Sports Card Forum - A Sports Card Community - Blogs - tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/blogs/32267-tarheelsnipe SportsCardForum is your source for everything related to sports cards for collectors and non-collectors alike! en Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:55:21 GMT vBulletin 60 https://www.sportscardforum.com/images/misc/rss.jpg Sports Card Forum - A Sports Card Community - Blogs - tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/blogs/32267-tarheelsnipe My Top 10 Cards https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/926-My-Top-10-Cards Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:27:51 GMT 10. 1972 Topps Julius "Dr. J" Erving RC PSA 8 NM-MT



9. Joe Montana 1980 Topps RC PSA 9 MINT



8. 2008 Exquisite Enshrinements Michael Jordan 4 of 23



7. 2007 Chronology Michael Jordan Timeless Memories



6. 2007 Chronology Michael Jordan Timeless Memories



5. 2007 Chronology Kobe Bryant Stitches In Time /15



4. 1999 UD Master Collection Signature Performances



3. 1999 UD Master Collection Signature Performances PSA 9



2. 2007 Chronology Michael Jordan Timeless Memories Silver Ink Variation (rare. believed to be 10 or less with silver ink. most are autographed with blue ink)



1. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan RC PSA 9

]]> tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/926-My-Top-10-Cards Ebay Collecting Truths https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/925-Ebay-Collecting-Truths Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:03:23 GMT Some generalizations I've learned in my years of buying on Ebay.




  1. If an autograph auction has to say the authentication company is one of the best in the business, it’s not.
  2. If the description says the card is NrMT-MT or better, you’ll be lucky to get it in NrMT-MT.
  3. If a set or lot of vintage says NrMT on average, the star cards are no better than EX.
  4. It the auction doesn’t say on-card auto, it’s a sticker.
  5. If the auction says it “might” be a 1/1, it’s not.
  6. If the Buy It Now listing has a Best Offer attached, you can probably get it for half.
]]> tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/925-Ebay-Collecting-Truths My Top 5 All-Time Want List https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/167-My-Top-5-All-Time-Want-List Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:27:51 GMT 1. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan RC 2. 1980 Topps Magic/Bird/Erving RC 3. 1970 Pete Maravich RC 4. 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain RC 5. 1961 Fleer Oscar Robertson RC This is my personal want list,... 1. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan RC
2. 1980 Topps Magic/Bird/Erving RC
3. 1970 Pete Maravich RC
4. 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain RC
5. 1961 Fleer Oscar Robertson RC

This is my personal want list, and the reasons are varied. As I receive the cards on the list, I'll update their status below. For the most part I like high end cards, but vintage is tough to find in decent shape at a decent price. I prefer PSA over BGS grading because of the trimming rumors surrounding BVG cards. True or not, it's enough to keep me away for the time being. For modern cards, I look for a grade of MT 9 or higher. For 70's cards, NrMT-MT 8 or higher. For pre-70's, EX to EX-MT 5-6 or better.

1. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan RC - GOT IT. MJ, in my opinion is the greatest player ever... not just in terms of statistics, but the way he took over in the 2nd half of big games. Entire teams would fall apart trying to guard him. I've never seen another player with an inate ability to adjust to a defense and score. I was 5 years old when I first saw him play in a Carolina blue uniform. I grew up watching him and following his career. Believe it or not, I was actually a bigger Sam Perkins fan at the time!



2. 1980 Topps Magic/Bird/Erving RC - GOT IT. I grew up watching this rivalry, and it was something special. Basketball was not a popular sport in much of the country until these two players stepped onto the court in the NBA Finals through the 80's. You've probably heard it before, and I'm here to tell you it's true... These guys paved the way for basketball's rise in popularity in the late 80's.



3. 1970 Pete Maravich RC. Pete Maravich, a.k.a. Pistol Pete, left us too early. Before his NBA career began, he was the all-time NCAA scoring leader...a record he still holds today before the 3-point line was established. When I used to attend basketball camp every summer, the Pistol was always a topic of conversation. He was a coach's player. Unfortunately an injury led him to alcoholism and eventually a heart defect that took him too early. I still teach his ball handling techniques to youngsters today. His ball handling drills are effective 40 years after he developed them.

4. 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain RC. 100 points in a game. Enough said. He dominated the paint on the offensive end to the point that the NBA had to actually widen the lane. How many players are credited with changing the rules of the game? Besides Mikan, none that I can name. Not bad for a guy that didn't even want to play basketball in high school. He said it was a game for sissies.

5. 1961 Fleer Oscar Robertson RC. Oscar Roberston is the only player in NBA history to AVERAGE a triple-double over 5 seasons. I had to look up this next stat because I couldn't remember it off the top of my head: 181 Triple Doubles in his career... Nobody has came close to breaking this record.

To all the new collectors out there wondering why I don't list the Maravich cut auto, the Chamberlain Inkredibles, the 1/1 Jordan Exquisite auto, etc...
I prefer the classic RC's. I'm an old school collector (20+ years), and I love vintage cards. There is something special about the rookie card that has withstood the test of time and maintained its value, particularly the high end RC's, through all the changes in the hobby. ]]> tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/167-My-Top-5-All-Time-Want-List Quest Completed - My Holy Grail – The 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan RC https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/165-Quest-Completed-My-Holy-Grail-–-The-1986-87-Fleer-Michael-Jordan-RC Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:19:03 GMT I managed to scrape together some more money after my wife decided to do some house cleaning. After selling off some junk we had laying around, I was up to almost $1,100 dollars which was the price... I managed to scrape together some more money after my wife decided to do some house cleaning. After selling off some junk we had laying around, I was up to almost $1,100 dollars which was the price range I wanted to spend.

After adding every PSA 9 Jordan to my watch list, I noticed one that was hovering around the $850 mark with 12 hours to go. The only problem was that the seller only had 41 feedbacks. The upside was that they were all positive, and all from buyers. I messaged him to get more info on him and the card. Turns out he owns a card shop in Boca Raton, FL. I looked up the card shop on the online yellow pages and asked about the card (this was done more to verify the identity of the seller). After we talked, I decided to set my snipe. $1,050. It sat at the $850 mark until just a few minutes before the auction's ending. Then $915, $950, $955. I was getting nervous, but I knew I wasn't going to pay over $1050. I decided to just let my max bid stand.

At auction's end, I won it for $1,000 even. After shipping and insurance the total was $1,016. It was well worth the price to add this gem to my collection. Below are the scans...

. ]]> tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/165-Quest-Completed-My-Holy-Grail-–-The-1986-87-Fleer-Michael-Jordan-RC My Holy Grail – The 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan RC https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/27-My-Holy-Grail-–-The-1986-87-Fleer-Michael-Jordan-RC Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:33:49 GMT Update: I managed to scrape together some more money after my wife decided to do some house cleaning. After selling off some junk we had laying around, I was up to almost $1,100 dollars which was...
Update:

I managed to scrape together some more money after my wife decided to do some house cleaning. After selling off some junk we had laying around, I was up to almost $1,100 dollars which was the price range I wanted to spend.

After adding every PSA 9 Jordan to my watch list, I noticed one that was hovering around the $850 mark with 12 hours to go. The only problem was that the seller only had 41 feedbacks. The upside was that they were all positive, and all from buyers. I messaged him to get more info on him and the card. Turns out he owns a card shop in Boca Raton, FL. I looked up the card shop on the online yellow pages and asked about the card (this was done more to verify the identity of the seller). After we talked, I decided to set my snipe. $1,050. It sat at the $850 mark until just a few minutes before the auction's ending. Then $915, $950, $955. I was getting nervous, but I knew I wasn't going to pay over $1050. I decided to just let my max bid stand.

At auction's end, I won it for $1,000 even. After shipping and insurance the total was $1,016. It was well worth the price to add this gem to my collection. Card has shard corners, no edge chipping, no surface scratches, front centering L-R and T-B 50/50, back centering L-R and T-B 60/40. The only thing I can see keeping it from a perfect 10 is a small fisheye on the left side of the blue nameplate. Below are the scans...



Approximate cost for a PSA/BGS graded MINT 9 Jordan RC: $1,100*.

Current savings: $1,000.


To go: $0.00.


Estimated Purchase Date: SOLD!!!!!
*(See follow-up comments below for my market research.)






The Plan.




At my savings rate of $200 per month, minus miscellaneous junk, my approximate purchase date will be SEPTEMBER 2009. If I'm able to save more than that or the sale prices decline, I will shift the timeline to the left. Conversely, if some unexpected costs pop up, I'll shift it to the right. Stay tuned...









The history of my quest.



Remember the guitar shop scene in Wayne's World? That's me every time I go to a card shop or show and see that beautiful red, white, and blue border; the arm fully extended; the tongue wagging; the sense of greatness to come. Wayne said it best: “It will be mine. Oh, yes. It will be mine”.




To understand my quest, it might be necessary to explain how my love for collecting began. Rewind to Christmas Day 1988. I don't remember a single present I got that year – except a gift from a family friend. The gift wasn't even wrapped. It was left between the screen door and front door. It was a card collecting kit complete with a binder, sticky pages (you know... the cheap, stiff pages that sound like they're going to crack like peanut brittle as you pull them apart), a pack of miscellaneous baseball cards, and a price guide. My most valuable card was a 1988 Donruss Roger Clemens. That's right, the Rocket. It booked for $.65, and I was ecstatic. For a kid on a $5.00 per month allowance, that was some serious coin.





I continued to buy packs here and there with my allowance looking for that big score, the 1989 Gregg Jeffries Topps Future Stars. I was a baseball card kid because basketball cards weren't sold at my grocery store. I don't even remember seeing basketball cards until 1991 when Upper Deck launched. During that era, the Jordan RC was selling for around $100. I decided that I wouldn't be able to afford it for a few more years so I continued to collect those Larry Johnson and Dikembe Mutombo RCs.




1995 came and went. I started college on a budget (been there?). The Jordan RC was climbing in value, and so was my college debt. The MJ had doubled in value to around $200, and I started noticing a little note in the price guides: BEWARE JORDAN COUNTERFEITS. Huh? I decided that the $200 was not worth the risk of picking up a fake MJ. My quest was ended abruptly...or so I thought.




The internet is a wonderful thing for us collectors. PSA and Beckett were broadcasting to the world. They developed authentication processes for high dollar, altered, and counterfeit-prone cards. GAME ON! Looks like I wasn't the only one with the same agenda. The prices for the Jordan's surged in price. A PSA 9 or better card couldn't be bought for less than $2,000.


Prices have declined as supply has increased and his popularity has declined since his retirement. Currently, PSA's Sports Market Report values a PSA 9 MINT Jordan RC at $1,175. Luckily for me, I did well in college and make a decent living as an engineer in the military. After the bills, wife, and kids, my play money is around $200 per month. So continues my quest...
]]> tarheelsnipe https://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/27-My-Holy-Grail-–-The-1986-87-Fleer-Michael-Jordan-RC