Thought experiment: You have $25,000 what to do.

[Casey2296]

I'd like to throw out a thought experiment to members:
You have $25,000 to spend in the next 3 months and another $25,000 in the following 3 months.

What names, sets, eras, are you buying?

There's economic pain around the corner for most folks, hell my buddy just put $300 in his gas tank of his stupid ass truck. My friend owns a taco stand and now has to charge 10 bucks a taco to make a living.

My personal feeling? Cats here have known about pre-war for decades, new money discovered us 6-8 months ago and it's a brutal landscape now. So, my 50k over six months is pretty simple. Anything Cobb, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the earlier the better.

I'm probably shooting myself in the foot here but I love this sub so please don't outbid me on Cobby for the next 6 months.

[benge610]

I pay off the motorhome; can now afford the fuel; go out Cobb hunting.
Agree, Phil.
The motorhome thing gave me a giggle.
Ben
"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by benge610

I pay off the motorhome; can now afford the fuel; go out Cobb hunting.
Agree, Phil.
The motorhome thing gave me a giggle.
Ben
"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

Ben, you need to change the name of your rig to the Cobbmobile.

[Johnny630]

Ruth, Cobb, Jackie, Mantle And Mays. No one else. The best nicest Centered Example you can afford. No odd ball, just regular issue.

When you buy quality you lower your chance of losing, when you get cute you get your ass handed to you.

[sreader3]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

Ruth, Cobb, Jackie, Mantle And Mays. No one else. The best nicest Centered Example you can afford. No odd ball, just regular issue.

When you buy quality you lower your chase of losing, when you get cute you get your ass handed to you.

This is sage advice. I would recommend a "flaw free" PSA 4 - 4.5 Green Cobb or PSA 5 -5.5 Other Cobb (Red, Bat On, Bat Off) with your first 25K. And a 1933 Goudey Ruth 4 to 4.5 with your second 25K.

It's kind of like buying Apple stock instead of the latest "hot" stock that may (and most likely will) fade.

[Rhotchkiss]

Assuming you mean strictly for appreciation/investment- Babe Ruth. End of conversation (but not a cartoonish strip card)

[parkplace33]

I would put all 50k into the S and P 500 in the next 6 months. Sit back, relax, and watch your money grow.

[benge610]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Ben, you need to change the name of your rig to the Cobbmobile.

Ha!!! Love it Phil.
To blather the point further; I had no say, in the formal name, in the first place! lol. The former tow vehicle (my 2500 van and 2nd vehicle now) has "Santo 10" plate on the front. She named it the "Banxten".
And so it shall be.
Ben

[benge610]

E102 Cobb.
All the time.
E98 Cobb Blue
Cobb - Orange Borders; just because.
Ben

[111gecko]

Strictly for investment and not for love of the hobby? Short term or long term investment?

When Aaron died we all saw the PSA 7s rookies run up to nearly $30k then really cool off.

I suspect we will see the same with 52 Topps Mays and 55 Koufax rookie when they pass. If you want to throw in football; mix in some '58 Jim Browns best centering you can find.

Not enjoying the thought of this, but your question is about investment. If you assemble a nice group of multiple examples of each; you will make a nice profit if you sell right after.

As for longer term, I agree with the Ruth advice. It just keeps going up.
Centered Cobbs as well.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by benge610

E102 Cobb.
All the time.
E98 Cobb Blue
Cobb - Orange Borders; just because.
Ben

I agree with Cobby and the Babe...
these aren't easy to find. As shown before, just got it in the last few months...not perfect but not too bad...

[benge610]

Originally Posted by Leon

I agree with Cobby and the Babe...
these aren't easy to find. As shown before, just got it in the last few months...not perfect but not too bad...

Cool, Leon.
Thanks for sharing.
Ben

[robertsmithnocure]

Originally Posted by benge610

E102 Cobb.
All the time.
Ben

Out of curiosity, why, specifically, Cobb’s E102 card?

[scooter729]

Originally Posted by robertsmithnocure

Out of curiosity, why, specifically, Cobb’s E102 card?

I’m assuming it’s because E102 is associated with coming out in 1908, which would make it the first tobacco card (postcards and other larger issues aside).

[robertsmithnocure]

Originally Posted by scooter729

I’m assuming it’s because E102 is associated with coming out in 1908, which would make it the first tobacco card (postcards and other larger issues aside).

That is what I figured, but the E102 set is definitely not from 1908. Late 1909 at the earliest.

Casey - sorry for hijacking your thread.

My vote would go to Ruth cards that issued during his prime, especially his Exhibit cards.

His 1933 Goudeys are great, but I generally do not like cards that were issued at the tail end of a player’s career.

[Eric72]

1990 Fleer Jose Uribe? The nice people trying to sell them have told me it's a great investment.

In all seriousness, I would chase the following players:

• Roberto Clemente
• Jackie Robinson
• Mickey Mantle
• Babe Ruth
• Willie Mays
• Hank Aaron
• Lou Gehrig

[CobbSpikedMe]

Well, you know me Phil; I'd take a different approach to spending $50K in six months than just about everyone else who has posted so far.

First I would finish my E98 set with the Cobb, Wagner and Young (and it would still pain me to spend Cy Young money on an Irv Young card!). Then I would buy all the big cards I need for my post war sets (Mantles that I'm missing, Ryan RC, Seaver RC, etc.). Then as many decent prewar cards as I could get that I think are cool (T206 Johnson portrait and Mathewson portrait; E-Unc Blue Caption Wagner; E90-1 Speaker; any of the Jersey City cards I still need and maybe upgrade a few of the ones I already have; Horizontal cards (1909 Obaks and E cards); etc.)

I'd amass a bunch of stuff that brings me joy instead of dropping it all on 3-5 cards that will go up in value in the future. I enjoy the cards more than the values. Many of the cards I mentioned are fairly expensive cards, but I could get a lot of them for $50K.

Anyway, that's my take on this experiment. Cool idea for a thread by the way. I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses.




.

[Wanaselja]

Cracker Jack Cobb and Jackson. These 2 cards are at the top of my fantasy want list and I will likely never own either. And they’ll probably do well long term as well.

[benge610]

RE: "(and it would still pain me to spend Cy Young money on an Irv Young card!)"

Thank you Andy! Whether it is E98 or some others; my skin crawls when, all I see is Irv; regardless of what got printed on the nameplate below. That is a tough one to swallow; at least if it was a raw, circulated or A, 1 slabbed. But still.
Ben
"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by benge610

RE: "(and it would still pain me to spend Cy Young money on an Irv Young card!)"

Thank you Andy! Whether it is E98 or some others; my skin crawls when, all I see is Irv; regardless of what got printed on the nameplate below. That is a tough one to swallow; at least if it was a raw, circulated or A, 1 slabbed. But still.
Ben
"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

Irv Young. The most painful part of putting together an E98 Master Set is having to do it 4 times...

[benge610]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Irv Young. The most painful part of putting together an E98 Master Set is having to do it 4 times...

lollllllll!
Lord help you!
Ben

[Gorditadogg]

Jokic and Messi. Put your focus on sports where the collector base is growing.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Smarti5051]

Not sure I agree with Jokic. Big men do not age well in the hobby. See Shaq and Duncan.

[robw1959]

If I am free to purchase vintage cards, I would take a very sharp looking SGC or PSA 5 1933 Goudey Ruth card, and I would be open to any of the four issues from that set.

[tkd]

I would purchase playing days Ruth cards. Especially any 1922 American Caramel Ruth's. I would also like to get a 1917 Boston Store Hornsby. I feel all 1917 Hornsby cards are undervalued (Boston Store , Collins McCarthy etc)

[darwinbulldog]

I'd make a list of the 25 greatest players, cross out anyone who's named more than once in this thread, and buy up whoever is left over.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by tkd

I would purchase playing days Ruth cards. Especially any 1922 American Caramel Ruth's. I would also like to get a 1917 Boston Store Hornsby. I feel all 1917 Hornsby cards are undervalued (Boston Store , Collins McCarthy etc)

I just picked up an e121 ruth montage. This makes me feel better about it!!!!!

[LEHR]

I rarely buy cards anymore but if someone were to hand me a free and clear $50k to spend on the hobby right now it would go towards:

1. A new Graig Kreindler painting(s) (even if I had to wait years to get it). Or...
2. The nicest pre-1970 World Series player or coach ring I could find. Or...
3. As many quality Type 1 photo's or cabinets as I could find, with an emphasis on Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, N173's, W600's, Carl Horner photos, Charles Conlon photos, Louis Van Oeyen photos.

You may find better hot/trendy investments but I'll own things I love.

[HistoricNewspapers]

1922 Caramel Ruth's and Nielsen Chocolate.

I like the 1922 Caramel's better than the 1921 and the price gap is ridiculous from 1921 to 1922. The reason I like the 1922's better is because the 1921 is using an old recycled photo of the Babe. 1922 Caramel's and its Nielsen cousin show the Babe as he looked at that time and is one of the earliest to show an actual photo of Ruth as a Yankee on a card(not a drawing).


1947 Bond Jackie Robinson
1948 Swell Jackie Robinson

The 1949 Leaf is already in the stratosphere and is a great card, but these two cards issued before(and fare more scarce) than the Leaf are still underpriced relative to the overall hobby and to all of Jackie's cards. They will never catch the Leaf, but they are still ridiculous bargains in todays overall hobby prices.