Shill bidding reality check: how reserves and house bids shape prices

Sports Cards Live episode 287, Part 1. Jeremy sits down with Joe Poirot to kick off the night, then Leighton Sheldon jumps in for a deep dive on the headline sale of the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth that just hammered around 4M after a prior 7.2M comp. We unpack why rare does not always equal iconic, how schedule issues compare to Goudey Ruths, and what “value” means when a card trades so infrequently. From there we zoom out to the auction landscape: shill bidding realities, house bidding on behalf of consignors, and reserves—how they work, where they are disclosed, and how buyers can protect themselves. Jeremy shares a Classic Auctions mail day, completing a 1952 Parkhurst “flight” with Rocket Richard alongside Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk, and Tim Horton, plus a fun pickup of game-used Mats Sundin gloves. We also touch on Probstein moving off eBay to SNYPE, Fanatics vault strategies, and using Card Ladder to sanity-check comps. What you’ll learn Why the Baltimore News Ruth can lag iconic appeal despite extreme rarity How auction house reserves and house bids can affect bidding behavior Practical tactics to limit shill exposure set a ceiling price and stick to it How “flight collecting” works as a middle path between set and type collecting Vintage hockey targets in 1951–52 Parkhurst and why they resonate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices