Valuation

[Leon]

Steve, if you could go back and read a lot of old posts, I feel the same way. I have excitedly paid record high prices for a ton of cards. And all but a few have been great buys, when looking back, with respect to valuation in the future. Even my star card, the E90-1 Young, was a record high price paid. And I couldn't be happier with it and am quite sure it is more valuable today.

[mechanicalman]

As a VCP record-holder myself on a couple cards, I agree with the sentiment here. One of my hobby mentors once told me that you can't "overpay" for quality cards; you can just pay its future price early.

Of course, I don't believe that applies to all cards, or perhaps even most, but I firmly believe centered HoFers from the most collected pre-war sets should do well. And if they don't, I don't care - they deliver a ton of intrinsic value for me. My retirement is not dependent on my collection.

Edited to add: Steve, your neighbor sounds like a dick. Who wouldn't want someone to pay high in their own neighborhood?

[rainier2004]

Sam is a smart dude.

I recently overpaid for a PC as of 1/12018...by 8/1/2018 I bet its s deal. That's not why I buy, but I do try to buy things early that I think will sky rocket and overpaying now versus not being able to afford it later is a no brainer for me. Enjoy the hobby, its not all about the $$$.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

As a VCP record-holder myself on a couple cards, I agree with the sentiment here. One of my hobby mentors once told me that you can't "overpay" for quality cards; you can just pay its future price early.

Of course, I don't believe that applies to all cards, or perhaps even most, but I firmly believe centered HoFers from the most collected pre-war sets should do well. And if they don't, I don't care - they deliver a ton of intrinsic value for me. My retirement is not dependent on my collection.

Edited to add: Steve, your neighbor sounds like a dick. Who wouldn't want someone to pay high in their own neighborhood?

I agree on both points. Many cards are very tough to find with excellent eye appeal for the grade. When one is available it's often worth it to break a record. Any time I've done this I haven't had a problem getting out of the card later.

And I would welcome any neighbor who overpays for a house in my neighborhood. I'm not in real estate, but I'm pretty sure prices are usually based on what comparable homes have sold for. Maybe the guy didn't want his property taxes going up.

[itslarry]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

I agree on both points. Many cards are very tough to find with excellent eye appeal for the grade. When one is available it's often worth it to break a record. Any time I've done this I haven't had a problem getting out of the card later.

And I would welcome any neighbor who overpays for a house in my neighborhood. I'm not in real estate, but I'm pretty sure prices are usually based on what comparable homes have sold for. Maybe the guy didn't want his property taxes going up.

Bingo on the house. If you aren't going to sell, why in the world would you want higher taxes.
My parents pay more in taxes the the house cost 35yrs ago. Sure uses to make him cranky tax time.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by itslarry

Bingo on the house. If you aren't going to sell, why in the world would you want higher taxes.
My parents pay more in taxes the the house cost 35yrs ago. Sure uses to make him cranky tax time.

As for taxes, Ag exemption is the way to go ....Ya' just have to fit the mold. At a house we own, nearby, we lease 3 acres to someone raising sheep so those 3 acres are ag exempt for tax purposes. And for where we live, in Texas it's 6 acres and 6 beehives to be an apiary. Love helping nature and me at the same time. (see Texas guidelines for an agricultural exemption). Oh, what were we talking, value? I say, diversify and buy wisely. And Cards CAN be an investment but it's risky too.
Every thread needs eye candy. Happy Collecting....



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[Snapolit1]

I would happily put a few alpacas in my backyard if I could swing a tax deduction. But I've heard they are nasty and not much fun.

[Hankphenom]

The wealthy know that it pays to buy the best, but the problem comes in having the wherewithal to do that. The rest of us are stuck with the reverse--and more difficult--proposition: buy low, sell high.

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

The wealthy know that it pays to buy the best, but the problem comes in having the wherewithal to do that. The rest of us are stuck with the reverse--and more difficult--proposition: buy low, sell high.

Then there's the buy low, don't sell model...I like that one better.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

Then there's the buy low, don't sell model...I like that one better.

Buy low sell high is a beautiful thing. My experience has been that buy high sell higher is a lot more common.

[Snapolit1]

Really just a variation on the old adage “buy the best house you can afford”.

[drcy]

Disagree with the sentiments in this thread. The way to wealth isn't via overpaying. Rather a silly notion if you ask me.

[Snapolit1]

When I was a kid I used to hound my old man about buying the inverted Jenny airmail stamp. (You may know what it is, US airmail stamp with airplane upside down.) In 1971 some lunatic bought a plate block (4) of them for $150,000. At the time it was considered sheer insanity. There were headlines in the paper about the craziness of it. Today it's probably worth north of 5 million. During the same period of time thousands of US stamps that are hoarded away by folks have stayed flat or gone down in value. I am sure the same thing is true with baseball cards.

It's not about overpaying. It's about paying more than anyone else for something that is a genuine scarcity and having the vision that demand for it will grow over time.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by drcy

Disagree with the sentiments in this thread. The way to wealth isn't via overpaying. Rather a silly notion if you ask me.

I don’t believe this thread is about the “way to wealth” through baseball cards.

[jbsports33]

education is the key to everything, even this hobby!

Jimmy

[bbcard1]

Personally, I accept my collection as a hobby...it's a good hobby, one that should at worst be worth what I have in it. But as such I don't ever buy cards as investments. My IRA/401K is an investment. My business is an investment. My cards are a hobby. For that reason, a lot of time I end up with low to mid grade sets and am happy in them.