
It’s week 8 of the Investing in Sports Cards with Jesse project from Cardlines.com, where we’re on a quest to show sports card investing is a viable form of investing.
As always, here are the rules. Every week, I’ll be spending about $100 on cards and telling you what I purchased, why I bought them, what strategies I used, and how you can apply them to your collecting.
We’re tracking progress, too. Every week I’ll share:
From there, we’ll be able to calculate my gains.
I challenge you to take on this initiative, too. Invest more or less than me–totally up to you–but track your progress.
Together, let’s show the world the power of card investing.
During week 8, I was out of the office. Although I was fortunate enough to pack up and go on a fishing trip with my father, the sports card market didn’t sleep.
That said, instead of fishing for deals, I let one of the best deals come to me.
I made two purchases using two different strategies. First, let’s take a look at what I bought.
As you’ll probably recall from previous Card Quest entries, I’m pretty bullish on Ryan Tannehill. If he can stay healthy, he has a tremendous supporting cast around him and could have a career season. On top of that, Tennessee’s sub-par defense might make him through more than ever before.
Knowing I would be on vacation and spending less time on eBay, I hopped on Facebook and put out a request in one of my many sports card groups: who would sell me the best Tannehill rookie lot for $50?
While several people sent me proposed lots, I ended up going with a 15 card lot from a seller I’d dealt with in the past. We ended up agreeing on $60–a bit more than I’d budgeted–, but for the cards I received, it was a great price.
I bought:
The Topps rookies comp for about $5/each, and although it’s hard to comp the /10 and /83 rookies, I’m going to estimate they’re worth $25/each. So total, I comp the lot at $100.
Are Ryan Tannehill Strata RC’s a good investment? (look for Tannehill rookie lots on eBay).
A takeaway from this is that there’s value in leveraging your network of collectors. Because I bought from a seller as a repeat customer, I knew I was getting a great price, and my seller knew he was getting prompt responsible payment.
A misspelled listing strikes again.
I made this purchase coming off a fantasy draft where I was bummed I didn’t get Matthew Stafford. However, I think Stafford could have an exceptional year in McVay’s offense with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee as targets.
I searched for his rookie cards that were misspelled using the search “2009 Matthew -Stafford” and found a listing entitled: 2009 CONTENDERS FOOTBALL MATTHEW STADFORD RC PLAYOFF TICKET 33/99?. This listing caught my eye because of his last name and the fire emoji, of course (seriously: underrated trick in listing cards.)
The card was listed BIN, but I shot over an offer of $40 BIN, which was accepted. Stafford rookie cards are pretty pricey because they’re over a decade old. Therefore, finding a low-numbered one in excellent condition is exciting.
Jesse got a good deal on a Matthew Stafford Rookie Donruss College Playoff Rookie Contenders Ticket (look for Matthew Stafford RC’s on eBay).
This card is hard to comp, but I’m valuing it at $75 since I currently have it listed at $100 with 5 watchers in just 24 hours.
The strategy here isn’t a new one, but it’s good: misspelled player n can listings can get you significant deals!
Here’s the updated running list of the cards I’m still holding and their most recent comps with two new purchases.
Tannehill Triple Threads Auto /25: Bought $83; Comp $90
Tannehill Rookie Card Lot: Bought $17; Comp $50
Gilgeous-Alexander Rookie Lot: Bought $75, Comp $130
SGA Prizm Rookie: Bought $121, Comp: $158
Alexander-Walker lot of 96 Hoops Rookies: Bought $40, Comp for $144
NAW lot of 5 Optic Silver Wave: Bought $25, Comp for $40
NAW lot of 11 Rookies: Bought $10.81, Comp for $74
Minshew Prizm Lot: Bought $50, comp $75
Heinicke Contenders Auto: Bought $37, Comp $42
Heinicke Rookies and Stars Auto /50: Bought $19, Comp $40
Tylan Wallace 3 Card Lot: Bought $50.80, Comp $60
20 Card Football Lot: Bought $31.77, Comp: $100
Matthew Stafford Contenders Rookie /99: Bought $43.06, Comp for $75
Ryan Tannehill Rookie Lot: Bought $60, Comp $90
Will Jesse’s investment in Tylan Wallace pay off? (look for Tylan Wallace autos on eBay).
McCaffrey Rookie /100: Bought $36, Sold $80
Now that the NFL season is getting kicked off, the values could move quite a bit more. So be sure to check out our 2021 NFL preview as the season gets underway!
With another round of successful purchases despite being on the road, the net barely moved this week. That’s a good thing–especially assuming football cards as a whole begin to rise soon–and shows that sometimes building relationships and letting good deals come to you is just as valuable as hunting them out.
What will I be buying next week? Come back for the next update.
Are you taking on this project yourself? Tweet me @realjessehaynes or email Cardlines to tell us about it!
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