How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Donald Johnson</b><p>I'd say that statement is not necessarily true. Many of the collectors on this board for example are in their mid-late 30's.

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Posted By: <b>Josh K.</b><p>To answer Paul's question from my own perspective, the most I have ever spent on any one card is about 800 (a few times). Though I can afford to spend 5k on a card if I wanted to, I doubt I ever will. Then again, when I first got into the hobby about a year and a half ago, I never thought I'd spend 500 on a card.<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Richard Masson</b><p>Think about stamp collectors, once the primary collecting hobby for the generation before the baby boomers. Prices are still only a fraction of what they were in the 80s blowoff. Buy cards because you want them. They have limited liquidity, high transfer costs, and no intrinsic value.

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Posted By: <b>Rhett Yeakley</b><p>I have to agree with Donald on this one, there s a TON of new collectors out there between the ages of 25-35, I would venture to say that nearly a third of those on this forum fall into that age range. Many of these people remember collecting cards during the 1986-93 boom as kids, and now that they are establishing themselves with good jobs and have discretionary income they are looking to get back into cards.<br /><br />About cards as an investment, I believe that they absolutely can be investments. However at the same time there isn't (and this is purely my opinion) infinite room for them to continue going up. At some point, and I don't think it is TOO far off, the prices are going to start changing their course. Some areas will be more affected than others. The cards that are truly limited are going to retain their values more-so than those that are found in greater supply. After reading the thread a few weeks back about the number of people out there with complete or nearly complete sets of t206 cards out there, I got to thinking. This forum is only a SMALL percentage of the vintage collectors out there, and probably fairly represents a cross-section of the population of "die-hard" vintage card collectors out there. If there are that many "complete" t206 sets here, just imagine how many are really out there. I personally don't understand the draw to this set, based solely on the # for sale on ebay and everywhere else--they just aren't "rare" enough for my blood. I don't mean to freak anyone out or anything, but IF the market begins to waiver and people begin to sell their holdings, how many t206 cards are going to be flooding the market? <br /><br />This is just food for thought. I love this hobby as much or more than the next guy, but IF things ever start getting bad what it all boils down to is that what we collect are pieces of cardboard, which DON'T have any inherent value based solely on what they are. But the argument can also be made that the same holds true for any avenue of collecting/investing--if things get bad there is no absolute way of avoiding this, save investing in gold bars and starting your own personal Fort Knox.<br /><br />In the meantime keep doing what makes you happy, buy what gives you pleasure, even invest if that is what makes you happy (everyone here has "invested" in card that they thought they could sell for more later.) If the bottom falls out of the market, I know for one that I will still be around to pick up any extra pieces of cardboard people throw out.<br />-Rhett

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Richard, you have my undivided attention. And an interesting parallel: stamps have suffered because kids no longer get into stamp collecting the way the baby boomers did. And you know what- most of the younger kids I know are lukewarm about collecting baseball cards- there are many other things that are more enticing to them. Baseball cards have done great the last few years- the next few years is anybody's guess.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Bob Marquette</b><p>Just as you should always buy the card, not the holder, you should only purchase cards that you like. I know this goes directly contra to the investment driven guys who post here, but I have always found that if you like a violet colored E94, it doesn't matter if it someday becomes worth less or anything at all. The collector in us buys the cards for their intrinsic and aesthetic appeal. That doesn't mean I won't buy cards to "flip" and use the profit to buy more cards but if the card market collapsed tomorrow, I will still be happy with my collection. It may be a naive and good old boy attitude but I'd rather have a vgex set of T205s than a T210 Jackson that I had to continually sweat about if it were dropping in value. Just my 2 cents.<br />By the way the PCL market is NOT hot, so send me any nice Obaks, 1911 and 1912 Zeenuts and D311s you have, I'll find a good home for them...<img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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Posted By: <b>Richard Masson</b><p>If the goal is to make investment returns, you want to buy when things are plentiful and ice cold and sell when they are scarce and in demand. We (the collective baby boomer WE) like baseball cards because collected them as kids and appreciate them. Kids today grew up with price guides and plastic sheets. As Tom Hanks said in BIG, "What's fun about a building?". When these kids grow up and have some discretionary income, will they go back and buy 80s rookie cards? Absolutely not. If I was in it for the money, I would buy beanie babies, put them in plastic, and stick them in the garage. They are plentiful, cheap and (except for the adults who got scammed) have many happy memories attached. The fact that this sounds like such a bad idea makes it a good one in the long run. My teenage son understands this concept, but he's a video game afficianado. We put together a run of all the classic Nintendo games (MIB) for very little dough. These kinds of items will be what the kids of today want tomorrow. Think about what our parents thought of our collecting baseball cards.

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Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>We've had a long run of really good auctions where great stuff is changing hands at very high prices and the nattering nabobs of negativity here are calling it a bubble that's ready to burst. Sorry, but I don't see it. Take stocks as a parallel; they can turn from good to bad faster than Aunt Sally's chicken salad at an August picnic but no one says not to consider them investments because they are volatile. Everything is volatile. <br /><br />Some of what I am reading here is wishful thinking on the part of people who remember the "good, old days" of cheap rare cards and people handing you sacks of old cards and bidding them good riddance, and are being priced out of the market for the cards they want. Well, I wish we could jump into the way back machine and reverse some things (especially many aspects of the last 5 years), but it isn't going to happen. <br /><br />Some of what I am hearing is just plain sour grapes. If only it would crash, they say, then the "real" collectors could acquire the cards they want. Well, you know what: anyone who spends big bucks on a collection of major cards is a real collector as far as I am concerned. They may be new to the field, they may be rich, they may even (gasp) not like what you like to collect, but don't trash them simply because they outbid you. Bruce McNall and Wayne Gretzky were not collectors; Candiotti is, even if his collection isn't your cup of tea. <br /><br />Finally, for the finance types, there is simply no tit for tat comparison between cards and stocks, bonds, etc., because of the emotional attachment that collectors form with their collections They just are not the same and any intellectually honest evaluation of market prospects has to take into account the emotional factors involved. Cards are likely to be more sticky downwards in terms of pricing than a stock or bond because a collector can simply opt out of the market and hold his rare cards until he dies. The closest comparison as an investment is probably your house. If the market for your house sucks, you simply stay put; if it is booming, you may flirt with selling. If you really feel that the market has peaked, them you need to call up Mastro and sell out your collection. If that thought makes your stomach hurt, you are experiencing proof that the market for cards is not like the market for stocks or bonds and will not react the same to downturns.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Richard is absolutely right. Investors who get in now when everything is so overheated are certainly taking a lot of risk. If you bought ten years ago, there's nothing to discuss. If people are pouring money in for the first time in 2005, they will have to pay world's records for everything. That is not a safe entry level.

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Posted By: <b>craig</b><p>I agree with Barry S. and Richard M.<br />I spend a LOT of my disposable income on cards. Why? Because I LOVE this hobby and am passionate about cards and the history of baseball etc.<br />I'm not naive enough to think of this as investing. Cards like stamps, beanie babies or fine art are collectibles. They have no intrinsic value and are only worth whatever someone is willing to pay. They shouldn't be mistaken for shares of a company, government bonds,real estate or even gold. I'm not risking my retirement, home, or children's college education on, as my wife would say, a piece of cardboard. <br />I think the analogy with stamps is scary. There is no guarantee that the next generation will have any interest in spending thousands of their dollars on baseball cards.

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Posted By: <b>Greg Ecklund</b><p>Richard,<br />As someone who grew up on Nintendo and is still a video gamer, I can definitely see the reasoning behind your video game investment. I still have almost all of my old Nintendo games and continue to buy new ones when I discover a good game that I may have missed when I was a kid.<br /><br />One caveat however, is that the new discs used by the current systems have huge capacities, and it would be relatively easy for Nintendo to release a compilation disc of all their classic games for their new systems. Capcom recently did this with their Mega Man series, releasing a compilation of the NES Mega Man games (along with Mega Man 7 for SNES and Mega Man 8 for PS1) for PS2, GameCube, and XBox. I have all the NES Mega Man, but I tried the new version on my GameCube, and all the games still play just like they do on the old system. The release of that compilation disc has caused prices for Mega Man NES games to come down substantially from where they were on EBay a few years ago. <br /><br />There will certainly be people that will pay premiums for the original box and cartridge, but the collections of classic games are something to watch out for.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p>My take on this just came up in conversation between me and my grandfather when i showed him a couple cards.He asked the prices and then when i told him he said what are you going to do if these cards lose all their value and my honest response was "buy as many as i can and not worry about it,start collecting cards that i couldnt afford before they lost value"<br /><br />I definitely dont have alot of money but if my cards lost all their value id still have one of the coolest worthless pile of cardboard i could imagine.<br /><br />The market may drop on cards but i can never see them being worthless because theres a story behind each player thats on the cards and the sets they are in

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Richard Masson</b><p>Boy are we off topic, but anyone buying a classic game mint sealed in the box is never going to open it anyway. It's a collectible, not to be used. First run Megaman, Zelda, Final Fantasy mint, sealed. They aren't expensive and there aren't many of them.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Greg Ecklund</b><p>People don't get emotionally attached to stocks? They certainly do if they follow the market day to day like people did in the bubble years. It took me six months (and the stock going from 80 to 60) to talk my brother into selling his Cisco...just the thought of selling it made his stomach hurt (just like your example of selling a card collection). At that point Cisco was the biggest company (by market cap) in the world and sported a 150 P/E. My brother had such an emotional attachment to the stock because he, like many others, was used to Cisco going up 100% a year and splitting. <br /><br />People definitely have more of an emotional attachment to cards, but don't fool yourself...people get emotionally attached to stocks as well, especially ones that have performed well for them.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Greg Ecklund</b><p>I definitely agree on the rarity issue...I have a few sealed games tucked away (maybe five), including a Final Fantasy and a Zelda.<br /><br />I can just see it now...Larry Fritsch selling reprint Zelda boxes and manuals.<br /><br />We did stray a bit from the topic...back to the discussion at hand.

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Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>..

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Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>The CSCO camp follower greedily expected the stock to go up and up and up. He didn't "love" the stock, merely the idea of its financial peformance. Collectors become emotionally attached to their items; as one person noted, if the market bottomed out, he'd just be able to buy more cards. Me too.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Greg Ecklund</b><p>Adam,<br />There are definitely different emotions at play between stocks and cards. With stocks, the emotions of greed and fear can be incredibly powerful and can cause normally rational people to say things like "It's different this time" when greedy or capitulate and sell at the bottom of the market when fearful. I believe it was Warren Buffett who said that his best market advice was "To be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy". <br /><br />I agree with you though, that 95% of these crazy prices lately are not due to greed at all, just people who also enjoy the hobby but have more to spend than most of us. The emotional attachment to cards deals mostly with fond childhood memories, a love for baseball, etc, rather than greed. I'm sure it is a nice feeling for people to say "Gee, that E98 Connie Mack is worth about 5 times what I bought it for 10 years ago", but that isn't the driving force behind why they collect.<br /><br />I too, would welcome a correction in the vintage market, but it doesn't look to be in the cards (excuse the pun) anytime soon. Being able to buy twice the cards for the money I spend would be just fine with me.<br /><br />All the Best,<br /><br />Greg

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Posted By: <b>Jeff Lichtman</b><p>I agree with what Spiro Agnew said.

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Posted By: <b>Scott Forrest</b><p>Don't confuse your new dealer hat with your old collector/investor hat.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>ted</b><p>I just want to be #1 and #100.... the answer to how much money is out there is very simple: A LOT.

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Posted By: <b>anonymoushunterdude</b><p>..is that they provide one to experience the "thrill of the hunt",<br />an age old primal instinct. Maybe that's why most women (nesters) don't get why we men (hunter/gatherers) enjoy picking through card shows and surfing high and low on the internet for our rare and treasured game.<br /><br />As much as I love my bloated collection of cards, I love the hunt even more.<br /><br />Now if I could just get on a "catch and release program" I'd be OK.<br /><br />....and don't forget the addictive nature of card collecting.. that certainly adds fuel to the fire IMO.

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Posted By: <b>Paul</b><p>Wow! My first 100 entry thread.

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Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>Interesting how this thread grew. A couple things.<br /><br />1) This thread is at over 100. What was the largest thread count (sounds like I'm talking about expensive bed sheets) any of you can remember?<br /><br />2) In 1987, I thought about purchasing unscratched lottery tickets. What do you think of that? Best of all, you can slab them...but the down side is that scratched ones could probably be covered up with some fancy black thick marker which will be like those who take a black marker to the edges of Mayo's or 1971 Topps cards. <br /><br />3) Are we talking about rare video game cartridges in sealed form? What will an 'Excitebike' be worth in twenty years? Since we are talking about systems of the late eighties, has anyone seen where original Atari or Intellevision games in unopened packages bringing any $$ in the open or auction market? <br /><br />This has been a great thread. I don't agree with all of you...I actually think some of you need to be drug tested and I think that's the beauty of this forum. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />DJ

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Posted By: <b>John</b><p>Rhett;<br /><br />I here what your saying but I will say this once again rarity has very little to do with price. There are hundreds of one-of-a-kind items out there. But there is something as being to rare. If there are only one or 2 examples of something there is not enough supply to fill the demand. <br /><br />Like I said before Leon’s Kelly card is much more rare than any T206 Wagner but I will bet the farm even a beat up Wagner will go for more on the open market than the Kelly would go for. It’s sad yes, but there is something to be said for popularity. <br /><br />People will always pay top dollar for T206’s or 1952 Topps because they are able to collect them. If I want to start E107’s tomorrow I’m screwed unless I roll Scott B. in the parking lot of a show.<br />

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Posted By: <b>jay behrens</b><p>Homer Simpson said it best, "My house if full of valuable worthless junk."<br /><br />Jay<br><br>I like to sit outside drink beer and yell at people. If I did this at home I would be arrested, so I go to baseball games and fit right in.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>And Homer was also the one who was going through the five-cents-each junk box at a flea market and found Superman #1, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, a sheet of upside-down jenny airmail stamps- and passed on them all. Remember that episode?

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Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Don't dis on my Kelly <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> I agree that a T206 Wagner might be worth more but probably not a beat to sh** one. Yes, a nice 2 would be, but probably not a ragged out one...but then again when was the last time you saw a Kelly FBH sold publicly? regards

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Posted By: <b>Hal Lewis</b><p>You can NEVER go wrong if you always Remember the mantra...<br /><br />which also happens to be a palindrome to make it EASIER to remember:<br /><br />CWYWC <br /><br />Collect What YOU Wanna Collect!!!!!!!<br /><br /><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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Posted By: <b>Texas Ted</b><p>He was the cowboy on TV years ago with the business card that said: "HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL".<br><br>Texas Ted<br />Starting my third attempt at a second childhood.<br />

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Posted By: <b>andy becker</b><p>barry-<br />what were people paying ten years ago for cards/memorabilia? weren't THOSE record prices too? i understand the business cycle....but haven't prices escalated since...well, since day one??<br />when was the last "card" market correction? the copeland sale? the error boom of the 1980's? <br />i'm asking these questions, frankly, because to me you sound like alan greenspan...i'm just waiting for "irrational exuberance" to be posted<br />

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Posted By: <b>Richard Masson</b><p>But the last major correction in vintage cards was 1988-91 or thereabouts. Prices declined, but supply dried up. The Copeland auction was during that time (in fact the run up in prices can probably be partially attributed to his aggressive purchasing). <br /><br />Absent the slabbing phenomenae, 1950s and 1960s cards are still in a funk. Nice VG-EX cards can be had relatively cheaply. Clean Topps sets from the era are very affordable. There is plenty of product to meet collector demand.<br /><br />A correction in vintage prices is inevitable at some point, but it will effect lower grade and readily available material (think T cards and common E cards). Very high grade and very rare stuff won't trade at lower prices, unless the owner is a distressed seller.

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Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p>The only problem with Richards thought and Jay Behrens mentioned this before is that you dont know how many of these pre-ww1 cards will be lost due to attrition.Theres literally thousands of them in the mail each day that have a chance to get lost,cards could get thrown out by mistake,lost during natural disasters or fires,or even buried with a collector who cherished the cards his whole life.They havent made these cards for over 85 years so they arent getting any more common obviously.Thanks in part to the popularity of ebay the chances of something getting attritionized(i dont think thats a word) is even greater than just 5 years ago<br /><br />We dont expect this predicted downtime anytime within the next couple years so even 10 years down the road if the amount of collectors drops the supply will inevitably be lower anyway so the prices wont be as affected.<br /><br />I think cards will always hold some sort of significant value just because of the players on there.People root for certain teams and will want to collect older cards,hall of famers and high grades(not graded per se) will always have value.All the players tho have stats to back them up and history behind them.Plus theres always people who will collect guys from their hometown,relatives or people with the same last name,even if they dont actually collect the sets.

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Posted By: <b>Richard Masson</b><p>is the paper drives during world war II. Comics printed by the hundreds of thousands were tossed resulting in great scarcity today. Most key books from the 1930s have fewer than 100 surviving copies. Baseball cards fall into the same category, although less so. <br /><br />I also think you are greatly overestimating the potential attrition today. Virtually all the supply is now above ground. Everyone knows that old baseball cards are worth something and shouldn't be thrown away. Finds like the Oregon find and the recent Zeenut cache are becoming increasingly rare. Except for Tango Eggs Jennings, supply is what it is.

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Posted By: <b>Richard Lloyd</b><p>Thanks for saying ATTRITION!!! I had said this about 60 posts ago and the supply of cards will drop.. It has to!!. obviously mail, fire, lost or stolen..ect...If you think its hard finding certin cards NOW just think 10-20 years from now.. I try to get'em while I can!!!<br />the values will hold and grow...at what rate!?? nobody knows..but past history strongly says they will grow..<br /><br />Best

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Posted By: <b>andy becker</b><p>i agree with you richard. but i think the "copeland correction" was just that....a correction on very high end, highly publicized material. <br /><br />regarding the decrease in 50's and 60's material...i think that's ebay. soooooo much more product became available...and i think you are correct, it's still undervalued.

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Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p>While im sure there isnt many cards getting throw out by people who dont know the worth,that isnt what i meant by thrown out.All you need is a card getting put in the wrong place near something thats going to be thrown out and its gone.Theres tons of other ways,little kids getting their hands on them,pets,ex-wives throwing them out to spite their husband.Theres no gaurd in place to watch every single pre-ww1 baseball card so things happen.I was just giving broad examples,but i couldve said cards lost during moving from house to house or dealers losing cards going from stores to shows.<br /><br />I think the main culprit is the thousands of cards that are in the mail each week.Even if an average of one or 2 cards got lost a day from any of these things youre eventually going to notice a lower supply which will in turn make up for less collectors should there even be less collectors.I did say 10 years from now as my example.Unless theres a HUGE collection thats documented lost to a fire/natural disaster then you wont notice this lower supply happen anytime soon.<br /><br />Which leads me to the main point, attrition is inevitable no matter what you do.Every person isnt careful with cards and not every person who inherits cards knows what they have or takes care of them.Just because we know cards values doesnt mean some person is going to see an old piece of cardboard with a cartoon drawing of a baseball player they never heard of and assume its worth something

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Posted By: <b>John</b><p>Leon, I would never rag on your Kelly. <img src="http://photos.imageevent.com/piojohn3/smileys/113.gif"> I would take your Kelly over a Wagner any day. This from a guy who’s easily a T206 junkie. I also was referring too the recent 2 it was pretty beat. There I said it, oh that’s right I went there bring it on Riggins!<img src="http://photos.imageevent.com/piojohn3/smileys/-44.gif"><br /><br />P.S. Don’t ever sell your Kelly. That’s all I need is yet another card I have drooled over being sold that I cant afford. Between the last few auctions I’m getting depressed.<img src="http://photos.imageevent.com/piojohn3/smileys/143.gif"><br />

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Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>Yes, attrition will occur but we are talking about a very low percentage. 20, 30 years from now the collectors who are 40-70 are going to pass away to the big diamond in the sky. Their heirs are going to sell the cards at "whatever price" they can get. This has never happened to a large segment of the collecting populace. In the 80's, 90's, 00's we've had new generations of collectors come in and compete for the relative stable amount of vintage cards. We've not had a similar drop off mainly because a lot less people born between 1900-1930 collected cards. This will change in the future. It's nothing we'll notice for a while, but it will happen and unless there is a similar influx of new collectors (who are in diapers now) there could be a glut of cards.

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Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>I feel that the lower and mid-grade stuff will hold its value better than the superhighgrade slabby stuff. The more an item costs the thinner the market for it. VG T206 HOFers may not set records but they don't decline much either because so many people pick them to start with. One of the examples up there in this thread was someone who ate **** on a couple of slabbed high grade PSA T206 cards. Doesn't surprise me. The market for those is basically the few out there who are doing the set registry thing. If they don't happen to want the card, pop goes the weasel. I decided a long time ago to buy 10 vg-ex HOFers instead of one nm-mt one and I've never looked back. <br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Truth is none of us know for sure what the future will bring regarding price levels on vintage cards. We're just guessing- educated guesses to be sure- but who can predict the unknown. Could anyone predict terrorists could take down the twin towers? Nobody did, but it happened. Vintage cards are extremely popular right now but there are numerous signs that our economy isn't in great shape. It's quite possible people will find other priorities than baseball cards in tougher times. Nothing's a sure thing, not even a Four Base Hits of Kelly or a 1914 Babe Ruth. They will always be great rarities, but no guarantee they will always be worth equal or more than what they are today.

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Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>yes, but not anyone working for dubya <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p> i'm an old time collector back into the hobby so here's a thought....has the pro grading services driven the prices up to the levels ,for all cards,they presently are.at fort washington mid grade t206 hof sold for 50%-75% graded as opposed to raw.many buy raw get ir graded then jack up the price.great for short term profit but what happens 10-20 years down the road.will all 3 of the grading companies exist then?what happens if psa closes house for some reason..perhaps a grading scandal on a very high end card etc.what happens to the inflated graded card prices for psa's?<br /><br /> i know its not prewar but i recently saw a 1971 munson psa 9 for$4000.commons $75-100.thats a bubble waiting to burst.<br /><br /> i collected t-cards back in the 80's and i miss the days of buying hof's in nice shape for less then $100.<br /><br /> a newbies thought.<br /> scott<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p>I think the main thing is what Barry said,that you cant predict what will happen,altho attrition is a safe bet <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />So basically collecting what you want is the way to go.I collect only so as soon as i have a card it has no monetary value as far as im concerned.I'll worry about value if i ever have to sell the cards<br /><br /><br />You never know,some billionaire who collected cards as a kid and always wanted old cards might decide that hes going to buy as much as possible,then the actual collectors are all screwed

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Posted By: <b>Bob Marquette</b><p>One thing I have noticed is a steady increase in the number of what I call "long term collectors," by that I mean guys who are buying up caramel and tobacco cards for their own personal collections and they never again see the light of day, or at least won't for many, many years. You used to see more buying of vintage cards and then a couple of years later those cards were being sold as the buyer grew tired of them. I don't see that much anymore. You see "flipping," guys buying low and selling high for a profit, but many of these people are collectors, plowing their profits back in to more cards, rather than using the profit to buy non-card related items.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Bob- I think you will still see a number of these collectors who say they will never sell their vintage cards part with them eventually. Right now it does seem like they are all being socked away, but that could change. Among the positive signs in today's market is that there are a tremendous number of buyers and sellers. It's not tipped in anybody's favor. There is tons of stuff out there and no shortage of takers. That's a fluid market. But down the road the balance may shift one way or the other.

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Posted By: <b>Josh</b><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050505/en_nm/arts_auction_dc" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050505/en_nm/arts_auction_dc</a>

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Posted By: <b>Gilbert Maines</b><p>Storing a statue in a vault for eighty years is not my idea of the way to enjoy 27+ million dollars of value.<br /><br />Lets see .... first Id buy - a hot pastrami sandwich with a good pickle and a cold beer. Then another. Then Id skip the pickle and sandwich.

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Posted By: <b>jay behrens</b><p>Considering the staute was made in the 20s, that means whoever owned most likley was the original owner, didn't pay much for it and say unnoticed until recently. Too bad old farm equipment isn't like that. My family would be rich, rather than poor farmers.<br /><br />Jay<br /><br />I like to sit outside drink beer and yell at people. If I did this at home I would be arrested, so I go to baseball games and fit right in.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>Anyone who wants my SGC 92 can have it for $1,000 or straight up for a vg or better Cobb T205-T206 (any one, SGC slabbed). I'll even throw in the shipping! Up hill, both ways <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> Honestly, these set registry guys are a mite too cookoo for me. <br /><br />I am generally one of those "bury it with me" types but I can be tempted by a good enough offer, especially if I have another item on the radar screen that I want even more. One such occasion happened recently; I ended up parting with a very prized card to pay for another one that I wanted more. That rarely happens, though. <br /><br />I'm curious: do you mentally divide your collection (like kids do) into trading cards and keepers? I know I do. <br /><br />

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p><br />Goodness this is good therapy.<br /><br />I have to admit, I mentally divide my collection into like three groups.<br /><br />1) Emergency Group. The cards I have to sell quickly in case of an emergency. <br /><br />2) The College Fund. Cards I will probably sell in ten years for my kids college. The kid's in trouble. Can you say Community College at this rate?<br /><br />3) Stuff I will be buried with. Please, no one attempt to dig me up. That's simply wrong and 'gross'.<br /><br />DJ

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p>I got 3 groups of cards too<br />1-cards i dont want to sell<br />2-cards i wont sell<br />3-cards that are permanently off the market<br /><br />Most of my cards are in group 2 till i retire which at this rate will be 2055,then they either will go in group 1 or 3 depending on how many baseball games and trips to cooperstown i plan on making

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Julie</b><p>my bod. The University of California Medical School at San Francisco is going to mess with it.<br /><img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/jphotos/Smiles_smiley_62_prv.gif"> <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Scott Forrest</b><p>thanks for that visual.

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>vetekbob</b><p>What a wonderful thread this is. It has certainly gotten the synaptic juices flowing for sure. If this thread keeps going like it is we will have to come out with a two volume dvd disc set lol not that that would be a bad thing mind you <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> There is one thing that I have noticed that hasnt been brought to light as it were and if it has then I have missed it and my appologies and that is yes there is monetary value in pre-war cards today whether you are a diehard collector,an investor without real personal attachment or what have you but to me the most important aspect in what we call the hobby of card collecting is the "historical record" of life as we knew it then as the collective group we call the human race.<br />Yes I am a diehard collector of cards and yes I collect them for the other reason as well howbeit to a much smaller scale and intent but I also collect cards for the legacy that passed before me and one that in whatever small way I was a part of when I have passed this earth. We know what we know about baseballs history and all that that entails because people like each one of us shared a passion not only for the game of baseball but even more so a passion for life and all the little nuances of day to day life back then and I feel that it is still with us today in collecting pieces of the past like we do. <br />Each one of us as individuals and as collectors collectively are helping to pass on to the next generation a piece of ourselves in who we were, what we cared about, what we believed in, and what we stood for not just about the game of baseball but about society as a whole and its driving force in each of our lives and to me that is a legacy that means so much more to me than how much I may have paid for a card, or whatever collectible I saved.<br />Maybe some of us collect cards and or other collectibles because to us they represent a time when life didnt seem so robotic and chaotic and the game baseball was so much more than just a game, it represented and in some small miniscule way helped to define the social isms that we are still growing in and working toward today as a collective body of people. Baseball cards to me personally represent a portal in time that someone before me saved and in looking at the card or cards I can travel back in time in my mind even if for a moment and smile in wonderment inside myself wondering what it would be like to have seen, talked with, or played with the legacies of our past, wondering what little tidbit or wisdom they might would share with me if they could. <br />I have been somewhat concerned about the increasing prices of cards and what that may mean for me as a collector but not "solely" in the sense of wanting to complete a certain set but rather my concern is what are we losing inside ourselves and as collectors if we allow ourselves to go blind to just the dollars paid and or the artistry of a card or cards as we all can fall prey to at times. To me, babseball in its true essence embodies the heart and soul of a person striving to do their best for themselves and at the same time working together for a common goal.<br />I think it is pertinent and prudent to ask the question that started this thread in the first place for I feel it ask each one of us to look within as to what is truly important in our lives and causes us to ask ourselves, what kind of legacy are we leaving for the next generation that may find one of our cherished cards and not know what it truly meant when baseball was more than a nine inning game and life was more than just how much money players made back then or the prices each of us paid for our cards.<br />Robert <br /> <br><br>basicgreatguy@hotmail.com

How much money is out there?
 

Posted By: <b>Josh K.</b><p>John (I think) spoke above about attrition and the gradual decline in available cards as they are lost, destroyed, etc. Well, count me as a believer - I am living the nightmare - an e98 cy young that I was shipping to SGC has been missing for almost a month (so to be clear, SGC did not lose the card, it was never delivered).