BY MARK “KNISH” HALPERN
Over the past 30 years being a Sport Card dealer, I have had the pleasure of having some rare cards, rare to very rare autographs and even have had held the two holy grails of baseball cards in my hand and that being the Topps t209 Honus Wagner and the of course the 1952 Mickey Mantle. I used to be a very big card dealer here in New York and due to some unfortunate health issues, I haven’t been able to do it at full speed. I still buy and sell cards but, in nowhere of the numbers I was used to dealing with. It’s hard to say that every card dealer, breaker, collector ever get to hold the one card they are searching for or not searching for (getting out of a pack) and hit the treasure chest. It happens and sometimes more than you think.
Let’s take a trip back to Westchester County New York in 2002. I brought home a case of Fleer (Yes, I said Fleer) Mystique because the East Coast National (one of the biggest cards shows to come to White Pains annually) and I knew we had a great chance in nabbing a few Ichiro rookies to be able to sell at the show. He and another well-known guy by the name of Albert Pujols was also making waves so any of his rookies would have been good too. Well let’s just say all I did was open one box. I got home went to my desk and sat down to open the case. I took one of the four top boxes (don’t remember which) and preceded top open away and the cards definitely were nice. This was one of the first style cards made on a thicker scale. Well needless to say I got three Ichiro in the first three packs and said “Well what’s next?” opened the next pack and saw a reflective magenta color and if you’re a card collector you know what meant back then. Those were the real 1/1’s and not like the 1000’s produced today. To get a 1/1 you were considered royalty at a show cause that’s how rare they were to pull back then. My hands were shaking a little cause I knew what I had but, just didn’t know who. Well kill the suspense it was the Ichiro 1/1 (no autos at this time) and when I say time froze it sure felt like it. I called my associate Aaron Mackles who had been running the card business with me and he just froze. Needless to say, we were the hit of the show and the card was sold to a Japanese collector.
So, what does this story have to do with the anything well let me tell you. The market for baseball cards is more volatile than the NYSE index. Well as we all know that Sport Cards go up in value based on the player and their performance and if a player gets injured and out long-time prices drop, you go 50/50 for the first time in ever your cards are going to sky rocket. As a card dealer you have to play the short game more than the long game because you want to make money on you invest just some sooner than others.
So, I have right here a Shohei Ohtani Luminaries autograph 13/15. Has to be one of the cleanest cards I have ever seen. Here comes the conundrum I know I can make money now but, this is Ohtani could he comeback next year and win 18 games 35 home runs 100 RBI oh yes. Why would I sell now? Well, what happens if he wakes up and breaks his ankle getting out of bed well that card is going to drop. God Forbid what if he was forced to retire well that investment starts to fall so, I have to watch his play. What if he wins World Series MVP, it is just going drive the card up even more.
Now when I think of Ohtani my mind doesn’t just automatically go to Bonds even though I backed it in a recent article. I backed it because it made more sense but, to me Ohtani is the Japanese “Babe Ruth.” There isn’t a comparison you can’t make that Ohtani isn’t like Ruth. He can pitch (TJ surgery last year) and effectively, he hits for average and power, he steals bases at will and isn’t afraid of a challenge. Sound like Ruth to you? Well, it is 100% and I don’t see Ohtani slowing down. Yes, I understand Ohtani had some issues before the season ended and we will never get the full story and I don’t want to know it however, Ruth drank and could be 3x over the legal limit and still go 3 for 4 with 3 home runs. Ruth was and always will be a GOD of Baseball. Just like what he did for the New York Yankees, Ohtani did for the Angles and now is Doing it for the Dodgers. Ruth’s Autograph isn’t as rare as you may think but to own one in the condition I have makes me want to hold on to it longer as it is going to appreciate much more with every year Ohtani plays. The two pieces below are just a small part of my collection and might put this all together. If you are questioning if the Ruth is real its JSA and is considered one of the cleanest they have seen. These players might have been separated by a century but, are similar.
Congrats to Shohei on his achievement. We all await what else you can Dazzle us with. In the end I will prob sell them both after I create a piece that’s fits them properly.
The Sports Insanity Network 