The Clemente Curse ?

I'm somewhat adjusting to life without my wife. It's much more hectic, and there's hardly room to relax and enjoy my collection. But it still serves a purpose in my life. 

Still, I do plan to functionally retire from card collecting after this year. I'll always love the hobby but the new stuff is overpriced, the products are uninspiring, and the players are increasingly difficult to cheer for - with some exceptions, of course. 

And so, I'm in the middle of mapping out an exit strategy. Tying up some loose ends and putting a bow on the whole collection. Eyeing stuff I like while prioritizing long-term investments. And, given our current political climate, I've turned my attention toward trailblazing, barrier-breaking legends like Roberto Clemente. 

Years ago, before COMC destroyed itself with greed, I purchased a 1968 Topps "Bob" Clemente card on the site for just under $20. '68 Topps was the first vintage set I ever saw and therefore it had always been my go-to. If I could, I would have accumulated every HOFer in the '68 set, but considering the Ryan and Bench RCs command hundreds apiece even in average condition, that idea was quickly scrapped. 

I'm an outlier among collections with my appreciation for the burlap design - and most old-school collectors loathe grading as well. But here's why I love it. The ungraded Clemente card I bought from COMC was diamond cut. I sold it right away, at a loss of about $5. 

Strike one.

One other Clemente card I purchased on COMC was sold for a profit. But I really wish I hadn't.

I somehow scooped up this Tier One bat relic for $12.99 on the site in 2018.  For some reason that escapes me, I flipped the card for $32.00. $19 profit, yay. Relics are a dime a dozen... but not Roberto Clemente relics, you idiot. 

Strike two.

Lesson learned. Buy graded vintage, screw COMC, don't sell anything until the girls are ready to go to college (or if the US economy crumbles and I need quick cash) 

Longtime readers of this blog may recall that I cashed in a Mike Trout RC and had the option to buy a 1960 Topps Mickey Mantle (BVG 6) or a Roberto Clemente 1971 Topps (PSA 7). I chose Mantle. That seemed to make the most sense. 

I chose wrong. 

The Mick converts to a PSA 4-5, which is about a $600 card. The Roberto '71 sells far less frequently - and for as much as $1300?!?!?

I'll call that a foul ball since the '60 Mantle is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, during my Summer of Slabs sale of the Alex Ovechkin BGS 9.5 RC, I considered upgrading the Mantle and acquiring a Clemente. 

And that's when I spied this beauty: 

This was available for $1500 - an exorbitant amount for a single card but about the same cost as a '71 Clemente PSA 7 and a Mantle '60 PSA 5 combined. I could squeeze it into the budget if I get this instead. It's a high-grade card of an iconic player, from the year his team somehow beat Mantle's Yanks in the World Series.

The website offering this card did not take PayPal (booooo!) but they did have a layaway payment plan (yaaayy!) so I swallowed hard and added this to my order. While we negotiated the payment structure he pulled the cards and realized... he'd sold the Clemente at a recent card show. 

Strike three. 

"Is there anything you would like instead?" The seller asked.

Yes. Yes there was. 

And it's going to be the capstone of my collection. 

~~