I was shocked to see how much Wheaties moved in the Pandemic hike. Lou Gehrig especially, but some of the other major names as well. Jimmie Foxx doubled in value, and Lou Gehrig tripled or quadrupled (based on my $100 auction purchase of Gehrig in 2019). Joe Dimaggio was somewhere in between. I'm wondering what their new prices will settle at.

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I would say Joe Dimaggio's Play Ball and Leaf cards stand a decent chance of rising due to the fact that he played a good portion of his career during the second dead-ball era for collecting (1936-47), and those are arguably the only good looking Dimaggio cards ever issued. On more of a modern take, I think the Jordan Nike Jumpman card that was issued with sneakers has a good chance to take off since it's a pre-rookie card (issued in 1985).

That's a 10 + right there, that's even better.

Who knows? In ten years, maybe the grading companies will have finally done it; Spinal Tap Grading:

Up to eleven

Someone here now, who's here 10 years from now, please dig this thread out of the past...

The card with the most gain in value will be the white border tobacco cards of Ty Cobb, his portrait with that green background. That card will see the greatest price change. Cobb's T206 green portrait.

Ten years from now, do the math, that'll be the card. There will be more collectors then, many of them chasing cards of Hall of Famers from their playing days. And that will lead to collecting all 4 of his T206 cards, and that will push this card the most.

I'll bet your right about this, I didn't know they existed...seen the image but that's it, just was looking on ebay at sold listings and it does seem "cheap" from a gut feel approach. Also it seems cheap when compared relative to his generally accepted rc. Also just think of the historical significance of the jumpman silhouette as depicted on the card. *I do not currently have any interest in said card, just some ramblings on.

Anything ultra rare could fit the bill, however an assumption is that the thread is asking to select a card that is somewhat available and auctioned more than once in a blue moon.

Picking anything Ruth, Cobb, Matty, WoJo, Wags or Young would be tough but not ruled out unless it's the T206 Wags because it's already pretty pricey and a huge % increase may not be too likely for that card. Also, sticking with a "card" would eliminate a W600 or other cabinet.

The way things have been trending it will probably be a "high grade" card that could be somewhat widely available but not in a high grade.

T202 Tinker - Evers - Chance in a "9" or "10" grade? It's kind of a cool card because it's actually Tinker >> Evers (center panel) >> Chance from left to right.

No idea. :confused: I'd be the last to guess correctly because I've sold so much good stuff before it took off.

I was only sort of kidding with the imaginary Wambayama RC,
If we aren't limiting to vintage (whatever that means right now) I do think its a 1/1 card with all of the bells and whistles and autographed by at least one person... Probably its a card from a sport that has international appeal -- soccer (futbol) or maybe basketball. It's got to be a card of someone with boundless potential. Maybe a card that includes autos from someone like Wambayama with those of Jordan and Lebron. Or maybe Sabrina Ionescu who I think is the future of Women's hoops with a Kobe Bryant auto on it? Kobe was a big fan of hers and she spoke at his memorial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-z5lkrVL9Q
Its also possible that the name and likeness rules for NCAA athletes will generate some Rookie (or pre-Rookie) cards that will entice speculators and bring college sports fans into the game too? How about some 1/1 father and sons autographed cards with Lebron James and his sons ?

If we are really talking about vintage (aren't we supposed to be talking vintage?) I'm thinking a high grade (9 or 10) of a marquee card of an all-time great. Maybe one of the 3 extant PSA 8 T205 Cobbs (none higher) or the 1/1 PSA 10 Goudey Baba Ruth #181. For the 50's I'll go with the 1/1 PSA 10 1952 Willie Mays.
More recently I'll take whatever Star Co. RC card of Michael Jordan gets the highest grade.
I'm not necessarily agreeing that these cards are the best just the one's I think will go through the roof if/when they come to auction.
Personally I'm not that into grading premiums but really rich people like to own the best specimens.

I think A’ja Wilson is the future of women’s basketball, as well as the present.

I think the answer will involve the uncovering of a valuable card hiding in plain sight (and readily available today.)

Take a good look at the guy sliding home on this T202. The position of his body, the size and shape of his back, the haircut, the belt loops, the pinstripes on the cap...... It's Ty Cobb. Compare to the attached known image of Cobb. It's the same guy, and someday, a documented image from that T202 card, either on a vintage photo, or in a newspaper or book, will confirm it. My guess as to why Cobb isn't identified on the back of the T202 is that he was out on the play, and Ty wouldn't have been happy with that citation.

This card might not increase 100x, but it has a good chance, in 10 years, of going from a common to a $5,000 card.

It will definitely be a modern card. The last 10 years, the biggest increases were Mike Trout, a late 1st round pick, and Steph Curry, a later lottery pick. The 10 years before that, Tom Brady, a 6th round pick.

There will be guys who are not top draft picks that turn out to be stars. Their key cards will see increases that will dwarf any vintage card in percentage increase of value.

2022 Certified Brock Purdy Signatures #/5


Assume I posted this four weeks ago. :cool:

I’m curious Mark, has anyone identified the catcher in that T202 photo?

The back of the card says it's Sullivan, so White Sox, American League.

It may very well by Ty Cobb on the card.

But I'm not sure its related to the picture you have shown.

In the picture, the catcher is shin guards, and does not on the card.

I'm not saying it's from the same play, or the same game, or even the same opponent. I'm saying the runner is Cobb in both cases, and listed a half dozen similarities.

My bad.

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds junk wax era Topps Tiffany cards. They are beautiful cards and SSP for the era.

It certainly had huge potential a few years ago when I picked up mine. I am not sure it does now given the run that all of the legit Star cards are going to be on as PSA churns them out of the pipeline. Perhaps, if you could get in cheap and are able to hold for a few years.

One thing to note on these cards is that there are a ton of counterfeits out there. They are detectable, you just have to know what to look for. I would not buy one on the spur of the moment unless it was slabbed or I did my due diligence.

I think at least on the 101 the centering issue is going to limit the impact of PSA grading. Most Beckett 8s and even 8.5s are just not going to cross higher than 7. And I think there's just a psychological limit how high a modern card in a 7 holder cn go.

I would think that cards of Britany Griner should jump, now that she is out of the Gulag.

No doubt it will be a Japanese card - if we are talking the increase as a percentage and not a dollar cost.

My pick is the 1967 Kabaya Leaf, Sadaharu Oh or a high graded SSP that is so rare its mythical; 2, 3, 8, 17.

With MLB's continued recruiting of Japanese baseball players such as Ohtani, etc. the market for cards in Japan continues to grow with it. Sports card collecting by no means is limited to the United States. With the majority of Kabaya Leaf cards residing in the United States, collectors across the pond are willing to pay competitively to acquire cards from this set.

If we're talking about cards issued in America only, my pick is the 54 Aaron RC. While there are numerous pre-war collectors alive today, I think the collector base is shrinking every year. Yes, there will always be a high demand but it is shrinking disproportionately from the post war collector base. If you are a die hard pre-war collector, ask yourself whom the audience is you sell too and buy from? It will likely be someone you have dealt with before - an avid collector like yourself. The customer base for the post war seller/collector has a tremendous customer base in comparison. There is a new customer every day - someone you don't know - someone that is completing a set or simply investing - someone that wants a keep sake about someone they saw play a game (McGwire/Clemmons/Maddux/Trout/etc.).

Today it is a GLOBAL market, not limited to borders. The change has been gradual from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the Caribbean with players such as Clemente (PR) and Amoros (Cuba), then players like Bobby Avila from Mexico, and then the first Japanese player in MLB Murakami in 1964. Along with these players came a new card collector base. Of course, they collect cards of their home-grown player, but also collect cards of those who played with them. None of these new collector bases have a great interest in collecting pre-war cards, or a limited number. My thoughts, right or wrong, is the collecting base for pre-war cards will diminish substantially in the next 10-15 years, while the collecting base for post war will continue to increase with the largest increase in demand coming from countries outside the United States.

Yes, that small population that spends a million+ on a Wagner or a Ruth is still out there. I'm guessing they actually know each other and enjoy the competition of spending that kind of money out bidding each other. The reality is - that's not reality for us that don't have that kind of disposable income. I wish I did!

Yep, just have to Hash out which ones to buy...

Rittenhouse has only made 500 sets each year. That's of course an extremely limited number of base rookies like Breanna Stewart and Aja Wilson should the sport really take off in the hobby.

Hopefully it will be this one!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but are there enough collectors that care?

A'ja Wilson is a great talent but, at least to me, doesn't seem to have much of a personality. I think you need talent and personality to become the face of a sport. Another WNBA star whose cards should increase a lot in the future is Candace Parker. She has done everything you can do at every level and is headed for what I believe will be a very successful broadcasting career.

Almost everything, she came up short this year and as you know that cost me a bet!

This has been in the back of my mind for a while. It's natural for people to ask on forums "Is Musial underrated???", because when you compare his stats with, say, Mantle, it's extremely obvious that Mantle was not 50x-100x the player than Musial was. So the price discrepancy between the two seems nonsensical.

But, on-field performance is only one element that drives demand. Everyone worth a ton is an all-time great, but not every all-time great is worth a ton.

I think Musial’s kindness and accessibility hurts his value in the autograph realm too. He’s fairly cheap because he was so gracious with fans.

Same with Warren Spahn.

And Feller. When I see a card of him I expect to see it signed. Also a guy who doesn't quite get the card respect that his record would suggest.

I wouldn't place my bets on Ty Cobb, considering the current social climate and where things seem to be heading. Debates aside about whether or not he was indeed a racist, and please let's not turn this into a debate about how we feel about the matter, the fact remains that there has been and continues to be a push to erase or suppress historical figures who are broadly viewed as racists. Whether he indeed was or was not, the fact remains that he is indeed viewed as such by the majority. And just like the statues of guys like Thomas Jefferson were torn down, I suspect it's only a matter of time until guys like Ty Cobb and Cap Anson fall victim to these behaviors and beliefs as well.

I would wager every penny I'll ever own that Jackie Robinson cards will outperform Ty Cobb cards over the next N number of years.

No, of course not. Nobody cares about Britney Griner cards. She could win 10 5 straight championships and 3 gold medals and even Rollie Fingers will still outperform her 10 years from now.

Upside
 

I think that the 1952 Bowman Mantle has the most potential to soar in price.
As the 1951 Bowman And 1952 Topps are out of reach for most collectors,this card is still reasonably priced.

Regards
John P

As the proud owner of a 1952 Bowman Mantle, I sure hope you're right!

I completely disagree. I think Jackie cards are overvalued and cobb will continue to appreciate.

I recall a similar bold (and fake) wager regarding the resale price of an uncle jacks Ruth. Just sayin…

That said, I do think Jackie cards will be one of the bigger winners over the next decade. I am not sure his cards beat Cobb, but I expect Jackie stuff will do as well as most. The only thing holding them back is a massive spike in value over the past few years (more than most other players I think), so maybe less room to run. Who knows. I stick to the HOF studs who played before WWII, and i have done pretty good

It seems like the vintage guys that spike the most are a product of what is happening in the modern game at the time. My recollection of the 80s is that Ozzie Smith and Johnny Bench were very popular (thanks, in no small part, to a TV show that featured them every weekend), and it seemed like alot of attention was paid to great fielders and catchers of the past, like Brooks Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Yogi Berra. They don't seem as high on collectors' minds these days.

Similarly, 80s pitchers seemed to be in the public consciousness for long stretches, with guys like Carlton, Seaver, Ryan and Palmer making every All Star Game, and guys like Koufax, Gibson, Spahn and Feller were great pickups (and debates of who the best "old time" pitcher - Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Matty, etc. happened outside of Net54). Outside of Koufax and maybe Gibson's rookie, not alot of upward movement on the 30s-60s greats now that "great" pitchers are changing every season.

In the late 80s and early 90s, with a modern focus on great BA hitters like Gwynn, Boggs and Mattingly, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams and Pete Rose were on everybody's wantlist. Then, Canseco, McGwire and Sosa happened, and Aaron, Mantle, and Mays were all the rage.

Perhaps the greatest example, Rickie Henderson made people care about Lou Brock for about 5 years.

It seems like the past 20 years, it has been about championships (Jeter), 5-tool players (Trout) and unique skillsets (Ohtani), mixed with pristine off-field reputations to counter the PED era. And a general societal shift towards breaking down barriers has caused guys like Jackie, Roberto, Satchel, and Josh Gibson to skyrocket.

Hard to predict what can happen 25 years from now. Maybe patriotism will be all the rage, and players like Ted Williams and Ernie Banks that served in the military will see their cards take off. Or, maybe overcoming physical limitations will be celebrated, and a player like Jim Abbott catches the hobby's attention. Maybe "error cards" will have a run like they have in other hobbies like stamps and coins.

The only guarantee is that the cards on my wantlist will never see a correction and each new offering will test the previous all time high.

For us small time spenders, I agree with a prior post.

Your mid-career Hank Aaron & Willie Mays cards in EX-NM/MT that present very well with near perfect centering, great color, spot on focus, nice color, no print marks/blips. I have put in very healthy bids on a few of these recently and been outbid - not by just one bid, but several bids. Kinda blows my mind how strong the prices are for these vintage big name beauties.

But here is the kicker - they seem to keep increasing in price every auction every week/month. Last months NM7 Aaron at $500.-1,000. is this months Aaron at $700.-1,200. And I bet will be next months Aaron at $1,000.-1,500.

I agree Ryan, and also the other HOFs in the M101 will continue to move up. 1925 Gehrig Rookie still has room to grow also.

1914 Cracker Grover Alexander RC, and 47 Bond Bread Jackie portrait also come to mind.

1951 Bowman MANTLE and Mays are some others that come to mind.

When someone or something becomes a cultural touchstone, that's the one with the most long-term upside. I think Robinson has gone to that level over the last several years.

What boosts prospects for a card long term isn't what us old goats collect, it is what newbie collectors are going to lust after when they get into vintage, and people moving into vintage seem to get excited over a select few players and/or cards. Ruth and Robinson are the two foremost, and the 1952 Topps Mantle is another. I would argue that Robinson has one of the biggest non-hardcore vintage collector cachets, and that it is growing, which makes him a natural starting point for newer collectors, especially because you can still get decent career-contemporary Robinson cards well under $1,000. Name another player whose uniform was retired across the entirety of MLB and whose uniform # goes on every jersey once a year on a special day and whose name is on a major award and was the subject of a recent major motion picture and who has a plethora of modern cards issued virtually every year. There isn't one. Newbies want #42, just like they want Ruth. Cobb is an "inside" guy; we know him but he does not attract newbie collectors the way Robinson does. The 1952 Topps Mantle is similar. It has cachet far beyond the current hardcore vintage collector base. Even the non-collectors know it. Watch a newbie collector handle one for the first time. They go nuts. That's why I think there is still upside to the card. Owning one is an aspiration for newbies.

OK Cobb enthusiasts, you may unleash your vitriol now.

I’d consider myself a “newbie.” Im in my 30s and 90% of my collection is modern, although I’ve been lurking here more and more and am intrigued by vintage.

The one vintage card I’ve been drawn to is the Green Cobb. I have two copies and they’re the cornerstone of my collection. Something about it is so perfect and timeless. The green pops. It’s an all time player and an all time set.

I think everyone is jumping on the Jackie bandwagon because it logically makes sense that his stuff should do well and appreciate. Although, I wonder how many people actually want to collect Jackie vs buying thinking it’s just a good investment.

Someone that doesn’t get mentioned enough is Ted Williams. I think he gets hurt by not being part of some of the better sets, but I can see his stuff exploding if anyone ever flirts w .400 (maybe now that the shift will be banned).

Lastly, I don’t think you can go wrong w Yankees (Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig). Vintage and all time Yankees just go together.

Anyways, there’s my $0.02 as someone on the younger side that’s just getting started in vintage.

I’m biased but I think the t205 Cobb and other HOF’ers centered in mid grade are extremely undervalued.

lump Lou Brock into this category. Possibly Harmon Killebrew also. Al Kaline, too? I always hear great stories about each of these three.

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I've made this argument about Jackie before; I completely agree. High school kids know his name alongside MLK Jr, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali.

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Nicely thought out and insightful post. I tend to agree with with your assessment, but do believe that Jackie cards are going to intensify as newer and younger vintage collectors consider the historical aspect. This is the trend.

Ali is a heck of a value too. Especially some of his pre-1967 cards.

I also agree with many on here that Jackie cards are a good bet over the next 10 years. That being said, I have to go with the 52 Topps. Its a no brainer to me because of the following reasons I've outlined below.

1. It's 52 Topps, the most iconic/popular post war set of all time.

2. It's his best looking card hands down

3. Lowest population of his mainstream cards and 552 less at PSA than Mantle.

4. In comparison to the #311 mantle, it has a lot of upside, also a high number. Id also argue its becoming just as iconic.

5. High eye appeal copies are extremely scare relative to the population. As eye appeal becomes more important to collectors, more will be forced to pay up for the nice ones. This will ultimately drive up the price on all of them to some degree.

6. Supply and demand- see #1 and #3.

1988 Big Topps Ken Griffey.
Ken Jr.'s first Topps card (he looks a little pale).
I've been stockpiling them, but I think there may be enough for y'all to get some too, if you act now.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5...62de65~mv2.jpg

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