trading pickle

Do people have cards that they have very little money into, and are very rare, that they wouldn't trade for a more mainstream card worth 6 times what they paid for it? The mainstream card would fit well in my collection, but I fear trader's remorse will quickly set in and I'll forever be on the lookout to replace the card I traded away.

Is it me or has anyone noticed heightened trading goings on, perhaps a result of the economy and some issues drying up?

Let me add that some people have killer trade bait arsenals with which to pry cards loose from even the most untradeliest (sic!) of collectors. Maybe moreso lately than in the past I dunno.

I've definitely noticed more trading going on. I myself have been involved in a few.

For me, it's the fact that there really hasn't been much available out there (for my collecting preferences) recently. Also, since my card funds have pretty much dried up, I have to trade to get something I want, or I have to sell cards that I don't want to sell, in order to go after something else.

Trading sure can be tricky sometimes. In my opinion, what you originally paid for a card shouldn't be a factor. As I'm sure you know, many of the scarcer issues have shown dramatic increases in value over the years. You wouldn't want to shortchange yourself in the trade just because you got your card for a bargain years ago.

Personally I tend to favor scarcer/oddball issues in favor of the popular mainstream issues, but that's a matter of personal preference. If you say you're already fearing traders remorse, then I say keep your card and avoid the regrets. There will be other opportunities to add that mainstream card to your collection.

you should hold onto what you have, unless you're referring to that m101-6, then I'd trade or sell it to me immediately .

I seldom if ever trade, unless it's a duplicate. I would be more prone to trade the other way though--my mainstream for your oddball or scarce issue. I will confess that in the past year, I have sold scarcer cards to have funds for purchases of other, at least somewhat scarce cards, so in a sense, I've traded in some for others.

What you have into it is not a real factor for me either, nor do I fret much on where values are or might be headed, as I am into this as a collector, not investor. So, for example, I always wanted a 1961 #300 Mickey Mantle in PSA 8, as a centerpiece of my favorite post-war set. I figure that would set me back about $1400 for one that I really like. Yet when I find myself with $1400, I never seem to even shop for that Mantle, because I know that there will always be time and a supply for that. Instead I look for $100-$200 m101-s that I need, or a pre-war type that catches my eye. If I find, let's say an m101 HOfer in Vg-Ex that might have a "market value" of $450, I would be loathe to trade it for that Mantle, just because I know how long it may take to find another of what I was giving up. I understand that I could sell the Mantle, and use the extra several hundred $$$ to buy more of what I want pre-war, and maybe under the right circumstances I might do just that, but generally and as a mindset, I'd rather hold onto to the scarcer card. Maybe that doesn't make much business sense and I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree, but that's how I see it.

"In my opinion, what you originally paid for a card shouldn't be a factor."

I absolutely agree. It was never clear to me why what someone has in a card should effect it's trade/sale value. If the card has changed in value, or you originally overpaid, that ship has already sailed. The card is worth what the current market will bear. I understand the psychology of not wanting to take a net loss on a card, but what point is there in holding a card for years simply because you overpaid when you bought it and don't want to feel bad about it now?

To the point of the OP, trading is a little more difficult since a discussion and agreement on value needs to be reached by both sides. I have a few tough cards that I keep just in case I need ammo to pry a card away from someone who is otherwise inclined to keep it.

Hey Pete, did you end up doing the trade?

I did. Actually I made two straight up trades with two different collectors. Several things made the trade I mentioned above pleasant--my card brings him to within a card or two of completing the set, it's not my only type from the set, and when I bought the card I was thinking to use it as trade bait at some point down the line. That and the card I picked up is no slouch, which I'll promptly post a scan of when I get it. Thanks guys.