Worst buy in your collecting career?

Jeter1020 · 08-09-2025, 07:36 PM

Prospecting and speculative investing are part of this hobby. Or sometimes a player joins your team and you grab his cards early and they don’t live up to the potential.

What has been your worst buy in the hobby? Has it changed how you collect?

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packerfan4200 · 08-09-2025, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeter1020

Prospecting and speculative investing are part of this hobby. Or sometimes a player joins your team and you grab his cards early and they don’t live up to the potential.

What has been your worst bit in the hobby? Has it changed how you collect?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can think of one specifically..I collect Wisconsin sports stuff (among many other things card related) as one of my main PCs, so back in 2013 naturally it was between an Eddie Lacy Topps Chrome Red Refractor /5 RC Auto or a Giannis Immaculate Logoman RPA 1/1 (for sale on the Basketball B/S/T on this very site), when making my largest sports card purchase at that time to date.

I think the Giannis was for sale for $1000 if I remember correctly and I was so close to getting it. But instead, well I won the Lacy on eBay for $840

I did end up selling it a few years down the road and getting most or all of my money back for it, but that one hurts a little lol

patchgenie · 08-09-2025, 07:56 PM

dellin betances. a 4x all star, who doesn't sell for much. he was the big player back then w/ Tim lincecum.

I don't waste my time on prospects now.

soicanbefree · 08-09-2025, 07:56 PM

2 cases of 2021 Bowmans Best Hobby boxes

The BB boys got me

I still have one. Im sure its full of hot Wander Franco cards

MiamiMarlinsFan · 08-09-2025, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soicanbefree

2 cases of 2021 Bowmans Best Hobby boxes

The BB boys got me

I still have one. Im sure its full of hot Wander Franco cards

You’re not alone. The ‘21 BB pump & dump suckered in a lot of people.

MiamiMarlinsFan · 08-09-2025, 08:21 PM

Pretty much every purchase I made during the COVID boom was a financial loser.

dchawk · 08-09-2025, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soicanbefree

2 cases of 2021 Bowmans Best Hobby boxes

The BB boys got me

I still have one. Im sure its full of hot Wander Franco cards

+1
Have a BB ‘21 hobby case too.
Do have a nice color run of Witt‘s, but yeah, now I just see that case on the shelf and shake my head.

blackvodka · 08-09-2025, 10:11 PM

Back in around 2006 I bought a 2000 Bowman Draft Grady Sizemore for $270. I really believed in him at the time.

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unreal13 · 08-09-2025, 10:22 PM

2024 Inception Baseball - Jack Leiter SP and Joey Loperfido auto. 7 cards, less than $20 in value. Will never rip Inception again.

Archangel1775 · 08-09-2025, 10:29 PM

Two come to mind. An A.J Reed Topps Chrome Superfractor Auto for $400 and a 10 count Bowman Chrome Color Auto run of a some 28 year old minor league player that beat his wife the following week I started collecting him.

majestik101 · 08-09-2025, 10:31 PM

Mike Trout

lemmer · 08-09-2025, 11:01 PM

Me three. I only bought one box but it was the dumbest buy just because of the fomo aspect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dchawk

+1
Have a BB ‘21 hobby case too.
Do have a nice color run of Witt‘s, but yeah, now I just see that case on the shelf and shake my head.

TheVolta · 08-09-2025, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackvodka

Back in around 2006 I bought a 2000 Bowman Draft Grady Sizemore for $270. I really believed in him at the time.

Sent from my motorola razr 2024 using Tapatalk

Please tell me it was the auto and not just a regular bowman paper…

hermanotarjeta · 08-09-2025, 11:32 PM

Justin upton red auto.

vinson24 · 08-10-2025, 12:16 AM

In 2012 when I bought the 2011 Bowman Chrome J.D. Martinez Auto Superfractor

ThoseBackPages · 08-10-2025, 12:48 AM

cards

NYRE2PECT · 08-10-2025, 06:53 AM

I bought a $700 break of Aristides Aquino.

First and last break, ever.

First and last prospecting attempt, ever.

premium1981 · 08-10-2025, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patchgenie

dellin betances.

I sunk a lot of money into him as well back when I bought individual prospects. The dude looked like he was going to be something special. He had a fine career, but that was definitely a bad investment.

I'll add one that probably almost no one has ever heard of: Jose Capellan. Early 00's Braves arm that was truly something special (or at least we thought he was). He was one of the naturally gifted arms that really felt like was going to be special. I was SO confident in him that I decided to corner his market. I bought EVERY SINGLE card that popped up on ebay that was numbered to 100 or less. And remember, that was when there were still multiple card manufacturers. So he had a good amount of cards. I cannot tell you how many thousands of dollars I spent on his stuff. And here we are looking back, and its hard for me to find anyone who has even heard of him. Oops.

hammertime · 08-10-2025, 07:10 AM

P2020, although it did get me back into the hobby which has been a massive net positive overall.

Triple B · 08-10-2025, 07:26 AM

Chris Marrero. Thanks, Beckett. He WASN'T the "next Pujols". I had just switched from 100% hockey to mostly baseball and was learning. Boy, did I learn.

thenightman · 08-10-2025, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeter1020

Prospecting and speculative investing are part of this hobby. Or sometimes a player joins your team and you grab his cards early and they don’t live up to the potential.

What has been your worst buy in the hobby? Has it changed how you collect?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Worst is certainly subjective depending on who you ask. I didn't spend a lot, but as far as "prospecting" is concerned, it was more than I've spent on most.

The player was Jhon Diaz.

thenightman · 08-10-2025, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammertime

P2020, although it did get me back into the hobby which has been a massive net positive overall.

I learned more about how the hobby truly operates because of P2020. I still have the highest purchase for the Rivera/Chang.

SaveMeTheGum · 08-10-2025, 07:43 AM

I bought a lot of Randy Arozarena's and they sat at PSA for 19 months during that whole shutodown period. By the time I got them back, even the 10's were worthless. There were also a lot of Gavin Lux, Luis Robert and Wander Franco in those shipments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammertime

P2020, although it did get me back into the hobby which has been a massive net positive overall.

I'm sure overall I more thank broke even on P2020 because I remember selling my extra early Goodens and Trouts for like $700-$800 early on, but yeah, what a trainwreck that ride was.

cfern023 · 08-10-2025, 08:38 AM

Not baseball but during covid (coincidence)... I started to collect Spencer Knight cards since he was the future of Florida Panthers goal tending and was going to be a stud. Big Panthers fan, liked Knight with Team USA and liked his game and am a goalie myself. Figured he'd be the next Panthers great goalie from Beezer, to Luu, to Bob....

Went into the player assistance program within months of me collecting tons of his rookie cards (maybe 200+ with autos and GU), missed the Stanley Cup runs of 2023 and 2024 (although he was dressed and got to lift the cup but inactive), and then they traded him to Chicago for a old defense man with a large contract no one else wanted.

Sucks, fan wise and cash wise. Just all those spencer knights sitting right next to all the speculation Zion Williamsons.

The knights i bought as a fan, but now it just feels like a waste.

mgip21 · 08-10-2025, 08:38 AM

After getting back into cards in 2019 and being a rangers fan I started buying their young prospects. Josh jung is ok buy Justin foscue hit a hr in 8 games in a row in 2020 so fomo kicked in and I bought 2 blue wave(not even true blue) bca for about $250 ea. No more prospecting for me ��

08-09-2025, 07:36 PM	#1
Jeter1020 Member Join Date: Jul 2024 Posts: 1,761	Worst buy in your collecting career? Prospecting and speculative investing are part of this hobby. Or sometimes a player joins your team and you grab his cards early and they don’t live up to the potential. What has been your worst buy in the hobby? Has it changed how you collect? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Last edited by Jeter1020; 08-09-2025 at 08:03 PM.

08-09-2025, 10:11 PM	#8
blackvodka Member Join Date: Dec 2024 Location: Appleton, WI Posts: 1,379	Back in around 2006 I bought a 2000 Bowman Draft Grady Sizemore for $270. I really believed in him at the time. Sent from my motorola razr 2024 using Tapatalk __________________ https://www.flickr.com/photos/202337276@N02/albums/

08-09-2025, 10:29 PM	#10
Archangel1775 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Cali baby! Posts: 21,912	Two come to mind. An A.J Reed Topps Chrome Superfractor Auto for $400 and a 10 count Bowman Chrome Color Auto run of a some 28 year old minor league player that beat his wife the following week I started collecting him. __________________ *There are the intangibles that set someone apart from the pack.So the blur isn't your inability to see his greatness, it's merely the inability to measure it.*

08-09-2025, 10:31 PM	#11
majestik101 Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Socially Distanced Posts: 45,182 majestik101	Mike Trout __________________ "Watson alone sells for over $20" https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1182760 If you reply with...."last one on eBay sold for this"...then you should have bought it on eBay.

08-10-2025, 12:48 AM	#16
ThoseBackPages Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Long Island Posts: 90,432 ThoseBackPages	cards __________________ Pumpers Paradise #YouCryIBuy Four things that we cannot change each others minds about: Politics, Religion, Third Party Grading, and 2021 Bowman's Best Rookie Cards

08-09-2025, 07:56 PM	#3
patchgenie Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 6,977 americansportscards	dellin betances. a 4x all star, who doesn't sell for much. he was the big player back then w/ Tim lincecum. I don't waste my time on prospects now.

08-09-2025, 07:56 PM	#4
soicanbefree Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Posts: 719	2 cases of 2021 Bowmans Best Hobby boxes The BB boys got me I still have one. Im sure its full of hot Wander Franco cards

08-09-2025, 08:21 PM	#6
MiamiMarlinsFan Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Florida Posts: 13,784	Pretty much every purchase I made during the COVID boom was a financial loser.

08-09-2025, 10:22 PM	#9
unreal13 Member Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: GA Posts: 516	2024 Inception Baseball - Jack Leiter SP and Joey Loperfido auto. 7 cards, less than $20 in value. Will never rip Inception again.

08-09-2025, 11:32 PM	#14
hermanotarjeta Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 22,331	Justin upton red auto.

08-10-2025, 12:16 AM	#15
vinson24 Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 555 vinson24209 vinson24	In 2012 when I bought the 2011 Bowman Chrome J.D. Martinez Auto Superfractor

08-10-2025, 06:53 AM	#17
NYRE2PECT Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: San Antonio Posts: 8,161	I bought a $700 break of Aristides Aquino. First and last break, ever. First and last prospecting attempt, ever. __________________ Primarily retired from collecting, but doing a Greatest Sho-man binder thing. I do love California Angels baseball.

08-10-2025, 07:10 AM	#19
hammertime Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: OH->MI->MD->VA Posts: 6,923	P2020, although it did get me back into the hobby which has been a massive net positive overall. __________________ Collecting foci: E98 master set, HOF rookie autos, Reds HOF autos, All-time top southpaws (Plank, Waddell, Grove, Hubbell, Spahn, Ford, Koufax, Carlton, Johnson, Kershaw), Ohtani

08-10-2025, 07:26 AM	#20
Triple B Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 6,248	Chris Marrero. Thanks, Beckett. He WASN'T the "next Pujols". I had just switched from 100% hockey to mostly baseball and was learning. Boy, did I learn. __________________ Wanted Dead or Alive! 1. 1997 Bowman's Best Jose Cruz, Jr Atomic Refractor Autograph 2. 1997 SPx Jose Cruz, Jr. Grand Finale /50

08-10-2025, 08:38 AM	#24
cfern023 Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 521	Not baseball but during covid (coincidence)... I started to collect Spencer Knight cards since he was the future of Florida Panthers goal tending and was going to be a stud. Big Panthers fan, liked Knight with Team USA and liked his game and am a goalie myself. Figured he'd be the next Panthers great goalie from Beezer, to Luu, to Bob.... Went into the player assistance program within months of me collecting tons of his rookie cards (maybe 200+ with autos and GU), missed the Stanley Cup runs of 2023 and 2024 (although he was dressed and got to lift the cup but inactive), and then they traded him to Chicago for a old defense man with a large contract no one else wanted. Sucks, fan wise and cash wise. Just all those spencer knights sitting right next to all the speculation Zion Williamsons. The knights i bought as a fan, but now it just feels like a waste. __________________ Collecting Mike Piazza Marlins Cards and Memorabilia Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/piazzamarlins31/

08-10-2025, 08:38 AM	#25
mgip21 Member Join Date: Dec 2024 Posts: 306	After getting back into cards in 2019 and being a rangers fan I started buying their young prospects. Josh jung is ok buy Justin foscue hit a hr in 8 games in a row in 2020 so fomo kicked in and I bought 2 blue wave(not even true blue) bca for about $250 ea. No more prospecting for me ��