Trade #6

Say hi to a very happy kid. Just for fun, I'm going to call him... Bob! Bob here is now the very proud owner of a 1966 Topps Pete Rose card & a 1992 Hall of Fame Fotoball signed by Rollie Fingers and Tom Seaver (latter came with a cert. of authenticity).

Now what I found most interesting about this trade is that Bob and I are both fans of baseball, but we had very different opinions about what item is the most valuable. For me, it was the Pete Rose card. You know... more hits than any player in the history of the game but hasn't been elected to the Hall of Fame because he gambled on baseball including games he both played in games he managed and then lied about it for something like 20 years. Yeah. THAT Pete Rose. I think and hope that one day "Charlie Hustle" will be admitted into the Hall (after all, never bet on his team to LOSE!... only to win... that was the Charlie Hustle way). But that's not what this post is about.

You see, my trading partner Bob found the Rose card interesting, but it was the Fotoball that he went nuts over. He asked out of curiosity whose autographs were on the ball. I told him Rollie Fingers and Tom Seaver.

"Tom Seaver!" he shouted. "I MUST have that ball."

As I mentioned in my last post... paydirt. I found a baseball fan who appreciated what I had. Better yet, he was truly fanatic about it.

When I asked him why he liked the Seaver ball so much he said simply that Tom Seaver was the greatest pitcher the Mets ever had. As a Yankees fan, I wouldn't know. But if someone came to me with a Don Larson ball, I guess I'd react pretty much the same way. Then Bob started listing all sorts of Seaver stats that were both over my head and circling my heart. Here was a kid who would truly appreciate a special item of baseball memorobilia. I immediately wanted him to have the ball (and the Rose card, too... what the heck), and he hadn't even made an offer yet.

We talked briefly about the possible trade options, and really within just a minute or two, we had a tentative deal. So what did he offer? Well, let's just say that of all my trades thusfar, I feel this one was the most fair. Bob gave me a video game for the Wii gaming system: "Guitar Hero World Tour Complete Band Game", to be exact. It came with the game, the wireless guitar, the wireless drum set, and a wired microphone. Bob never used it. It was still sealed in the box. He explained that he got it as a present just AFTER his Wii system had broken. Since that time, he'd loaded up on games for another system and his Wii and the 2 or 3 games he had for it were pretty much just sitting there doing nothing.

I mentioned above that I feel this was a very fair trade. Why? Well because financially speaking, it is impossible to say who won here. You see, the game with all its components are currently valued at around $150. The ball and card are harder to judge because a LOT rests on the condition of the card and I'm no expert. I did a little MORE research on baseball card values. Apparently the corners are the major focal point... they love to see sharp 90-degree angles, which are hard to come by. At my best guess I figure the ball had a value of around 35 bucks and the Rose card was worth at least 30 and might have been as high as 75.

"But wait!" you're saying. "I thought you said it was impossible to say who had the better financial deal." And right you are. As it stands (and assuming I didn't vastly underestimate the condition of the card), I'm clearly the winner. The thing is, time changes everything. As time goes on, my Wii game will only decrease in value while his ball and card will only increase. Already the Wii game has halved in value since when it first came out, which was only a little over a year ago. And when/if Pete Rose does get accepted into the Hall of Fame, that card will instantly spike in value.

Now, that's not the end of this story. I mentioned above that Bob and I made a tentative deal that day. That's because I had a stipulation. Even as he made his offer I got the uneasy feeling that this whole trading-for-something-bigger-and-better adventure was getting away from me. I mean, here I was less than 2 months and a mere 6 trades away from a silly little PAPERCLIP and I was being offered what is basically the hottest video game on the market. I was suddenly worried that I might be crossing some sort of line with my students. So I insisted that Bob provide a signed note from his parents allowing the trade. He assured me that would not be a problem, and indeed it appeared not to be. He had both the giant Wii game box and the note the next monday in school. And, yes, I did check to make sure it wasn't his handwriting. You can too if you click it so you can read the thing.  (It's modified to protect Seaver-Bob's true identity).

In the meantime, Bob is just giddy over his Seaver autograph, and that makes me smile. In fact, I call Bob "Seaver" now. I heard a rumor that he barked at some other kids in math class when they reached over to touch it. Can't confirm the story, but I like the idea of it. A true fan WOULD do that.

So I'm really very happy about this trade. Bob is happy and I'm happy for him. And in the meantime, I have something of better current value that I can trade right away.

Speaking of trading the Wii game... the offers came POURING in immediately. All sorts of video games & systems. But before you try to top what I've been offered, I already have a deal made. We are waiting on the item to make it official, but all parties have agreed (and in this case there are FOUR of us!). It is the last, I'm sorry to say, that I'll be making with my students.

What's the trade?
Why the ultimatum?
And how will I trade from now on?

As soon as I have it in hand, I'll post again. Farewell for now.
If you get bored waiting, please check out the link at the top of the page to see my wife's cakes. And if you like... buy one! They're yummy and fun to look at too.