Looking for cardboard investment

[Mick]

I'm looking for a set, or series of prewar cards to invest in. I'm looking for a really nice set, with some challenges, and some room for it to grow value wise.

Or just some individual cards. Would you look at sgc, or PSA? Or buy sgc and PSA and try the cross to PSA? I've mostly done 50s stuff before, and the prewar era is really pulling at me.

Thanks in advance for the advice & help

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Mick,

I'd recommend the 14 Cracker Jacks which imho is the best set all time! It's a challenge but one that can be accomplished and right now there seems to be quite a few cards for sale on ebay and auction sites with prices that have cooled off in the last 12 months but with lots of upside given the smaller supply.

Good Luck with whatever set you go with!

A.J.

[Peter_Spaeth]

My investment advice would be, don't seek or take investment advice from people you don't know on chatboards.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

My investment advice would be, don't seek or take investment advice from people you don't know on chatboards.

LMAO.

I'm a big boy. But some help narrowing it down is always nice

[bbcard1]

Hang on to your money and let the investment choose you…by that I mean that if you don't have a specific target, wait to see a lot that offers a very good buy…you should be able to buy a chunk of a set at a good discount if you are patient.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Mick

LMAO.

I'm a big boy. But some help narrowing it down is always nice

Nobody here has any idea what the market is going to be tomorrow. If they pretend otherwise they are full of it. Things get hot, things get cold. In my opinion HOF rookie cards in decent grade or better are probably most likely to stand the test of time, but I could be full of it too. Or the popular issues of Ruth, Cobb, and Mantle.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Nobody here has any idea what the market is going to be tomorrow. If they pretend otherwise they are full of it. Things get hot, things get cold. In my opinion HOF rookie cards in decent grade or better are probably most likely to stand the test of time, but I could be full of it too. Or the popular issues of Ruth, Cobb, and Mantle.

Now Pete, I thought from one of our posts/discussions just prior to the National that you didn't believe vintage collectors had any significant interest in HOF rookie cards--lol. For the record, though, I do agree with you for the most part, and completely with regard to any short term investment. Long term, a very simple formula has proven to be applicable in virtually every collectibles field with regard to appreciation in value: rare, significant, and in the best condition you can find or afford! Condition is of course the easy part, whereas determining how rare and/or significant an item is depends on study, research, and knowledge--and from there, you just have to make your best guess (or analysis). My study of the coin, car, and rare books field, as well as what has happened in this area of collectibles since the late '70's, indicates that if something is truly rare and significant, demand will eventually come around. In contrast, things which are only moderately scarce, rather than truly rare, tend to be cyclical in terms of their appreciation in value.

Always enjoy your posts and wish you the best,

Larry

[Jim F]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

My investment advice would be, don't seek or take investment advice from people you don't know on chatboards.

Top 10 posts of all time

[SAllen2556]

I understand the OP's intent isn't to spend his kids' inheritance here, but as a simple collector I've always found the idea of "investing" in this hobby to be an interesting topic. Investing in baseball cards feels similar to investing in art - risky at best and very foolish if you're not an expert in the field. What cards have truly out-performed the safer investment markets like the stock market, bonds, etc.? If you had $50k to invest, who in their right mind would invest in sports cards as their primary investment? I'd much rather own a piece of property, for example. It seems like some people use the "investing" justification to fuel what could best be termed an addiction! (Again, I understand this was not the intent or situation of the OP.)

If you went back to, say, 1985, what cards could you have purchased that would have beaten the stock market or real estate over the last 30 years? I think of my parents' house in 1985 worth about $50k then, that today would sell for around $200k today. Could you have beaten that with sports cards? Wagner and Mantle come to mind, but who back then would have believed the prices today would be what they are? Just think if you'd purchased $50k worth of 1985 Topps baseball cards…yuck!

What if you had purchased the entire 1914 Cracker Jack set, or every t206 card except the biggies back then, would you, in fact, be ahead? It's fun to think about the whole time-machine thing and what you could have invested in vs. what you actually did. In 1978 I paid $5 for a 1953 Topps Al Rosen because I was 12 and it was the first "old" card I'd ever seen and I had to have it. It had two holes in it and today is worth about….$3, maybe.

[T206Collector]

It all depends on circumstance. In 1997, I bought two raw T206s from a friend - a T206 Bender Portrait for $150 and a T206 Matty White Cap for $350. Today the Bender is in an SGC 50 holder and worth about what I paid for it nearly 20 years ago. The Matty is in an SGC 60 holder and worth about 3 times what I paid for it 20 years ago. It's all in the details!

[x2drich2000]

Here's my thoughts...it is impossible for anyone here to provide any unbiased recommendations without more information. What is your time frame? How much do you have to invest? What is your risk tolerance? Is this strictly for investment or for your personal enjoyment as well? How important is liquidity?

From your description, it sounds like you are looking for a set to enjoy putting together and hopefully grow a little in value. If that's the case, then what do you like? Do you care about spending a chunk of the money on a "common" player? What decade strikes your interest the most? Since everyone's opinions on what constitutes a nice set is different, I would recommend searching through the oldcardboard.com website to see what strikes your interest.

That said, a good chunk of those around here will likely say T206s in some form, weather it be subset of HOFers, portraits, rare backs, southern league, teams, etc, or the full set. Personally, I would go after a caramel set, e90-1, e92, e93, etc. Most are not too terrible to build unless you go after the more difficult sets (i.e. e105, e92 nadja, e104-3, etc).

The final thing I will say is with just about any investment, the purchase price is just as important as the final selling price.

DJ

Do your own research

[Mick]

I've always had a thing for the old tobacco and caramels.

Funny that another poster said 1914 cracker jacks. I love those.

T206 are nice, but I'll never finish that one.

I was looking at the 1911 Mecca cards, E95 philly caramels, '14 crackers and those type.

I really like the old players, like Mathewson, lajoie, Cobb etc.

My budget is probably between 10 and 15 k a year.

It's a labour of love. But I want to finish whatever it is.

[Econteachert205]

I'm happy with the t205 set I completed. Any card that doesn't facially look like the player represented makes me nervous. That is what keeps me away from the Meccas and many of the caramel offerings. For investment sake, it's better IMO to collect something with a pretty strong following. The cracker jacks as previously mentioned are great but a bit out of my price range. T3s to me represent a good value for a collector with a decent budget.

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by Mick

I was looking at the 1911 Mecca cards, E95 philly caramels, '14 crackers and those type.
.

I think you just answered your own question. With your budget you can knock off the 1911 Mecca in just a few months, no challenge there. The E95s are more expensive but with just 25 cards in the set you should be patient in picking up what you want. 1914 CJ set is larger and will take some time.

Therefore you should work on all 3 sets at once and be frugal with your purchases (i.e. you don't need to win the next available card at all costs).

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Mick

I'm looking for a set, or series of prewar cards to invest in. I'm looking for a really nice set, with some challenges, and some room for it to grow value wise.

Or just some individual cards. Would you look at sgc, or PSA? Or buy sgc and PSA and try the cross to PSA? I've mostly done 50s stuff before, and the prewar era is really pulling at me.

Thanks in advance for the advice & help

Obviously, no one wants to lose money on any purchase. But buy what you like, not because you think a card or set will appreciate the most over time. People on here are infinitely helpful with any questions you may have, but I am not sure how forthcoming posters will be to divulge publicly what cards are currently "undervalued."

[Joshwesley]

Whoever said don't seek/take financial investing advice from an internet message board was probbwly on point...
However..... T206's are probably one of the safest card investments....
They aren't making anymore of them and card prices have risen over the years.. I don't think they have ever declined?

Hall of famers, rare backs and any player with a real high grade is going to be a sound investment.... They'll never be tough to sale.