A Process of Elimination

With the tons of transactions I've had on Ebay, as a seller and a buyer, there's only one card that I never did receive. One card that would still be part of my permanent collection. One card that I still hold on to this original auction image.

After years of following and collecting cards of specific players (that ended when some issues emerged in their personal lives), then collecting specific sets every year (ending with the creation of short-printed rookie cards), I finally thought more about an investment angle on my collection.

It was a process of elimination.

Who would be the best players to invest in? Sure, the good investments might be the rookies each year, but with my track record on picking that future all-star that I could then sell his rookies and invest in the next big star, routinely collapsed with his arrest or his never-ending injuries (I was really rooting for McDyess). So, focus shifted then on the established or retired players. This really took hold when the 50th anniversary of the NBA came around in '96.

What cards were the best issues for these players? Regular issues? No, these rarely increased in value. Inserts? Production of insert sets really picked up in the early 90's and so did my collection. I would bounce around from set to set. Trying to complete one set before my next favorite set would be released, was proving to be a challenge (especially pre-Ebay). And my obsession with condition only made purchasing that last card in the set disappointing when I would notice a chipped corner (92-93 Fleer All-Stars) or terrible centering (92-93 Beam Team). This all changed when I became more familiar with graded cards and online auctions. My thoughts were that the cornerstone of any legendary player collection is an autograph. What's better than an autograph? A serial numbered autograph. What's better than a serial numbered autograph? A graded, serial numbered autograph. So the decision was made. And I thought this was to be the start of an awesome collection that I would have for a long, long time.

When you think of basketball legends, you think of Boston Celtic great Bill Russell. After searching the online auction sites and local shows for months, I found a mint condition 2003-04 SP Game Used Legendary Fabrics Autograph Bill Russell. Day-by-day I would check on the card and attempt to guess how many other people might be interested in the same auction. Could they be as interested as I was? Maybe. As determined? No way. With less than 24 hours left in the auction, I couldn't help but check every hour... then every half-hour... then with under an hour remaining, I set-up camp in front of our computer with my dial-up connection. That's right, dial-up. No last second sniping. Back then I had to rely on my stopwatch in an attempt to time my bid. My price was pre-determined, but as the minutes passed, I started rethinking it. Would it be enough? Was it too much? It was too late to reconsider.

After refreshing the page and noting the time that remained, I quickly filled out every field that I could until there was that last confirmation button. WAIT! Did the seller have a decent feedback rating?! Did I check if insurance was offered?! Thinking that I would've already checked those details, I nervously moved the mouse over and clicked... and WON!

The few minutes of excitement passed and it occurred to me that this is the most I have ever spent on a card. But I thought this was a Bill Russell. A graded, autographed Bill Russell. The cornerstone of my new collection. And those second thoughts I had? No problems. Didn't seem too expensive anymore. I received the invoice, added the insurance option and confirmed my payment. All I had to do was wait... and wait... and wait.

After two weeks, my impatience got the best of me and I contacted the seller to ask for an update. That same afternoon I received a reply that my item had been shipped out and to allow just a few more days for it to finally appear in my apartment's tiny mailbox. Another week goes by. Then another. This ain't right. I contacted the seller and requested to see, or be sent a copy of the insurance receipt. Upon seeing the scanned image they sent back, a glimmer of hope returned. I gave it a couple more days to show up.

Still nothing.

Never dealing with this issue before with the post office, I called and discussed the situation. They were very helpful in explaining the entire process and I got started. I was sure glad I paid for that insurance. A few days after both the seller and I filled out the paperwork, the report came back that the item was indeed lost. It was also accompanied by a check for the amount I originally paid. No Russell. No graded autograph. No cornerstone.

Years later I came across this image (above) that I had kept just in case it reappeared online, I'd be ready. For what, I don't know. But I had a visual record just in case. I eventually purchased another Russell autograph as well as countless other cards, but this card was both one of the best (in terms of service) and worst (in terms of... well, not receiving it) online auction experiences I've had.