SoCal Playing Cards has a Blue Damask up for auction

[bdawg923]

https://socalplayingcards.com/products/ ... ue-auction

Sorry I don't know where else to post this so if it shouldn't be here mods can remove it, but I didn't see this on socal's IG feed even though Henry usually posts all his auctions there. Anyway, it's about 2 days left and the bid is at $1500 if any is interested in a sealed Blue Damask deck. This isn't my consignment to be clear.

[GandalfPC]

There is an open one in the http://52plusJoker.org April auction as well, will doubtlessly go for much less

[kevork]

In the past year of my own intense hunting (which today I found out is kevorking), I had never seen one come up for auction, let alone sealed. There is a reserve for this listing, but I'd be shocked if it hasn't been surpassed yet.

This is the one deck that I get repeatedly asked for and would say is Lotrek's most in-demand deck. I know someone who recently paid 3k for the set, which I tried to help him be more reasonable on, but hey. I know what it's like to really want a deck...

I've paid ~$1k for one and about $600 for another. Both opened. That's also how I coined the term Schrodinger's Damask, because you never really know if you have all the cards or in good condition otherwise. Both had some sort of flaw that I had to follow up with Lotrek on in order to remedy and even then there's no guarantees that he can since it's been 5 years since the deck's release.

[GandalfPC]

I saw this one go by on ebay a long while back, both were sealed - I almost bit but was not up to the task at the time - not sure if I would bite at that price today either, I have other fish to fry at the moment:

[kevork]

Worthpoint doesn't clarify if a listing went for that amount or if it was the asking price and a best offer was accepted, but here are the historical eBay listings. This current auction would be the highest documented pricing yet.

[double_left]

I saw this one go by on ebay a long while back, both were sealed - I almost bit but was not up to the task at the time - not sure if I would bite at that price today either, I have other fish to fry at the moment:



EABCFF93-30CB-48C0-BC2D-F883C558B399.jpeg

At least that was for both red & blue decks

$1,500 for just the blue lol
Whoever is bidding/buying this has real collectors problems.

Asking almost a rent-payment for most smh

[double_left]

Also a bit odd to say there is a reserve pics but doesnt list the reserve price and says not to ask is even weirder imo

[kevork]

Also a bit odd to say there is a reserve pics but doesnt list the reserve price and says not to ask is even weirder imo

That's how reserves work, if you didn't know. eBay has that same feature. It would've been worse if people weren't told because what happens if someone wins the bid and only finds out later there was a reserve? They could accuse shenanigans.

I took that as "please don't bug me" which I felt was very appropriate. Henry is offering a service by auctioning decks on consignment, and time and time again I've seen him operate from a place of integrity. With what I mentioned regarding this being Lotrek's most in-demand deck, I imagine he is getting bombarded.

[GandalfPC]

Asking almost a rent-payment for most smh

Almost three times my monthly mortgage payment

[kevork]

Asking almost a rent-payment for most smh

Almost three times my monthly mortgage payment

Oh, the luxury of being Gen X. I'd have to pay about six to nine times that for a home lol

[bdawg923]

If I ever see a reserve price auction on ebay, I always ask the seller and they tell me the reserve price. Its kinda weird that it's hidden here in my opinion (tbh I dont even see the language about a reserve price. Maybe I need to join the auction to see it?). Say for example the reserve is $3k and I don't want to spend more than $2k on it, just tell me the reserve price up front so I don't waste my time bidding. Not sure why it's a secret. If your reserve is $5k, fair enough, I'll avoid the auction and good luck to the other bidders.

[double_left]

Yes but a reserve on eBay is removed once the reserve price is hit

And in most auction houses, if a item has a reserve price tag with it, buyers already know what the number is before bidding.

A bit odd to say there is a reserve but not knowing what it is, is all Imsaying

[double_left]

If I ever see a reserve price auction on ebay, I always ask the seller and they tell me the reserve price. Its kinda weird that it's hidden here in my opinion (tbh I dont even see the language about a reserve price. Maybe I need to join the auction to see it?). Say for example the reserve is $3k and I don't want to spend more than $2k on it, just tell me the reserve price up front so I don't waste my time bidding. Not sure why it's a secret. If your reserve is $5k, fair enough, I'll avoid the auction and good luck to the other bidders.

Exactly it shouldn’t be kept secret

[Cardians]

It looks like the reserve information has been removed which tells me that the price has hit its reserve.

Good luck to whoever gets this. Going to be interesting.

Cheers,
KW

[GandalfPC]

I know the function a reserve serves, but I have done plenty of ebay auctions over the years (not for cards) and I found reserve price was bad for business - better to start it off at a low price and take your chances, or start it off at the price you are willing to part with it - the reserve tries to get the best of both worlds but in my experience it fails

[Bradius]

I am kinda shocked at the price this is going for and what they are trading hands for. I guess I remember the pre-2020 prices. The Gentleman Wake was a bit tough on it from his review. He thought it was too busy. I disagree, but everyone can have an opinion. It is still a magnificent deck. At the time, Lotrek was selling them, I kinda choked on the cost. The red version was the only one listed, and I only got three (which was way lower than what I got for Arabesque). Lotrek later came out with a Blue variant and it was limited to one per person. That kinda ticked me as I had sunk in for 3 reds and could only add one blue. I opened a red damask, but none of the others, so my other Damask decks are all sealed.

If you want to talk about costs, I used to collect Seated Liberty Silver Dollars. Back in the 1980s I had the chance to pick up a pair of 1851 and 1852 silver dollars in mint condition. They were $51k each! Which wasn't a house payment, it was the bloody cost of my entire house I just bought - for one coin. Yeah, I could just admire the pair from a distance.

[brownsl]

$1,500. I just can't do that. Crazy price. I had an opportunity to get one recently for about a third of that and could not pull the trigger even at that price. Now I regret it a bit. I have a pipe dream that I can work out a trade for a group of other rare Lotrek decks that I do have multiples of but I think the blue damask is just too rare. Most people don't have multiples and are needing other Lotrek decks.

I could always sell the multiples I have to raise the funds to buy a blue damask. The end result would be the same but the psychological barrier of spending that much on a deck is hard to overcome.

[kevork]

Ending bid was $1,505. I wonder what this will do to the 52+J Auction.

[GandalfPC]

That one is open, low starting bid, but figure it would be a lucky price at $500 - you are bidding against members only I think (is it members only?) - but if things get hot and out of hand it may reach around 1k.

[kevork]

That one is open, low starting bid, but figure it would be a lucky price at $500 - you are bidding against members only I think (is it members only?) - but if things get hot and out of hand it may reach around 1k.

I suspect the same. This one is opened so I don't know how much people consider that to change the value when it comes to something like this.

Looking at the rules, only members can bid. There are about 660 members. The auctions are all viewable to the public, so maybe that's to pull people in.

[Bikefanatic]

I'm glad I bought it off Ebay for a quarter of this bid's final price. I like the blue version better than the red. This might be the highest I've seen a deck sold.

[rousselle]

Was Henry selling his own deck, or was this a sale on someone else's behalf? Does he often host auctions on behalf of other collectors?

Having never really sold anything from my collection (I think I've traded a couple here and there with fellow UC'ers, but that's about it), I'm curious as to how all that works. If I ever did decide to let go any of my rare decks, I'm not sure I'd have the patience to deal with ebay and fulfillment and on and on. I'm amazed at how many people do... but, then again, I'm glad they do, since I've certainly purchased a few here and there over the years via eBay and the like.

[bdawg923]

Was Henry selling his own deck, or was this a sale on someone else's behalf? Does he often host auctions on behalf of other collectors?

Having never really sold anything from my collection (I think I've traded a couple here and there with fellow UC'ers, but that's about it), I'm curious as to how all that works. If I ever did decide to let go any of my rare decks, I'm not sure I'd have the patience to deal with ebay and fulfillment and on and on. I'm amazed at how many people do... but, then again, I'm glad they do, since I've certainly purchased a few here and there over the years via eBay and the like.

https://forms.office.com/pages/response ... 5FMUNDQS4u

Pretty sure all the decks he auctions off are on consignment. He's basically selling decks other people send him and makes a commission and takes care of shipping and insurance

[Bradius]

I'm glad I bought it off Ebay for a quarter of this bid's final price. I like the blue version better than the red. This might be the highest I've seen a deck sold.

I have seen (and let pass) some Icon Imperial Reverse decks sell for north of that. Some of Lorenzo's can go for north as well. However, the air gets real thin. In my opinion, you have to really love it to dig that deep for it given the number of other amazing decks out there that are a whole lot less expensive. While sometimes you can find a relative bargain on eBay, it can be a chore hunting regularly to find it before someone else. But, yes it is a great feeling

[double_left]

I'm glad I bought it off Ebay for a quarter of this bid's final price. I like the blue version better than the red. This might be the highest I've seen a deck sold.

yeah what year was that -haven’t seen a blue demask on eBay sell for $500 EVER

ok

[kevork]

Was Henry selling his own deck, or was this a sale on someone else's behalf? Does he often host auctions on behalf of other collectors?

Having never really sold anything from my collection (I think I've traded a couple here and there with fellow UC'ers, but that's about it), I'm curious as to how all that works. If I ever did decide to let go any of my rare decks, I'm not sure I'd have the patience to deal with ebay and fulfillment and on and on. I'm amazed at how many people do... but, then again, I'm glad they do, since I've certainly purchased a few here and there over the years via eBay and the like.

Most of the items he posts are on consignment and he takes a percentage from the sale. Bdawg's link is the form to submit a deck, but I recall there being an actual webpage too. I'll ask Henry and circle back if there is one.

[krystalie]

I feel like someone manage to cheese the deck at 1505 cause I was watching it to see how far the amount would go and it stayed at 1500 for quite some time.

[kevork]

I feel like someone manage to cheese the deck at 1505 cause I was watching it to see how far the amount would go and it stayed at 1500 for quite some time.

What does this mean? I guess I don't really know the meaning of cheese here.

I did keep in touch with Henry and he assured me he could see every bidder and check if any shenanigans were happening. Based on my observations, it seemed like two people bid up to 1500 and probably had that as their personal limit. Then someone, whether it was one of the two or someone completely different came in with a higher bid right when there was three minutes left and took the cake when nobody else bid again.

[bdawg923]

If cheesing means sniping the auction then that can't happen. Also I found that form here https://socalplayingcards.com/collectio ... t-auctions at the top. It used to be a Google form before

[Bradius]

I feel like someone manage to cheese the deck at 1505 cause I was watching it to see how far the amount would go and it stayed at 1500 for quite some time.

What does this mean? I guess I don't really know the meaning of cheese here.

I did keep in touch with Henry and he assured me he could see every bidder and check if any shenanigans were happening. Based on my observations, it seemed like two people bid up to 1500 and probably had that as their personal limit. Then someone, whether it was one of the two or someone completely different came in with a higher bid right when there was three minutes left and took the cake when nobody else bid again.

I did a look up myself. There are actually a ton of different meanings based on context. Some I was aware of, but several were new to me. However, I think what I found on Miriam's dictionary makes the most sense given the context:

cheesed; cheesing
transitive verb

: to put an end to : STOP

I think bdawg's guess of sniping is a good one as that sort of follows this definition as well.

Once before I mentioned that I was in "tall cotton". For those that don't remember me using that one, care to guess? It is a nice southern slang.