Biggest Non Purchase Card Regret

[Bambino22]

What is the biggest card ($$$ or sentimental) you almost bought that you will likely regret forever.

What pains you, that you tried to buy but missed.

And I'm specifically talking about a card you were very close to buying and not likely to own in future. Second on auction or you almost bought outright. Do not answer Mantle 52 unless you were actually close.

Answer the card and % you almost owned it. No explanation required unless you want.

[Bambino22]

Yordan 2020 Topps Platinum 1/1, 20%.
Yordan 2020 Bowman Sterling /5 Auto, 98%.

[JWBlue]

Originally Posted by Bambino22

Answer the card and % you almost owned it. No explanation required unless you want.

Like this topic. Need clarification on highlighted.

[hermanotarjeta]

It was the fall of 2004 and I just moved to a new town and was transitioning into pre-war baseball cards. New town, new collection focus. There was a big show in the city so I decided to check it out.

Early on in the show while I was hunting for higher grade tobacco card goodness, I saw for sale the very last sealed case of 2003-04 exquisite basketball that I ever saw in person. The dealer had a price tag of $2200 on it. Since I had just opened 11 cases of 2003-04 exquisite basketball over the previous 6 months and was changing my collection focus to old baseball, I resisted and saved my funds to see what pre-war cards I could find.

I finished walking the show and found a few good candidates, but that exquisite basketball case kept on popping up in my mind. Screw it, the start of my pre-war collection could wait. I went back to get the case and the dealer told me, "sorry, I just sold it five mintues ago".

I ended up leaving the show with a nice GAI 7.5 N28 allen ginter Timothy Keefe, as the start of my pre-war adventures, but darn, I will always regret not picking up that sealed case of exquisite basketball, which I would have probably opened anyways, LOL!

[Bambino22]

Originally Posted by JWBlue

Like this topic. Need clarification on highlighted.

For example. The % is chance I almost bought it or % chance purchase attempt was successful but failed.

Yordan 2020 Bowman Sterling /5 Auto, 98%.

I lost out on auction two times in pretty crazy circumstances both times too be second place on the Yordan /5 Bowman Sterling Auto. On 2nd auction a big overbid of market value didn't get it done. Almost all the time my bids should have won given market price.

Or

Yordan 2020 Topps Platinum 1/1, 20%

A friend made me aware of this auction multiple times. I considered all week to place serious bids to buy it to complete my rainbow. I was 20% to buy it all things considered but did not go for it. It is unlikely to come to sale again for a reasonable price to me.

[Bambino22]

Sucks Herman! Very close!!! Based on your story I'd guess:

"sealed case of 2003-04 exquisite basketball" 95%

[Archangel1775]

2019 Topps Chrome Superfractor Vlad Jr. 80%, $500 apart. I was in direct contact with the consignor. The rest was just saying yes and sending payment. It was gone in less than 12 hours, I believe sooner though.

2018 Bowman/Topps Chrome Orange AU/25 Shohei Ohtani. 95%. Also while he was injured. I thought he was a good investment and was primed to blow up if he had a break out year. Nuts. Literally just had to hit accept on the offer for about $600.

2017 Topps Chrome Superfractor Aaron Judge. This was while he was injured. 90%. It was listed on eBay for $2500. $300 apart.

1954 Topps Hank Aaron BVG 9 for $5500. 60%. I got talked out of it because it was graded by Beckett and not PSA so there must have been something wrong with it.

[jstephens24]

2009 Bowman chrome Trout auto. It was 2012-2014 range im guessing. The card was in a 2009 bowman chrome auto lot on ebay auction. Was not centered great so most likely an 8 or 9. I wasnt making a ton of money at that time so couldnt justify the $900 the auction ended for. 70%

[Bambino22]

Originally Posted by Archangel1775

2019 Topps Chrome Superfractor Vlad Jr. 80%.....

2018 Bowman/Topps Chrome Orange AU/25 Shohei Ohtani. 95%.
.....
2017 Topps Chrome Superfractor Aaron Judge. This was while he was injured. 90%....

Ouch!

[SleepyWill]

Non baseball.

2014 was heavy into football and being from Boston was/is a massive Tom Brady fan. Was picking up a box at my LCS and there was a gentleman selling off his collection with included multiple Brady BC & a BC refractor.

He and the owner couldn’t come to an agreement on price and as he was walking out, we struck up a quick convo regarding his collection. I ended up picking up both BC rookies (PSA 10/ PSA9) but we hit a snag on the refractor.

I offered $2500 cash and his option of cards or a package of my Red Sox season tickets. We had a verbal deal on the $2500 and two sets of Red Sox versus Yankees tickets, but last second he backed out as he didn’t really care for baseball that much.

Actually caught up with him again in 2022 at the Shriners card show here and he still had the card and had it graded, it’s now the center piece of his collection and he planned on keeping it for good.

[Bambino22]

Sounds like a 98%'er SleepyWill. Deal was in place!

[Stech36]

I almost bought a Mike trout 2009 bowman chrome auto in 2016 for $1000

[jmarascojr]

Pre-Covid National in Chicago, 201x...

Almost bought a nice PSA 2 T206 Ty Cobb Green Portrait for like $1500

But I pulled back at the last minute cause I really wanted a Red Portrait instead, wasn't a fan of the green...

And now it's by far the most expensive, but at least I have my Red

[THE(NEXT)LEVEL]

Dead centered PSA 5 1952 Mickey Mantle for 13k around 2010. 95%

[dj016873]

Great topic!!!!

Funny that you mentioned the '52 Mantle as that is the very card I have the biggest regret about.

Anyway, here goes my sad story: During COVID, I was offered a PSA 9 1986 Fleer Jordan rookie for $13,000 from an individual in California. This was by far the largest purchase I had ever made and it took a few days of convincing the wife that this was a good investment. I bought the card and then soon after Jordan stuff blew up with the broadcast of the Last Dance. I proceeded to sell the Jordan rookie for $55,000 on EBAY a few months after buying it.

I was going to take my $40k+ profit and buy a 1952 Topps Mantle. I worked out a deal off EBAY for a PSA 4 for $40,000 even. The buyer and I had even worked out the details that the seller would meet me in person at my home in Upstate NY (they were from New York City) and I'd exchange the $40k in cash for the card.

I chickened out at the last minute as could not justify spending that much money on a single card. That poor decision on my end probably cost me an easy $150,000 to $200,000.

Oh well...

I'd say the deal was 90% close to happening.

Darrell J.

[Shankweather]

The 2010 BCA Superfractor Anthony Rizzo. It was at auction in 2018, sold for like 8K. Probably would have gone to at least 10K if I got involved in the late bidding. It wasn't an amount I could wisely spend at the time, but I nearly did it anyway. Not bidding was the right thing to do, but I wish I had done the wrong thing. I'm consoled by these:

[Noles939913]

99% 1998-99 Bowman’s Best Autographs - Kobe Bryant - PSA 8. This was in December of 2019. The seller wanted $180. I bought a 2019 Topps Tier One dual auto #’d /25 of Ronald Acuna Jr./Ozzie Albies instead which has actually dropped in value somehow while the Bryant is now a four figure card.

[Bambino22]

The lesson of this thread is going to be to always close the deal!

I hope no one is really in pain about a missed purchase. But these are great entertainment

[WillBBC]

Anthony Rendon Superfractor auto from 2012 Bowman Chrome. It ended at auction much lower than I figured and I didn’t even bid. I was able to track down the non-auto fortunately but that one has bugged me for years.

[Bambino22]

Originally Posted by dj016873

Great topic!!!!

Funny that you mentioned the '52 Mantle as that is the very card I have the biggest regret about.

Anyway, here goes my sad story: During COVID, I was offered a PSA 9 1986 Fleer Jordan rookie for $13,000 from an individual in California. This was by far the largest purchase I had ever made and it took a few days of convincing the wife that this was a good investment. I bought the card and then soon after Jordan stuff blew up with the broadcast of the Last Dance. I proceeded to sell the Jordan rookie for $55,000 on EBAY a few months after buying it.

I was going to take my $40k+ profit and buy a 1952 Topps Mantle. I worked out a deal off EBAY for a PSA 4 for $40,000 even. The buyer and I had even worked out the details that the seller would meet me in person at my home in Upstate NY (they were from New York City) and I'd exchange the $40k in cash for the card.

I chickened out at the last minute as could not justify spending that much money on a single card. That poor decision on my end probably cost me an easy $150,000 to $200,000.

Oh well...

I'd say the deal was 90% close to happening.

Darrell J.

That's a big flip in a few months!

Sounds like a close deal! If your looking at it as mostly a missed financial opportunity I guess it depends on what you did with the 40k.

[theshowandme]

Not being a 10 year old coal mine working/smoking kid in 1909 is my biggest regret

[rngrdanny22]

2009 Trout BCA XFractor BGS 9.5/10 - 99%

Was trying to work out a deal with someone on here back in 2018-ish. He wanted $4800, but I wouldn't budge a penny over $4500.

[rngrdanny22]

Originally Posted by theshowandme

Not being a 10 year old coal mine working/smoking kid in 1909 is my biggest regret

You would have died circa 1937, but you would have had some sweet cards!

[theshowandme]

Originally Posted by rngrdanny22

You would have died circa 1937, but you would have had some sweet cards!

A lot of those chain smoking rascals died just a few years later in WW1

[towerymt]