How Rare is Too Rare?

[MoezTavern]

I love getting rare cards - serially numbered under 25 - but the drawback is that it is hard to get a good gauge of how much those cards are worth.
Lets say you have a LeBron James auto #ed out of 10 but you're not a LeBron collector and are hoping to sell.
The card is unlisted due to scarcity - so when do you decide to sell to get the most value?
The start of the season when basketball buzz is high? During playoffs? NBA Finals if LeBron is playing?

What is your strategy towards getting the most from these cards and finding the right buyer?

[BigAl_83]

Its all a gamble mate. You could sell if LeBron and the Heat reach the Finals again, but what if LeBron wins the O'Brien Trophy this year, his cards will probably go up. But what if 10 years from now LeBron has managed to pick 6 titles just like Jordan did, his cards would be even more valuable. You just cant predict what the future holds.

Best example is Jeremy Lin. I had one of his autos sold it end of Januari for $10, two weeks later he was starting for the Knicks and card was up to $40, one week later and 3 straight 20p+ games it was up to $100, another week later he torched the Lakers for like 36p and that same card was at $250!?!

My point is that with a player like LeBron there is no telling what would be the best time to sell. I would say put up stuff like that as a very high BIN on eBay and see what offers you get in. If one of the offers feels like a good deal you could decide to sell.

[bobo9390]

It comes down to how much a particular collector wants to pay, especially when it comes to 1/1s. You can't place a value because an average collector may only be willing to pay a fraction of someone who actively collects the player in question.

[BiGGs1220]

There's no such thing as TOO RARE...scarcity should be your friend!

I mean who's to tell you you're asking too much, when they can't compare it like a base card or a card numbered over 500 (for example). Even still, say they did have a comparable card like Durant's recent "ThunderStruck"...those are limited to 10. So whether they come back during the playoffs, or years later after some championship(s); bottom line is there are 10 established copies...there HAS to be competition and more value than some of his other autos. They could nag, and lowball and say "it was XXX on XXX date"....but they don't own it! Plus, Durant, like Lebron, is a good example of consistant value. I would do like Big Al suggested, and list it high. Get your card attention! At worse, you don't get an offer you "want", and your out a few bucks on listing fees....GL