Money in the hobby

[botn]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Hi Greg,
I don't doubt that some people have so much money that a few hundred thousand won't make a dent, and I also see how there are those who will pay anything to get the best. That's the easy part of the equation. What I can't fathom is how something so imprecise, and so subjective, as grading is accepted with so much blind faith. I guess PSA has done a remarkable job of building their product. That's the best answer so far.

Safety in numbers I suppose, Barry. So much money has been invested in graded material and continues to be spent. I look at every card I buy, regardless of what it costs...maybe because I feel I have to and because I can. Not everyone buying cards has the expertise to determine if their card is graded right so it is easier to defer to the "experts". I know I do not approach much of anything in my life, that way.

[Rookiemonster]

I think it's very possible to be in to cards for money and the love of the hobby.
When I was a kid in the 90s I lived to see the up arrow in the Beckett on cards I owned. So of course I hated to see the dreaded down arrows. I had dreams of my cards going up up up and me cashing in.

I also had cards that I just liked because of the image or the player. Most of what I said rings true today. I love to see my cards increase in value and hate it when they go down.

Now of late I've been buying 80s and 90s inserts. ( trying to buy a home ) so I've been taking it easy and I don't really care about the value but I'm still only buying cards I think are undervalued or rare for the era even.