Are Pre-War Baseball Cards "Solid" Investments?

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Posted By: leon

I think there are more issues than what has been brought up about the investment side of collecting. We all know how pre war cards have done in the last 1-10 yrs, they've done pretty good, overall. I will respectfully (and for sake of a good argument) disagree and say that cards can be good investments. Before I go any farther I will say that that is not my primary reason for collecting them, but it's certainly something. Any investment can go up or down, just like cards. An investment is something that you buy in hopes of selling later for more than you paid for it. Cards can fit that description. Investments are something that you can hold a long time and be relatively sure they will go up, over the long run. Pre-war cards have done that. I think the biggest reason I see cards as a good, dare I say, investment, is that to determine value we always look at both sides of the supply vs demand equation. The thing that has not been brought up is the demand side of the equation. Think back 10 yrs ago. There was no internet (or certainly not the way it is today). Since the internet, ebay, online auctions, etc.... the prices have gone up rapidly as more folks are coming into the hobby, with easier access, and are wanting the same finite number of cards. Timing is a key part of investing and so is card buying... I don't think it will change. I don't think pre-war cards will continue spiralling up, the way they have, but I do think they will be good long term investments. The market/hobby is too deep for it not to be....just another point of view I wanted to bring up. It's certainly debatable..I know that about 8 yrs ago it dawned on my that many more people would start collecting since they were so easily accessible...I was correct.....regards