What's the Point?

I've now made three purchases with profits from my (friend's) eBay store. Here's the latest:

Once I had about $60 in credit I searched for 'young guns BGS 9.5' and saw a Brayden Point RC. I was surprised, considering his place among the top scorers in the NHL.

Point seemed undervalued to me at $25(ungraded) to $55 (graded). Then again, Mikko Rantanen has more points than Point over the past two years (and more than almost anyone over the past four); yet his Young Guns rookie can be had for much less. I do not understand the hockey card market. I just buy what I like.

Here's a thing I like to do. Whenever I hear a play-by-play announcer mention him, or I see his name on screen..

...I point to him.

I know a lot of collectors don't see a point to slabbed singles, and I can understand that. I invest a lot less money in them than I used to. For example, my Point pairs nicely with this Steven Stamkos:

...which I bought years ago for about $200. Would I buy a Brayden Point SPA for that amount today? Nope.

I could have sold the Stamkos for about a thousand during the pandemic. But I held onto the card because I like it. Same reason why I got the Point instead of a Mikko Rantanen or Charlie McAvoy.

Now that Stamkos has fled one tax shelter state for another, Point may score more points. Perhaps Point will have a 100-point season for Tampa (something Stamkos only did once.) Or perhaps those points will go to Tampa's big-ticket acquisition Jake Guentzel instead. The point is, even if I double my investment there's a good chance I won't cash out.

I also picked up another graded card. This would have been covered by eBay sales if I'd bought a cheaper copy of the Point - or if some of my cards had sold just one day earlier.

Oh my... what was the point of mummifying this slab in blue painter's tape? Let's unwrap this mess...

This is more than sufficient considering the mailer is already padded.

He's free! Well, not quite..

I'd sold a 1972 Topps Johnny Bench earlier this year and made a mental note to pick out another '70s single of the 'GOAT!' (as the seller notes on the listing and the blue tape.) This '76 image is my favorite by far, and I was thrilled to win the auction for under $40.

Since I had to pay for this out of pocket, I now have about $55 in eBay sales to spend on something else. Perhaps another Young Guns rookie card (or two) ..or perhaps I'll save up more cash until I have enough for another GOAT.

Is there a current sports star that you feel is underrated/undervalued in the hobby?

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!


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