Relevant to our hobby or not?

[Snapolit1]

I’d say it is. And I don’t know any scandal rocking that hobby akin to what’s going on on with cards.

Lots of the same logic would seem to apply here.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ish-collectors

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I've been following the car market for some time now and wondering the same thing. I think the major difference is that there's a much more robust mid-level market in cards. While we have our million dollar items there aren't nearly as many as there were million dollar cars, and I think that comparison holds even down into the 10's of thousands level. In cards you can still do some impressive things with a budget under $10,000/year. In the car market that's a joke. I guess what I'm saying is even though the middle class is shrinking, they haven't been priced out of the card market yet. That's not to say we're not headed down the same path, but I don't think we're there yet.

[Snapolit1]

Good points. But I do think the mid level of this hobby will suffer. Some guy is always going to pay boku bucks for the Ruth 1 of 2 or PSA 9. I don’t think the mid grade cards will fare well. Ungraded and lesser cards look will always be in demand as a lot of people will just want one.

[Orioles1954]

As someone who works in the industry I'm noticing this with 1950s-1970s Topps sets. They are being unloaded at record rates. Prices haven't suffered...yet.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Yes but nobody is buying a Dusenberg to break it up and sell the parts. While that is what is happening with sets.

Complete sets have always been a bargain if you were breaking them and could move the commons in a timely fashion. With grading that greatly increased the return on high end sets. We sold a 1975 Topps set at our live auction for almost $2,000. The collectors in the crowd thought it was insane (I have to say it was easily the nicest 1975 set I had ever seen, even down to centering) But the dealer who bought it got his money back out of one card. It's an issue for the future, but a different one from the car world. Again you can't buy a Duesnberg for a million and then sell the engine for a million and make a profit on the rest of the common parts.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Yes but nobody is buying a Dusenberg to break it up and sell the parts. While that is what is happening with sets.

Complete sets have always been a bargain if you were breaking them and could move the commons in a timely fashion. With grading that greatly increased the return on high end sets. We sold a 1975 Topps set at our live auction for almost $2,000. The collectors in the crowd thought it was insane (I have to say it was easily the nicest 1975 set I had ever seen, even down to centering) But the dealer who bought it got his money back out of one card. It's an issue for the future, but a different one from the car world. Again you can't buy a Duesnberg for a million and then sell the engine for a million and make a profit on the rest of the common parts.

I can comment on the car part. I have no idea on a Duesnberg but as someone who has owned several Porsches I can guarantee they are worth WAY more in parts than together.