrome autos, 2 red xfractor autos/25, blues, black autos, xfractors, etc.

Best flips ive ever made

I still believe the longer your prospects stays in the minors the better. I don't like the odds of a prospect getting really hot when they get called up. I would rather bank on them owning A, AA, or AAA. They can slump in the minors and people don't notice. If they start slumping the bigs...everyone notices.

I've always done the best buying cards of (former) prospects once they've had a bit of failure in MLB and their prices get low, then reselling them once they actually start to reach their potential, typically a few years into their career. Guys like BJ Upton, Chad Billingsley, Zack Greinke, Edwin Jackson, etc.

HPC said:

When Micah Owings was called up and doing really well, I sold roughly $1500 worth.

I was into it for a total of about $150-175.

Had over 20 chrome autos, 2 red xfractor autos/25, blues, black autos, xfractors, etc.

Best flips ive ever made

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Same here. I had 5 gold refs I bought for $30-$50, sold all for about $120.
My profits have varied. I've made a lot on guys when they've dominated low levels (Hellickson) and guys who have had good starts to their careers (Beckham) and everything in between.

andyduke86 said:

I've always done the best buying cards of (former) prospects once they've had a bit of failure in MLB and their prices get low, then reselling them once they actually start to reach their potential, typically a few years into their career. Guys like BJ Upton, Chad Billingsley, Zack Greinke, Edwin Jackson, etc.

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I'm in the same boat. I've done really well with some guys in the Minors like David Price, but my biggest profits have come from guys like Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez and Prince Fielder. As long as people keep saying that MLBers are not good investments, I'll keep investing.

none of the above.

For three guys I had a good stash of I sold during the following:

longoria Playoffs before World Series and this past April
Price. Right after he clinched game 7 of the ALCS
Lincecum Right after he won the NL Cy Young award
Lester After he threw his no hitter

Timing is everything

If i had to vote, I have had the most success right when the players got called up

Scherzer I made a killing on, and German Duran I did lose a little on, but if I did not sell when I did, I would have lost even more or been stuck with some pretty worthless stuff.

Sold my only two Autos of Schafer on opening night

Pre-call up. I rarely lose money on a hot prospect.

Yes, I sold Braun way, way too soon, but guys like Liriano, Gordon, etc. I'm almost always on the winning end.

Huffamaniac said:

none of the above.

For three guys I had a good stash of I sold during the following:

longoria Playoffs before World Series and this past April
Price. Right after he clinched game 7 of the ALCS
Lincecum Right after he won the NL Cy Young award
Lester After he threw his no hitter

Timing is everything

If i had to vote, I have had the most success right when the players got called up

Scherzer I made a killing on, and German Duran I did lose a little on, but if I did not sell when I did, I would have lost even more or been stuck with some pretty worthless stuff.

Sold my only two Autos of Schafer on opening night

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Just to note, Lincecum's chrome autos are sitting at 125-130 now, and when he won the CY they did not reach triple digits...

While both can be profitable or even the best time to sell a certain guy, I have done better on guys once they've reached the majors. It's the time when mainstream America gets their first look at prospects I've been stashing for years, in some cases, and their prices often see all-time highs if their debut is a success.

Examples of guys I've made money on AFTER they reached the majors in the last two years or so: Gerardo Parra, Ryan Perry, David Price, Wilkin Ramirez, Jay Bruce, Evan Longoria, Gordon Beckham

I can think of only a few guys that I've sold before they reached the majors for good money. I've made small profits on a lot of guys, but the most recent examples of these are Tommy Hanson, Madison Bumgarner, and Buster Posey.



Kevbo I remember you made some great money on that big Max Scherzer card after his great debut.

Pre callup unless one of your big prospects smokes too much pot and becomes dangerously close to Steve Howe.

I sold Braun too early too, but I wouldn't call that a failure. For the most part, I sell guys early, because a bird in the hand... ya know. Braun was cheap for his first couple YEARS, the big upticks didn't start until his Fall Leaugue and Spring Training domination (that's about where I exited at around 75, 80 per.

I had the call-up time success, but more often I get guys no one else is throwing money at, and start selling when people are ready to buy. I made out pretty good on Scherzer's call up, and I only had like 6 elite autos, but one was a /12 that I bought for 70 and sold for 480. Yovani Gallardo was sold off pretty close to callup too, but in his time in the minors, I did a good amount of buying and selling both.

Mat Gamel too. I don't recall a gold refractor going for more than 20, but I really liked his year in Brevard County. After his Hawaiian League (r.i.p.) showing, they tripled in price, and I sold most of them for around 60 per. (HIVE!!!) I missed being on the boat when they hit $300, but although I figured him to have a nice year in AA, I didn't see that coming. I sold my last gold for around 150 really early in that season. Even though I didn't hit Braun and Gamel and many others at their highest peak, I still call it a nice success. I'd rather play the game of getting while the getting is good that playing how high will it go...

I never said buying into guys at the mlb level stupid.. I see the money that gets made there, but my toiling is just done more in the minors. Just what I do. If you're buying guys like Stephen Drew for profit, cool, those are probably a good bet of being all-time lows, and I hope you do well. I'm just more apt to the minors.

I sold a Chrome off of EBAY for $115 money order the day he won the CY Young. The rest were Sterling and Sterling refractors

darocker80 said:

Huffamaniac said:

none of the above.

For three guys I had a good stash of I sold during the following:

longoria Playoffs before World Series and this past April
Price. Right after he clinched game 7 of the ALCS
Lincecum Right after he won the NL Cy Young award
Lester After he threw his no hitter

Timing is everything

If i had to vote, I have had the most success right when the players got called up

Scherzer I made a killing on, and German Duran I did lose a little on, but if I did not sell when I did, I would have lost even more or been stuck with some pretty worthless stuff.

Sold my only two Autos of Schafer on opening night

Click to expand...

Just to note, Lincecum's chrome autos are sitting at 125-130 now, and when he won the CY they did not reach triple digits...

Click to expand...

My best was after Clay Buchholz threw his no-hitter. I was at a Boston area show two days later and sold base, chrome and parallels for ridiculous profits. I was selling chromes at $25 and sold about 200 that day alone. At the time I wish I had brought my entire stash with me.

Huffamaniac said:

I sold a Chrome off of EBAY for $115 money order the day he won the CY Young. The rest were Sterling and Sterling refractors

darocker80 said:

Huffamaniac said:

none of the above.

For three guys I had a good stash of I sold during the following:

longoria Playoffs before World Series and this past April
Price. Right after he clinched game 7 of the ALCS
Lincecum Right after he won the NL Cy Young award
Lester After he threw his no hitter

Timing is everything

If i had to vote, I have had the most success right when the players got called up

Scherzer I made a killing on, and German Duran I did lose a little on, but if I did not sell when I did, I would have lost even more or been stuck with some pretty worthless stuff.

Sold my only two Autos of Schafer on opening night

Click to expand...

Just to note, Lincecum's chrome autos are sitting at 125-130 now, and when he won the CY they did not reach triple digits...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Nice a couple bowman chrome autos have hit 150! (Now)

bigpops65 said:

My best was after Clay Buchholz threw his no-hitter. I was at a Boston area show two days later and sold base, chrome and parallels for ridiculous profits. I was selling chromes at $25 and sold about 200 that day alone. At the time I wish I had brought my entire stash with me.

Click to expand...

Same here. I remember getting $10 a base bowman then. Not chrome, base bowman. :lol: That was a seriously ridiculous night for a one time selling spree.