pre war for a 16 year old
 

my son collects, mostly modern and now wants to take the $1000 he has earned and invest in some pre war with the hopes of selling them in several years. Any suggestions on what he should spend it on?

Pete

Ruth....not slabbed but you are sure is authentic.

I think it is nice to buy a card that has some personal meaning --was there a team in your city ? perhaps a T210 card or a player who was born in your town --some connection so he would be anxious to learn about the player and the team . It can still be an investment but also a wonderful learning opportunity as well.

Most caramel cards are a steal right now. They are WAY down from a few years ago.
JimB

There are so many options to choose from, that I think narrowing it down based on your son's own interests is a good idea. Along the lines of what Bill suggested, I think I would want to find him something that he can feel a personal connection with.

Does he have a favourite current team that has pre-war roots?
Are there any particular pre-war players that he knows of and is intrigued by?

If you can't narrow his focus down based on his current interests, then perhaps you can challenge him to do a bit more research by handing him a stack of books within your own realm of expertise/interest, and offer to supplement his investment a certain amount for each book he reads. Maybe that turns this into too much of a crusade, but I think having him educate himself about what he's about to invest in has a lot of upside.

Just a thought.

Regards,

Richard.

Two words: Old Judge

I'm with Don. Make sure the Old Judge have sharp photos. You will get a better deal if they are not slabbed, just make sure you can tell what an altered card looks like. If you decide to go in this direction I would be more than happy to help in any way I can. Good luck!

I was 16 when I first started collecting.. Now I'm the ripe old age of 21 =)

My first major purchase was a t206 EPDG Cy young.. I wanted to buy a HOFer on a good price... Keep in mind this was around the peak of our hobby prices so I would probably take a loss on the card. Now is a great time for a 16 year old to buy some cards and watch the prices grow over time. I would strongly pursue e93's if I were him. They've really gone down in value and are a fantastic set!

Make sure he buys something he likes though. That way, if he doesn't find a strong market to sell it in, he can just keep it.


Take care,

Pete

Cobb, Ruth, Gehrig...the classics never die and are always easy to sell.