Blogs

In my Blog Bat Around post, I mentioned some of the most valuable cards I pulled over the years - and I mentioned how many of them were sold for less than peak value. Jon commented that bloggers like myself far too often lament the unfavorable transactions and rarely mention the favorable sales.

So, in the interest of balance (and to remind myself that I'm not completely incompetent at this whole sports card thing) here's a list of ten cards I sold at or near peak value. Nearly all of these were sold in either 2020 or 2021. I'm sure I've got some other successful sales in the archives, but figured I'd focus on the sports card spike during Covid.

In ascending order:

Russ was still seen as a top-10 quarterback and future Hall of Famer when I sold this card. I think he's got some good years left in him, but his popularity has definitely taken a hard hit. As of this posting, you can buy a PSA 9 copy of this card for under $20.

Speaking of PSA 9s..

Prospectors are always cautioned to avoid pitchers but I liked Urias because he was very young (debuted at age 19), left-handed, and a Dodger. He also shares my birthday. I gave up on him after injuries halted his progress (shocker), kicked myself for doing so after he won 20 games, and felt relieved to have sold this single when he was charged with domestic violence (again).

A BGS 9.5 copy of this card recently sold for $17.50. Want an ungraded copy? It'll cost you a dollar.
 

Christian Yelich 2013 Topps Chrome Update RC
& 2015 Topps Museum Auto #d/399
Sale Price: $71.00

I was a fan of Yelich, but worried that his sub-par 2020 season was the beginning of a decline. He hasn't fallen as far as another player I invested in pre-pandemic and bailed out on just in time, but his RCs won't sell for anything near this amount today - even if you throw in an autograph as I did here. Yeli's base Chrome RC can be had for less than the cost of a large coffee. If you want the autographed version, a gem mint copy or refractor can be had for around this price.

I somehow landed this Bad Boy for pocket change in 2015 back when 4 Sharp Corners had bargain slabs:

It was purchased before I'd really planned to build the set (thus the lack of direct scan) but I sold off some of the PSA 9 singles during the pandemic because ... well, at those prices, it would be silly not to. Earliter this year I got a PSA-slabbed Michael Jordan All-Star for around this price. MJ's nemesis can be had in this grade for about $25 today.

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky PSA 9
Sale Price: $305.00

I spied this card ungraded at my LCS (long before they moved down the street from me). The slab cost more than the card itself, and the $30-40 total was a wise investment. I had no intention of selling it, but pandemic pricing sent high-grade copies of all-time greats soaring to new heights. That included the Great One, whose singles practically quadrupled. $305 isn't necessarily a peak price; while many PSA 9 copies sell for under $200 today one copy recently sold for $400. 

Another fortunate 4 Sharp Corners pickup - I bought this with Christmas money in 2014, before I had any plans to rebuild a basketball collection. In that same order I bought a PSA 9 John Stockton Fleer RC - and amazingly both were cheaper than an SP RC of Jarome Iginla!

I'd planned to keep the Kobe card, especially after he tragically passed away in 2020. However a year later, the prices of this fairly common rookie card were soaring and I decided to sell. The most recent PSA 9 example sold for $50 so I think I made the right decision.

Henrik Lundqvist 2005-06 SP Authentic RC Auto BGS 9.5
Sale Price: $475.00

I managed to splurge on a few Future Watch autos over the years including this "King" Henrik, which I bought in 2012 for $160. Despite my disdain for the Rags, I liked Lundqvist and was happy to have this card in my high-end hockey PC. Once he retired, I decided to cash out. The pandemic was unofficially done by the time I sold this in early 2022, but the prices remained high. One recent eBay auction for a BGS 9.5 ended at about $270, while another copy sold for roughly the same price as mine.

Kris Bryant 2013 Bowman Chrome Ref. Auto BGS 9.5
Sale Price: $600.00

I loved this card. It was one of my absolute favorite singles of one of my favorite players. I did not buy it to resell. This was supposed to stay in my collection forever. However, I started to panic after his injury-riddled 2018 season and even though he rebounded in 2019 I must have sensed something ominous on the horizon - because I sold this card in January of 2020. Bryant's stock has sunk lower than Yelich due to a never-ending string of injuries. I still root for the guy and occasionally scoop up his low-end parallels, but I'm glad I was able to sell this when I did. A South Korean seller recently sold two copies of this card for $99.99 each. I'd consider buying it back at that price.