Posted By:
T206CollectorCmoking,
Usually the investors in high grade vintage cards -- the ones that defend the people who purchase PSA 8 Unglaub cards -- just flat out disagree with the point made earlier about the countless mint raw vintage cards in old school collections. Here, you have made a different point, which assumes that each of these guys exist, and describes how they are giving up oodles of cash by sitting on these cards. There are, in my estimation, two important points missing from the analysis:
(1) Cash flow is different from opportunity costs and assets, though in theory I do agree with you that someone with mint raw Unglaub cards could have himself $1,000+ if he would just spend the five or so minutes and $10 to have PSA grade the thing and then put it on ebay.
But, more importantly,
(2) The earlier post about the old school collectors was suggesting that purchases of PSA 8 Unglaub cards for $1,000+ did not accurately take into account relative scarcity. Thus, one day, when all of those veterans take you up on your offer to have their cards slabbed, there may be a lot less cash to go around. Why? Because the supply will be a multiple of what it is now. Long gone are the times when people would throw away their vintage baseball cards. Supply is no longer dwindling. Given the record prices, and passage of time, more and more raw card collectors -- or their children upon their deaths -- will have their Mint Unglaubs graded. The supply of all PSA, SGC and GAI vintage cards will only go up in years to come -- as measured by population reports. Of course, if demand keeps up with supply, then Unglaub will keep his price up. But, if for whatever reason demand for PSA 8 Unglaub's does not keep up -- like in the case of the true master artists like Rembrandt losing out in favor of Klimt these days -- then you will see these prices plummet.
What will happen is anyone's guess. But to presume either way is just that -- a guess.
Personally, I'd rather try to be figuring out what the next Klimt is going to be. The cat is out of the bag with respect to PSA 8 Unglaubs....