Five Hundred Dollar Pack of Cards?!?!

[Madison]

I just found this and while it's basketball cards, If it's successful, I'm sure baseball and football will be right behind.

$500 for an unopened pack of cards? Wow.

Here's one article:

$500 packs of cards may yield big return

The NBA collectibles could be worth as much as $15,000.

By Don Steinberg

Inquirer Staff Writer


Flipping sports cards has a new meaning, as merchants and collectors brace for the arrival today of the most expensive packs of cards ever.

Upper Deck's NBA Exquisite Collection cards will retail for $500 per pack of five cards. There's no decimal point there: It's five hundred dollars. Many buyers will be hoping to score one of the ultra-rare LeBron James cards the set contains and flip it - that is, sell it to other collectors for even more.

"It's like buying a lottery ticket," said George Nahm, owner of George's Cards, Coins & Collectibles in Levittown. "With five cards for $500, it's not like you're trying to collect the whole set. You're looking for the big card because you're going to sell it. It's like legalized gambling."

Nahm said he sold a $125 pack from Upper Deck's previous high-end set, NBA Ultimate Collection, to an employee who got an autographed LeBron James rookie card. The employee immediately auctioned it on eBay for $1,675. Yesterday, Nahm was awaiting the arrival of two of the $500 Exquisite Collection packs for a customer who asked him to order them.

"We're finding that because of the price point, a lot of stores will pre-sell them, so they don't have a lot of liability," said Mike Phillips, Upper Deck's director of East Coast sales.

The set includes a James rookie card featuring an autographed patch of fabric from a game-used jersey. Only 99 were produced. The set also includes other rookies as well as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan autographs. Nahm said the most valuable card might be one of which only a single copy has been produced, featuring James, Jordan and cloth from an NBA logo.

"Something like that, you're talking maybe $10,000 to $15,000. It's sick money," he said.

Upper Deck doesn't speculate about values of individual cards. In fact, to avoid the impression they are running any sort of lottery, most card companies now put legal disclaimers on pack wrappers that state they make no guarantee the cards will have aftermarket value.

Phillips also pointed out that a collector has a chance to get a James rookie card in a pack that costs $3.

Nahm said he was eager for his customer to come in and open the new packs in the store.

"I want to see what it's like to open a $500 pack of cards," he said.

Here's the link as well:

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/8884439.htm?1c

Here's a link to Upper Deck to see the set:

http://www.upperdeck.com/collection/newreleases.aspx

Definitely only for the high end collector.

[Tavish]

And they wonder why kids don't collect cards anymore.

[Urge]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=56125&item=5101436492&rd=1

LEBRON JAMES/KOBE BRYANT 04 UD EXQUISITE NBA LOGO 1/1
Winning bid: US $62,100.00

[Madison]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=56125&item=5101436492&rd=1

LEBRON JAMES/KOBE BRYANT 04 UD EXQUISITE NBA LOGO 1/1
Winning bid: US $62,100.00

I guess that shouldn't be a surprise. It's the only one of that particular card in the world.

Great find.

[Baseballer02]

This is why I stopped collecting cards a few years ago. To many sets, subsets, inserts, serial #'d cards and all that stuff. It's all about finding the card that can make you the most money now. It's virtually impossible to collect all the cards of your favorite star now. I remember when I got a Randy Johnson Platinum Medallion card (serial #'d to 100) and I thought that was something great, now if there's more than 5 of a card made, it's worthless to people.

[eftda]

This is why I stopped collecting cards a few years ago. To many sets, subsets, inserts, serial #'d cards and all that stuff. It's all about finding the card that can make you the most money now. It's virtually impossible to collect all the cards of your favorite star now. I remember when I got a Randy Johnson Platinum Medallion card (serial #'d to 100) and I thought that was something great, now if there's more than 5 of a card made, it's worthless to people.

this is why i stopped two weeks ago

[stomperrob]

It is getting ridiculous - it's no longer a hobby, it's a business and that's too bad, especially for the kids.
I stopped buying several years ago, other than the odd old card. There is just too much product out there, and then you have all the subsets and inserts.
The most I ever paid for a pack was $12 a few years ago on the off chance there might be a Dan Marino rookie card in it. The only reason I bought a pack was because my brother knew the dealer and said I could trust him (unsavoury dealers will open the packs and remove the valuable cards, reseal them and sell them as unopened - don't know if you can do that with the newer packs or whether they've made them tamper-proof).
And yes, I did luck out and get my Marino rookie card!