In the meantime. Our collection has also spike as well. One can sell their card to get the ones that they want

Agree completely with you.

....but just to add, much of the price craziness is limited to the cherry on top cards. The rooks or special cards of the greatest players that have always been a premium. Not being able to afford them is not a disaster for collectors as there are literally hundreds of thousands of cards one could choose to have as a focus. For most players issues there can be found a card or three that are easily affordable if one is willing to take something outside of rookie.

Obviously there are some outlier players who are tremendously expensive or somewhat expensive to collect regardless, but those would number on less than two hands.

I just think there's an awful lot of moaning from some on here that they can't realistically buy a 52' Topps Mantle any longer no matter how hard they save.
It seems awfully precious, especially when couched with the idea that some version of a 'true collector' is being done out of their rightful due to have one.

It wasn't even a centered AA example which is interesting to me. Most of the huge price for grade cards are nice centering.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Memory Lane had some strong showings also last night, in terms of Mantle prices. The 1962 signed Mick hitting $20,000 and the 53 Bowman at 29k were noteworthy. The REA 52T is also going strong.

What's impressive to me is how far down the condition well the price increases are going on many cards. Two, three, or more times in a year. Having lower grade marquee cards has been a tremendous investment.

I definitely feel for the collectors who are priced out of more and more cards. it isn't a matter of 'deserve', it is a matter of taking the fun out of it for more and more people. That can be a negative thing for a collectible: frustrated collectors may just say the hell with it and move on to something less pricey. There are a bunch of cards I am tempted to sell but won't because I know I won't pony up for replacements even if the market for them falls 50%.

There were so many cards I couldn't afford from the jump I guess I was conditioned to it.
Glad I stuck with the hobby and collected the cards I COULD afford so that I have a collection I can enjoy today.;)

Interestingly, I think you are Exhibit A for the kind of collector I'm talking about.
I've been watching the cards you've offered up for viewing in threads for nearly 20 years. Often times boxing early on, but increasingly I've seen the esoteric and less obvious card issues of players from various sports. Strip, multi player, black and white, it's never mattered or limited you.
It's why I've loved watching your collection being revealed on here.

Quite obviously too I would think from your posts that price has played an important role in molding your collection.
But it didn't stop you, didn't make you embarrassed to reveal.

Plenty of collectors could learn alot from that kind of lesson, and still end up with important and rare cards that both reflect the players they want to collect and also become ever more collectable because of rarity.

Anyway, sorry for all who can't afford what they want to collect.
But I refuse to feel sorry for myself. I see collecting as a luxury plaything, extraneous to the important stuff in life.
I buy what I can afford, and if I lose it all we won't be out on the street.
Yes, I'd be crushed for a while, but I'd get over it.
If not being able to afford a 33' Goudey Ruth ruins the hobby for you, or any other card for that matter, you shouldn't be doing it in my opinion.

That was a good looking 53 Bowman though

Yeah, it’s always the pretty ones that take all your money ;)

Thanks Daniel. My fortune/misfortune is that I am a self-centered sociopath with no regard for other peoples' feelings (per my wife), so I collect what is interesting to me and fun for me, regardless of whether it meets the 'Good Card Collecting Seal Of Approval' standard. :D

Bang.

aren't we all Adam!!!!

You forgot an Anal Eddie, where all your cards have to be centered and PSA ONLY. Just kidding Adam:D, not you so much as other Anal Eddies':p

What is this 'PSA' of which you speak??? Some form of venereal disease?

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...925%20Ruth.jpg

:D

When dealing with the Babe, a PSA about VD probably would have been appropriate.

Brian

The Mantle upswing continues. Many more to come. Including some in poor grade in the huge Heritage Auction to open in a couple of weeks. See if it continues.

I was watching the 1952 Mantle PSA 2 @ MileHigh...it was nicely centered went for 66K!

Good price for both buyer and seller, not crazily breaking record

I’m holding off buying Mantles at these levels. I think within the next couple years the us economy could be facing a lot of headwinds.

$66k for a PSA 2 isn’t exactly a good price from the buying side. I just don’t see the upside on that purchase.

Lelands 52 partial set with a gorgeous psa 3 mantle only did 78k.

Lelands...
 

I wouldn't say that 3 was a beauty...nice, but noticeable diamond cut. Still 78k for a partial set (missing half the high numbers) isn't a bad price seeing many of the cards were lower grade.

Maybe a guy just wanted to look at a copy that hit his eye the way he wanted for the rest of his days, and doesn’t care about the upside. That said, people didn’t see the upside when I paid a record for my 4.5 at the time.

That was a decent 3, the one heritage sold for 162k is what I would consider a gorgeous 3. Dead centered key cards, especially notoriously off center cards like the 52 Mantle, can't be compared to average for the grade cards. At least not in terms of value. The guy who bought that centered 2 for 66k will be fine long term in my opinion.