Investing In Sports Cards: Card Quest 8

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.

Investing In Sports Cards With Jesse: The Rules Of The Game

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:

• My total amount spent
• My total amount sold (once I start selling some)
• Total value (the comp price of my cards + total amount sold).

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.

Week 8 Of Investing In Sports Cards With Jesse Purchases

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.

Purchase 1: Ryan Tannehill Rookie Lot

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:

• 10 Base Topps Tannehill Rookies
• 3 Strata Tannehill Base Rookies
• 1 Strata SSP Tannehill Rookie /10
• 1 Elite Tannehill Mirror Rookie/ 83

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.

Purchase 2: Matthew Stafford Contenders Rookie /99

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!

Investing In Sports Cards With Jesse: Progress

Here’s the updated running list of the cards I’m still holding and their most recent comps with two new purchases.

Investing In Sports Cards With Jesse: Cards Held

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).

Investing In Sports Cards With Jesse: Cards Sold

 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!

Investing In Sports Cards With Jesse: The Totals

Spent: $822

Held (Comps): $1477

Sold: $80

Value: $1557

Net: 89.3% increase

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!