CJ 14 prices surging--theories?

[GregMitch34]

It's been building and building but (in my mind) peaked last night with $2000 paid for a Slim Sallee SGC 55 at Love of the Game, and $1450 for a Joe Wood SGC 40 (remember, he's not a HOFer either), and so on. Flipped over to eBay and saw, perhaps in response, that a common SGC 40 just sold for $350 and a Bender SGC 45 for $800. Then the trickle down: at ebay even the 1s and 2s soaring, for example, a common, grimy, Sweeney PSA 2 is already at $224 with 9 hours left in an auction. And has followed a couple months of increases--with SGCs finally starting to close gap on PSAs.

Why? Just a phase? If more collectors (perhaps of SGCs)--why now? Seems to be has also been recent climb in all t206 HOFers 5 or above. I wonder if this reflects appeal of cards that are both "safest" yet also oddly "hottest"--as collecting economy overall fully gets over 2008 collapse at last?

Note: Other Love of Game prices included $1900 for Knabe 3.5, $660 for McGraw SGC 40 and $960 for PSA 4 Collins and SGC 50 Baker and Walsh.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

My 2 cents - I think that part of the increase in prices is due to the nostalgic link between Cracker Jack and baseball.

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

My 2 cents - I think that part of the increase in prices is due to the nostalgic link between Cracker Jack and baseball.

Nah........

There are a couple more set builders in the market, it only takes 2. When you got a couple guys who need a lot of cards, not to mention all the other non-set builders like HOF guys, you can see prices do his as we did a couple years ago.

A big shock to me was the Pratt, kinda rough for the grade and to get $9600 is very strong compared to the last couple that sold, although they were not as nice as this one.

There will always be that market from type, HOF and guys looking for upgrades on these cards, they are too mainstream, popular and beautiful not to. Throw in some set builders and there you go...my theory.

FWIW, 1915s have been escalating for a few months now.

[dtp717]

How on earth does a PSA 3 "15 Jimmy Austin go for over $500?

[btkpath]

Originally Posted by dtp717

How on earth does a PSA 3 "15 Jimmy Austin go for over $500?

My concern is that several bidders did not actually realize that it was a 1915 AND NOT a 1914. It was stuck in the middle of a stack of 1914 cards.

[btkpath]

I tend to agree with Steve. There would appear to be a cadre of new collectors of the set with reasonably deep pockets. Several years ago, I was one of three collectors who were actively putting together a 1914 CJ set, and I know we were responsible for a bump in prices back then. All three of us completed our sets, and now there are several new collectors. The prices for the higher grade cards certainly seem to be strong, but the saying about rising waters raising all boats holds true. There is going to be a trickle down effect on lower grade cards, as well. Also, there is probably a cyclical effect to most card sets, with them becoming more and less popular.

The cards that really surprised me last night were the Becker and the Marsans. The Marsans is a very low population card and sold at a reasonable price (IMHO). Granted it was marked, but it is still a nice looking card. Also, the Becker sold very strong. Perhaps it is getting the credit it deserves as being equally touch to acquire as the Pratt.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

Nah........

There are a couple more set builders in the market, it only takes 2. When you got a couple guys who need a lot of cards, not to mention all the other non-set builders like HOF guys, you can see prices do his as we did a couple years ago.

A big shock to me was the Pratt, kinda rough for the grade and to get $9600 is very strong compared to the last couple that sold, although they were not as nice as this one.

There will always be that market from type, HOF and guys looking for upgrades on these cards, they are too mainstream, popular and beautiful not to. Throw in some set builders and there you go...my theory.

FWIW, 1915s have been escalating for a few months now.

This is why I am holding on to my Pratt.

[sniffy5]

Each forum member is right on this post. The popularity of the Cracker Jacks, especially the 1914's, is likely never to wane. The name 'Cracker Jack' ensures that, as does the unique beauty of the cards, the relatively low number of cards comprising the set (with no back variations to deal with), and also the challenging nature of completing it, which can be done with perseverance.

Recent auctions, eBay and otherwise, certainly show that the 1914 set is hotter than ever. ( Note that a Psa 4 Becker sold for about $1200 this past November in a memory lane auction.) The recent surge in prices is simply a reflection of a surge in set collectors.

[Jlighter]

I think some of it can be attributed to the centennial.

[Bosox Blair]

Hi Greg,

I don't dispute that you are seeing a trend, but the Joe Wood example is not really supportive of your theory. The CJ Wood pose (both '14 and '15) has always been immensely popular, selling routinely for more than many HOF players. If anything, that card has come down quite significantly from where it used to be. You can find quite a few examples of that '14 card selling for $1000-$1800 in a 3 or 4 in the last several years.

Cheers,
Blair

[GregMitch34]

You're partly right but that last 3 recorded sales for the card averaged a healthy 953-- but last night's was 1440. An it was noting special (fairly off-center). I guess that's my point.

[Brian Van Horn]

$2040 for a 1914 Cracker Jack of Sallee (that shows him as a righty/same error in 1915 set)?

http://loveofthegameauctions.com/auctionresults.aspx

Not bad. Here's mine:

[the 'stache]

While I think all of you are right, I'm going to hope the recent jump in prices is partialy a result of more people coming into the hobby. Wouldn't that be nice?

[GregMitch34]

Thanks for all the replies, trend continued last night with low-grade cards at eBay. Other theories?

[GregMitch34]

Latest example: Ray Caldwell (who??) PSA 2 last night....$1000....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1914-Cracker...item35d752ba2a

[Leon]

Originally Posted by GregMitch34

Latest example: Ray Caldwell (who??) PSA 2 last night....$1000....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1914-Cracker...item35d752ba2a

Wow, that is a lot of money for that card!!

[GregMitch34]

I suppose the key question is: If there are just a handful of collectors chasing, do prices collapse after they get their fill? Or does perception of higher value, and VCP numbers, keep them elevated?

Also: What's interesting is that the spike, if not quite across the board, is pretty wide. I had thought that just because a super high price is paid for a few relatively scarce cards, or because two collectors battled over the same common ones they each did not have, that there would be plenty of other cards that did not go up in value at all, because why should they? But nearly all CJ14s have gone up at least a little, and many, by a lot. Hell, I've helped that along myself.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

not when you realize that the Caldwell card is one of the hardest to find to complete the set with a PSA pop of only 12