I put this post up on the old blog, Sundry Collectibles, after losing this auction on eBay. The thing with this hobby is, that there aren’t that many people into it…just a small fanatical few. I wonder what would happen if the same card was up again…would it fetch the same price??
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One thing about collecting is knowing your subject…well. Time and time again I see people who have bought stuff on eBay or at a show who pay WAY too much for something that was touted as “RARE” or “SCARCE”. Those are two of the most over-used words in collecting.
But this observation works in reverse as well. Sometimes stuff really is rare. And while I have a pretty good sense of the landscape of the hobbies I am involved in, I am occasionally surprised by an auction result on eBay or elsewhere. Today was one of those days.
This card sold on eBay today for $153. Sounds like a lot (and it is) for a postcard. It’s a picture of the interior of the Nautilus Submarine from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea exhibit. I knew it was not common, so I bid something like $20 for the card…but, that didn’t quite cut it I’m afraid! This exhibit was around for over 10 years at Disneyland (1955 to 1966)…not sure why the card is so rare.
The most I have ever seen paid for a Disneyland card is ~$250. And that is one of the reasons I love this hobby (aside from the fact that it doesn’t take much space!). The “Holy Grail” of the collection is not in the stratosphere price wise. A collector can have a lot of fun and put an impressive collection together for under a dollar a card if you are patient.
