Quote:
Originally Posted by packs
There are literally millions of cards out there for Judge and Jeter collectors though. They'll never reach the same level. For ANY career-contemporary Cobb card it's going to cost you, which is what sures up the value of his more expensive options.
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I do get that the PreWar players have fewer career contemporary cards— and thus taken in the aggregate, those cards will be worth more money that the average career contemporary card of a modern player. That said, it does not mean the best card of a modern player is not as worthwhile to the collector or potentially to the investor as well, provided the latter is content to shoulder the accompanying risk.
From a strictly monetary standpoint, which is admittedly not my purview, one who bought a PSA 10 Jeter SP early on did fantastically well. And the "entry cost" of obtaining that Jeter back then was probably not even high enough to buy a nice Cobb or Ruth card. The salient point being there are all sorts of good options in terms of players and cards for both the collector and the investor. Multiple avenues for satisfaction that are neither competitive nor mutually exclusive.
Interesting case in point, for the monetarily minded: in the last year, if I paid the usual AH retail dollar to obtain a great Cobb, Gehrig, Ruth, or Shoeless Joe, I would be lucky to be able to break even on the sale of those cards today. In contrast, if I was so inclined, I could make a much greater profit on some Harpers and Judges I purchased in that very same window of time.
Another factor to consider on such a topic is how thin the air is as one progresses from 5 digits to 6 digits, and even upward. Such cards can be much harder to sell than one would think, at first blush. So there are many variables to consider, from which cards, at which prices, to investment horizon. Buying "for keeps," as it were, for a collection, really does a great job of simplifying the situation— and a great job of eliminating the headache that usually accompanies anything money-related.