Have you ever wanted to just sell your Autograph collection?

[jgmp123]

I struggle with this same decision all the time...I have downsized my HOF collection quite a bit to pick up more high end pieces that I enjoy more. Having 3 little girls (6, 4, 10 months), I have also shifted a focus to Presidents as another means of interest to them in the case that baseball isn't their cup of tea.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by jgmp123

I struggle with this same decision all the time...I have downsized my HOF collection quite a bit to pick up more high end pieces that I enjoy more. Having 3 little girls (6, 4, 10 months), I have also shifted a focus to Presidents as another means of interest to them in the case that baseball isn't their cup of tea.

the problem is when you try to sell them in most cases you will not get offered what you want and you realize that you enjoy collecting them as a hobby and not about money....

[Exhibitman]

I think about it all the time. I enjoy collecting immensely but if someone wanted to offer me the right amount they can take the whole thing off my hands. I'll even load your car up for you!

[MacDice]

I have thought about it a lot recently...as we had a sudden death in the family and are trying to clean out the estate

[hawaiian bam bam]

Thank you all for your posts, some very good thoughts! I am glad to see that others have the same problem as me as for a long time i thought i was the only person in the world that has this dilemma. so glad to see im not alone!

For me its hard as this hobby has been a lifelong passion for me for almost 40 years since i was a small child. one reason im not sure if i really want to sell my collection completely is that i feel that if i do sell everything, i will miss it and will just try to buy everything all over again!

There are so many pros and cons to keeping/selling a collection. I feel that buying autographs is like buying a brand new car. once you buy an autograph in most cases (not all) it goes down in value as no one seems to want to pay fair market value for autographs anymore. it seems like everyone wants autographs for dirt cheap (but will sell theirs for alot! its the whole low book value for your cards and high book value for my cards!) trying selling something on EBAY and i swear if I pay $100 for a card, i would be very lucky to get $25-$30 for it! we would all be broke if regular investments had that kind of depreciation! it seems like the only people making money on sports cards are the sellers im buying them from!

for me personally, it comes down to im just tired of living paycheck to paycheck because i buy so many cards! lots debt because of baseball cards as im not very patient and need a card i want right now! that mentality has racked up alot of credit card bills for me.

One big eye opener for me was when my tires got bald and i needed to buy new tires, i had no money too. i had no money in my savings account, no more credit on the credit cards but i had lots and lots of albums and boxes of baseball cards! my wife said why dont you sell some of your extras to pay for the tires. so i did and guess what? i sold enough cards to buy some tires! it was a great feeling to get rid of some of my extra cards to buy some much needed tires. then i saw this nice radio that i wanted. again i had no money, no savings and no more credit left! so, i sold some cards and guess what? i and extra money to get that radio! i did the same for a new pair of shoes, soon, i started listing more and selling more and to be honest i kind of like the extra money to do and buy different things i "really" need.

another big eye opener is when my mom recently passed away she had soooo much stuff. we donated half of it and just threw away the other stuff. the people in her nursing home who probably at one time in their life had possessions and collectibles. were laying there dying with not one of them. i saw with my own eyes that in the end, you cant take your things with you, not even baseball cards! its so true we come into the world with nothing and we can take nothing with us.

The big dilemma for me now is. i have two choices keep all my very favorite autographs and continue to live paycheck to paycheck, continue to be in debt and have no savings or sell my entire collection and for once be debt free, have a savings an no longer live paycheck to paycheck. selling all my cards will finally get me out of debt and allow me to have a clean slate financially, but ill miss my cards! see the dilemma?

oh what to do, what to do? your thoughts please.

[egri]

If your overstock problem is as big as you're making it out to be, then it sounds to me like the thing to do is go through what you've got, decide what you want to collect/keep, and begin looking to sell some or all of the rest. You don't need to sell your entire collection; only what you aren't interested in anymore and would rather have the money.

[almostdone]

While I am much more of a card collector than an autograph collector but I think about this all the time. What I have realized over the years is that most of the thrill of collecting (at least for me) is actually collecting not just owning. I love the thrill of the hunt. To find a rare item or build a set or collection based around something, that's fun.

Many times I am laser focused on a project but once completed it get stored and barely looked at since my focus changes.

I have sold parts, both large and small, of my collection in the past to fund an experience. For example, about two years ago I sold half of my HOF card collection and gave the money to my wife for her 49th birthday to take a trip of her choice. She planned and took a trip last year that she wouldn't have done otherwise. We still talk about everything that we did on the trip but I rarely look back at the pictures of the cards I had to sell to fund it.

The only things I won't sell is items that were given to me along the way. My wife has given me some amazing pieces in my collection and they are among the most treasured to me. My mom only ever gave me one card in her life before she passed away but I would never sell it or get rid of it even though it has almost no real monetary value anymore. (1990 Leaf Sammy Sosa rc).

It almost seems to me that you are starting to see this in your collection. Sell off some things that owning isn't as fun as when you found them and buy something needed or fund a new desire.

It is all cyclical. What I worry the most is passing on suddenly and leaving my collection for my wife and kids to figure out what to do with. None of them have any interest in it at this point so the burden for them to sell seems great.

Drew

[hawaiian bam bam]

i have already done that. im at a point now that i need to decide, sell my best stuff and become debt free or keep it and enjoy it but stay in debt. ive already listed and sols alot of my extras, now its getting down to the good stuff and my favorite stuff that i have to decide to hold or sell. thanks

[hawaiian bam bam]

Thank you all for yoyr responses. You are right curt , I do flip flop a lot because I don't know if I wntvto keep my collection. Or sell it, hence why I started this thread. I think maybe I need to get my priorities straight and also focus on one or two projects to collect Instead of 4 or 5 projects. And just sell the rest to pay down debt and enjoy life. I think 1 or 2 projects is enough and will keep me focused and not so spread outside with my collecting.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

for me personally, it comes down to im just tired of living paycheck to paycheck because i buy so many cards! lots debt because of baseball cards as im not very patient and need a card i want right now! that mentality has racked up alot of credit card bills for me.

oh what to do, what to do? your thoughts please.

Just my opinion, but by reading your posts it sounds more like your priorities rather than selling/keeping your collection. I think we all, at one point or another think about selling their entire collection, at least I do from time to time. I personally enjoy collecting, but it's not my priority.

Now, is collecting a "hobby" or is it your priority? Getting into debt because of card purchases sounds like cards/autos are a priority, even if your thought or mind says it's not (just going on what you are writing, i.e. read above). You said you take nothing into this life and you take nothing out and that's very true. You know you can't take tires or a radio with you as well (just a thought).

If you're concerned about leaving your family with your collection to sell, since they may or may not be interested in it. Then set up something beforehand with an auction house or trustworthy individual to sell the collection. If not, start selling, but then again, you can't take money with you either.

[bender07]

I consider myself an autograph 'renter' rather than a 'collector'. I love the chase. Learning about a new niche of players to collect or about that particular medium (Albertype postcards, Perez Steele's, Callahan's, Rookie cards). Who's tough to get in that set? Etc. But once I get going, I always find myself selling for hopefully more but if I lose $, I chalk it up to paying for the experience of researching, haggling, searching, etc.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

for me personally, it comes down to im just tired of living paycheck to paycheck because i buy so many cards! lots debt because of baseball cards as im not very patient and need a card i want right now! that mentality has racked up alot of credit card bills for me.

"i wanted to clarify one thing. my credit card debt is NOT from buying cards."

So, which is correct, what you stated above or what you recently stated? Again, if I were you, after reading your posts, I'd sell everything card/auto related to get out of debt, do what you enjoy which by what you stated is not cards/autographs and get the money to do so.

Matthew 6:24

[hawaiian bam bam]

which is correct is my credit card debt is NOT from cards.the debt i was talking about is when i buy something from ebay and pay with my bank account. so in lamans terms. if i buy $1000 worth of cards and pay for it with my bank account (not a credit card!) then over time that money coming out directly from my bank account can add up pretty fast. then i have to use credit cards to pay regular bills, versus if i didnt buy cards, that money in my account would pay for the bills (instead of cards) that money coming out of my bank account directly could of been used to pay off my bills and credit card debt instead of buying more cards.. im pretty sure i probably just confused you more, but i tried my best to explain it as clearly and elementary as possible. thanks for your concern though!

[jgmp123]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

the problem is when you try to sell them in most cases you will not get offered what you want and you realize that you enjoy collecting them as a hobby and not about money....

Trust me I know this....Depending on the pieces, you need to know that going into it.

[Republicaninmass]

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I love my HOF autos but more and more I think about selling due to an increasing feeling that the market for them is gonna drop out all of a sudden. It has also been so hard to add to the collection anymore.

This is why I dont think we have even come close to the peak. Collectors realizing how tough these are to come by. Barring someone selling their collection, its hard even to add on or two and the same names appear on every want list