Last year (for reasons that I don't quite recall), I found myself looking at a player auction (for Barry Larkin of course). I decided to jump in (if I remember correctly, it was for a case of 2017 Allen & Ginter and I was hoping for some Larkin mini cards). Unfortunately, that break didn't work out all that well for me...but it didn't completely sour me to the point of avoiding player breaks.
Flash forward to January of this year with the release of 2018 Topps flagship. Once again, Barry Larkin was present in the set (only as inserts and autos/relics) so I decided to take a gamble. I ended up bidding higher than I had meant too...and I definitely wish that I had stuck to my original bid. Still, at least I can say that I have two new Larkins from 2018 for my collection.
Yep, those two cards were it for me. At about $6.50 per card (after shipping), I definitely did not get my money's worth...but then again, part of what you pay for is the chance for something great at a discount. I didn't hit it big but I didn't get shutout either so I guess I'll take it.
I'm curious though, what do you think of player breaks as opposed to team breaks? I imagine it's a bigger money maker for the sellers but I have no idea if that is true (you'd need a lot more buyers so maybe it's a wash). Anyhow, I still haven't given up on the concept even if I'm basically 0-2 on execution.
I’ve bought into just a few player breaks before and never came out on top so I stopped. It usually turns out that I end up buying the parallels one at a time for less than what I paid for the break.
ReplyDeleteTeam breaks on the other hand have worked out pretty well for me.
I have done both team and player for the same product hoping for the same player before. Team breaks are the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm more likely to join a team break but I joined a player break for a case of hobby and a case of jumbo since there 4 cards I'm attempting to super collect with parallels. I put in a slightly more than minimum bid because they aren't necessarily cards others are into. I won most and pretty much just ended up with 18 base cards of each. Only hit a rainbow foil parallel for two of the players I won, none of the rarer ones.
ReplyDeleteI'd probably do it again if I wanted to super collect a particular card again but in the meantime will probably stick to team stuff.
I have to agree with the others that team breaks are often worth the bid, but player breaks rarely are. You COULD get lucky. But, then again, you COULD win the Powerball...and how likely is that?
ReplyDeleteI have bid on a few but got outbid in the end. I think I will target them for some of the less popular players I collect in high end products with a chance to get lucky.
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