Quote:
Originally Posted by Leon
I should clarify my above thought a little. As I see it the technical grades are becoming less important as opposed to eye appeal. And that being said if you are playing the "my points are bigger than your points" registry game, then my thoughts are not meant towards you. I feel the Registry collecting is a little different than what most of us do, which is obtain the best looking card we can. I KNOW there are HIGH grade collectors and that is great if that is what you like, there is nothing wrong with them and they probably hold value a little better than lower grade, overall. But as our hobby matures it seems the eye appeal of cards is what holds value. And lastly I don't see why a small part of your investment strategy can't be cards, they are as good or better than most collectibles (to me anyway  ). |
+1. My study of various collectible fields over several decades indicates there are basically three factors that come into play in the appreciation equation: The collectible, to increase substantially in value, should be (1) rare, or very scarce; (2) possess significance; and (3) be in the best condition you can find and afford--eye appeal is critical here. If you think the card is ugly when you buy it, chances are prospective buyers when you want to sell it will also. The focus of demand will shift over time, as it has done in both cars and coins, but in both those fields, truly rare and significant items have generally continued to rise, showing little vulnerability to value cycles. Take, for example a prominent non-card example--a 1967 L88 (427 CID racing package; 560 horsepower) Corvette. They made just 20 of them, and most went to racers, in whose hands they were extremely successful, albeit subject to very hard use. If you had been looking for and been lucky enough to find one in the '80's, the purchase price would likely have been less than $20,000. Now, $3.75 --$4 million, all day long at any major auto auction. Same effect with significant dual purpose (street and road racing) Ferrari's, especially any example that actually competed in a significant race, such as Daytona or LeMans--$20 million plus is not unusual.
But try to stay ahead of the curve--everyone likes to buy while the market for a given item is rising, but better to have bought before that, when it was quiet. As to what cards may fall into that category, i.e., undervalued, that is up to you and your analysis--I have mine!
Best of luck,
Larry
PS: I don't believe that its wrong to want your cards to go up in value, as well as provide enjoyment. I'd like to leave a significant collection as a legacy to perhaps provide a college education for my granddaughter's children, or those of my niece and nephew, and also leave a big chunk of $$$ to serve God's missionary work. It's my last dream of achievement, and only time will tell if it works out!