Are Baseball Cards Destined to Slowly Diminish in Value?

We have collected rare high-grade baseball type cards and significant
memorabilia (excluding autographs,balls and equipment) for more than three decades.

In the past 5 years,75% of our significant transactions ($1500+) have emanated from one of the top twelve baseball and sports auction firms.

On average we bid on 100-150 items per year. From 2007-2009 our winning
percentage hovered between 15% and 25%. Over the past 18 months, it has risen to nearly 40%.

We attribute this to five factors

(1) Five major collectors who have left the hobby or passed away
(2) Highly priced items tend to bring out 2nd, 3rd and 4th examples
quickly and prices drop accordingly
(3) A weak economy
(4) A number of sets and items have gone out of fashion
(5) concerns about integrity in the hobby.

Within our sphere of collecting, we believe that overall prices on many items have dropped by 15-20%. We believe the hobby still has a great future, but as prices rise, it will require sophisticated (and often wealthy) collectors to maintain or increase the price levels of many of the better items.

Over the past two years, the notable exceptions to the price drop have been

T205 PSA 8 or SGC 88
Ramly PSA 7 and PSA 8
E-96- SCG 84/PSA7 and SCG 88 and PSA 8
E-97- SCG-84/PSA 7 and SCG 88 and PSA 8
Wilson Wieners 1954- PSA 8 (NQ)

Would welcome your comments.


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List