[Seven]

Originally Posted by egri

For my signed 1953 Topps project, I used to think Satchell Paige was overpriced at anything above $1,200. I passed on a whole bunch of them at the time because I figured I could always pick him up later. Now he routinely sells for over $3,000, and occasionally over $4,000. Jackie Robinson I'm glad I already have, because those have been fetching around $10,000 lately. I was talking to another member about it recently, and there's no way I could start the project today, unless I either inherited a great deal of the set or won the lottery. For someone like Mantle, I may need to live with that hole in my set for a while.

I'll have hit a financial wall with my Mantle Career Run, once I eventually pick up the 1953 Topps, which hopefully in a few months will not have jumped significantly. But I went from "I can one day afford the 52 If I save up properly" to "The only way I afford it is if I hit lotto"

I try not to let the money interfere with the enjoyment I have in the hobby. I plan on collecting a long time so it's not too much of an issue. I can't definitively say what the card market will look like 5,10,20 or 30 years from now. But looking at the state of things right now, it's a little upsetting I'll have a hole in my collection. But you never know what might happen!