Does rarity help or hurt value?

[parkplace33]

Watercooler question with a coworker today. Does rarity help or hurt card value?

For example, let's say you have a preward type card that is extremely rare. Does the rareness help or hurt the value, especially when you want to sell it?

I am on the fence. I can see how popular player cards may help the value. But on the other hand, I can see cards that are so rare would have a much lower interest from the average collector.

[MVSNYC]

I think a rare card within a rare or esoteric set would have narrower collectibility, and be quite niche. Not saying they wouldn't command high dollars, but I think if compared to a rare card in a popular set (i.e. a Rare Back within the T206 set, or a low-pop player in the Cracker Jack set), I think the latter would be most desirable. Just my 2 cents.

[Snapolit1]

Both. Or either.

Some cards are too scarce of their own good. No market. Many of us have cards that are more scarce than a Wagner tobacco card that we couldn't sell for $500.

The 52 Mantle is not particularly scarce. Nor is the Mays 52.

One of the many oddities about collecting.

On a related note, the next dope who posts "RARER THAN A GOUDEY!!!!" in an Ebay listing is getting my entire foot in their behind. See it every day, all day. It means nothing.

[Carter08]

I'm going to change my tagline to add rarer than a Goudey. I agree it can go both ways. Hard to nail down specifics. Depends on the player and the set involved. There is a race car driver in the T227 set where there are only a few out there. Sells for huge money just to complete the set, and there are just enough of some of the other cards to make the set somewhat pursuable. If Cobb was not part of that set or there weren't enough of the other cards available I could see the race car card having much much less interest.

[nwobhm]

IMHO rarity is almost meaningless.... it's demand that sets price. There are over 20,000 86' Fleer Jordan RC graded by PSA alone. Look at the prices.... makes no sense. Many a prewar card are in very short supply.....very few bring Jordan values, even less bring more $. YMMV

[KMayUSA6060]

I don't think it's a clear cut answer. There's a combination of rarity and scarcity that certainly increases value, but not all rare issues are more expensive, and vice versa - some rare cards are more expensive.

I have two main projects - Hall of Fame run and Grover Hartley PC.

- Mainstream set HoFers typically go for more than their non-mainstream, yet often more rare counterparts (i.e. T207 WaJo vs T206 WaJo). I sold a bunch of HoFers a couple years ago, and as I rebuild that portion of the project, my focus is often the non-mainstream but more rare examples of the HoFers. They're often cheaper (sometimes significantly) and I like the rarity. However, there are some rare issues that are non-mainstream that sell for significantly more than mainstream issues.

- Grover Hartley's rare cards are always more expensive. Is the rarity exactly proportionate to its value? Nope. I just bought an example that is potentially the only known in existence, and it was less than a few of his other cards that have multiple known examples but are part of more desired sets (T207). Within the T207s, his rare backs sell for more than his more common Broadleaf back.

[Leon]

Demand increases value, rarity doesn't.
.

[vansaad]

Demand with rarity can result in very high values, but also a more volatile and illiquid market.

[Casey2296]

I like my cards like I like my Steak...rare.

[Exhibitman]

Ahh, the age-old conundrum: rarity v. obscurity. Leon is right: demand generates value, not rarity. Demand + rarity = $$$$.

If you own a rare card and you want to generate demand for it, probably the best way to do that is to get PSA to slab the card and add it to the player's registry (assuming the player has one). Then the registry participants will chase the card to finish their sets. Another way to up the profile of an obscure rarity is to publish information on it in the hobby press. Collectors cannot add a card to their want-lists unless they know it exists.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Leon

Demand increases value, rarity doesn't.
.

+1 agree and sometimes being rare also hurts. Something might be desirable but if it is to rare and does not come for sale/auction often then buyers do not know the value or perceived value and either may not bid or buy it or only go for a level that they are comfortable with which might be less then the seller wants to sell it for.
But it is as always worth what someone is willing to pay and what someone is willing to sell for

[BobbyVCP]

Originally Posted by Leon

Demand increases value, rarity doesn't.
.

Nail on the head...