Are Baseball Cards Destined to Slowly Diminish in Value?

[tedzan]

Let's go back to 1982 and for example I'll talk about the 1949 Leaf BB cards that you collect. I was acquiring this set's scarce 2nd series
commons for $25 (Ex cards) to complete my 98-card set. Nowadays these same SP Leafs go for $500 each.

I really lucked out at a BB card show in NJ by acquiring the Leaf Satchell Paige for a cash/trade deal equalling $200. Nowadays the same
Leaf Paige goes for $10,000+.

The U.S. economy in the early 1980's, when you were born, was suffering. High unemployment and high Interest rates. Most people were
stashing their cash into Savings accounts and getting up to a 20% return. Not many were "investing" in collectibles in the early 1980's.

By the end of that decade, the hobby was doing great, as unemployment dropped and Interest rates were down around 7%.

Baseball card values levelled off from 1990 to 1998. Then, started going up again in the late 1990's to their current values. Currently, low
Interest rates have offset the failing economy and card values are certainly looking good. However, the Sub-prime Home Mortgage problem
is not going away; and, may actually get worse. This factor may affect card values in the future.

Finally, I don't see as many kids getting into BB card collecting as did in the 1980's and 1990's. Therefore, this hobby's growth is diminishing.
There are quite a few factors causing this....but, that's a story for another time.


P.S.......Sorry, I corrected you regarding the year of the Leaf cards. I collected them as a kid; and, trust me they were issued in the Spring
and Summer of 1949. I wrote an article on this set in the OLD CARDBOARD Magazine (Issue #9). You'll find it very interesting and it explains
why these cards are a 1949-only issue.


TED Z