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mouschi
Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
- May 18, 2012
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As a buyer and seller of baseball card collections for 15 years, I always enjoy being neck deep in cardboard. When it comes to buying Canseco collections, it is way more exciting for me, as I am able to keep out what I want instead of just selling everything. Check out how this last month went for me!
BUYING MATT'S CANSECO SUPERCOLLECTION
About 2 years ago, I was in the thick of selling off my Jose Canseco supercollection. One of the very first people to buy a significant portion of it was noted Jose Canseco Supercollector Matt. If you are in the Canseco collecting community, you know who Matt is. Like me, Matt had a website showing all of his cards, which eventually grew to well over 2,600 unique cards. When I told him I was selling off in 2018, he was shocked, but ultimately finished off the day being around 100 new cards richer from my collection. He would come back over the next few months to make a few other good sized purchases as well.
Fast forward 2 years, I'm collecting again, though not trying to pickup everything - just cards I love. There is no longer a desire to get everything. I've enjoyed getting back cards I love and making trades with other collectors over the past couple of years.
I have been trying to work a deal with Matt for a few of my old cards, but he would not budge. He wasn't trading, and certainly not selling. Understandable! I have a number of cards like that myself. When I saw this, I fell out of my chair. (Figuratively speaking, that is ... I was actually in the bathroom about to hop in the shower.)
I gave him a ring to see what was up, and he said he was just getting bored, and was ready to focus on other collecting ventures. I completely get that - selling off was the right move for me, as I was able to diversify and fall in love with vintage, while maintaining the awestruck wonder I've had for Canseco cards ever since I was a child.
I was excited for the possibility of being able to get about five cards. But then a thought crept into my head. What if we could work a deal where I could buy him out of everything?
After thinking about it and going back & forth a bit, we negotiated a price to where we both felt comfortable. Matt, where he could put enough money in his pocket that would justify the extra shelf space, and me where I could sell off the majority of it to make some money (or at least offset the keepers), while keeping a number of cards for my own!
Matt did an incredible job of putting together a world class collection. It was well organized, had the majority of the grail cards that people can spend a lifetime trying to acquire, and yet never have the luxury of ever even seeing in real life. It was clean, top-loaded and in order. If this were a concert, Matt's Canseco supercollection was a beautifully orchestrated symphony.
But the concert isn't over.
BUYING ANDREW'S CANSECO SUPERCOLLECTION
As the curtains close on Matt's collection, the audience is met with bass, and lots of it. A wicked guitar solo fills the air. It is now a heavy metal concert, and the band: Andrew's Canseco supercollection.
Days after the deal with Matt was completed, Jose Canseco Supercollector Andrew called me up, saying he was ready to part ways with his massive collection, too. After a day or so, we agreed on pricing and I had a lot more Jose Canseco goodness coming my way. To put things into perspective, the total weight of Matt's collection was about 75 pounds, whereas Andrew's was close to 300 pounds.
Their collections were opposite in every way possible. Andrew was in the game a lot longer. He didn't have everything perfectly top loaded or in order, and had a lot of doubles.
Shown below are pictures of many of the "keepers" from both collections, along with a few cards I already had, and various cards I traded for with the help of cards from the collections that I wasn't in love with.
So, here we go!
THE GOODS
Nearly 10% of the entire 1993 Finest Refractor print run!
Several Glory of Their Time patch cards with a glorious pencil moustache is, well, glorious!
Having one of these is awesome. Having three is incredible! It is extremely difficult to get a hold of one.
A nice hoard of the serial numbered inserts that started it all - the first ever pack pulled serial numbered cards. To pull a single Elite Canseco, you could reasonably expect to have to bust 52 cases. Finding a PSA 10? Forget about it!
This Leaf jumbo relic rainbow used to be mine ... it is back home with me again! PS - Leaf, you are super cruel. A rainbow of 1/1, /2, /3, /5 & /15? Shame on you!
I was in love with this run when I first saw it - particularly the gold, because it is Jose's first "wave" material card. Having the 1/1 was great! I actually had a number of the others as well, but sold them off because I didn't want to get into doing rainbows again. Well ... Andrew had everything else except the 1/1. So I guess I'm gonna keep 'em They look marvelous together!
I already had the middle card which features a rookie gamer Rawlings tag. Having a jumbo patch and swatch from the same rookie gamer seems to fit very nicely!
continued ....
BUYING MATT'S CANSECO SUPERCOLLECTION
About 2 years ago, I was in the thick of selling off my Jose Canseco supercollection. One of the very first people to buy a significant portion of it was noted Jose Canseco Supercollector Matt. If you are in the Canseco collecting community, you know who Matt is. Like me, Matt had a website showing all of his cards, which eventually grew to well over 2,600 unique cards. When I told him I was selling off in 2018, he was shocked, but ultimately finished off the day being around 100 new cards richer from my collection. He would come back over the next few months to make a few other good sized purchases as well.
Fast forward 2 years, I'm collecting again, though not trying to pickup everything - just cards I love. There is no longer a desire to get everything. I've enjoyed getting back cards I love and making trades with other collectors over the past couple of years.
I have been trying to work a deal with Matt for a few of my old cards, but he would not budge. He wasn't trading, and certainly not selling. Understandable! I have a number of cards like that myself. When I saw this, I fell out of my chair. (Figuratively speaking, that is ... I was actually in the bathroom about to hop in the shower.)
I gave him a ring to see what was up, and he said he was just getting bored, and was ready to focus on other collecting ventures. I completely get that - selling off was the right move for me, as I was able to diversify and fall in love with vintage, while maintaining the awestruck wonder I've had for Canseco cards ever since I was a child.
I was excited for the possibility of being able to get about five cards. But then a thought crept into my head. What if we could work a deal where I could buy him out of everything?
After thinking about it and going back & forth a bit, we negotiated a price to where we both felt comfortable. Matt, where he could put enough money in his pocket that would justify the extra shelf space, and me where I could sell off the majority of it to make some money (or at least offset the keepers), while keeping a number of cards for my own!
Matt did an incredible job of putting together a world class collection. It was well organized, had the majority of the grail cards that people can spend a lifetime trying to acquire, and yet never have the luxury of ever even seeing in real life. It was clean, top-loaded and in order. If this were a concert, Matt's Canseco supercollection was a beautifully orchestrated symphony.
But the concert isn't over.
BUYING ANDREW'S CANSECO SUPERCOLLECTION
As the curtains close on Matt's collection, the audience is met with bass, and lots of it. A wicked guitar solo fills the air. It is now a heavy metal concert, and the band: Andrew's Canseco supercollection.
Days after the deal with Matt was completed, Jose Canseco Supercollector Andrew called me up, saying he was ready to part ways with his massive collection, too. After a day or so, we agreed on pricing and I had a lot more Jose Canseco goodness coming my way. To put things into perspective, the total weight of Matt's collection was about 75 pounds, whereas Andrew's was close to 300 pounds.
Their collections were opposite in every way possible. Andrew was in the game a lot longer. He didn't have everything perfectly top loaded or in order, and had a lot of doubles.
Shown below are pictures of many of the "keepers" from both collections, along with a few cards I already had, and various cards I traded for with the help of cards from the collections that I wasn't in love with.
So, here we go!
THE GOODS
Nearly 10% of the entire 1993 Finest Refractor print run!
Several Glory of Their Time patch cards with a glorious pencil moustache is, well, glorious!
Having one of these is awesome. Having three is incredible! It is extremely difficult to get a hold of one.
A nice hoard of the serial numbered inserts that started it all - the first ever pack pulled serial numbered cards. To pull a single Elite Canseco, you could reasonably expect to have to bust 52 cases. Finding a PSA 10? Forget about it!
This Leaf jumbo relic rainbow used to be mine ... it is back home with me again! PS - Leaf, you are super cruel. A rainbow of 1/1, /2, /3, /5 & /15? Shame on you!
I was in love with this run when I first saw it - particularly the gold, because it is Jose's first "wave" material card. Having the 1/1 was great! I actually had a number of the others as well, but sold them off because I didn't want to get into doing rainbows again. Well ... Andrew had everything else except the 1/1. So I guess I'm gonna keep 'em They look marvelous together!
I already had the middle card which features a rookie gamer Rawlings tag. Having a jumbo patch and swatch from the same rookie gamer seems to fit very nicely!
continued ....