What percentage of your net worth?

[Cardboard Junkie]

What percentage of your net worth do you have or want in cards? I don't think I would feel too comfortable having more than 10 or 20 percent of my overall net worth in cards. For example if my net worth was 2 million dollars, I don't think I would want more than 200 or 300 thousand in cards. I know many don't include the value of their collection when computing "net worth", but taking everything into consideration what do you think?
I'm not shy. My collection has a retail value of around 150 to 200 grand. My net worth is somewhere just north of 1 mil. I feel I am about right for what I have in cards. This figuring has helped me decide to dump a lot of other collections I have accumulated (comics, toys, coins, stamps, etc.) Anyway this post is just me kind of thinking out loud. But I'm interested in others thoughts.Dave.

[bn2cardz]

100%
I am just glad that my wife lets me stay in her house and drive her vehicles.

[Cardboard Junkie]

Wife!?I had two of those, but I flipped em for cards.Dave.

[Leon]

Way too much..... but I enjoy them. Edited out percentage as I really don't know.

[Ulidia]

Net worth in cards = 0% as I've no cards worth talking about.


Net worth in memorabilia which is primarily match worn vintage soccer shirts + vintage baseball / soccer photos = not certain. Value would be less than 10% of net worth. That said, my spending on memorabilia in any given year would represent considerably more than 10% of my discretionary spending.


I view memorabilia as an investment of sorts (and it clearly is) but am guarded in this. Partly because, for me, my memorabilia purchases are usually in part emotion-driven (that's why most of us collect what we do after all). Also because memorabilia is less liquid than most investments (maybe different for T206s and very collectible cards etc but generally speaking)


More importantly, the buy / sell spread of memorabilia can be very high, esp. if you are buying / selling in an auction environment i.e. consider buying Item A from a well known auction house and looking to sell it in the same auction house in 5 years time. It would need to have appreciated considerably for you to receive back your original outlay and that's not taking into account the effects of inflation in eroding the value of money.

[Ulidia]

Originally Posted by Cardboard Junkie

I don't think I would feel too comfortable having more than 10 or 20 percent of my overall net worth in cards. For example if my net worth was 2 million dollars, I don't think I would want more than 200 or 300 thousand in cards.

I think it also depends on personal circumstances and so on. I'm in my late 30s. A decade ago or slightly longer and I've have been happy to have a very large proportion of my net worth in memorabilia and very seriously did view it as an investment.


I have a partner but no family - if I had a family, I imagine I'd spent little on memorabilia as my income would go on other priorities. My partner views my spending on memorabilia as frivolous - which she is entitled to.


These days less so as am focused on ensuring I've a comfortable financial future (I would intend to leave full time work by my late 40s). Consequently, because I do have high spending habits on memorabilia, I lock an increasingly large proportion of my income into my pension which means it is out of sight and out of mind (here, in the UK, it is basically impossible to touch a pension in any shape or form until you are 55 so is out of reach for me which is good).

[Exhibitman]

I decline to respond on the grounds that any answer I give may tend to incriminate me.

[ALR-bishop]

Less than 3 %

[gopherfan]

I own a lot of cards, some valuable to me. But I think that with the housing crash, that I may have a negative net worth.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

A small enough percentage that if it was destroyed I would be fine financially. To me collecting is for fun not investing.

[Sean1125]

It varies but anywhere from 20% to 99% LOL. I make sure to keep enough for bills in the worst of scenarios

[Bestdj777]

I have a negative networth and my collection, at least at this point, has some value. I'm getting married in October and will double my networth (2 times te law shool loans) but hopefully my collection will stay the same.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

For me, collecting is more about fun and some emotion and historical appreciation. That being said, I am careful about what I pay and I watch my money. I rationalize collecting this way: A lot of guys I know spend a lot of money on alcohol, tobacco, bass boats, and a host of depreciating assets. So, everyone has a vice. I tell my wife that at least I can sell the products of my vice and at least get my money back, if not make a little. You can't say that about a lot of things you can spend money on. I just enjoy '40s, '50s, and '60s baseball cards.

[glynparson]

Between 25-35%. I do not think the percentage of your net worth is as important as how much of your net worth before cards you s33pent on them. If you bought a Wagner T206 in 1979 it does not have the same financial impact as one bought last year.

[ScottR81]

I've gone over the deep end as of lately. But I think I'm at 50% mark which I deem out of control of my own spending. I literally have dodged marriage twice just so I can spend the money on sports memorabilia.

But I can always count on my collection never leaving me and taking me to court over anything so ill keep putting my money where it's safe lol

[RTK]

Probably decimal points of my net worth. I should start using some of the net worth to buy the many cards of my childhood that I anxiously pursued when I opened packs as a kid back in the mid 60's & early 70's. It's not quite the same buying a graded slabbed card at auction as opening a wax pack after riding your Schwinn Stingray to the corner store. I have bought a few cards back when there were cards shows.