Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveS
When somebody is the very best at something, he or she is referred to as "The Babe Ruth of Such-and-Such."
Wayne Gretzky was "The Babe Ruth of Hockey." Arnold Palmer was "The Babe Ruth of Golf" (and later Jack and Tiger). Not only did they excel in their sport, but they transcended it and brought it to a whole new level and popularity. Babe Ruth transcended all of them. His home runs and personality were what the country needed during a crippling Depression. The fact that he died relatively young also increased his legendary status (as it has a tendency to do with celebrities). But because of his popularity, a lot of stuff was produced. There's no item that has the rarity or iconic status as does the T206 Wagner or '52 Mantle (which really aren't that rare). So while Babe items are absolutely expensive and command a premium, they are probably not as expensive as they could be based on his larger-than-life status. A Mike Trout card should never sell for more than a Babe Ruth card, regardless if it's a 1/1 or anything else. People are starting to realize that, and the days of relatively affordable Ruth items are winding down.
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I couldn't agree more. I find myself in between with respect to collecting vintage and modern cards. I have some "big(ish)" Trout rookies (Topps Gold, Diamond Anniversary, etc) and I have several vintage cards of similar value. But when I look at a nice ~$10k Babe Ruth card and compare it to a nice ~$10k Mike Trout (or pick your other modern superstar) I just can't help but always think the Ruth is by far the better buy, especially in the modern era of exponential hobby growth and investors flooding in. High-end vintage is going to dry up at some point. They'll continue to make Mike Trout 1-of-1's and gold refractors and kaleidoscope whoseitsandwhatsits gallore, but there will always be a limited supply of early legends. Even if there are ~10,000 33 Goudey Ruths out there, that's still just a drop in the bucket compared to modern cards. PSA alone has already graded over 50,000 Zion Williamson 2019 Prizm cards. And that's just ONE product line. They have numerous other product lines with similar pop counts (Mosaic, Chronicles, Donruss, Hoops, Optic, Contenders, Spectra, NT, on-and-on-and-on). There are well in excess of a million Zion Williamson rookie cards in total today, and that's no exaggeration. I just sold a modern high-end Zion Williamson card last week and used the funds to buy 2 Babe Ruths, a handful of nice Willie Mays cards, and a Jim Brown RC. And I'm a big believer in Zion Williamson too. But I'll take that trade any day of the week and twice on Sundays. History matters, and particularly in this hobby. I say get em while you still can.