Priced Out?

[conor912]

I think a lot of guys spent the run-up scrambling to get cards they'd had their eyes on, knowing they'd soon be out of reach. I'm in the middle of a couple sets that are going to be painful to finish now, but I'm in too deep to bail.

The last two years have pretty well burned me out. I both made and paid extraordinary sums of money for cards. I'm mentally exhausted and taking a break. I have a trip booked for Chantilly in April and won't be buying anything until then. I've been enjoying the time away have been thinking about my next project. I have several ideas that I'm excited about. They'll undoubtedly shift between now and April but that's ok, too. My point being that I'm always shocked how much clarity some time and space can bring.

[jingram058]

Pursue trades and lower-grade pickups. Build lower-grade sets and collections. Avoid graded, over-priced cards.

This thread needs a couple of low-priced, really nice cards. "Arky" Vaughan has to be the single most underrated ballplayer in the HOF.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by jingram058

Pursue trades and lower-grade pickups. Build lower-grade sets and collections. Avoid graded, over-priced cards.

This thread needs a couple of low-priced, really nice cards. "Arky" Vaughan has to be the single most underrated ballplayer in the HOF.

This. Does the sharpness of a corner really make you not enjoy a card? There are tons of cheap but cool cards out there, if one stops caring what a card is worth and just enjoys them for what they were when they were made, there is still a ton of cheap fun to be had in the hobby

[x2drich2000]

Personally, I think if you are a collector you're still going to collect. It might mean that you are buying 1 card every 3 months instead of 1 card per month. Or it might mean moving to a different, less expensive set or type of collection. Personally, I'm still looking to complete the sets I'm working on, but definitely feeling like some sets might not be completable based on current prices...at least not in the foreseeable future.

[japhi]

As a long time collector I have a hard time relating to these types of posts. I have always been priced out of certain segments of the market, yet have no problem finding affordable areas to collect. Too many good options IMO.

Last few years been focused on set runs and raw cards with great eye appeal.

[FrankWakefield]

Ben, James, and Matt have it... don't spend money on high condition graded cards. Paying someone for a card is one thing; paying someone else for their plastic opinion of that card is another. They're right.

It's an unfortunate mess.

[Johnny630]

Sell it All besides your favorite 10 cards. Save the money and wait for a 20% correction to invest in all in the S&P 500.

[Seven]

We've seen a number of these threads pop up within the past couple of years, my two cents is as follows:

I'm happy our Hobby is doing well, I'm happy there is interest in it, and I'm glad that those who make a living off the hobby are doing well for themselves. It does sting a little bit when you see some of these prices if you're on any sort of fixed income though.

I think another point that isn't addressed enough concerns the time each of us have in the Hobby. In my opinion, it's very easy for someone who collected in the 1970's to say how the rising prices are just the nature of things, when Ruth's, Gehrigs, Cobbs, Wagners, Mantles, Mathewson, etc I can go on, were available for penny's on the dollar in comparison to today. For argument's sake lets say a 33 Goudey Ruth, literally any one of them, was 100 Dollars in 1975, if you adjust for inflation, that card would be $700 today. We all know that isn't the case with the current prices.

I wasn't alive in the 1970's or 80's for that matter, unfortunately. So I can't say "well I regret not hoping on that ship" because that's impossible. I love card collecting, I love this hobby, I will continue to do it for a long time, but it's disheartening at times. I can't help the fact I wasn't physically living when the prices on these cards were a bit more reasonable for the average Joe.

[philo98]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

Sell it All besides your favorite 10 cards. Save the money and wait for a 20% correction to invest in all in the S&P 500.

I like this advice. I had several friends who put all of their savings into the S&P over a 10-12 year period and all of them retired between the ages of 38-42. They then moved out of the country and traveled the world. They never married or had kids which helped, but the power of the US markets is unbelievable. Its a boring, non-sexy investment style but it works.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by philo98

I like this advice. I had several friends who put all of their savings into the S&P over a 10-12 year period and all of them retired between the ages of 38-42. They then moved out of the country and traveled the world. They never married or had kids which helped, but the power of the US markets is unbelievable. Its a boring, non-sexy investment style but it works.

Yeah, kids will do you. I figure mine has cost me about half a million dollars, post-tax, including college and grad school. Wouldn't change a thing but it will keep me working an extra 20 years to make up for it. Plus I had to liquidate a lot of cards and not buy others when it looked like medical school was on the horizon, which probably cost me six figures in missed appreciation during the run-up. Fortunately, she did some clinical volunteer work and discovered she's a misanthrope like her old man, so a 'caring' profession involving four years of school at $70K per wasn't in the cards.

"Once my kids leave the house, I'll finally be able to do what every man is supposed to. I can watch TV. I can... well, I don't know but it doesn't matter. It's still better than having a screaming, crapping, money-sucking little vampire bobsledding me to the graveyard."--Al Bundy

[JollyElm]

235. Too-Too Clock
Although everyone is (rightfully) complaining about how expensive cards are getting these days, the simple truth is cards have always been way ‘too’ expensive since the beginning of time. Even when Mays and Mantle cards could be gotten for $5 apiece, that was considered a ludicrous price.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by x2drich2000

Personally, I think if you are a collector you're still going to collect. It might mean that you are buying 1 card every 3 months instead of 1 card per month. Or it might mean moving to a different, less expensive set or type of collection. Personally, I'm still looking to complete the sets I'm working on, but definitely feeling like some sets might not be completable based on current prices...at least not in the foreseeable future.

+1 agree

Buying less cards but buying more strategic so the collection will grow just a bit slower.
And if the strategy fits you can downgrade as some mentioned to free up funds for other cards