I have pages all reserved for these teams, and scattered cards in slots. It dawned on me that the Willie Mays slots might go unfilled for years, and perhaps forever. In our newly-challenging card-collecting era, in which cards can be up to triple the cost they were a year ago, Willie Mays is just one of those guys who's rightfully going to command a premium. So I half-assed it.
I found that Topps had made a reprint set of some of Mays' best cards back in 1997. Some of these "reprints" were available on eBay for not a whole lot of money, and I was like, "Well, it would be nice to fill those slots, wouldn't it?". The thinking is that the reprint won't fill the slot forever, it's just a "placeholder" right now. Right? Right?
Here's the thing, though: These 3 cards that I got today are decidedly not from that '97 reprint set. They look to be "bootlegs". They have a photocopied look and a somewhat cheap feel. So they're truly placeholders, and nothing I'm especially proud to own.
I bought an exceptionally cheap 1965 Sandy Koufax card on eBay two days ago for $2.87. Something tell me that's probably not the real deal either. Seller had a 99.8% positive rating, so I said - well, what if? It hasn't arrived yet but I'm certainly not holding my breath for it to be anything different than these 3 Willie Mays cards I just got.
What say you, card community?
They look real enough to me, but in hand I guess would be totally different.
ReplyDeleteIf I had some Rays cards I needed that commanded big money and replaced them with a reprint it would probably bug me as well since I would know they weren’t the real thing. Still, that’s a good idea to do that so you can get the visual of what the complete set looks like in a binder.
Definitely, go for suitable replacements in the way of either reprints or Cards your mom threw out with or without the original backs etc. It is too risky to spend big $ on something that has likely been copied or forged and of course graded just don't fit nice into the sheets. I can't imagine having big chunks of $ sitting in a couple of cards when everyday life commands the need for those $.
ReplyDeleteYep, replacements are great for now. Everyone has their budgets/limits of what they'll spend on cards. Maybe someday you'll have a windfall or the bubble bursts some and you can always replace them with the real deal, but if not all that matters is that you're enjoying your collection!
ReplyDeleteHard to imagine a 65T Koufax selling for $2.87 and it not being a bootleg. Then again... crazier things have been known to happen. If it is indeed a bootleg and the seller didn't clarify that... I'd be a little annoyed. I know that plenty of people on eBay sell them to help set builders and I can live with that. But to not point that detail out in the posting seems shady.
ReplyDeleteRe the Koufax - there is always a bit of concern about a deal being too good to be true. If you haven't already you should familiarize yourself with the telltale signs of a bogus vintage card - pixelated printing, evenly rounded corners, etc. Another thing to do is to google the ebay username - sometimes you will find a forum post about them.
ReplyDeleteI looked up the latest sold copies of the '65 Koufax and saw one that was under $5 - don't know if it was yours. The card in the photo didn't raise obvious red flags but when I googled the username of the seller I came across a blowoutforums post saying that he sold fake autographs.
You are only out a few bucks on the Koufax, probably worth the gamble!! And I would definitely use placeholders until the day you are in the money and can get the originals. Speaking of reprints, I just bought a very convincing Jordan RC fake for $2. It's just cool to look at and pretend.
ReplyDeleteI think the placeholder idea is a good one. I think the reprints look ok generally, but the '62 seems a bit dark in both the border and the background of the picture.
ReplyDeletePlaceholders seem like a good strategy for your team pages, especially with bigger/costly names like Mays, Koufax, etc. Those guys are true budget-busters.
ReplyDelete