The T206 Titus Bubble

[CTrux]

There have been a few passing references on at least two threads in this forum that a member is buying up all of the T206 Titus cards and has, as a result, created a price bubble.

1.) Does anyone know if this rumor is true?

2.) If it is, does anyone know what is his/her intent behind collecting over 100 Tituses? And, does anyone know exactly how many he/she has?

(Despite the fact that this would be extremely unethical, the cynical side of me is wondering if he/she is considering destroying a large number of the cards and thereby dramatically driving up the price and creating a new elite T206 card).

Thanks for your thoughts.

[CMIZ5290]

Yes, there is at least one collector who is known to hoard Titus T206's. Having said that, the card is still a tough common with a very low PSA Population, especially in grades 6 and higher. Thus, the value.....In lower grades, it is not that difficult of a card to obtain.

[CTrux]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm a little confused though. You said that he hoards Titus cards and that the card is already scarce. But, then you said that obtaining a low grade isn't difficult.

Is he only collecting high grade cards? And, aside from the fact that T206 Titus wallpaper would be amazing, any idea why?

[seablaster]

I'm just curious as to why you would consider the destruction of the Titus hoard as unethical.

[Cardboard Junkie]

Originally Posted by seablaster

I'm just curious as to why you would consider the destruction of the Titus hoard as unethical.

+1 Mean, (to garden variety collectors) but unethical?

[CTrux]

Originally Posted by seablaster

I'm just curious as to why you would consider the destruction of the Titus hoard as unethical.

Really? Well... I'd direct you towards an ethicist and/or a historian/art historian. Professionally, I'm neither. (However, from what I know of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and John Stewart Mill, et al., I'm confident that they'd likely think that preserving the cards is the most ethical thing to do).

In my own opinion, I consider it unethical because the cards are part of our collective heritage, both as collectors and as Americans in general. Destroying the cards deprives many, many, many other people from enjoying them and encourages other people to similarly destroy other cards. (Imagine if there were no Mantles to collect). Meanwhile, only greed is served and, in the long term, we would risk losing the hobby in general if/when others decide to hoard and destroy.

So, I think the cards should be preserved and the price left to natural market forces.

[rdwyer]

Seems to me, it would be better to hoard them. Then when prices go up, sell them.

[seablaster]

Originally Posted by CTrux

Really? Well... I'd direct you towards an ethicist and/or a historian/art historian. Professionally, I'm neither. (However, from what I know of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and John Stewart Mill, et al., I'm confident that they'd likely think that preserving the cards is the most ethical thing to do).

In my own opinion, I consider it unethical because the cards are part of our collective heritage, both as collectors and as Americans in general. Destroying the cards deprives many, many, many other people from enjoying them and encourages other people to similarly destroy other cards. (Imagine if there were no Mantles to collect). Meanwhile, only greed is served and, in the long term, we would risk losing the hobby in general if/when others decide to hoard and destroy.

So, I think the cards should be preserved and the price left to natural market forces.

I appreciate your response.

I agree that these cards represent an aspect of the history of baseball and of America in general; part of me even felt conflicted throwing out 1989 Topps cards.

That being said, these Titus cards are the property of the buyer and I feel they are within their right to destroy them if they wanted to. Would it be unfortunate? Definitely. Would other collectors be angry if they were destroyed? Absolutely...but I don't think it's unethical.

I think the market manipulation accompanied by hoarding is an interesting one. The hoarder puts himself in difficult situation; the more they acquire, the competition will become more significant, and prices paid will move upward accordingly. Case in point, the Obak Miller.

I don't think destroying them would realize the most gain for the hoarder. I think the only way it could be done is as already suggested. Hoard them and then slowly bleed them out into the marketplace while perceived scarity and demand continue to make them valuable.

[CTrux]

Originally Posted by seablaster

I appreciate your response.

I agree that these cards represent an aspect of the history of baseball and of America in general; part of me even felt conflicted throwing out 1989 Topps cards.

That being said, these Titus cards are the property of the buyer and I feel they are within their right to destroy them if they wanted to. Would it be unfortunate? Definitely. Would other collectors be angry if they were destroyed? Absolutely...but I don't think it's unethical.

I think the market manipulation accompanied by hoarding is an interesting one. The hoarder puts himself in difficult situation; the more they acquire, the competition will become more significant, and prices paid will move upward accordingly. Case in point, the Obak Miller.

I don't think destroying them would realize the most gain for the hoarder. I think the only way it could be done is as already suggested. Hoard them and then slowly bleed them out into the marketplace while perceived scarity and demand continue to make them valuable.

Oh, 1989 Topps! We must be the same age. I loved those cards. Sadly, they were--as you know--massively over produced. As a result, I can't see any ethical issue with trashing them. Just sentimental, maybe...

I'm glad that you noted the property rights issue. That's also interesting. However, I'm of the inclination that property rights should--at some point-- succumb to historical value, at least for some items. I hold the T206 set in high regard. I want my kids' kids to see and enjoy them (in person, not in a museum). So, the historical value is--for me--high enough to check my personal property right to destroy them. For me, what provides that "check" is ethics.

Regarding the buying-and-selling vs. buying-and-destroying, from a market perspective I have to admit that it would be really interesting to see what would be more profitable. If the hoarder could get a following/story/myth going about the Titus card, it would be very interesting to see how far up the T206 rarity list he/she could drive the card.

[atx840]

The collector is a boardmember & has a very neat project in mind for the stache.

[ullmandds]

i think it'd be pretty funny if someone destroyed a stash of stashes...or any mass qty of another card. throw some gas on the pile and flame on?! shred them and use them to stuff a beanie baby? send them swimming and just tear them to bits with your hands...so many ways!

whomever owns the cards...can do whatever he/she wants with them...

[JasonL]

and other sordid tales."

Sounds like a great book title.

And for the record, I believe it to be unethical to not euthanize every card from the 1990s that you encounter

[SetBuilder]

I spend a lot of my time reading philosophy so I thought I'd chime in here. I've been wanting a Titus card for my set since I started collecting a year ago but I've given up the hunt for now. I'll buy it as part of a larger lot but I don't feel like paying the premium for it knowing what I know about this particular card.

Here we have an unnamed hoarder who has a huge fetish for the Titus 'stache (you can take this literally or figuratively); is trying to realize a profit by driving up prices (i.e. cornering the market), or is trying to stroke his ego by controlling the supply. I don't believe that merely "liking" a card is enough of a motivation to hoard it compulsively, especially when he is in possession of hundreds of copies of the same card.

Ethics teaches us what conduct is to be valued, and what conduct is detrimental, to society as a whole. One test I like to use to determine if a character trait is ethical (or virtuous) is to ask "what would happen if everyone acted in this way?" That is, what would happen if a great number of people began to hoard valuable items compulsively? The world would not be a happy place, I would imagine. This is why vices are toxic to mankind, because if hedonism is valued over everything else, we have chaos.

I do not believe this conduct is acceptable. If you want a profit bad enough, produce something instead of mooching.

[Cardboard Junkie]

Originally Posted by atx840

The collector is a boardmember & has a very neat project in mind for the stache.

Is the board member and project a secret?

[HRBAKER]

If he/she decided to destroy some of "their" cards you could then say that their life was "nasty, brutish and short." The cards that is.

[tiger8mush]

Trimming a T206 Wagner, grading it as factory-cut = unethical
Selling cards on the b/s/t with creases but saying your loupe showed a perfect card = unethical
Creating a T206 website pimping fake T206s that you created and selling them = unethical
this link below = unethical
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=86171

destroying your own t206s = whatever

[ullmandds]

http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=86171...what a seedy place that is...people with moniker cat f$cker hang out there!!!!

[HRBAKER]

This is some heavy stuff for baseball cards.

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

If you want a profit bad enough, produce something instead of mooching.

I'd argue that the hoarder is producing a shortage

Will he/she actually profit? I doubt it. Every card gets more and more expensive. Eventually when he/she sells, the price realized on each card will begin to diminish with every Titus that is released into the market to the point where it falls back to normal pre-hoard price.

Has it been established that this Titus hoarder is doing it in the name of profit? I can't imagine that is the goal.

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

Trimming a T206 Wagner, grading it as factory-cut = unethical
Selling cards on the b/s/t with creases but saying your loupe showed a perfect card = unethical
Creating a T206 website pimping fake T206s that you created and selling them = unethical
this link below = unethical
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=86171

destroying your own t206s = whatever

You don't just simply destroy a T206 card. There has to be a motivation behind it.

All of us here are part of a collecting "community". The majority of us are decent people making a good faith attempt to put together collections, hopefully doing so with the consideration of others who are attempting the same. The last thing we need is a shady character burning cards to make his collection more valuable, or hoarding a player to make it harder for the rest of us to pay for a common card. It's hard enough to complete a T206 set as it is.

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

what a seedy place that is...people with moniker cat f$cker hang out there!!!!

thats an unethical act as well

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

You don't just simply destroy a T206 card.

Yet we destroy '89 Topps cards? Where is the boundary of ethics drawn? At '53 Bowmans?

[ullmandds]

"It's hard enough to complete a T206 set as it is. " that's funny! it'd be a lot easier...quicker...cheaper to corner the market on a much rarer caramel common card!

[atx840]

Its a personal project not some evil plan to corner the global market of a baseball card in which thousands and thousands are out there.

If he slowly buys 100 @ $50-$150 (10K...low estimate) and then decides to slowly release them out one a month for a high $175 BIN and sells all 100..that is still only a $7,500 profit over 8 years. He has spent 1/3 of that on acquiring one BL350 example alone.

He simply enjoys the card.

[SetBuilder]

I'm only going off the information that I've gathered from this board. That information points to a collector with over a hundred Titus cards. Perhaps there is more information that we're not aware of, but based on the facts thus far, I just don't think this is normal, ethical, collecting behavior.

I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way.

[Eric72]

Chris,

I agree:

The prospect of hoarding the examples of a card one has stashed is easy enough to envision. Doing this to cause a price increase is easy enough to envision. “Cornering the market” is a method employed by many who have come before us.

Typically, this is embarked upon to increase the value of one’s holdings. And I completely understand this investment strategy. What escapes my understanding is the rationale behind destroying one’s holdings for the sake of increasing the value of an investment portfolio. Simply put, you can’t sell them if you burned them.

Many early hoarders of Gregg Jefferies have likely gone down a similar path, tearing up his cards like so many losing lottery tickets or tossing them into the recycling bin with the rest of that late '80s crap.

Doing this solely with an eye towards increasing the value of said card, though; in my humble opinion, is paradoxical. After all, how could one realize a profit through such an act?

A case could possibly be made that destroying the lower grade examples would be similar to a farmer thinning the crop for a better yield. Having said this, I still do not see the economic gain to be had here.

My personal opinion is that the T206 Titus hoarder has a higher purpose.

Best Regards,

Eric

[RCMcKenzie]

Had you bought the T207 Red Cross Lowdermilk, then you could start to say that you were cornering the market on a card. I would guess that there are 5 to 10 thousand T206 Titus cards. I see them all of the time on ebay, at no reserve ,selling for under $200. If someone wants to collect that card, I see nothing wrong with that, morally, ethically, or otherwise. It's like a back run to me. He's not affecting the pricing one iota, imho.

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

Had you bought the T207 Red Cross Lowdermilk, then you could start to say that you were cornering the market on a card. I would guess that there are 5 to 10 thousand T206 Titus cards. I see them all of the time on ebay, at no reserve ,selling for under $200. If someone wants to collect that card, I see nothing wrong with that, morally, ethically, or otherwise. It's like a back run to me. He's not affecting the pricing one iota, imho.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item51add510af

http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item43bc8fde94

http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item5d3faacf67

Look at those crazy prices for a common card that you and Chris say there are thousands and thousands of.

So because I'm collecting a T206 set like many on this board, I have to pay 200% premium to market value just so some hoarder(s) can work on a "special project"?

How can that price bubble be explained? That's right, there is no good explanation.

[MVSNYC]

I might have missed it, but who (besides the original poster) said this Titus collector might destroy the cards? seems ridiculous and fabricated.

Secondly, if someone has the desire to collect as many of one card as they can, why is that a bad thing and who is to try and stop them? it's a free country.

Isn't someone here collecting as many Shags as they can?

I see no issues.

[ullmandds]

I wouldnt recommend cornering the market on red cross lowdy...didnt work for me!

[atx840]

I felt for you that night Pete...

Take your pick and move on to the other 519 cards.....this is within two months.

$60
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-T206-JO...item53f8e92d66

$75
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-1911-T2...item43bab0f36a

$76
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item51acae724c

$79
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-Sweet-C...item48563601e0

$86
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item4854628ad4

$105
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item51ab23924a

$110
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item589fd00bd5

$115
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item4854628ad4

$117
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item51aaa57209

$118
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item3f25aef176

$126
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item3f24349696

$145
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1910-T206-Jo...item46101702e2


$9.99 ; )
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item5d3fca76e0

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by atx840

I felt for you that night Pete...

Take your pick and move on to the other 519 cards.....this is within two months.

$60
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-T206-JO...item53f8e92d66

$75
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-1911-T2...item43bab0f36a

$76
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item51acae724c

$79
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-Sweet-C...item48563601e0

$86
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item4854628ad4

$105
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item51ab23924a

$110
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item589fd00bd5

$115
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item4854628ad4

$117
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item51aaa57209

$118
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item3f25aef176

$126
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-John-Ti...item3f24349696

$145
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1910-T206-Jo...item46101702e2


$9.99 ; )
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item5d3fca76e0

Beaters. Those are mostly PSA/SGC 1's and 2's that should be closer to $30 selling for $100.

Collecting hundreds of specimens of the same card is a sign of a sick mind and we're paying a price for it. Could you imagine going to someone's house and seeing 100 of the same exact collectable car, or seeing 200 of the same exact board game lined up in a closet? How can you justify the utility of that many duplicates? This type of greedy "collecting" habit benefits no one in this hobby.

Now I have to shell out $300 for a Titus card that should be worth $80. When the hoarders feel like its time to cut the cards loose, I lose $220 when the price crashes back down which I could have used to buy 4-5 other cards. At this rate I'll buy the Plank before I buy the Titus under these circumstances. I can easily afford one, but this feels like a scam. I encourage others to do the same and leave the Titus for last until the "special projects" are finished.

[SetBuilder]

BTW, there is a shortage. Only 1 Titus available on eBay right now. This is a common we're talking about, not a Southern Leaguer.

[Jlighter]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=86171...what a seedy place that is...people with moniker cat f$cker hang out there!!!!

This Website just shows why we need monitoring.

How was this found.

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by Jlighter

This Website just shows why we need monitoring.

How was this found.

do a google search for "vintage baseball card scandal", its 2nd in the list of results

[glynparson]

But I find it highly unethical to question someone's collecting habits. Why can a person not collect as many copies of a card as they so choose? Even if profit is the motive how is that unethical. Those calling this individual unethical without even k owing his motivations are worse in my opinion than the hoarder even if he did ecentually destroy the cards. To those criticizing this as unethical exactly how many copies of a particular card are you allowed to own before its unethical. I'm sorry but I just see that position as silly at best.

[CobbvLajoie1910]

Originally Posted by glynparson

But I find it highly unethical to question someone's collecting habits. Why can a person not collect as many copies of a card as they so choose? Even if profit is the motive how is that unethical. Those calling this individual unethical without even k owing his motivations are worse in my opinion than the hoarder even if he did ecentually destroy the cards. To those criticizing this as unethical exactly how many copies of a particular card are you allowed to own before its unethical. I'm sorry but I just see that position as silly at best.

+1; Sour grapes.

[frankbmd]

i had two (2) Titi, until I sold one (1).

[ullmandds]

I bought into the whole net54 created Titus craze a few years ago when I was still collecting T206...but sold it when I liquidated. I mean why should a card be more desirable just because it's the only one with a moustache? Seems silly to me?!

T206 is a pretty easy set to complete...to me it adds interest when certain cards are tougher to obtain than others for whatever reason.

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by glynparson

But I find it highly unethical to question someone's collecting habits. Why can a person not collect as many copies of a card as they so choose? Even if profit is the motive how is that unethical. Those calling this individual unethical without even k owing his motivations are worse in my opinion than the hoarder even if he did ecentually destroy the cards. To those criticizing this as unethical exactly how many copies of a particular card are you allowed to own before its unethical. I'm sorry but I just see that position as silly at best.

This! A person's right to acquire and do as they will with their property is the key here. No one in entitled to be able to acquire "x" card @ "x" price thereby creating an obligation for others to stand aside or not engage in what is perfectly legitimate behavior in order to create a path. I think John Stuart Mill would even agree with that, not sure about Immanuel Kant.

I understand the frustration but this is not an ethics issue. Bid more or wait.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

Ethics teaches us what conduct is to be valued, and what conduct is detrimental, to society as a whole. One test I like to use to determine if a character trait is ethical (or virtuous) is to ask "what would happen if everyone acted in this way?" That is, what would happen if a great number of people began to hoard valuable items compulsively? The world would not be a happy place, I would imagine. This is why vices are toxic to mankind, because if hedonism is valued over everything else, we have chaos.

I do not believe this conduct is acceptable. If you want a profit bad enough, produce something instead of mooching.

How does society benefit if something is borderline and NOBODY does it? Drawing a hard line on wether something is ethical based on benefit to society is quite the challenge.

As an example, I don't think that fast food employees being lazy or not caring about doing a good job is good for society, or for them. But it's not unethical.

How many of our prewar cards are still around because of hoarding? Or other slightly off behavior. You could say that by not sending them off to a WWII paper drive they hindered the countrys efforts. Ethical?
Having a few hundred caramel cards in the attic for a century or so? Surely nobody benefitted over that time, although they have now. Ethical?
Or how about bringing home a sheet of cards your company is printing? They're only going to throw them out, and your kid will enjoy cutting them out and doing whatever kids do with cards. surely the company would think of it as stealing, while to the kid it's a marvelous gift. And a century on, those have become treasures to some people even if they're cut a bit crooked and might be missing a color or six. Ethical?


If someone wants to buy a bunch of the same card that's really not a problem. Some people will pay a bit more and to them it's a detriment. Some will sell for more, and to them it's a benefit. Seems like the net result is nothing.

And sometime get a look at the volume of stuff any large museum keeps "for study" It's usually orders of magnitude more than they display. No immediate benefit there, maybe no benefit in my lifetime. But maybe someday.

Steve B

[tschock]

I fail to see any ethical dilemma at all when dealing with the difference between the want of person A versus the want of person B. Now if we were talking the needs of these 2 persons (food, water, inalienable rights, etc), that is a different story.

Personally what I find unethical and reprehensible is the assumption that "society's wants" trump and individual's inalienable right to "pursuit of happiness" when it doesn't impinge on another's inalienable right to life or liberty.

[ullmandds]

What I find unethical is when someone has a card I want that may be worth a few hundo...and just because I want it it becomes a $1000 card...now that's not cool!

[CTrux]

My apologies to the Titus collector. This discussion has gotten a bit off topic. For the record, the only thing I personally considered unethical was the hypothetical destruction of the cards, which was admittedly my idea and not something I wanted to attribute to him.

I just wanted to know if there really is a bubble. I'd love to get a nice PSA 5 but I don't want to pay too much. Thanks!

[MVSNYC]

"For the record, the only thing I personally considered unethical was the hypothetical destruction of the cards, which was admittedly my idea and not something I wanted to attribute to him."

Thank you for clarifying, as i didn't think that was the Titus collector's intention.

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

Collecting hundreds of specimens of the same card is a sign of a sick mind

So, I have over 300 Joe Mauer autographed rookie cards from 2002, and over 500 rookie cards of me...now what do you classify me as?

Now, as to why? He's my favorite player, no one is even close to being second, other than maybe Puckett. Also, when he most likely makes the Hall, gunna be a hell of a fun day selling off 3/4th's of them (but will be sad too). Another is I want to have the GREATEST Joe Mauer collection in existence, cards, autos, game bats/jerseys, etc., etc., etc.

So what's wrong with this guy getting Titus cards? Quit complaining, wait til he's done buying, then go buy some! Simple concept! Why would you look to buy anyway when the market is high!? If I had a Titus card and knew someone was raising the prices buying them up, I'd throw them on the bay.

He could be making a sick monstrous Titus collage using hundreds of his T206's to make one monstrous T206 Titus image.

[CMIZ5290]

Originally Posted by HOF Auto Rookies

So, I have over 300 Joe Mauer autographed rookie cards from 2002, and over 500 rookie cards of me...now what do you classify me as?

Now, as to why? He's my favorite player, no one is even close to being second, other than maybe Puckett. Also, when he most likely makes the Hall, gunna be a hell of a fun day selling off 3/4th's of them (but will be sad too). Another is I want to have the GREATEST Joe Mauer collection in existence, cards, autos, game bats/jerseys, etc., etc., etc.

So what's wrong with this guy getting Titus cards? Quit complaining, wait til he's done buying, then go buy some! Simple concept! Why would you look to buy anyway when the market is high!? If I had a Titus card and knew someone was raising the prices buying them up, I'd throw them on the bay.

He could be making a sick monstrous Titus collage using hundreds of his T206's to make one monstrous T206 Titus image.

Brent- Pretty good stuff.....I collect high grade T206 Wheats, especially because of all the back possibilities, and because he is one of the most undervalued HOFers.....

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

Brent- Pretty good stuff.....I collect high grade T206 Wheats, especially because of all the back possibilities, and because he is one of the most undervalued HOFers.....

You're post, is one of the most accurate posts I have ever read on this forum with what you said about Wheat. I could not agree more, and his T206 card is awesome. I'm glad I have one, and it's even signed

[z28jd]

I have over 3100 Omar Vizquel rookies

Someone broke open as many 1989 topps traded sets as they could get in order to get the Griffey cards, then I paid about 8 cents each for all the Vizquel's.

Never thought about this, but I think he just trashed the commons, so that set might be harder to find than you would think...maybe 1% harder

[SetBuilder]

I'm firm in my conviction that it is unethical to hoard the same card. The downplaying by saying "well, I collect hundreds of Greg Maddux cards" or "I have a thousand Ichiro's" doesn't quite compare to 104 year old antique baseball cards.

The word "hoard" has a negative connotation for a reason and it becomes worse when done in a niche that has as much scarcity and value as T206 cards. This behavior is not cute or amusing in any way. In my example in an earlier post I mentioned that an ethical test would be to ask "what if everyone in society did it?" Well, we have a society right here. The entire pre-war baseball card community is a microcosm for a society, and it would be a horrible hobby to be a part of if millionaire retirees decide its cute to buy 250 of the same T206 card. The reason to me is simple: money in this hobby can go a long way and can inflict severe price fluctuations. No one can stop a small group of multimillionaires from bidding up every T206 Shag they find. Would it be fun to be in a hobby where this occurs? It may be occurring now, and could get worse if more decide to hoard. This is why people fear hedge funds from coming into this hobby.

Those that hoard baseball cards on this forum who are viewing this post need to change their avatars to a big middle finger. Because that's what they're giving the rest of the smaller and humble collectors with limited budgets. A big F'U. You have to pay more now for a card because the supply is dry and I have 500 in my cabinet? Too bad. You lost money because I sold off my hoard and now the price dropped? Too bad. Imagine a scenario where you need a particular tobacco card and find out someone has hundreds hidden away. I would imagine the buyer's reaction would be "Hey, you have a card you can spare for my set, you greedy ba$ta*d?" Too bad, he says. I need them all! I don't care that there are 50,000 other people collecting a T206 set. The hoarder is like the fat kid at the little league games who takes all the good potato chips and leaves nothing for anyone else.