When did collecting turn into a way of investing and making money?

[Ronnie73]

I collected some cards starting in 1981 when I was 8 years old. At the time, they had no cash value to me but they were nice to look at and yes, many of them went into the spokes of my bicycle. When my views changed to the possibility of making money on cards and them maybe being an investment was in 1985 when I bought my first price guide. The card that changed the way I looked at cards was the 1985 Topps #620 Dwight Gooden rookie card. It had a value of $8 and you could go buy a pack of cards for 35 cents and have a chance of pulling one out of the pack.

When did collecting and just enjoying the cards for what they were turn into something more and what card made it happen?

[drc]

The source of all evil is Dwight Gooden.

In 1965, Topps was making lots of money selling baseball cards and kids were spending lots of money buying them. Baseball cards was a big market, just not on the secondary market.

[Bilko G]

For me, living in Canada, it was the 1985/86 O-Pee-Chee Mario Lemieux RC. I got my first Hockey card price guide, i believe it was called the Charlton Hockey Card checklist and price guide somewhere shortly after 86 or maybe 87. The Lemieux RC booked for something like $6 and i thought it was really cool because i owned 4 copies of it.

[sbfinley]

To answer your question I would say that decade between 1983-1993 was the heyday in which card collecting merged with honest investing. It was during that time that mass-produced rookies were hoarded by people who started to notice what the cards their moms threw out were worth. It was also during that time that the T206 Wagner invaded the national conscience as the preeminent sports collectible.

On a personal note.

For years I bought cards that didn't fit into my collecting focus by telling my wife "it was a good price", "I can flip it for a good profit", or "It is a sound investment." Never have I ever sold a card for a reason other than funding something that did fit within my focus. For some reason I can't bring myself to part with cards easily. I'm too attached to them, with or without fitting within my collecting focus.

Precious metals are a different story. I have found that with a little searching I can find silver and palladium for under or close to spot price and I have no attachment to them so unloading is stress free. Also, splitting my disposable hobby income between cards and metals has made me more concise in my collecting habits and opens up more funds for my collecting focus when I sell.

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by sbfinley

For years I bought cards that didn't fit into my collecting focus by telling my wife "it was a good price", "I can flip it for a good profit", or "It is a sound investment." Never have I ever sold a card for a reason other than funding something that did fit within my focus. For some reason I can't bring myself to part with cards easily. I'm too attached to them, with or without fitting within my collecting focus.

That sounds about right.
I feel as though I force myself to think of it as a business sometimes to rationalize my spending. Yesterday I bought an expensive card included with a lot. The card is arguably too "nice" for my current set, and figured to sell immediately to help pay for the rest of the purchase. In less than 4 hours the card found its permanent home on my display and now i have a payment plan for the card...its sweet though! Still not a business.

[bcbgcbrcb]

1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela & Tim Raines rookie cards................

[CW]

Originally Posted by drc

The source of all evil is Dwight Gooden.

In 1965, Topps was making lots of money selling baseball cards and kids were spending lots of money buying them. Baseball cards was a big market, just not on the secondary market.

Ah yes, I remember that. Even prior to Gooden, we had the Darryl Strawberry and Don Mattingly from the '84 set, which were instantly worth $5-$7.50 right out of the pack.

[ScottFandango]

Blame it on the (regional) publication started in 1984 (due to Don Mattingly popularity i believe) ..

it was called Current Card Prices and it had those MAGICAL UP ARROWS..

the magical UP ARROW was a powerful drug!

I couldnt wait for the next monthly edition to see what the Mattingly 84 Donruss was up to!

im sure these ARROWS spurred on many collectors especially during the Mattingly 84 /Canseco 86 Donruss era....

i think this price guide also spiked the attendance of Baseball card shows which we all know were HUGE in the 80's....

[Exhibitman]

CCP! I was trying to remember the name. There was also CPU [Card Prices Update].

[alanu]

When I was little I not so neatly pasted my 1968 football cards into a scrapbook sorted by team, including the little paper posters that came in the packs, so I don't think at that point I was concerned about making money on my cards.

About 1985 when I found my 1972 Topps baseball set and started collecting again, I realized that cards had really gotten to be worth something.

[Sterling Sports Auctions]

For some reason I seem to remember that the 87 Bo Jackson was the first card to command $1 fresh out of the pack and that the others obtained there higher value after they had at least a year in and the new years cards were out.

I was lucky enough to run a card store from 89-92, dream job that sadly had to come to an end. Thanks goodness I bought very few modern cards and occasionally would buy vintage when available, which was not often in MN.

Lee

[D. Bergin]

I think it was the Beckett that came out in 1981 when I was 10 years old.

1981 Cards were just out but they were already listed in the Price Guide. Pretty sure it was only Topps. Fleer and Donruss were not listed yet.

This was before Valenzuela and Raines became big. I looked in the guide and a brand new George Brett out of the pack was valued at $1.00.

I had been obsessed with baseball cards since I was 5-6 years old. But seeing that 1981 Topps George Brett in the Price Guide, days after opening up my first packs of cards for the year................is what really took it to another level for me.

Don't even know why I remember that.