lets check 1951 bowman psa 4-5 mantles and the same waterfront cards..check out hank aaron 1954 topps....lets test the theory....you will see the other auction sites get record prices on the hot cards .pwcc has an auction every month which isnt like other places.....getting something now versus waiting later is worth something too...and also just having it avialable..

There are far more cards than the "waterfront" cards which are selling right now and in the recent past and in most cases if you look in VCP and compare PWCC results to others sold at the same time, PWCC's sell for more...much more. Knock yourself out and take a look.

True
 

...none of this mainstream stuff is rare, just expensive.

Here we go again with demand far more important than supply to determine price. Looking at PSA pops for some expensive cards (RC's) and I shake my head the prices are so high considering hundreds upon hundreds are out there.

Then look at the 1920's exhibits of Ruth, Gehrig, Hornsby and Walter Johnson - minuscule pops. Or the 1940 Foxx SGC 88 I posted has PSA pop of like 9 in the grade.

Looking at a past post, as a kid in the 70's I always wanted to pull Ryan, Seaver, Jackson, Rose, etc. - didn't give a darn about rookies - actually was disappointed with the rookies. I wanted any All Star with the extra all star ink/shield/star way more than any rookie. Then around early 1980's RC's started to become popular. I remember going back and scrounging for a stacked and forgotten Dale Murphy rc, or an Ozzie rc or an Eckersly rc - found them, and remember selling them as I thought they were overpriced way back then.

I own the entire series of Leaf exhibits. Probably the top rated set if I bothered to register. Some of them are a total universe of under 10. Minuscule. Ruth, Gehrig, McGraw, a few others. Demand form these seems pretty low. Go figure. But someone will pay 1000s for a rookie card from 1975. Can't figure the market and certainly not smart to fight it.

A PSA 6 Koufax now goes for more than a PSA 5 T202 Cobb. From a strict collecting standpoint it makes no sense.

Manias don't make sense, Peter, especially in retrospect. I mean, tulip bulbs? Pogs?? Beanie Babies??? When the end buyers, as opposed to the flippers, finally have their cards, the mania will stop and whoever is left holding the bag will lose a lot of money.

That is my belief as well, Adam.

Old theory...
 

Buy low, sell high.

And up until 4 months ago you could have 2 Koufax 6s for what a single T202 Cobb 5 costs. Those darn "waterfront" cards.

One of these is a thing of beauty. One is just a nice commodity card.

A Koufax RC is still a thing of beauty. I owned one before this craze and will own one after. Obviously I wish I had bought a higher grade when I picked mine up given recent sales, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a great looking and iconic card.

That Cobb is very nice too btw, definitely an under appreciated card.

In case you did not get the memo...Ty Cobb is just not a "waterfront" player.

you know, the never did catch that anthrax guy.

I think he was last seen in Savannah.

Oh I got it, but I tore it up. I think Green Cobbs are waterfront though even according to the authority.

Different strokes I guess. I like the post-war just fine and I obviously collect it, but to me pre-war is in a completely different league.

I agree. Like you I have pre-war, post-war, and modern in my collection. I appreciate them all for different reasons. But yea I am surprised some of the pre-war stuff isn't more popular or valuable given the scarcity.

+1 and Pre-war will continue to be the long term blue chip cards to own. Scarcity makes many issues hard to collect, I'd love to see a scarcity scale on every series made. Might be a great thing for the registry too!

The '50's and '60's are simply the focus of the hobby right now, just as they were in the late '80's to the early to mid '90's. Pre-WWI held that status until the last few years, and it will shift over time with cards, just as it has with coins and collectible cars. IMHO, the big values for key rookie HOF'ers from the '50's and '60's will be cyclical, as there are too many for linear growth and appreciation--about 200 PSA '54 Aarons in "8" or better, for example. $55,000 for one may still have some room for appreciation, but it will eventually cycle downwards, although remaining above where it was at when this last focus upon that era began. As the eminent author-dealer-collector Q. David Bowers said with regard to coins, what was in focus or favor during one decade seldom held that status in the next.

Personally, for the long run, I'd rather have my money in items far more rare and at least as significant, such as the 1907 Dietsche Fielding Pose Cobb rookie, 1907 Wolverine News Cobb Portrait (a very rare piece, and the photo simply captures the true essence of the man), 1939 V351 Ted Williams rookie, or even the 1929 Leader Novelty Ott rookie I obtained from Leon's Heritage auction last year. If such items follow the trend of coins or cars of analogous status, you'll see much more linear appreciation for them.

Once more, may your collecting bring you joy above all else,

Larry

A "demand" scale might be more appropriate. Rarity in itself does absolutely nothing to value. If there is only 1 Joe Schmoe, but no one wants a Joe Schmoe, then ole Joe is pretty much worthless except for the heat he would emit at being burned.

A really enjoyable related thread from a couple of years ago:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=199179

"think" being the key word.

Thanks for that link...... Lots of exotic cards

Caramel-cards.com has a great scarcity
List. But might be an old site and I don't
know how trustworthy it is

Pre war scarce?

What auction doesn't have 33 goudeys and t206 cards?


Blanket statements, I always love them

Ha ha yes...... Could be better described as Pre-War
E,D,M,W "ETC" non T206 or even non T205.

The '55 Clemente PSA 8 is now over $90,000 with still over a day to go. Must hit a 100k before it finishes. Those on the sidelines with 8's must be somewhat aroused and those holding 9's intensely aroused. I know I would be. There must be a ceiling, I guess, when the big money gets bored with baseball cards and moves on to antique fire plugs. John