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Greed Won Out

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Categories: Humor and sarcasm; Experiences and daily life; Human nature; Commerce and business

Word count/read time: 500 words; 2 minutes

The allure and perceived value of some collectibles are incomprehensible. At my first in-person auction a set of Brady Bunch cards sold for around $10k. And a stuffed doll - granted, many centuries old - for $22k. There wasn't a $3.25M comic book but all over the world similar items command serious coin.

Some freshly minted sport cards' prices are mind-boggling. The LeBron James' triple logoman card has the NBA (fabric) logo from each of his three championship teams from game-worn jerseys. Everyone knew it was going to be worth at least a million.

Many people would live-stream the opening of their box, fingers crossed. The fervor was insane. At roughly $15k per box, it wasn't like your average kid would traipse to the corner store and buy one with pocket change.

As each box was opened and the Holy Grail wasn't found, the remaining boxes increased in value. Websites tracked these stats. It was certain that whoever found "the" card would immediately announce it.

WAIT! This is about greed, the payday, as it was highly unlikely the finder would keep it. A group of investors came forward with the card. Their actions were sacrilegious to greed! Their immediate greed squandered the opportunity for an additional hefty payday, perhaps far more riches than selling the card itself. Why not harness greed's power?

People who can't fully embody their ideas, especially when it comes to vices, are foolish. Greed: It's about money and opportunity. If I found this card there would be absolute radio silence. I would buy every remaining box at whatever price. And waited while everyone opened theirs. Naturally, they would think they had an increasing chance of finding it but that would be my dirty secret.

How much money could be made sitting on those boxes? As the virgin quantity dwindled, their value would climb exorbitantly. When there were only a few left I'd sell my stash, then make another $2.4M.

Greed forsakes patience but it would have paid handsomely in this case. Greed battling greed, what irony and stupidity! At least it didn't result in people being tortured, dying, or other malicious acts as history has shown is almost a certainty. If the worst outcome siphoned money from gamblers and speculators...well, crocodile tears aplenty.

In other news, an auction house sought a T-206 Honus Wagner baseball card. They found one in exceptional condition. The boss showed up with $10M cash and plopped it on the collector's desk. He balked, wanting more. Well, he only got $7.25 million AND may have had to pay fees on top of that (estimated $1.5M based on the broker's normal fee). Greed didn't win this time!

A casino chip counterfeiter did his job so well that even the casinos couldn't distinguish the real from the fake. On video surveillance they observed him put coins into a slot machine which malfunctioned and didn't give him a spin. Instead of complaining about losing $50, he walked away. They bagged him because he wasn't greedy.

Posted by M: March 30, 2023

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