The 1952 Topps Master Set... Is Sold.

A look back at the craziest week of my life, and the news that I have sold the 1952 Topps Master Set.

Well. That was fast.

I am excited to share that I have sold the 1952 Topps Master Set.

As I shared with you all a few weeks ago, I wanted to bring to you all the details on my experience selling this set, as it was truly the find and deal of a lifetime.

I wanted to wait to publish this piece until final details of my deal were finalized, and at this point I am excited I can share the details with you all.

Here’s the story on how the set sold:

Just a few hours after I published The Find of a Lifetime, I had several readers on my newsletter reach out to me inquiring about the set.

I had provided my valuation of the set to be between $300,000 to $330,000 in my original blog, and I arrived at that valuation based on recent sales, as well as my research on the sold listings of every card in the set. When you add into the fact that the cards within this set were meticulously curated with centering and eye-appeal in mind, it added likely even more value to the set than I even probably recognized. Since publishing that piece, I’ve heard some estimates from others in the hobby share the set could be worth even from $350-$400,000.

Regardless of the “full value” - I believe that my research and valuation proved to be correct, considering the interest of the set at that valuation was clear right away.

I had over 2 dozen inquiries for the full set list and all the grades in the first 24 hours. My blog was read by over 5,000 people just over the weekend. My video posts on the find did over 200,000 views across Instagram and TikTok.

I even had Topps reach out to me asking about the find!

All this to say, as soon as I went public with this find, I was overwhelmed with the response. My initial plan was to create / post content for a week or so before making the official “SALES POST” announcement online and across my platforms.

It never even got that far.

I went into this deal knowing that if I found a buyer for the set at my price, I would take the offer, knowing that it was all staying together and the ease of the transaction / not having to worry about selling it off in individual cards was worth probably leaving money on the table for the full side of the valuation.

Over the weekend I took several phone calls from collectors, investors and card dealers who were really interested in buying the set. I had shared with them my valuation, and that when I was going to make the official sales post it would be up in that range of $300,000-330,000.

For the sake of biting my tongue, I will refrain from sharing some stories of conversations I had with some “buyers” that were anything but. However, ultimately there were several serious parties that inquired, and I was of course so thrilled to get to speak to them about the incredible collection.

One of the calls I took was from a reader of the newsletter, who has been following my content for some time now. I’ve had the pleasure in selling some amazing cards to him in the past, and in that time have built a good relationship. I’ve always been someone that puts a lot of value into the relationships I build in the hobby, and I know that’s a huge reason as to why I’m where I am today.

He and I spoke the following day several times over the phone, and after providing all the information related to the grades of the cards, photos of the cards in the set, and again asking about valuation of the set - the buyer and I began to discuss what logistics would look like for a deal to take place.

And just 48 hours after I had written my article about the find, that buyer and I had come to agreement on terms for a deal, right at my $300,000 asking price.

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As I have taken time to reflect the past few weeks on the experience of selling this set, I think one thing that jumps out at me is the gratitude I felt for all of the people who helped get me to this point.

I resigned from my corporate job a little over a year ago now. Prior to pursuing Bonkers Cards full time, I graduated Penn State in 2018 and had a 5 year career in sales. I worked for large CPG companies including Mars Wrigley, Ferrero and Unilever. I also worked for 2 years as a Recruitment Consultant in the Financial Services industry, where I truly learned the skillset of negotiation and deal-making.

I got to share this experience with mentors of mine from my corporate career as well as my personal life this week, and thanked them for everything that they taught me. This deal truthfully has changed my life, and I know with 100% confidence I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for those people along the way that took time to teach me the valuable skills that made me executing this all a possibility.

I am not going to share what I bought the set for, but it was enough of a profit for me to feel comfortable with the risk I took to buy something like this. I have built the Bonkers Brand on being as transparent as I possibly can be, and I thank everyone who has supported me and shared encouragement with me as I build something that is different than what you typically see in the hobby.

I am so excited to see what happens next with this set, and I am thrilled for the buyer.

I of course want to also make sure I share with you all that any time I share information on deals, I always get written permission from the buyer or seller that I am working with.

I recognize that what I am doing is very different than what has traditionally been done in this business for the last 50 years. And that might make some people feel uncomfortable - I get that. Many people want their privacy, and don’t want their business being known.

It’s important I share that I will always respect the wishes of a buyer or seller that I work with in that regard. If they don’t want their name or face out there in a piece of content I make - I would never put them in a position like that. I have operated several large deals in the privacy and wishes of many private buyers, and I hope anyone reading this knows that you can always reach out to me with confidence that you can share cards or offers with me and it not be ever publicly shared.

With that said, I am a very public-facing person.

Deals of this size have historically are done either through a major auction house or a quiet back-door deal and a hand shake.

Getting the opportunity to share what this experience has been like through my platform has been really a special and unique opportunity. I think it’s going to be a game-changer for the Bonkers Brand as a whole.

I’d say more than 80% of the cards I’ve ever sold have been sold LIVE on a TIKTOK broadcast in front of thousands of viewers. My followers watch me in real-time negotiate offers, and often time price cards.

I believe that this authenticity and transparency has helped build my brand and trust in the hobby. It’s different. And I’m going to continue to build upon that trust.

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So if you are out there and new to reading my content I say thank you. I hope you stick around and continue to watch, listen, read, and learn more about the vintage sports card hobby and what makes it so great.

And if you have been following here for sometime now, I also want to say thank you. Your belief in me, and the support in my vision of what this platform can become inspires me every day to keep going.

I will be posting more big items and set for sale in the coming weeks and months ahead, as I continue to unpack the “Find of a Lifetime” in several phases. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to the newsletter to get more updates on sets and cards as they come available, as well as to see more of my writing about the vintage sports cards market and hobby.