Do you ever buy cards simply to.....

Protect a previous investment or purchase?

I find myself doing this from time to time. I purchased the card below recently, just b/c I purchased another PSA 4 (though much nicer than this one) a year or two back for over $700 and I couldn't let this one go so cheaply.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120212330020&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=002

I haven't done it but it makes sense. This would work well with a rare card. Kind of like what you wanted to do with the Tango Eggs Weaver.....but you were nice enough to sell me one of yours

hehe totally scott! or i'm just a big sucker who likes dupes. i had a t222 grover 4, then i bought a sgc20 thinking i'd downgrade....then i can't sell either and now i'll have to take a big loss on both.

others i've had dupes of recently e90-1 speaker 2 and e97 keeler 4. the e90-1 was a protection bid but i won it for real cheap and sold it to recover for my over-spending on the 3. the keeler i also bought because i thought it was cheap and i sold the 5 i've had for 5 years recently. i'm in a constant cycle of trying to downgrade everything these days.

Geez, Now I'm gonna have to compete with your big bucks for low grade cards

Jay

I would have done the same thing....


M116 cards are still a good bargain. I believe one day they will take off and you will do very well if you decide to sell.

Mark

Mark, as astute as you are when it comes to buying and selling, I feel happy I bought the M116 Mack now!

BTW - Are you ready for the BIG GAME tonight???? I believe I have quit crying about Dallas losing long enough to watch the Super Bowl without tears getting in my way.

I don't have enough money to "protect" investments. Then again, I rarely ever overpay for a card.

Jay

Jay, you are definitely an astute buyer. The BEST way to avoid what I mentioned is to NOT overpay. However, I don't believe I overpaid at the time. At the time, I had been looking for a nice example of this card for a couple of years without any luck (except a POOR ungraded example that sold for over $400). As my luck would have it, a few came out of the woodwork after I made my purchase - thus, lowering the price, as people who needed/wanted them at the time snatched them up.

When I get my money situation straightened out in a couple of months, I would still love to do the buying contest between you and Lee on this forum (the one we had planned for the Aimoo forum, when the forum went BONKERS).

Quan - I have to agree with you about dupes of cards I like. I have multiples of E92 (and other issues with the same pose) of Lajoies, Jacklitsches, Dooins, Seigles, E90-1 Knights, Obak Hetlings, T206 Oberlins, Bates, Cobbs (Bat Off Shoulder) and Griffiths (with bat). All of these cards (except for the pink background examples) have sunset backgrounds. One day, I am going to buy me a couple of those nice oak 30 graded card displays and do one completely full of sunset backgrounds and one completely full of pink backgrounds for my den.

I sure would like to see a collection of pink backgrounds. I've often thought that a guy could collect them only, and have a shot at completing the pre-war set of them.

Buying duplicates with no intention of keeping them seem like a risky proposition these days with the prices getting softer and softer recently.

Wesley, the time to buy is when the prices are low! I at least try to stick to cards I like, so I don't mind keeping them, just in case.

I really started buying heavily in 1982 when the market was bottoming out because of the recession. I just wish I would have had more money back then. Back in 1982, $800 didn't go too far at the Willow Grove show. That show is still the single best show I ever attended, and that includes the 1987 National which was pretty impressive.

Jay

i've recently had to turn down some cards i thought were good prices because my "good"=10%+ above market and i feel there are still room for them to come down even more. can't splurge no more, it's no fun when you're not buying

I agree Quan. It ain't fun when you are not buying.
So, I also collect non-sports, which fills the gap when the cash temporarilly isn't available, or the cards ain't.
A similar attack would be to work on a low grade set for these times.