investing???

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Posted By: scott

hi guys..new to the forum,
after about 15 years out of the hobby(collected mainly low-mid grade pre war,sold off long ago)i'm looking to get back in for mainly investing.in your opinions which would be the better investment..
1)pre war buying top line hof (cobb, ruth,gehrig etc.)but only lower grades(limited $)
2)1950's top hof's(mantle,aaron,clemente etc.)psa 7-8 range
3)1950's lesser hof(ashburn,ford,rizzuto etc.)but in psa 9
just want you opinions or other options you like,
scott

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Posted By: Rob

You cannot go wrong with buying cards of the 'famous' Hall Of Famers. I emphasize 'famous' because they may be well known outside the hobby, therefore increasing your customer base and chances of selling. If you are to invest, then you might as well go for graded issues only. Leave the raw cards for collectors. Graded cards save you the headache of arguing over authentication and grade. The minimal, rock-bottom, no exceptions investment grade is Near Mint (PSA 7). The preferred grading card companies are PSA, SGC, and GAI. I wouldn't venture outside of these three. BGS rarely grades vintage and it leans toward more modern issues (1984-present). Their website is becoming more of a kiddie-korner.

Many on this forum are SGC diehards and it is because of experience, not preferrence, that they have based their conclusions. SGC appears to specialize in grading vintage cards. And most here are collectors with magnificent items in their collections.

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Posted By: Glenn

Option #2 (Mantle, Aaaron, Clemente, etc.) is probably the way to go, particularly so if you're looking to sell with a quick turnaround. I'm not sure I'd agree that NM 7 is without exception the lowest you can go. As a rule, yes, but hardly without exception. Mid-grade Mantle cards from the 1950s always attract a lot of attention, and I've sold several of them at roughly $100 profit. Whatever you choose to buy, if you're looking to do it for the investment potential, I'd only buy graded cards. In general you'll do best with SGC for 1887-1947, PSA for 1948-1985, BGS for 1986-present, but PSA cards do command a slight premium for the vintage issues that attract plenty of people who aren't exclusive pre-war collectors (T206, T205, 1933 Goudey, etc.).

Edited to clarify: $100 profit on each one

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Remember, investing in a grader and grade is not just about the value of the grader/grade today, but also about what will be the value of the grader/grade in the future.

If something is of highest quality but underappreceated and undervalued in today's market, isn't that exactly what a smart investor wants?