Interesting article on collectibles in general

[steve B]

http://money.msn.com/investment-advice/5-collectibles-soaring-in-value

It's an interesting article. I haven't read the long introduction, which I should do. But what's interesting is the major jump in a few categories despite what many say is still a reserved if not down economy.

Especially interesting is the rise in stamps, which have been according to many hobbyists and dealers a "dying" hobby for at least a couple decades.
Makes me wonder if those assessments are purely American, since stamps of China are enjoying a huge surge as that country develops a wealthy class. There's also been a very large influx of the very top items some of which are only available once in a generation.

Steve B

[Leon]

It doesn't surprise me. For folks with a lot of money collectibles can be a fun way to invest. Even a couple percent of a big savings number could mean a nice collection of something to have fun with. Why not?

On the other hand I have heard of collectors who have more of their resources than they should, into their hobby, and of course that isn't advisable. ;)

[JakeStahl'sGloveSHows]

Thank you for posting the article, very interesting to read. The article suggests caution be used in assuming collectibles returns should be viewed as "investment" due to illiquidity at the highest levels. That likely holds true for the ultra-high priced sports collectibles as well. My guess is the pre-war collectibles will, at the minimum, keep up with the rate of inflation (which has been low of late but likely higher in the future). The market for much of what is discussed and traded on this board is quite liquid with many outlets.

So that brings us to the question of how much is too much? Since recently being re-bitten by the collecting bug which has ignited my interest in pre-war (which had not existed before) -- I can't get enough! I thoroughly enjoy the process of getting educated on the various issues. Bill Gregory (the 'stache) was kind enough to steer me to back issues of VCBC and Old Cardboard. I'm soaking in everything I can right now. I can see where the "too much" demon can show itself. Keeping in mind that everything is relative to one's own situation -- regardless; once it gets into your blood....

I do have a question, is anyone aware of the existence of any sort of baseball card index (particularly pre-war) that might exclude the highest end cards but represent the annual average price movement of a "basket" of representative items? That would be quite interesting to review.