Pope auto Update (I changed name on the original topic)

[Guest]

[beckham1]

So I stopped in my local shop today to talk to the guy who takes care of the sportscard side of the business and he pulled out this felt bag with a super super thick screwdown with a card in it.......and shockingly.....(sorry trying to make this suspenseful so you can get the a feel for my reaction)....he had acquired the cut signature from Topps 2004 baseball (about a $40 box) of none other than...........................................................THE POPE

Yes the recently deceased POPE JOHN PAUL II (I think that is the right pope I am not Catholic so the pope is the pope to me), oh and of course it is 1/1.

As far as he know this is the only Pope cut signature that has been produced (as there have now been multiple releasing including 1/1's of others such as G Washington and B Franklin, etc.)

[beckham1]

Oh and before someone asks he bought it from a guy who pulled the card from a pack at a shop about 30 minutes north in Stockton, CA.

The owner of that shop offered him $2,000 on the spot for it but he declined.  SO he walked in to the local shop and asked Jeff how much he would offer an he said $4000 cash on the spot.   Done deal

Any guesses as to what this will go for he will be listing it on ebay soon and no doubt Beckett (like nonsport mag only for the sports side of things) will be tracking this sale.

[beckham1]

And for the record my guess is $25,000.  He thinks $6,000.   I guess depending how you look at it it is either poor timing or great timing.

[zero]

 

How ironic for it to surface at this time! I wonder if he plans on selling it or not ... I bet he could make a bundle especially since it's a 1/1 card. Does anyone know the prices for the G Washington or B Franklin?

EDIT: Beckam1 posted the prices in a reply just as I was posting. In fact, he posted in response to a lot of the stuff I had to say  

[beckham1]

He is going to list it on ebay.  There was a G Washington that sold for $26,500.   However according to Beckett baseball there was a dual G Washington and B Franklin auto that just sold for a little over $15,000 how cool would that card be.

[EmmasOneandOnly]

This is the only Pope John Paul the Second card I've ever seen:

[beckham1]

Just to make sure it is clear the one he has is an autographed signature of the Pope

[EmmasOneandOnly]

I know, I didnt say this was the card he had.

[Roz]

And for the record my guess is $25,000.  He thinks $6,000.   I guess depending how you look at it it is either poor timing or great timing.

A fortune, there's no doubt about it - but I think it's poor taste timing (as profiteering from a pontiff's death seems in poor taste to me). But very good timing for sale of the card because everyone is running high on emotion for him.

[beckham1]

Here is the auction link already over $1700.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5184587652&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Interestingly enough the as I said before the guy who listed it runs the sports card part of the local shop, and the guy who is currently the high bidder is his boss, the owner of the shop

[ferdinand_the_yak]

It is rather bad taste to release it now. Good business sense, but bad taste

[saruman]

ya it ios but it would still be amassing to have it.if only i had that kind of money.....

[beckham1]

I don't really think it is bad to sell it now, IMO a card like this is really a very special card and should go to someone who it would mean something to.'

Now on the other hand I have seen the opposite too, I am sure all US posters will know who this person is, anyway there was a professional football player who instead of signing for a new huge (about $4 mil. a season) contract joined the Army shortly after 9-11 (Pat Tillman).   He was killed in action in Afghanistan about a year to year and a half ago.  All the sudden all the football cards that you could get for 10 cents a piece were up on ebay being sold for $20-$100 for his RC.  This was certainly only about profiting of his tragic death.

I thought that was in bad taste as these people had the cards sitting in there common boxes and wanted to profit off of his death.  

I am not sure this should be considered a tragic event.  The pope was rather old, and the writing was on the wall with all of his health problems.  Certainly not a life cut short.  Look at all the great things he did.  Also I think there is a little bit of a difference for a dealer to sell cards at any time, than a collector.  After all that is how they earn there living.

What does everyone else think?  And with me knowing how he got the card it is more coincidence in timing than anything else.

[beckham1]

Over $2200 and still and only been up for less than 1 1/2 days.

Over 600 hits already.  I told him to list it on the front page of ebay but he didn't.

[Roz]

No no you are right Becks. It's not tragic - what would have been tragic was if he died in 1983ish when he was shot... this is just sad for many folks.

Although it's probably good news for AIDS in Africa!

[stcardgeek]

I'm such a mean little girl I posted a moriorium on my auctionne site that no one could mention the death of an actor in their auctionne's titles. I said they could mention in the description if they wanted to, as long as it was tasteful. What caused it was Enterpirse's Kelly Waymire who passed away right before the card set with her auto in it..that and someone posted an auctionne with the word deceassed! in it. I'm pretty sure anyone with good sense can appreciate that an exclamation point was a bit much.
One shoudl always strive to find a balance between making a sale and good sense

[beckham1]

$4300+ with still over 5 days to go and almost 2,000 hits.

At least he will get at least what he put into it back.

[ferdinand_the_yak]

You are not mean - you are a person with decent morals!

I can understand selling a card in those kind of circumstances, like this current JP auction, but to use their death as a major selling point is poor taste in my opinion!

[EmmasOneandOnly]

I wouldnt have sold it. Me being a Christain I know nothing of the Pope but he is no longer with us and I would love to have this card in my collection because he was a great man.

[beckham1]

It is a tough decision, but I know for a fact the guy makes about $25,000-$30,000 working 6 days a week at the shop and makes most of his money buying collections and individual cards from people and turning around and selling them on ebay or to individuals who collect a certain player or team.