Originally Posted by raulus (Post 2274600)

Four strategies that worked for me, my wife, and for our kids (so far - 2nd one is a freshman now):

1a) Attend a school with relatively affordable tuition. My kids and I both went to a private school, but the tuition was/is not a lot. I paid $1k per semester. My kids are paying $3k per semester. Inflation continues to raise the rates, but compared to places that charge $30k per semester, it's tough to beat the value. That may mean going to a state school or spending a few years at community college first. If all else fails, there's the military and the GI bill, which is how my father did it, after serving in Vietnam for 2 tours as a Marine Scout Sniper.

1b) Study hard and get good grades, and apply for academic scholarships. I got a full-tuition scholarship after my first semester, but had to continue to deliver to keep it. My son just received a full-tuition scholarship as well. My daughter, who just graduated, had a 25% tuition scholarship. Apply yourself, and you will find scholarships are available. At the same time, my wife didn't have one, so this one isn't as important as 1a, but it sure doesn't hurt.

2) Work while in school, including during summer breaks. Especially with current wages, most kids can make good money. My freshman son was making $20 per hour over the summer working in a box factory, 8 hours per day, enough to pay for his freshman year. It was hard work and required him to get up every day at 5am to get to the salt mines and put in his time. I made half that working jobs on campus, but every bit helps.

3) Live frugally. It's called a starving student for a reason. You want to drive a pimped out ride, live in fancy digs, eat at hipster restaurants and travel like a Kardashian on a private jet? When you're making 7 figures, sure. But until then, you're slumming it with a used Corolla, eating ramen and rice, and riding at the back of the plane with inconvenient connections at odd hours.

It can definitely be done. I've done it, and so have many others. But it requires effort, sacrifices and compromises, which seem to be in short supply these days.

Originally Posted by jayshum (Post 2274647)

Curious what private school has a tuition of $3K per semester. Most public schools are more than that.

Originally Posted by raulus (Post 2274651)

Brigham Young University

Originally Posted by riggs336 (Post 2274571)

I've sold stock in order to pay for a high dollar card and never regretted it.

Originally Posted by Wanaselja (Post 2274569)

How does one pay for college without borrowing?

Originally Posted by todeen (Post 2274699)

To those not familiar, BYU is subsidized by church members' monthly donations. Tuition is not subsidized for non-members as far as I know.

Originally Posted by Exhibitman (Post 2274719)

In my family no one borrows for college...or grad school. We figure it out. We started saving for my daughter's college when she was born and we never stopped. She is completing a masters at Columbia this year and will graduate debt-free...but only because she is living with relatives in NYC. Undergrad was a state school, and even so, we had to sacrifice a lot of luxuries (and I had to sell a lot of cards) to pay for it. My parents did the same for me--well, not the card bit, but I got a full ride.

Totally worth every dime, IMO.

Originally Posted by Exhibitman (Post 2274719)

In my family no one borrows for college...or grad school. We figure it out. We started saving for my daughter's college when she was born and we never stopped. She is completing a masters at Columbia this year and will graduate debt-free...but only because she is living with relatives in NYC. Undergrad was a state school, and even so, we had to sacrifice a lot of luxuries (and I had to sell a lot of cards) to pay for it. My parents did the same for me--well, not the card bit, but I got a full ride.

Totally worth every dime, IMO.

Originally Posted by jeffmohler (Post 2274658)

I've been working on my W530 set for about 15 years. The only card I still need is the Wagner. I'd probably be willing to put it on my credit line....

Originally Posted by robertsmithnocure (Post 2274889)

Here you go:

https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball/1...ription-071515

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss (Post 2274927)

Why would Heritage not send this back to SGC to be reslabbed/ list such a nice card in a cracked flip? And the crack goes right into Hans’ head! I am a fan of Heritage generally, but I think this may be another sigh of AHs either being too big to mind the details or to care about them.

Originally Posted by Schwertfeger1007 (Post 2277373)

I'm surprised to see the resounding NO from members in here. To each their own.

When I had the chance to purchase my white whale a few months ago I didn't hesitate. It took some crafty maneuvering including gold, cash and a creative payment plan but the deal got done. Thanks in large part to a N54 member who I had done many deals with in the past.

I do think there's a difference between "going into debt" and reallocating non-liquid investments, but the OP'ers intent was (I think) to see some images of peoples dream cards NOT to be given a lesson in responsible budgeting.

Anyways...how sexy is this Nichols?? :)

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277381)

Questions like this always seem to invoke predictable righteous indignation, but my guess is that the real answer is that if the card was important enough to the person, the opportunity was unlikely to come along again, and they could afford it, they well might do it.

Originally Posted by raulus (Post 2277383)

I do think there are some important qualifiers here when we talk about going into debt to buy cards, because details matter.

Are we talking about just bridging to some other sources? Maybe I can move some stuff around, and scrape together the cash over the next month or two, so I get a short-term loan or a payment plan with the seller to work it out? That seems like one scenario, and in general, a lot of people around these parts seem more comfortable with it, because the borrowing is really just a short-term timing/convenience factor, and not a situation where you're making payments over an extended period that will represent a financial burden for years to come.

Alternatively, are we talking about taking out a real, honest-to-goodness long-term loan from your local bank or credit union? Maybe even on your home equity line? Let's say it's set up such that you will make payments on it every month for the next 5 years, 10 years, 15 years or longer? For many of us, I think this approach is probably less palatable, especially as you start looking at making payments for that many years, which just seems like forever to be paying off a theoretically discretionary acquisition like cardboard.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277381)

Questions like this always seem to invoke predictable righteous indignation, but my guess is that the real answer is that if the card was important enough to the person, the opportunity was unlikely to come along again, and they could afford it, they well might do it.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277384)

Fair point, and I suspect different people would have different tolerances and it would also depend on how important the card was to them and how important cards were overall, I just think the categorical indignant no I would NEVER do anything like that responses these threads evoke may not be what many people would actually do.

Originally Posted by Schwertfeger1007 (Post 2277397)

Still have no problem with it.

Find me a nice N173 Browning or Delahanty and I'll take out a damn HELOC if that's what it took to acquire them.

You can always make more money. Certain cards come up once or twice in a lifetime.

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss (Post 2277398)

Here is a real life example. This card came up in REA. It was expensive. I did not have the liquidity, but I had the net worth, to buy it. I borrowed (at less than 1%), against assets and bought the card. I let that draw stay outstanding for a while. Then interest rates started to go up, so I paid off the draw over a few months. Just because you borrow to buy something does not mean you cannot afford it. It can mean you would rather not liquidate an asset to buy another asset, or it could be an arbitrage-like move (if I feel the card will go up more than the interest I pay), or the loan can be a bridge to get into an asset.

I understand this card is a bit of an extreme example, but it’s all relative. The example is just as applicable to someone who really wants a $5000 card as it is to someone buying a BN Ruth or a 33 Goudey Ruth PSA 9.

I fully agree with everyone that you should not buy something you cannot afford - that goes for everything, not just cards. But borrowing to buy a card is not necessarily a bad move or the signal of an inability to afford something.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277401)

And in the end it may prove to be a good investment. I suspect most people have mortgages, isn't that debt? Oh wait, that's DIFFERENT. Well OK I get that. But people are too dogmatic and preachy on this subject for my way of thinking. I of course would not advise it as a regular practice, but the OP seemed to be contemplating it as an exceptional circumstance, and I can certainly see where it could be a rational thing to do and in any event enjoyment counts in life too.

Originally Posted by Schwertfeger1007 (Post 2277408)

It's not THAT different than buying a home to me. Borrowing money to buy an asset that could appreciate and should at least hold it's value is very different than spending said money on something like a vacation ect. If things get tough you can usually sell the card you purchased to pay back all/most of the loan right?

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss (Post 2277398)

Here is a real life example. This card came up in REA. It was expensive. I did not have the liquidity, but I had the net worth, to buy it. I borrowed (at less than 1%), against assets and bought the card. I let that draw stay outstanding for a while. Then interest rates started to go up, so I paid off the draw over a few months. Just because you borrow to buy something does not mean you cannot afford it. It can mean you would rather not liquidate an asset to buy another asset, or it could be an arbitrage-like move (if I feel the card will go up more than the interest I pay), or the loan can be a bridge to get into an asset.

I understand this card is a bit of an extreme example, but it’s all relative. The example is just as applicable to someone who really wants a $5000 card as it is to someone buying a BN Ruth or a 33 Goudey Ruth PSA 9.

I fully agree with everyone that you should not buy something you cannot afford - that goes for everything, not just cards. But borrowing to buy a card is not necessarily a bad move or the signal of an inability to afford something.

Originally Posted by raulus (Post 2277406)

Well, I've known people to get awfully dogmatic and preachy on other subjects. Just part of the fun of sharing our closely-held opinions.

I suspect even the great Peter Spaeth could name a topic or two that warrants dogmatic views worthy of extensive preaching.

Originally Posted by raulus (Post 2277411)

And there's always the theoretical possibility, although it's never happened in real life in the history of the world, that your card might decline in value

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277414)

Card doctoring?

Originally Posted by raulus (Post 2277416)

I didn't want to presume on your behalf. But that could be on your list. I can't imagine it's the only thing! But maybe it's at the top of your list.

Originally Posted by G1911 (Post 2277415)

Never ever. Though the roof and to the moon, inexorably and forever upward, exponential gains. GaryVee told me so. #invest kings ;)

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277423)

The weird thing about Vee was if I recall right he was touting some pretty inconsequential cards along with the usual suspects.

Originally Posted by G1911 (Post 2277424)

He's a shill at least part of the time on the Topps payroll, and a grifter. It worked for him though. He has a bigger audience than anyone else in card land does, his outreach audience is massive. Hype certain cards, ride his own hype train, sell off before they inevitably falter because the demand is a manipulated short-term train he made up.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277420)

Of things card related I would say probably yeah.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277426)

You would think that wouldn't work twice.

Originally Posted by G1911 (Post 2277430)

You'd think, but people are really stupid and willing to make poor gambles when people they see as successful tell them they can make money off X.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2277434)

Shop at Home, 2020s version.

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss (Post 2277398)

Here is a real life example. This card came up in REA. It was expensive. I did not have the liquidity, but I had the net worth, to buy it. I borrowed (at less than 1%), against assets and bought the card. I let that draw stay outstanding for a while. Then interest rates started to go up, so I paid off the draw over a few months. Just because you borrow to buy something does not mean you cannot afford it. It can mean you would rather not liquidate an asset to buy another asset, or it could be an arbitrage-like move (if I feel the card will go up more than the interest I pay), or the loan can be a bridge to get into an asset.

I understand this card is a bit of an extreme example, but it’s all relative. The example is just as applicable to someone who really wants a $5000 card as it is to someone buying a BN Ruth or a 33 Goudey Ruth PSA 9.

I fully agree with everyone that you should not buy something you cannot afford - that goes for everything, not just cards. But borrowing to buy a card is not necessarily a bad move or the signal of an inability to afford something.