Which to sell first , pre war or 50s?

[glynparson]

I would keep the best from each group.

[MetsBaseball1973]

Sell Pre War. New collectors and younger collectors in their early thirties want Post War. We've been seeing it and will continue to see it. From 1951 Mantle to 1980 Henderson is where the demand will be from here on out.

The kids in the late 80s are buying now and returning to their hobby, and they want Mantle and Nolan Ryan. Not Mathewson or Walter Johnson. Just do a lot of talking to collectors aged 27-39 spending thousands to tens of thousands; I've done it, and with the exception of Ruth and Gehrig Goudeys, they want Post War. Pre War almost seems like oddball to them with no major set like Topps.

What's happening price wise with Mantle, Clemente, Koufax, Ryan, even Schmidt, Michael Jordan, too, no Pre War cards are undergoing that type of appreciation. Not even Ruth. Which is very very telling.

Long term, I see Pre War being sold off as collections of older men hit the block, whereas in contrast we have forty years until some 30 year old sells the Mantle or Ryan he just bought with his Goldman Sachs bonus.

[MR RAREBACK]

keep the best cards from each group

[packs]

Sell it all. Buy bitcoins.

[SAllen2556]

Just an amateur's theory......I think it depends on what condition your cards are in. Prices for cards in "average" condition, across all eras, have actually not risen significantly since the baseball strike in '94, except for a few very notable exceptions, like Mantle, and a few sets that for some reason capture collectors' interest for a period of time. (thinking of Cracker Jack) But a raw, VG '57 Yogi Berra, for example, is a bargain today compared to '94 prices, as is a t206 common (thanks primarily to the internet). And many post-war sets are actually cheaper today than if purchased in '94.

The real big money is in the high grade PSA stuff. If I wanted to selectively maximize my investment today, I'd sell my highest graded cards - no matter the era. Any HOF'er in a PSA 9 holder purchased raw, decades ago, is the equivalent of having purchased Coca Cola stock in 1910. The rate of return is so great, I'd never regret having sold them. And these are the cards most likely susceptible to downturns in the economy. So if your post-war collection is loaded with high-grade stuff I'd sell those.

[packs]

I don't think that's true in terms of pre-war. Try picking up a Walter Johnson T206 portrait in the PSA 2 range. It's going to cost you a lot more than it did in 1994.

[Yoda]

Just an opinion, but depending on the condition of the 2 Gehrigs, Foxx, Dean and Greenberg cards, I would favor selling the '34 Goudey set. While it will never have the cachet of its' older brother, the '33's, due to the exclusion of the Babe, nor fetch as much at sale or auction, it still is a mainstream 30's set and commands respect. If at a future date you decided you couldn't live without it, then a replacement set shouldn't be too hard to find. Tough decision any way you decide to go. Good luck.

[bbcard1]

As for me, I would probably keep the worst from each group. To be sure you would be keeping the cards least likely to go up in value. But I have some stuff like a low grade DeLong set that would not fetch a handsome price and only a select group of auction houses would even want, but I think they are cool and have a great player selection.