Hank Aaron Vs. Charizard Vs. Eleanor Roosevelt

My Dad is part collector, part minimalist, and entirely conflicted. With a move in the near future he is making a push to rid the house of things he doesn't want to move again, while still finding time to pick up a couple hundred first day of issue envelopes here and there.

So begins the long process of attempting to sell off everything in the house through eBay, Glyde, and Craigslist.

In the early stages we decided to test the market on three fronts: Baseball cards, Pokemon cards, and first day of issue envelopes.

1. Baseball Cards

My Dad's collection of baseball cards is in the thousands, primarily ranging from 1968-1991. Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, WIllie Mays, and the Hank Aaron pictured above are just a few (and I do mean just a few) of the many stars he has collected over the years.

2. Pokemon Cards

This collection bug must have also infected my brother and I for a bit when we were younger. Exploring the closets and under beds I found a bunch of colorful cards of various monsters breathing fire, shooting electricity, shrouded in smoke and so on. I had completely forgotten that my brother and I used to collect these Pokemon cards, and decided to list a few or the cards I remembered to be "cool" (to a 5th grader) to see if they would bite.

3. First Day of Issue Envelopes

Similar but more obscure than collecting stamps, these envelopes are unique in that they celebrate nearly every aspect of American history and popular culture. We chose a few from the 1960's including an Eleanor Roosevelt in near mint condition.

Fast forward two weeks.

Charizard: Sold for $26.99
1972 Hank Aaron: Sold for $1.90
1963 Eleanor Roosevelt: No sale.

If you would have asked me two weeks ago I would have given the exact opposite prediction. I guess no matter how much something is worth it's worthless without a customer.

-BLOCHEAD