What are the Best Pre-WWII Investment Cards?

[cbcbcb]

I think there was a thread on this but I can't seem to find it. I have been going in a new direction with my collecting, focusing on quality and liquidity over quantity. So, what would be the 10 or so best, but affordable cards that I can reasonably believe won't lose their value? I am thinking T206 Cobb, Johnson, Young, etc, Goudey Ruth, Gehrig. Any good ideas?

[Exhibitman]

I don't think you will find any single answer to this question; it all depends on perceptions.

First of all, get expert in the area you want to invest in. I would never, ever put money into a collectible without being well versed in the subject.

If you want to generalize, you could consider desirability, demand, breadth of market, rarity, population and recent performance as good gauges of likely performance. All the first-tier HOFers like the guys you listed are always in demand and likely won't cause you to lose money over the longer term, but depending on the set at any given time you may not be able to get much of a return on the investment simply because the demand is readily filled, and you may take a haircut if you have to sell out suddenly in the teeth of a bad market. For mainstream sets like T206, I look for nice cards for the grade given (and yes, I prefer to buy them slabbed via mail--raw purchases I reserve for my visits to shows where I can handle the merch and give it a good going over) and a price that is well below where I think the card should be priced. That means being patient and scouring a lot of different venues for relative bargains. You might want to invest in a VCP scrip so you can do market comparisons on cards that interest you, just to get some idea of how they've fared over the last few years.

You also have to consider your time horizon: are you a short-term "flipper" or a long-term appreciation buyer?

I would stay away from "condition rarities" from easy sets for two reasons: (1) they have a much thinner market base--usually a few registry guys trying to build sets are what drive the market--so it may be difficult or time consuming to get your money out unless you substantially discount, and (2) if a few more cards surface in the given grade you are screwed.

I know this is contradictory to the idea of cards as investments, but buy what you genuinely enjoy owning. It makes it a lot easier to weather a market downturn when you have no problem keeping the cards because you like them.

Above all else, don't count on the investment to fuel your retirement. Pay the bills and cover your formal retirement plan first, then play with the balance in cards as a nontraditional investment.

[Robextend]

You can't go wrong with any of those. Maybe some less conventional choices:

-34 Goudey Greenberg - There will always be a strong market for his cards
-Any Joe Jackson Card
-Old Judge Cap Anson
-39 PlayBall DiMaggio

Obviously the less affordable the longer the list, but I don't think any on my list would ever lose value based on the players place in baseball history.

[scottglevy]

The single most underrated card in the hobby is the T206 Plank. While nearly as rare as the Wagner and also a HOFer, Eddie Plank typically sells for about 10% of the price of a Wagner -- a bargain by my measures.

-Scott

[Bicem]

Everything is a bargain compared to a t206 Wagner!

[tennisguy]

I agree with Scott on the T206 Plank, but what about also the T206 Magie (error)? I see it as also a great investment card in any grade. Any thoughts??

[E93]

Everything is a bargain compared to a t206 Wagner!

Funny, I would say that is probably the best investment card out there. Of course it is not easy to buy in.
JimB

[B O'Brien]

For myself, I like midgrade T206 HOFers with the tougher backs to lower the population numbers. In the long run, tough backs may not mean anything one day, but I am betting against it.

I like the T206 set because it is mainstream and anyone can afford to dabble in it. Goudey's and T206 are usually what make people turn the corner to prewar, as they are easy to get your hands on. People always like buying guys that they have heard of, so that is how the HOF part comes into play. I like the tougher backs because of the challenge involved in tracking them down. The combination of the three takes popular mainstream (aka liquidity through lots of buyers) to a higher level ($$ demand through HOF and scarce backs).

I enjoy the type card folks efforts, and say that is the way to make or lose big money, as sometimes there are buyers, and sometimes there are not. I don't mind putting money into my T206 HOFers with tough backs, as I look at them like a blue chip stocks with a little bit of upside potential. If you buy right you are not going to get burned to bad when you sell, as there will always be buyers for the BIG SET and HOFers. You may not make a lot of money, but I think loses can be kept to a minimum.

At least that is how I explain it to the wife (pretty well rehearsed!!),
Bob

[Bicem]

Funny, I would say that is probably the best investment card out there. Of course it is not easy to buy in.
JimB

I think it's overrated and overpriced for what it is, however, I don't think that is ever going to change and I also agree that it's a very good investment card.

[M's_Fan]

I agree with Scott on the T206 Plank, but what about also the T206 Magie (error)? I see it as also a great investment card in any grade. Any thoughts??

I've never been impressed by error cards. Some guys go crazy over them, but they just don't get me going.

[drc]

Eye appeal for grade. Try to get a card that is especially good looking for its grade-- ala nice colors, image, etc. You'll get the most money for the grade out of that card.