Activist investor Victor Alboini has made a number of mistakes in his career. He has been on the wrong side of securities regulators and the investment industry’s regulatory body. But even his detractors on Bay Street should give the man some credit.

It was Mr. Alboini, the chief executive officer of Jaguar Financial Corp., who said in 2011 that BlackBerry Ltd. – then known as Research In Motion Ltd. – should put itself up for sale. He argued that the company would never shine brighter than when it was still promising to reinvent the smartphone, and that its prospects would likely fade once consumers and business users actually got to see its new devices. He was right. While the new BlackBerry 10 phones have received decent reviews in the specialized press, they have barely moved the needle for the Waterloo, Ont., company that bears its name.

Three busy open houses over Mother’s Day weekend and a steady stream of visitors with mid-week showings confirmed its popularity among buyers, four of which vied to produce the highest offer.

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