Win Some…Probably Lose More
It’s often whispered amongst circles within the hobby.
Rarely is it discussed openly at card shows or in streams.
But just because it’s not often said does not mean it does not exist.
And what am I referring to?
Losses.
And when I say loses I mean cards we simply have zero hope of ever getting right with, of ever getting out-from-under.
It’s the player who came in with so much hype, so much fanfare that prices were high before this athlete ever really laced up his spikes or took his first shift on the ice.
It’s the Tim Couch, Phil Nevin, Demarcus Russell-types of the hobby.
And this is just a fraction of the names that would populate a list that all of us can make, regardless of sport or era.
Truth is, in this hobby, particularly if you use it as a stream of income somehow — we lose just as often, if not more, then we win.
And I think we do a pretty poor job collectively acknowledging this fact, especially to those newer to the game.
We like to celebrate our wins, and that’s all fine-and-dandy, but we should probably be more open about the losses as well.
I once lost a crap-ton of money on Zion Williamson prizm cards,(who didn’t right?). I’ve lost probably an equal amount on buying base cards and trying to get them graded and flipped. I still have more Coby White PSA slabs than I want to admit.
Anyhow, you get my point — we all have those stories.
And in an era where we’re inundated with media about high-value cards and big deals, I want to make sure people know that there’s a flip side to this, and a facet of the hobby that is equally as important — losses.
I’m not being Debbie-Downer here, and I am not raining on parades all over the hobby.
What I’m trying to do is to get people to understand this is going to happen — plenty.
And when it does — that’s fine.
Are all of us hoping and striving for more wins than losses — of course we are.
But let this serve as a reminder, however, that we have to factor in every possibility when we are in this hobby, in this business.