What are the Odds of Finding These Cards (Again)? They're Better If You're Always Looking...
Some cards feel like one-and-done finds—until they pop up again when you least expect it. Here's proof that staying curious (and searching often) can lead to surprising second chances.
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Disclosure: This is not buying or investment advice. I’m simply reporting the data I’m seeing. Please do your own research and make your own decisions. Just because cards have increased in value up to this point, it doesn’t mean they will continue to do so.
Every so often, you land a card that feels like lightning in a bottle—rare, obscure, and gone the moment it’s sold. But sometimes, just when you think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime flip, it shows up again… if you’re paying attention.
1. Yes, THAT Mattingly
Not sure if you saw when I posted about this card earlier in April, but I found and bought a 2004 Topps Don Mattingly Poland Spring Yankee Stadium Giveaway card for $5.75 shipped.
This card is rare, basically selling only once per calendar year since 2023. Here you can see my sale for $55 on 4/17/25, and then the previous sales in May 2024 and November 2023:
Given its rarity, I threw comps out the window and decided to list it for double what it had been selling for, and it still sold quickly. There aren’t any copies on eBay right now.
So...guess what card I was beyond surprised to find for a second time on CollX?
What in the world, seriously.
Now, I’m about 50% certain the card is going to be shipped and delivered. While I was the seller’s first buyer, the card was listed just a day before I bought it, and as of now, they were active 15 minutes ago. The card was marked as shipped, but tracking hasn’t updated.
So, what is the lesson here? Search players regularly.
I know there has been feedback about CollX search giving unexpected results, and I agree it’s not perfect. But, I feel it’s getting better, and the beauty about searching for a card like this is that all I was doing was searching for “Don Mattingly.” No filters, etc.
That’s also why Mattingly is a regular flip of mine, and why he has shown up on the flip scavenger hunts more than once—many of his cards are undervalued on CollX but sell well on eBay.
2. Agustin Ramirez Orange /25 for $20…YESTERDAY
OK, I don’t know if it was yesterday or the day before, but it was recent, and wayyyy after the Agustin Ramirez rocket ship left Earth.
It wasn’t me who found it (more on that) but a new subscriber!
He should do very well based on recent comps.
The takeaways here are to take in the content, make a move if you believe in the card/player/opportunity, and leave no stone unturned.
It’s also a good reminder that I have resources to help:
For the sports card search engine, it’s not perfect or pretty, but I’ve gone through and added a number of online card shops to it, and will continue to do so. There are so many different online platforms that sell cards, besides eBay.
3. Other Rarities
The Mattingly above is really just the tip of the iceberg, but one of the latest examples. To inspire you to get out and find those flips, here are other “repeats” I’ve recently come across.
Topps MVP Promotion
I found and flipped a 1999 Topps MVP Promotion Roy Halladay for about $60 profit, and a 2000 John Smoltz for $13 profit. I also just purchased the more coveted 1999 Smoltz for about $3.
1998 Pinnacle Epix
This continues to be the set that keeps on giving. The nice thing is, you can find it across baseball, football, and, for my last two flips, even hockey!
I shared flipping an Eric Lindros for about $30 profit, and shortly after I found this Sakic that I sold for about $30 profit as well.
1998 Topps Stars
Man, I wish this set was prettier! It’s like, the designs are just muted. Maybe I’m missing the point. Either way, the cards are great flip candidates, especially the inserts. I flipped this Bonds /100 for about $47 profit and the Mondesi /50 for over $100!
A couple of weeks ago I bought this Sosa /75 for $8.75 and currently have it listed on eBay, where I expect to make around $100.
All in all, the flips are out there! Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.
How long, on average, do your flips stay on eBay before selling? Do you ever drop the price some to liquidate the cards?
This is my favorite topic always! There are so many cards and so many opportunities and love it when I see that there are cards I’ve never seen before that are getting flipped like this!