The history of pumps and dumps in the basketball card history
 

Someone else mentioned a huge pump of 1990-91 Fleer Jordans a few years ago in the other thread and it got me thinking about when else this has occurred in the past. Prices went up 500% of normal then fell back to then usual.

Some questions for the BO crowd:

1. What pumps have you purchased into the past near peak prices and still own despite a significantly lower value.

2. Any other examples of pumps then dumps in the past?

People are calling this current Jordan pump possible manipulation and it may or may not turn out to be like that, but what are some concrete examples from sports cards history that we can learn about?

And i'm not talking about people hyping up rookies (Andrew Wiggins) that flamed out, but a group of cards that could be had for cheap for a long time, then pumped, then got back to cheap again to where they should have been in the first place.

When cards get pump and people buy into it, prices will come down but not at the price it was orginally at. Just wait intil the luka 2nd year prizm base craze starts. Time to stock up.;)

menendez brothers rc

Kobe 03-04 extra exquisite jersey cards. I don’t remember the exact prices but some people started pumping them like it was no ones business. I think they were selling more than the auto patches, it was crazy.

[QUOTE=patchgenie;15755600]menendez brothers rc[/QUOTE]

good call

I remember 2011-12 certified totally greens getting pumped pretty hard, as well as the 2011-12, 2012-13 precious metal gems from the upper deck fleer retro issues.

Intrigued! I like this thread idea...

Its good to shed further light on the shady side of card collecting history.

Not cheap by any means, but the 1987-88 Fleer PSA 10 Jordan.

In 2016, it was selling for 2800-3000 in Jan/Feb.

That same year PWCC had two record auctions over 5400 in Apr then over 6000 in May.

Eventually prices dropped to the $3000 range again. Theyre on the rise again, maybe they can hit 10k soon!

[QUOTE=hermanotarjeta;15755619]I remember 2011-12 certified totally greens getting pumped pretty hard, as well as the 2011-12, 2012-13 precious metal gems from the upper deck fleer retro issues.[/QUOTE]

How about the actual 90’s PMGs and not the retro ones? Goonblott and his buddies were buying and selling between each other all the time recording new record highs. I am of the belief that Mike the Huperroyalty guy wasn’t part of it but I think they used him hardcore to get the message out there. Funny though that the bubble popped some on those but has stayed inflated, wonder if they ever go down a lot again.

[QUOTE=mc1;15755642]Not cheap by any means, but the 1987-88 Fleer PSA 10 Jordan.

In 2016, it was selling for 2800-3000 in Jan/Feb.

That same year PWCC had two record auctions over 5400 in Apr then over 6000 in May.

Eventually prices dropped to the $3000 range again. Theyre on the rise again, maybe they can hit 10k soon![/QUOTE]

Along the same lines, the Jordan 1986-87 fleer was pumped from around $10k to $40k, fell back down to $10k, and now they are back up again.

[QUOTE=clipperboy24;15755651]How about the actual 90’s PMGs and not the retro ones? Goonblott and his buddies were buying and selling between each other all the time recording new record highs. I am of the belief that Mike the Huperroyalty guy wasn’t part of it but I think they used him hardcore to get the message out there. Funny though that the bubble popped some on those but has stayed inflated, wonder if they ever go down a lot again.[/QUOTE]

It's funny that they were the ones who pumped the 90's jordan inserts initially about a decade ago, but Jordan has actually sustained in price as they were able to convince a large number of wealthy collectors that they were worth the investment due to their scarcity.

I don't see this happening with jordan base cards.

[QUOTE=clipperboy24;15755651]How about the actual 90’s PMGs and not the retro ones? Goonblott and his buddies were buying and selling between each other all the time recording new record highs. I am of the belief that Mike the Huperroyalty guy wasn’t part of it but I think they used him hardcore to get the message out there. Funny though that the bubble popped some on those but has stayed inflated, wonder if they ever go down a lot again.[/QUOTE]

90's PMGs is a tough one because even if people pump them, there's still collectors looking to buy them up. Deep pockets will pay for top tier cards like that. Not only for inserts but look at certain exquisite cards, every time they pop up it's a new record price.

If you want to talk about pump and dump in this era, Panini is doing a fine job of that. 5-10 years from now, we will look back at these last few years and wonder why the heck were people pay $500-$1000 for non high end boxes of cards.

The De'aaron Fox pump and dump stands out to me

[QUOTE=hermanotarjeta;15755653]Along the same lines, the Jordan 1986-87 fleer was pumped from around $10k to $40k, fell back down to $10k, and now they are back up again.[/QUOTE]
That card hasn’t been $10k since 2014. After the 2016 rise, it fell to a nadir of $16-17k from summer to early winter 2017.

He's a thread on the 2016 Jordan Fleer pump and dump for those interested. [URL="https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1003605"]https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1003605[/URL]

Thanks to ninjacookies for bumping it.

[QUOTE=hermanotarjeta;15755653]Along the same lines, the Jordan 1986-87 fleer was pumped from around $10k to $40k, fell back down to $10k, and now they are back up again.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I coulda bought a perfectly centered one [choice of 2] for $16-18k live at a show and decided not to do so on the way back up. Whoops.

I also remember the ludicrous TC Green pump and dump. Just so silly.

Harry Giles....

But so many of these 'Pumps' aren't true pump and dumps... they are collectors getting too excited and overpaying because of FOMO.

Eventually the heat dies out and prices come back to earth, BUT, if the card is truly something that has significance and it's of a player who counts, it usually doesn't come back to the price it started at.

But don't act like this is something new.... it was happening in the early 90's with Ben McDonald Upper Deck error cards and Nolan Ryan Stadium Club Tuxedo

101 Star Jordan

Gala RC /8

Psa 10 junk wax Jordan’s and the boxes themselves.

[QUOTE=tjforce;15756193]Harry Giles....

But so many of these 'Pumps' aren't true pump and dumps... they are collectors getting too excited and overpaying because of FOMO.

Eventually the heat dies out and prices come back to earth, BUT, if the card is truly something that has significance and it's of a player who counts, it usually doesn't come back to the price it started at.

But don't act like this is something new.... it was happening in the early 90's with Ben McDonald Upper Deck error cards and Nolan Ryan Stadium Club Tuxedo[/QUOTE]
Anfernee Simons feels like he fits in the Giles category sort of (granted he has a chance to be a much better player)

Stephen Curry

[QUOTE=tjforce;15756193]Harry Giles....

But so many of these 'Pumps' aren't true pump and dumps... they are collectors getting too excited and overpaying because of FOMO.

Eventually the heat dies out and prices come back to earth, BUT, if the card is truly something that has significance and it's of a player who counts, it usually doesn't come back to the price it started at.

But don't act like this is something new.... it was happening in the early 90's with Ben McDonald Upper Deck error cards and Nolan Ryan Stadium Club Tuxedo[/QUOTE]

Exactly! People are getting confused. A shift in prices because of fomo, a couple good games (or one really good game) or a strong showing in summer league doesn’t really qualify as “pumping”.

You’re 100% right that this isn’t new. When I got back into collecting in 04-05 people were talking about how exquisite was being pumped and prices would never be sustainable lol. I remember people thought a buyers group was pumping Al Jefferson SPA rookie autos that year as well as prices rocketed up to $300 plus. Turned out a new collector with deep pockets (secote if anyone remembers that name) just wanted as many as he could for him and his son and didn’t mind paying exorbitant prices. While I don’t disagree that there is some collusion on inflating certain cards there is more organic movement in prices then people will admit. Easier to blame it on buyers groups I guess.

Side note I find it hilarious that certain people defend the prices of Zion and the ridiculous boxes prices this year as the new normal. Zion is the next messiah! Zion brought in all this new money!! Get use to prices being ridiculous, yet when cards of the greatest and most influential player of all time start to rise it’s a witch hunt for a buyers group lol.

[QUOTE=codered;15757565]

Side note I find it hilarious that certain people defend the prices of Zion and the ridiculous boxes prices this year as the new normal. Zion is the next messiah! Zion brought in all this new money!! Get use to prices being ridiculous, yet when cards of the greatest and most influential player of all time start to rise it’s a witch hunt for a buyers group lol.[/QUOTE]

Zion prices are certainly ridiculous.

But rookie cards of players in their rookie years have always driven the most demand since the hobby began over a century ago.

That is nothing new.

Since when did modern day veteran base become coveted?

Perhaps it's just a sign of the new times and some of us are Clint Eastwoods being overly protective of the prized Chevy Volt in the driveway.

/ Boomer out

[QUOTE=hermanotarjeta;15755501]Someone else mentioned a huge pump of 1990-91 Fleer Jordans a few years ago in the other thread and it got me thinking about when else this has occurred in the past. Prices went up 500% of normal then fell back to then usual.

Some questions for the BO crowd:

1. What pumps have you purchased into the past near peak prices and still own despite a significantly lower value.

2. Any other examples of pumps then dumps in the past?

People are calling this current Jordan pump possible manipulation and it may or may not turn out to be like that, but what are some concrete examples from sports cards history that we can learn about?

And i'm not talking about people hyping up rookies (Andrew Wiggins) that flamed out, but a group of cards that could be had for cheap for a long time, then pumped, then got back to cheap again to where they should have been in the first place.[/QUOTE]

Harry Giles immediately came to mind.

Only the pump so far but since I've been looking to buy one the Pippen 88 Fleer RC in PSA 9 has gone from $40 to $500 in like 2 months. Rodman same thing on a smaller scale.

[QUOTE=RandyC;15759126]Harry Giles immediately came to mind.[/QUOTE]Took long enough!

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For all you newbies I got one name for you that y’all probably don’t know but I remember well

ANTHONY RANDOLPH

this was the first real summer league pump and dump

[QUOTE=LeonfromNC;15759185]For all you newbies I got one name for you that y’all probably don’t know but I remember well

ANTHONY RANDOLPH

this was the first real summer league pump and dump[/QUOTE]

Remember a guy on HK that was big on him.

These 12-13 LBJ Prizm have been growing too quickly. I remember posting in a thread that a few weeks ago that these cards will hit $300+ at some point, and they already did. It is an iconic card and beautiful in hand, but I'd be BEYOND surprised if they hit past $400. That's just insane to me for a base card. I'd rather pick up a nice game-used patch

"These 12-13 LBJ Prizm have been growing too quickly. I remember posting in a thread that a few weeks ago that these cards will hit $300+ at some point, and they already did. It is an iconic card and beautiful in hand, but I'd be BEYOND surprised if they hit past $400. That's just insane to me for a base card. I'd rather pick up a nice game-used patch."


That's what I figured. I have four of the 2012 Prizm base and a couple other such items and decided to treat myself to a pair of Immaculate tags /5 because I could sell those base to pay for one of the cards I just purchases, if I so chose. And these tags are now the crown jewel of my collection!

[QUOTE=Cavaliercards;15759187]Remember a guy on HK that was big on him.[/QUOTE]

The thing is, his PER was unreal. I was doing some research a year or so ago on a PER-age adjusted basis and he stuck out like a sore thumb among true all-timers.

Would the Jeremy Lin "Linsanity" qualify on this?

Bought some 2012 Prizm Lebron PSA 10s about a month+ ago for long term hold.

But at the prices those are selling at right now, I had to sell.

[QUOTE=Greg Clark;15759599]Would the Jeremy Lin "Linsanity" qualify on this?[/QUOTE]

I don't think that was actually a pump & dump scheme, I think that was a lightning in a bottle type thing driven by actual demand - fueled mostly by Asian collectors. That's how I saw it anyway. You could actually understand the sudden demand for his cards based on his ascension into the limelight, it wasn't arbitrary.

[QUOTE=le14;15759632]Bought some 2012 Prizm Lebron PSA 10s about a month+ ago for long term hold.

But at the prices those are selling at right now, I had to sell.[/QUOTE]

The prices the PSA 10's are getting right now are insane. I was buying for around $225-240 at the beginning of the year and I thought I was nuts, but I love that card. I officially give up trying to understand this hobby.

I don't blame you for selling.

Have some ungraded ones as well.

I’m thinking once grading services are back in action we’ll be seeing a ton of these sent in.

Jordan 90/91 Fleer
Steph Curry Rookies
Giannis Prizm
LeBron Prizm Lakers blah blah
Current Jordan market

Ebay need a different colour for sold listings that were never paid for. Because right now people are just hitting BINs and not paying so long as they drive up prices.

[QUOTE=hawkfandan;15759637]I don't think that was actually a pump & dump scheme, I think that was a lightning in a bottle type thing driven by actual demand - fueled mostly by Asian collectors. That's how I saw it anyway. You could actually understand the sudden demand for his cards based on his ascension into the limelight, it wasn't arbitrary.[/QUOTE]

The funny thing is that it still holds to some extent. I am trying to put together a few galactic base sets and I end up paying as much for his cards as regular all stars/all-NBA players.

[QUOTE=gamboooler;15759165]Only the pump so far but since I've been looking to buy one the Pippen 88 Fleer RC in PSA 9 has gone from $40 to $500 in like 2 months. Rodman same thing on a smaller scale.[/QUOTE]

What the frick...how have I not seen this mentioned anywhere. Sold a puppet PSA 9 and a Stockton PSA 10 together for like $230 at auction two months ago. Holy cow, $600 for a pippen PSA 9? That’s one of the biggest jumps ever.

[QUOTE=pejc300;15759953] Sold a puppet PSA 9 [/QUOTE]


[IMG]https://pics.me.me/thumb_the-disrespect-memegenerator-net-the-disrespect-stephen-a-smith-again-53792651.png[/IMG]



Puppet is still undervalued IMO if you compare him to Jaren Jackson Jr. silver prizms.


Everything is a strong buy right now. Everything.

Devon Booker won the ESPN 2k tournament, I think it’s time to start pumping those prizm base cards.


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[QUOTE=BC81;15760078]Devon Booker won the ESPN 2k tournament, I think it’s time to start pumping those prizm base cards.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

My cheatsheat strategy backfired. I hit all the Patrick Beverly BIN's before he even got past the semifinals.

Now my only hope is ESPN releases a documentary on NBA millionaires that look homeless.

[QUOTE=ninjacookies;15760104]My cheatsheat strategy backfired. I hit all the Patrick Beverly BIN's before he even got past the semifinals.

[b]Now my only hope is ESPN releases a documentary on NBA millionaires that look homeless.[/b][/QUOTE]

I LOL’d

Most pump and dumps I see now are the "Hey, looks whos in the background of this card (drake, Menendez bros, jordan etc...). They last a few days and the pump resurfaces every few years

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[QUOTE=tmar214;15756489]101 Star Jordan

Gala RC /8

Psa 10 junk wax Jordan’s and the boxes themselves.[/QUOTE]

That reminds me of the other pump a certain member did of the Flawless diamond base /20. “It’s the rarest base set out there and should be worth more than exquisite, will be the next exquisite” or something like that, lol

[QUOTE=clipperboy24;15760544]That reminds me of the other pump a certain member did of the Flawless diamond base /20. “It’s the rarest base set out there and should be worth more than exquisite, will be the next exquisite” or something like that, lol[/QUOTE]

Except he was pretty spot on.

Adam asked what the LeBron would sell for and he stated over $400 to which everyone laughed at him. I think the first one sold for $600+

FYI 2003 Jordan Exquisite base were selling for $20 early on.

Sooooooo.

[QUOTE=patchgenie;15755600]menendez brothers rc[/QUOTE]

That was strange, there were a lot of non-collector's buying that card. I found a dozen in a closet one night and they all sold for $10 each by morning.I kept 1 as a conversation piece.

Anfernee Simons actually had a very good progressive year for a player straight out high school. Check his stats out I can see them moving CJ and get a lilard a real number 2 wing or big and Simons working his way to a viable 3-4 option producing . Then moving to a 1-2 option a few years down the road.

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[QUOTE=clipperboy24;15760544]That reminds me of the other pump a certain member did of the Flawless diamond base /20. “It’s the rarest base set out there and should be worth more than exquisite, will be the next exquisite” or something like that, lol[/QUOTE]

It should. First and original sets like that usually hold value.
Rare and great looking cards.

All cards get pumped at some point and time, even the ugly ones.

[QUOTE=k13;15761265]It should. First and original sets like that usually hold value.
Rare and great looking cards.[/QUOTE]

Deadset this is the first positive thing I've ever seen typed from you.

Looks like I'm drinking to you tonight good sir.

[QUOTE=imbluestreak23;15761346]All cards get pumped at some point and time, even the ugly ones.[/QUOTE]

I really hope we're still talking about basketball.

Looks like bron optics and prizms will be next.

[QUOTE=hermanotarjeta;15762873]Looks like bron optics and prizms will be next.[/QUOTE]

Next? Haven't his Optics and Prizms been getting pumped for the last year? His Lakers "rookie cards"

[QUOTE=volblorx8634;15762991]Next? Haven't his Optics and Prizms been getting pumped for the last year? His Lakers "rookie cards"[/QUOTE]

They just took a step up, way up.

From $5 10 days ago, to $20-$30.

Classic pump and dump shadiness - I didn’t realize bron was having a documentary released by espn next week (sarcasm).

[QUOTE=drobfan8;15760631]Except he was pretty spot on.

Adam asked what the LeBron would sell for and he stated over $400 to which everyone laughed at him. I think the first one sold for $600+

FYI 2003 Jordan Exquisite base were selling for $20 early on.

Sooooooo.[/QUOTE]

I don’t remember what they started out at specifically, but he was hoarding flawless cases before pumping them up. Then he started pumping the crap out of them and dumped his inventory. If he still had any they are worth a pretty penny and were a good long term investment. It was just the vested interest and marketing of that, it was really hilarious to watch.

[QUOTE=hermanotarjeta;15763018]They just took a step up, way up.

From $5 10 days ago, to $20-$30.

Classic pump and dump shadiness - I didn’t realize bron was having a documentary released by espn next week (sarcasm).[/QUOTE]

[B]I LOVE the Lebron James Laker HYPE!!! I'm ALL IN...or was...

I just sold a lot of 3, 2019-20 Prizm BASE Lebrons for almost 75 bucks! I don't collect Lebron, so it was a no brainer for me!

Get almost 25 per base Prizm?!?!?

SIGN ME UP!!![/B]

[QUOTE=jjrpilot;15768085][B]I LOVE the Lebron James Laker HYPE!!! I'm ALL IN...or was...

I just sold a lot of 3, 2019-20 Prizm BASE Lebrons for almost 75 bucks! I don't collect Lebron, so it was a no brainer for me!

Get almost 25 per base Prizm?!?!?

SIGN ME UP!!![/B][/QUOTE]

how great is that?

i think i have 50 of them

What the hell is FOMO?

When I think of pump and dump does Jeremy Lin count? Lebron,Wade,Bosh matrix trio rc, 89 fleer wax, the Kobe tragedy, and now Jordans, all these base card revolution of prizm and chrome

[QUOTE=Arianny_Fan;15768244]What the hell is FOMO?

When I think of pump and dump does Jeremy Lin count? Lebron,Wade,Bosh matrix trio rc, 89 fleer wax, the Kobe tragedy, and now Jordans, all these base card revolution of prizm and chrome[/QUOTE]

Fear Of Missing Out.

Say, you own an optic Lebron you pulled out of a pack. You look on ebay and now they are "selling for" $30 each. You start to search all the card sites and start to find "steals" of this exact card for $15 each, so you buy them all cause they are "half price" and you fear that the next one you find will cost you $40, even though you have no interest in getting another one. You also buy them because you will kick yourself in the groin if they get to $100 apiece because you could have bought them for $15. Then you figure, hey $20 is a good price if they are going for $40 each. The funny thing is that you would have never paid $5 for it in the first place except that you have seen it "sold" for $30.

By the time all the sheep have bought their lebron optics for $20-$40, the pumpers have already unloaded all their cards that they paid $5 for and have made it out like bandits. Then they move to the next card, and all you genius sheep are stuck with $40 optic lebrons that you can't sell to anyone anymore.

[QUOTE=ThoseBackPages;15768093]how great is that?

i think i have 50 of them[/QUOTE]

50 you say? Start dumping those on the market and get paid son!

I think we should pump up Pau. Watching this 2010 Finals got me wondering why KG is so much more popular than Pau WOW.

KG Finest 10 = $500-$600
Pau WOW TC 10 = $70

(don't get triggered :coffee:)

2016-17 optic wade is now taking its turn.

[QUOTE=imbluestreak23;15769432]I think we should pump up Pau. Watching this 2010 Finals got me wondering why KG is so much more popular than Pau WOW.

KG Finest 10 = $500-$600
Pau WOW TC 10 = $70

(don't get triggered :coffee:)[/QUOTE]

But KG sounds cooler than Pau...

The early 27guy works were absolutely majestic. There was an artistry in those pumps that I don’t really see anymore

[QUOTE=gamboooler;15759165]Only the pump so far but since I've been looking to buy one the Pippen 88 Fleer RC in PSA 9 has gone from $40 to $500 in like 2 months. Rodman same thing on a smaller scale.[/QUOTE]

Wow! I literally bought a PSA 9 a few weeks ago for $70.

[QUOTE=Arianny_Fan;15768244]What the hell is FOMO?

When I think of pump and dump does Jeremy Lin count? Lebron,Wade,Bosh matrix trio rc, 89 fleer wax, the Kobe tragedy, and now Jordans, all these base card revolution of prizm and chrome[/QUOTE]

Nah, Jeremy Lin was blowing up [B]on [/B]the court, in New York City, big diff. And being Asian didn't hurt him one bit on the collector front.

I still remember all my Lin autos being picked off at like $12, lol before hitting almost $1k at the peak or more.

FOMO <> a pump and dump. Harry Giles was a pump and dump. Malik Monk.

[QUOTE=Arianny_Fan;15771454]But KG sounds cooler than Pau...[/QUOTE]

But if you add the WOW lol

How about Matthew Dellavedova?

Ben Simmons for sure.