How much would you pay?

[rhettyeakley]

I am coming at this question imagining we are in an alternate universe and trading cards never attained any real following in that universe. In a situation like that I could see the item having some value just based on age and novelty. I would assume a value of $25-100 or so just for those reasons alone.

Strange but interesting question.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

I am coming at this question imagining we are in an alternate universe and trading cards never attained any real following in that universe. In a situation like that I could see the item having some value just based on age and novelty. I would assume a value of $25-100 or so just for those reasons alone.

Strange but interesting question.

This touches on an important clarification. Yes, the OP assumes cards never had any value to begin with, and not that there was some cataclysmic event that suddenly made all cards worthless.

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

Yes. Thank you.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

Just take away the PSA 5 and make it an EX card. That said there are still several members who would burn 5k!!

.

[RedsFan1941]

Originally Posted by Leon

Just take away the PSA 5 and make it an EX card. That said there are still several members who would burn 5k!!

.

easier to say yes when it is hypothetical. i wonder if that would be the case when the time would come for the cash to hit the barrel head.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

I would assume that reprints of a worthless item also wouldn't exist, so that wouldn't be an option either. Printing them out would be possible, but who wouldn't just pay $2 if they wanted one bad enough, which would be much better than a printed version.

To answer the question, I would pay about $100 because I would like to have one, but it's not high on my list.

I also buy a lot of cards I don't plan on selling, so with that in mind, I've paid a lot more for cards I just want to have.

[T20Brew]

I’d look at it like an experience since in the OP’s scenario there’s no real resale/future value. What I mean is, what is the experience of owning it worth to me?
I like to go to concerts, and they can cost a nice chunk, but I pay it, and I usually will pay for good seats. It’s an experience for me and something I can remember in the future, although it has no future/resale value.
So what would the experience of having the 33 Ruth in my house for me to look at whenever I want if it had no future/resale value? Probably $100-$500.

[orly57]

You offer the guy $10. If there is no resale value, that is more than he would get from anyone else. But as mentioned above, I understand that is not the point of your hypothetical. Perhaps a better question would be "would you buy a baseball card even if you were guaranteed to make zero profit or take a 20% loss when you sell it?" This may help us get to the root of your hypothetical, which I sense is really asking if we buy for the love of the hobby or solely for the investment potential.

[kailes2872]

Originally Posted by orly57

You offer the guy $10. If there is no resale value, that is more than he would get from anyone else. But as mentioned above, I understand that is not the point of your hypothetical. Perhaps a better question would be "would you buy a baseball card even if you were guaranteed to make zero profit or take a 20% loss when you sell it?" This may help us get to the root of your hypothetical, which I sense is really asking if we buy for the love of the hobby or solely for the investment potential.

This is my life everyday. I don't know where everyone gets their great deals at. I scour ebay, AH's, BST, everywhere. If I am buying right, it is usually around VCP because there is someone else willing to pay VCP (thus the market price).

I buy these cards for my intrinsic enjoyment. I have a completion gene and each set that I buy I think about getting shoo'd away from the dealer who has the table set up in the middle of the mall. All of the cards that I couldn't afford back then and would only look at in awe now are part of my collection.

However, based upon just getting what I have out of it but paying 10% in ebay fees, paypal fees or AH, I know that I am 13-20% under water just to breakeven. Every day that I buy something, the spread between what I paid for it and what I can get back grows a bit more.

So, in your example, my answer in a resounding yes. It is what I do every day. But, I open my safe and I look at those cards and no one ever tries to shoo me away from my own collection and that is worth the 20% for me.