Today, we’ll continue with Challenge #21 A Card of a Rookie you thought you were Investing in.
I'm happy to admit that this didn't happen very often. I didn't usually buy anything specifically to invest in. Sure, I hung onto my 1987 Topps Pete Incaviglia cards because they were going to be worth a fortune some day. But, I didn't actively seek them out. I did buy a bunch of 1990 Score Mo Vaughn, but he was a favorite player of mine. So, I just wanted a lot. I also bought a certain Phil Plantier card before the $17 price tag doubled. Or more. But, again, that wasn't o much to resell after investing it. It was just getting my copy before prices went crazy.
No, the only card I can remember buying a bunch of with the specific intention of making money on the resale was this card.
Yeah. I know what you're thinking. Good thing I only did this once.
(Actually, twice. My one and only home shopping network purchase was the 1991 Classic minor league set because it had an exclusive Sele card. Yup.)
But, this one was a slam dunk. Sele was the Sox first round draft pick. He was going to be a stud pitcher to team with Roger Clemens to make an amazing 1-2 punch.
Of course, that didn't happen. But, in illustrating one of the main problems with prospecting, it wasn't really that far off. It's one thing to say you should see the red flags and not invest in some top pick that goes bust. But, Sele did have a pretty long 15 year career. He made a couple all-star games. Finished in the top five of Cy Young voting, and won just about 150 games. That's a pretty solid resume. You can see how it would be hard to notice the difference between that type of player and, say, Greg Maddux. Sometimes you just never know. Which is what's tricky. Unless I'm going to say to myself, "I'm going to buy a dozen of every Red Sox rookie. If one makes it I'll sell them. Maybe those will cover the costs of the ones that don't. But either way I'm happy to have Red Sox cards." But that could be hard to do, which is why it's so appealing to pick and choose.
Just choose better than I did.
I'm happy to admit that this didn't happen very often. I didn't usually buy anything specifically to invest in. Sure, I hung onto my 1987 Topps Pete Incaviglia cards because they were going to be worth a fortune some day. But, I didn't actively seek them out. I did buy a bunch of 1990 Score Mo Vaughn, but he was a favorite player of mine. So, I just wanted a lot. I also bought a certain Phil Plantier card before the $17 price tag doubled. Or more. But, again, that wasn't o much to resell after investing it. It was just getting my copy before prices went crazy.
No, the only card I can remember buying a bunch of with the specific intention of making money on the resale was this card.
Yeah. I know what you're thinking. Good thing I only did this once.
(Actually, twice. My one and only home shopping network purchase was the 1991 Classic minor league set because it had an exclusive Sele card. Yup.)
But, this one was a slam dunk. Sele was the Sox first round draft pick. He was going to be a stud pitcher to team with Roger Clemens to make an amazing 1-2 punch.
Of course, that didn't happen. But, in illustrating one of the main problems with prospecting, it wasn't really that far off. It's one thing to say you should see the red flags and not invest in some top pick that goes bust. But, Sele did have a pretty long 15 year career. He made a couple all-star games. Finished in the top five of Cy Young voting, and won just about 150 games. That's a pretty solid resume. You can see how it would be hard to notice the difference between that type of player and, say, Greg Maddux. Sometimes you just never know. Which is what's tricky. Unless I'm going to say to myself, "I'm going to buy a dozen of every Red Sox rookie. If one makes it I'll sell them. Maybe those will cover the costs of the ones that don't. But either way I'm happy to have Red Sox cards." But that could be hard to do, which is why it's so appealing to pick and choose.
Just choose better than I did.
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