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I'm thinking of selling a portion of my T206 set to pay off some loans. Still staying with the set, but cutting back to get some money in the bank.
But, I am having a tough time deciding what cards to sell. For those of you who have followed T206 prices, demand and supply over the past few years, what common back (non Big 6) low grade (PSA 1 - PSA 3) cards (say your top 5, if you need to limit your answer to a small number) would you keep solely based on the potential increase in the card's price and demand over the next, say, 2-3 years? Please be as specific as possible. So, you might say all HOF'ers. I would love to keep all of my HOF'ers, but the reality is that this is where most of money is concentrated in. So, you could instead say "the following 6 HOF'ers," or something more specific.
...having sold over 500 of my 521 set over the past 12 months. I kept the Mathewsons and a couple of Cobbs and then a few of the toughies that I knew would be really hard to replace. The nice thing about the HOFers is that they are really easy to replace -- you can always find them. But try finding a Magee portrait in SGC 60. Or a "Slow" Joe Doyle in SGC 40. Really tough cards to find. So I held on to them, too. I also held onto my Hans Lobert, since he's pretty tough to find too. And my Detroit Germany Schaefer, SGC 50 -- another toughie.
Of course, it is always a safe bet to hold onto the Southern Leaguers. There is good value there and they are pretty scarce, all things considered. In the end, sell the easy to find commons and Hall of Famers first. And then hold on to a few favorites....
Only 6? Tough choice..personal preferences only!
Elberfeld/Wash
Lundgren/Cubs
Cobb Green
Walter J Portrait
Lajoie Bat
Cy or Matty Portrait, flip a coin..
As I posted, "personal preferences only"..
Just something about the bat variation that seems so defining of the entire set..it's a keeper! To me anyway...
I don't have years of experience, but I may have something to add to this thread from the prospective of the buyer. I've added over 100 T-206s in the last year to my collection and plan to add 100 more this year. About half of them have been ungraded and the other half VG-EX to EX graded cards. The only Ts that I've sold have been doubles. As discussed in other threads, the market is soft and I've found now is a good time to be a buyer. The interesting thing is I believe ungraded cards in VG-EX condition have remained stable, while graded cards have dropped. As a buyer I don't see the sense of gambling on an ungraded card for $30.00 when I can buy a PSA 4 or an SGC 50 for $45.00 to $50.00. So as a buyer I'm concentrating on graded cards right now. I have also bought several PSA 5s for under $80.00, and 6s for around $150.00, the last few months. Before the holidays graded cards were trading for 20% more. Graded Hall-of-Famers have also dropped in value, but the prices for ungraded HOFers are still trading on eBay at about the same price as a year ago.
My suggestion would be to sell your ungraded cards first (if you have any) and hang on the the graded material as long as you can until the market improves. I'm betting that they will return to the higher levels this summer. If you have to sell graded cards now, I would work my way up the ladder selling the lowest grades first.
I don't buy Ts for their backs, but I'm sure there will be plenty of members who will share trends on which backs you should keep.
This comment will be of no help in determing values for selling purposes but,if it was me, I would make a stack of all the cards and then look at each one individually and see if it makes me smile--for me --Bill Sweeney ( Boston) makes me smile--Hal Chase ( holding trophy) doesn't. I would keep as many of the cards as make me smile and sell those that don't first. I know this doesn't help with the economic issues but I would much rather hold on to those that bring pleasure.
Agree with Bill you have a low grade set and the prices are not going to move much either way. So choose the ones you like to look at and hold in your hand. The ones you feel are better condition then the grade you received. etc...
I've sold a couple of times when I thought I needed the money and have regretted it every time. If you can find a spending cut alternative that works, you might consider that instead. If the cards relax you, they are cheap therapy.
As far as what to sell, I'd get rid of commons first, then the minor stars and lesser HOFers, and keep the big name HOFers and rarities for last.
I think keeping the tougher cards is definitely the way to go. If you are happy with your Elberfeld or Dahlen scarce variations, I would keep 'em. They are far harder to find than HOF'ers. I'd keep the Green Cobb too if you like the look of yours.
I agree with the boxingcardman. I am generally not a seller but every time I have sold cards, or memorabilia, I have regretted it. Last time I was tempted, I decided to sell my '60 Plymouth instead. I miss the convertible but I would have missed my T3s and T206s more. I would sell the HOFERs last.
The Lajoie bat card is THE singular T206 for me. My example is also my most expensive card that I own. I would actually sell my Cubs set before I sell that card.
Others that I find rather intriguing as well:
Chase-both pink and blue portraits
Merkle-throwing
McGraw portrait w/cap
Current Topic - Need to make a decision about T206's
