How much would you pay?

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

Yes. Thank you.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

Just take away the PSA 5 and make it an EX card. That said there are still several members who would burn 5k!!

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[RedsFan1941]

Originally Posted by Leon

Just take away the PSA 5 and make it an EX card. That said there are still several members who would burn 5k!!

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easier to say yes when it is hypothetical. i wonder if that would be the case when the time would come for the cash to hit the barrel head.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

If cards had no value then TPG companies wouldn't exist, so there wouldn't be such thing as a Goudey Ruth in PSA 5

I would assume that reprints of a worthless item also wouldn't exist, so that wouldn't be an option either. Printing them out would be possible, but who wouldn't just pay $2 if they wanted one bad enough, which would be much better than a printed version.

To answer the question, I would pay about $100 because I would like to have one, but it's not high on my list.

I also buy a lot of cards I don't plan on selling, so with that in mind, I've paid a lot more for cards I just want to have.

[T20Brew]

I’d look at it like an experience since in the OP’s scenario there’s no real resale/future value. What I mean is, what is the experience of owning it worth to me?
I like to go to concerts, and they can cost a nice chunk, but I pay it, and I usually will pay for good seats. It’s an experience for me and something I can remember in the future, although it has no future/resale value.
So what would the experience of having the 33 Ruth in my house for me to look at whenever I want if it had no future/resale value? Probably $100-$500.

[orly57]

You offer the guy $10. If there is no resale value, that is more than he would get from anyone else. But as mentioned above, I understand that is not the point of your hypothetical. Perhaps a better question would be "would you buy a baseball card even if you were guaranteed to make zero profit or take a 20% loss when you sell it?" This may help us get to the root of your hypothetical, which I sense is really asking if we buy for the love of the hobby or solely for the investment potential.

[kailes2872]

Originally Posted by orly57

You offer the guy $10. If there is no resale value, that is more than he would get from anyone else. But as mentioned above, I understand that is not the point of your hypothetical. Perhaps a better question would be "would you buy a baseball card even if you were guaranteed to make zero profit or take a 20% loss when you sell it?" This may help us get to the root of your hypothetical, which I sense is really asking if we buy for the love of the hobby or solely for the investment potential.

This is my life everyday. I don't know where everyone gets their great deals at. I scour ebay, AH's, BST, everywhere. If I am buying right, it is usually around VCP because there is someone else willing to pay VCP (thus the market price).

I buy these cards for my intrinsic enjoyment. I have a completion gene and each set that I buy I think about getting shoo'd away from the dealer who has the table set up in the middle of the mall. All of the cards that I couldn't afford back then and would only look at in awe now are part of my collection.

However, based upon just getting what I have out of it but paying 10% in ebay fees, paypal fees or AH, I know that I am 13-20% under water just to breakeven. Every day that I buy something, the spread between what I paid for it and what I can get back grows a bit more.

So, in your example, my answer in a resounding yes. It is what I do every day. But, I open my safe and I look at those cards and no one ever tries to shoo me away from my own collection and that is worth the 20% for me.