Player Collectors: How far have you gone to get a rarity?

[Jastermereel]

What is the biggest undertaking you've endured to secure a rarity for your Player Collection? Recently I did a Google search for my guy, and I almost fell off my chair when this came up. Unfortunately, as you'll see, there were hurdles to acquire it. Fortunately I was able to win the card. What are your stories?

http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w39375292

 

[tonsofcommons]

Hurdles? What hurdles? :^)

Congrats!!!!

 

[ThoseBackPages]

:shock: :shock: :shock:

holy crap!

 

[thenumberonemetfan]

Thats a HUGE steal for 30.00

 

[MOFNY]

About ten emails back and forth ending in money installments. :?

 

[thefasterblade]

How much was it?

 

[Jastermereel]

The most problematic part for me was the fact that you must live in Japan in order to use Yahoo Japan auctions. After some Googling I was surprised to discover that there are 3 or 4 different services out there that will actually place bids for you for a nominal fee and ship the item to you (which is what I did). Most people who use the services are after import stuff and Manga, but whatever, it works for me.

3000 yen is approximately $30. I think the company I used charges an $8 transaction fee and $12 to ship to me from Japan, so I'll be into the card for +/- $50 which I'm totally fine with. It's the only Super Rave of any sort of Rivera's that I've seen.

 

[gracecollector]

For my Donruss Crusade Red, I was alerted to it by a fellow FCB board member that it was listed on eBay in a badly listed auction. Then immediately emailed the seller. Next morning I was informed by the seller he had 4 offers on it. I emailed back a nice letter, showed him a link to my website, pleaded with him to sell me the card as it would be going to a true fan and collector. Offered to drive the 40 miles to meet him and pay cash. He saw my determination and ended up selling it to me. We met on a Sunday morning at a McDonalds and he gave me a whole bag of Cubs stuff on top of the card! Had a great conversation with a fellow Cubs fan and got my card.

That's just the end of the story. I spent 10 years looking for that card at card shows, on eBay and other websites, and anywhere else I could think to look. I emailed all the major card dealers in Beckett. I posted notes on the baseball wanted section of several trade sites. Two years ago, I wrote to Beckett and was featured in their "White Whale" section looking for the card. About five years ago I got outsniped on one at a very high bid and was so angry. Ended up getting it for about 1/3 the price I would have paid. My website was the determining factor. The seller said he thought I deserved the card after seeing it. Turned out to be a great experience - the thrill really is in the hunt!

I think I've done about everything you can do for cards for my collection. 3-way trades, buying from foreign countries, trade board postings, card shows, craigslist, tracking down cards from photobucket pictures, cubs conventions, going to major and minor league games for stadium giveaways, etc. When it comes to the PC, I'll do just about anything to get my card.

 

[Jastermereel]

For my Donruss Crusade Red, I was alerted to it by a fellow FCB board member that it was listed on eBay in a badly listed auction. Then immediately emailed the seller. Next morning I was informed by the seller he had 4 offers on it. I emailed back a nice letter, showed him a link to my website, pleaded with him to sell me the card as it would be going to a true fan and collector. Offered to drive the 40 miles to meet him and pay cash. He saw my determination and ended up selling it to me. We met on a Sunday morning at a McDonalds and he gave me a whole bag of Cubs stuff on top of the card! Had a great conversation with a fellow Cubs fan and got my card.

That's just the end of the story. I spent 10 years looking for that card at card shows, on eBay and other websites, and anywhere else I could think to look. I emailed all the major card dealers in Beckett. I posted notes on the baseball wanted section of several trade sites. Two years ago, I wrote to Beckett and was featured in their "White Whale" section looking for the card. About five years ago I got outsniped on one at a very high bid and was so angry. Ended up getting it for about 1/3 the price I would have paid. My website was the determining factor. The seller said he thought I deserved the card after seeing it. Turned out to be a great experience - the thrill really is in the hunt!

I think I've done about everything you can do for cards for my collection. 3-way trades, buying from foreign countries, trade board postings, card shows, craigslist, tracking down cards from photobucket pictures, cubs conventions, going to major and minor league games for stadium giveaways, etc. When it comes to the PC, I'm do just about anything to get my card.

Then you'd think you'd respond to people about cards they need when you post them on their 'looking for' posts.

 

[gracecollector]

Then you'd think you'd respond to people about cards they need when you post them on their 'looking for' posts.

Dude, let it go. I saw your post a week or so ago saying the same thing, PM'ed you asking what it was that I forgot to respond to you about, and never heard back from you. Was this something from the Bench? I looked through my emails and couldn't find any message from you. Honestly, I'm sorry for whatever it is. Don't need to try and trash me in every post. Most people on this board know I try to help out when I can. If I didn't respond to an email, I'm sorry, but you didn't respond to my apology and offer to responde again either.

 

[Jastermereel]

Dude, you never PM'd me.

I spent half-an-hour digging out Cubs stuff and you just ignored my post. So then I PM'd you and said if you didn't like anything I had plenty more stuff I could dig through. You read and ignored that PM. Not cool.

 

[markakis8]

Regardless of what you think he did, he clearly apologized for it and tried to handle it outside of the public, something you seem adamant on not doing. And in doing so, it makes you look worse off than him. He seems eager to patch things up, quit dragging him by a rope.

Dude, you never PM'd me.

I spent half-an-hour digging out Cubs stuff and you just ignored my post. So then I PM'd you and said if you didn't like anything I had plenty more stuff I could dig through. You read and ignored that PM. Not cool.

 

[Jastermereel]

Regardless of what you think he did, he clearly apologized for it and tried to handle it outside of the public, something you seem adamant on not doing. And in doing so, it makes you look worse off than him. He seems eager to patch things up, quit dragging him by a rope.

Dude, you never PM'd me.

I spent half-an-hour digging out Cubs stuff and you just ignored my post. So then I PM'd you and said if you didn't like anything I had plenty more stuff I could dig through. You read and ignored that PM. Not cool.

Thanks for your 2-cents, but you can keep it. He never apologized for anything. He just left me hanging. I would never have posted publicly if he didn't ignore my attempts at a private dialogue. Move along.

 

[markakis8]

Yes that would be great if you would. Thank you.

Move along.

 

[Jastermereel]

Yes that would be great if you would. Thank you.

Move along.

Bye 1/140

 

[Fandruw25]

Spending hours, well more like days trying to track down a few certain cards by calling almost every card shop I could find a number to. It paid off as my 07 M&M Black Andruw Jones /29 is now complete (191 cards). I probably found 3-4 cards this way that I still haven't seen listed anywhere.

 

[C.L.258]

:shock: SWeeeeeT :!:

 

[predatorkj]

Looking in places you wouldn't normally bother to look.Flea markets are a nice thing to go to because a lot of times they have rare or oddball items that they have no idea about and you can get some really nice deals.Pretty much though I just try to let cards come to me.I do my searching but I figure there is plenty to still buy.Once the search becomes narrowed down a bit then I will have an easier time of knowing what exactly is hard to find and I can act accordingly.

 

[Jastermereel]

Spending hours, well more like days trying to track down a few certain cards by calling almost every card shop I could find a number to. It paid off as my 07 M&M Black Andruw Jones /29 is now complete (191 cards). I probably found 3-4 cards this way that I still haven't seen listed anywhere.

Wow all 191 that's impressive.

The M&M set, YSL, & Donruss Studio are three that I neglected because they aren't that interesting quite frankly. I've since gone back and started working more diligently on them. They are really the only things, aside from new releases, that I can find that I need nowadays.

 

[nevermore]

Very nice Rivera find! I don't recall ever seeing a Super Rave either.

Here is another card site from Japan (link to r-b21) if you haven't seen it yet.

It never hurts to search Google every now and then. I've come across some random trade pages through Google searches and have been able to work out deals via email.