Originally Posted by JayConley
Eric,
Firstly, thanks for joining the discussion! I understand it might have been uncomfortable, but I think it was necessary on your part. Upon rereading I realized my posts were a little too indicting of you, and I apologize for that. The lack of response from you, on this issue, kind of triggered me, honestly. I didn't mean to convict you.
I don't think anyone questions how hard you've worked to get where you are. If they do, I believe they're fooling themselves. It no doubt took an extreme amount of time and effort. That's commendable and admirable. I hope you understand, however, that a possibly unfortunate byproduct of that hard work and earned success is that you are a large figure in this hobby now. You are, indisputably, one of the pillars of the high-end world and that organically makes you more scrutinized.
I read your post many times. I carefully considered every word and every answer. Your post was very calculated, and it makes it very easy to understand why you are in the position you are in this hobby. Again, sincere kudos!
Now, let me state publicly that I believe it was far more diplomatic than forthcoming. I do not, whatsoever, expect you to reply to this. That isn't a challenge, either. I understand why you might choose not to.
That statement would be unfair if I didn't disclose why I felt that way. You spoke in generalities and blanket statements and gave more of a philosophical stance on broad issues that plague this forum on a local scale and this hobby on a global scale. You failed to really address the issues brought forth in this thread.
There were, however, some parts that gave me hope. I bolded the parts that stood out most to me. Your statement about the growth of the hobby and its attractiveness to big-time players seemed genuine. That's great because, unfairly or not, YOU are their welcoming committee. Those types generally do not get involved in the hobby seeking base cards of LeBron James. They want his best card. They want cards you own. I hope you heed your own words because when they come looking for these (and they will), it would serve you best to be fully transparent. That may seem counter-intuitive when the information brought forth here, in theory, diminishes the value of your cards. You, however, showed an understanding of the short-term and the long-term. Your expectation from these potential relationships is that dreamy "long-term". And it would be cratered by you focusing on the short-term of not being transparent about these cards.
The attacks on your friend that made a $250k purchase on the LeBron RPA were certainly unwarranted. I genuinely hope he wasn't affected by them though it seems he was. It's hard not to react emotionally when you're being besmirched and questioned publicly. I'd implore him to take a 30-foot aerial view of this instance (and his own). There were certainly trolls and jealousy involved in both instances, but the overarching goal, in both cases, was to be benevolent to those same people you want to nurture and make sure have an awesome time in this hobby.
As far as your (and the cards') future, I hope you heed your own advice. Take care of these prospective people. The cards are still worth plenty, definitely more than what you theoretically would have paid in 2014. Keep the focus on that long-term. I think a detailed post with your intentions, whenever you figure them out, would serve you and your prospective relationship with these future hobby juggernauts would greatly benefit. Keep in mind, another unfortunate byproduct of this is that a simple google search will always be able to retrieve this thread.
As I stated before, I do not expect you to reply to this. You stated that you won't be replying or posting any further. That's your prerogative, and, I suppose it's fair. However, I do hope you'll see it and read it.
- Jay
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11-30-2018, 05:21 PM
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