It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and Jake was in his bedroom looking through his vast collection of baseball cards that he had been accumulating since he was a young boy. He had cards from the 1950s all the way up to current players and realized that over the years his interest in collecting had waned quite a bit. While he still loved the sport of baseball, he didn’t have the same passion for collecting and maintaining such a large collection as he once did.
Jake’s friend Kyle had always been very interested in Jake’s baseball card collection whenever he came over to hang out when they were younger. Kyle had started his own smaller collection but nothing that even came close to the size and scope of Jake’s. As Jake was thumbing through rows and rows of cards in boxes organized by team and year, it dawned on him that it might be the perfect time to sell off his collection. He figured it had to be worth a decent amount of money considering some of the rare and valuable cards that were included from legends of the game like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Hank Aaron.
He shot Kyle a text to see if he was around and free that afternoon. Kyle responded that he was home and available to hang out. Jake decided he would bring his collection downstairs and show it to Kyle to gauge his interest in possibly buying the entire lot. When Kyle arrived, Jake led him upstairs to his bedroom and showed him box after box filled with thousands of cardboard treasures from over 50 years of the sport. Kyle was in awe as he flipped through cards, remembering some from when they would look at Jake’s collection years ago but also seeing so many cards he had never laid eyes on before.
Jake explained to Kyle that while he still loved baseball, his passion for collecting had run its course and he was thinking of parting ways with his entire stockpile for the right price. Kyle was very interested but also knew that such a massive collection had to be worth thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of dollars depending on especially valuable hobby items hidden within. They started getting into the nitty gritty, pulling out long boxes arranged by team to examine subsets, rookie cards of Hall of Famers, and autographed memorabilia cards that were sprinkled throughout.
Kyle took detailed notes on the major highlights that increased the collective value such as a near mint condition 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card, a signed 1956 Topps Frank Robinson rookie, and a pristine 1984 Donruss Wade Boggs rookie card. There were also autographed cards from legends like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and dozens of HOFers. It was a collection that even hardcore collectors would dream to acquire. They looked up recent auction prices for comps on the high-dollar cards and estimated a minimum value of around $25,000 for the whole lot alone excluding the thousands of common duplicates that held intrinsic value to serious collectors.
After a couple hours of appraisal, Jake proposed that he would be willing to part with the entire mass of his childhood collection for $20,000 cash, allowing Kyle to acquire it all for a slight discount off estimated market value. Kyle knew it was an unbelievable deal considering he’d be paying less than a dollar per card for a collection any dealer would give an arm and a leg to get their hands on. However, $20,000 was still a major investment even for Kyle who had saved up over the years from various side jobs. He told Jake he would need a few days to think it over and discuss financing options with his parents who helped support his hobby in the past.
A couple days went by and Kyle conferred with his parents about the extraordinary opportunity. They knew how much baseball cards meant to their son and saw this as a chance to not only fuel his passion but potentially invest in an appreciating asset. Kyle’s father offered to loan him the $20,000 under the condition that Kyle pay it back gradually over time as he inevitably flipped some of the higher value duplicates and continually added to his overall collection’s worth. Kyle excitedly called Jake to accept the offer, explaining that his dad was able to front the money and they would meet up that weekend so he could pay Jake and haul away the treasure trove of cardboard to add to his own collection.
That Saturday, Kyle arrived at Jake’s house with two duffel bags and a small rolling cart to pack up box after box of cards for transport back to his house. Jake was busy packing it all up neatly while Kyle counted out twenty $100 bills for the full $20,000 agreed price. The transaction was complete and Kyle could barely contain his excitement over the bounty of memorabilia he had just acquired. He gratefully thanked Jake again for the unbelievable deal and opportunity to expand his collection exponentially. Jake was glad to see his childhood passion going to a good home and best friend, while also getting a nice chunk of cash to put towards his future. It ended up being a very happy and mutually beneficial arrangement for both collectors and friends.
For the next several months, Kyle meticulously sorted, cataloged and assessed all the new additions to his growing collection. He ended up finding several more valuable gems hidden amongst the bulk, including game used patches and autographs that further increased the dollar worth. Over time, Kyle worked gradually paid back his father as promised through focused sales of duplicates online. Jake also remained a friend who would occasionally look through Kyle’s latest finds and updates, reminiscing about their long history with the cards while also appreciating Kyle’s new chapter expanding from their history together. It turned out to be a textbook example of two friends engaging in a large collection transaction that benefited them both personally as well as their shared interest and memories in America’s favorite pastime on cardboard.
