What is a baseball card worth?
 

What is a baseball card worth?

I hope this question is not looked on as being contentious or judgmental, I understand many collectors have different views on collecting vs. investing. I understand the benefits of cards as an investment and reasons for why they will continue to increase in value. For the purpose of this "hypothetical" question, I am asking you to consider the investment potential of baseball cards to be nil. I understand this is a somewhat ridiculous request. But please keep in mind the question is hypothetical, My question, my rules :-)

I am curious as to what value other members put on a baseball cards. I am not talking about as an investment but rather how much money is a single baseball card worth to you. Meaning you'd rather the card than the cash. My question is what would you pay for a supercalifrangleistic baseball card. Now what this baseball card is may be different for everyone. For me it would be a 1933 Goudey #144 Babe Ruth, the equivalent of a PSA5 or 6. Now remember, this is my question, you may think it is somewhat stupid (I do not disagree). But I want to know what value you place on this "dream" card knowing that you may never sell it, nor may your children. You've given up the money for the card. You may never exchange the card for money or something else. Ridiculous, I agree, but it's my question and I ask you to answer in the spirit it is asked.

My only other request is that people refrain from attacking other member’s, or groups of members, i.e. “Investors are ruining the hobby…” “you old guys are living in the past…” etc.

Thanks and I look forward to your responses


My response is $2k ($1000-$5000). The most I’ve spent is the high $800’s for a 40 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio. In 2000 paid $300 for my #144 Ruth that would grade about a 1.5, maybe a two. But I think the most I would pay to upgrade it is about $2k**


** I understand this will never happen
** I reserve the right to change my mind ;-)

I'm going to take this question to mean how much I would pay for my favorite baseball card of all time, knowing that once I purchase it, the value of the card will depreciate to zero, and I won't be able to recover what I spent on it. I've spent a lot of money on temporary things that I enjoy like vacations, sporting events, or nostalgic items. I'd say that I'd spend up $1000 on a baseball card that I've always wanted. That card would probably fall in this group:

(1) T210 Joe Jackson
(2) Baltimore News Babe Ruth
(3) T206 Honus Wagner

Right now I think in the $1000 to $2000 range.

I've only ever spent more than $1000 on a card twice (a w517 Ruth and a 1952 Bowman Mantle).

In honesty, with your scenario, I think the ONLY one of those cards I would do that with again would be the Ruth. The only reason I bought the Mantle was for my set, but it was easier to throw down that kind of cash knowing I could always resell it and get my money back, and likely more (and a lot easier to convince my wife once she understood how Mantle cards typically hold or increase in value). I probably wouldn't have bought the Mantle knowing I could never sell it.

But owning a playing days Ruth card? That has legitimate value to me...knowing I own a card of BABE RUTH from when he played. That has intrinsic value to me, and definately worth $1000+

Zero

I compartmentalize my purchases, everything is on a list and there are tiers of what I would pay assigned accordingly. $50-$1000, $2000-$5000, $5000-$10,000 etc. My unicorn cards like a CJ14 Cobb, #181 Ruth, 51 Mantle would fall into the $10,000-$30,000 range. I don't have the firepower to go for much bigger than that so I stop there.

Of course, if I have a wee dram during an auction those price levels might expand a bit.

I 100% agree and those 3 are my too 3

Love it

I own a lot of original artwork. I buy a painting because I like it and I want to look at it on my wall, and I like original bc I like to know the artist created it by hand and I own the only one. Aside from 1 or 2 exceptions, I understand the paintings I buy have virtually no value and are worth nothing near what I paid for them (now or ever). I expect you are asking for a similar analysis - what would I pay to own a card I really want knowing that it has no real value other than sentimental value - I like to own if, look at it, show it off, hold it, etc.

Using that analysis, I voted for $1k - $5k. (I would put painting at $10k+)

I voted for $1k t $5k...

I took it as how much I'm willing to spend/invest. I've now bought a few cards in that range and am comfortable doing so. Anything over that and I wouldn't be comfortable as I do not buy to invest, I buy the cards I want not carrying about resale. If I bought a card for $2k and I love the card, and it drops to $1k...I could care less.

Like the example of paintings above, I also collect classic cars from 1955 to 74. Same rules apply and I like to stick in the $10K (project) to $35K (complete). My collection is very consistent in value...and again, I don't buy to invest, but to DRIVE.

It’s strange that I’m getting to the point in my life where many of the cards or items that were pipe dreams a decade ago are attainable and I’ve almost pulled the trigger a handful of times this summer, but then I contemplated spending that amount of money on a baseball card or signed item and I just couldn’t do it yet. It’s fun now checking out an Major auction and knowing “I could buy that right now if I really wanted to” , but also I just don’t.

As for the question I guess it’s best to use my Tommy Bridges collection as a base as he isn’t widely collected and I’m willing to grossly over pay for an item I don’t have yet. It also won’t be sold, as long as I’m living anyways. I guess my start to flinch number would be around $2k before I started questioning if I really need it in my life. (Yes, yes I do.)

In the Minority ...
 

In the minority at less than $100.

I would get no joy in my cards being assets. It would become one more thing to worry about.

For most of my cards, if they had a sticker for eye appeal it would say "bicycle spoke worthy"

Tim

A non answer
 

I still get way more excitement out of paying a small amount for something weird and unusual baseball or other sports (and even occasionally non sports) that you just can’t find so easily. The fun to me of collecting is getting something most people don’t have not something that is expensive or popular. A lot of things I have collected over the years are like this…. Some have become expensive or popular over time .

agree with this...although my bargain finds tend to be in a totally different area of collecting. Most of my baseball additions are auction house purchasing exercises!!!!!! The thrill of the hunt is the best!

Found this hans coper pot for the cost of a combo meal at arbys last week!

Perhaps it's just me but I'm confused by your question. How can you put a specific dollar value on something that you define as being worth than money?

How much would you spend on a card if you knew you could never sell the card ? Another way of saying it is how much is a card worth to you?

Ah, I get it now. Very interesting question! Probably 2 or 3k at most.

I would pay x dollars, a little more if I'm drinking with Phil.

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Is the question what is the value of nostalgia?

I am now mid 40s and remember my parents friends wanting/owning old cars 1967 Mustangs, Coke memorabilia, records of their parents music. Certainly cards were nostalgic then, but as a mid 40s guy lived through the the 80s/90s junk wax and played with 2nd generation Gi Joe’s/ Transformers and watched Star Wars and Karate Kid 100s of times. It really does not matter what it is mostly everything from that era is now “valuable”. Graded Nintendo games from 1993, toys whatever we all want that feeling of what it was like being a kid. In 20 years my kids will be talking about Silly Bands and Paw Patrol and how I threw it out.

“Luckily” I still have some of my favorites cards/memorabilia from then and now I can get some of the items I saw in magazines like Goudey #144.

I guess my answer would be in the 5K to 10K range. Only because I have spent this much and don’t intend to sell them or count on them increasing in value. I collect because I like holding a piece of history and enjoying having them around.

a 1 of 1
or
a 1 of 10,000,000

I would say they are roughly equal.

As kids they were entertainment.

As collectors they were history

As sets they are obsession.

As investments they are a crap shoot.

Bitcoin trading cards are hot!

As a waste of time, they are priceless.

I haven't voted, but would probably select the lowest category.

I think this would be a more interesting question if it were worded as 'what percentage of your net worth is a baseball card worth to you?' Otherwise it's mostly just a function of how much money someone has.

Price vs happiness
 

Some of my absolute favorite cards I picked up for $25-$100. In most cases I didn’t even know said item existed, or have come across it so infrequently as to think I would never own it.

Don’t get me wrong, I still pursue bigger ticket items and buy what I like, but obtaining inexpensive yet obscure items has more significance to me.

Good point. I thought of that, but decided to keep it simple, no math required.
Another good poll would be "what % of your net worth is in Baseball Cards or Sports Memorabilia?"

zero...

There are some rare cards that I'd pay $1000 to own even knowing that no one else would pay me a penny for them. But that's only for unique or very rare cards. A T206 Wagner would be far too common, and if I could ever afford one of those what I'd pay for it would just be a function of what I think others would pay for it.

Card is worth the amount agreed upon between a buyer and seller. Without that agreement a card is just a piece of cardboard.

I don't think I can answer this one.

I've never been in a position to be able to participate in all tiers of collecting, not in cards, or any of my other hobbies.

But when I first really got into cards, I was probably pretty close. The only one that was truly out of reach was the Wagner, and maybe Plank.

But I've always been more of an opportunistic collector. It was rarely "what card can I afford?" more like "what card can I afford with what I have on me right now?" And even then.... I've occasionally passed on cards I wanted because of timing. Like a Drum back T206 at $200, because I'd only brought about 225-250 to the show. Came to my senses an aisle later and went back but it was gone.
And the cards I passed up that I could have rounded up the money for back when I started... :(:(:(
But the opportunist in me has been lucky a few times, so I can't complain too much.

I don't have a problem paying $100 for a card knowing that it's probably not worth that to the next collector. I live in WA State, but I'm a Reds collector. Not many other Reds collectors around here, so I just can't liquidate easily. So for a card that is intrinsically valued at $0, I'd pay up to $100. Anything over $100 has to have liquidation value.

Caveat, the intrinsic value must hold a cool factor in my eyes, or some sort of desirability. It needs to be old, or rare, or a Reds collectible. The envelope below is a good example. It's pre-1900, cool and rare. I paid $25. Not sure how many local collectors would be willing to $25 for an envelope that has neither team nor individual player mentioned. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a3302c90a5.jpg

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I voted for 20 to 100k and took your question to mean how much would I risk to purchase a card with the thought to sell it at some point in the future. Since I'm primarily interested in T206s and a Wagner is most likely forever out of reach it falls to the Plank. I could at some point see myself spending what was necessary to buy a lower grade specimen with the thinking being prices would hold up due to probable future demand.

Thanks but you've misunderstood the question. It is how much would you pay knowing you could NEVER get your money back by selling at a future time

In that case zero, it's a piece of cardboard.

+1 I thought the same thing. Maybe a few bucks for artistic value.

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+1 I thought the same thing. Maybe a few bucks for artistic value.

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+1 I thought the same thing. Maybe a few bucks for artistic value.

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+1 I misunderstood also.

I completely disagree. I think it's quite likely that respondents to the poll, if sorted by response, will have wildly different net worths within a group that answered identically.

I've only ever sold one baseball card. Maybe I'll sell a few more here and there, but pretty much, if a card is in my collection, it's never going to leave.

So, to me, this question amounts to "how much would you spend on a baseball card?"