For those who don't ever want to sell below their cost, does the same hold true when prices go up? You have to look at what the current market dictates.
If I bought a Ruth card 20 years ago for $1K and the going rate now is $5K, it doesn't matter that I paid $1K; I want to get $5K for it. But if you try that strategy with a McGwire rookie that you bought 20 years ago, the market has dropped and you can't make your cost back - too bad. You should sell at the fair market price, regardless of what your cost was.
For example, I have Red Sox season tickets, and sell them sometimes when I can't go or have extras. I sell them at the market price, regardless of face. For a crappy cold game in April, I realize no one will pay my cost, so I usually sell at half my cost. But if there's a big Yankees game on a Saturday in July, you bet I'll ask more than face value. I get people who complain that they only want to pay face for my tickets, to which I reply, "I have some tickets at face for a bad game on a Tuesday in September that might be of interest." Surprisingly, they never bite at that offer.
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