Reasons why prices of some vintage cards are going kinda CRAZY????

[packs]

People have probably just realized that the T206 Johnson portrait and Cy Young portraits are great looking cards. You can look high and low through any other issues of theirs you want, but it's going to be hard (in my opinion) to find a better example to show off a legendary player.

Even their secondary cards from less collected sets that bare similar images sell for strong prices. I'm thinking of the Ramly Johnson and the E-90 Young. Same is true for other players. The Speaker T206 is kind of a turd image-wise and even though the E-90 Speaker is far more scarce, I firmly believe that all things being equal the E-90 would always outsell the T206 because it just looks nicer.

Beauty matters in all things. I think the Lajoie with bat card is the next to take off. Find a better looking card of Lajoie.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

People have probably just realized that the T206 Johnson portrait and Cy Young portraits are great looking cards. You can look high and low through any other issues of theirs you want, but it's going to be hard (in my opinion) to find a better example to show off a legendary player.

Even their secondary cards from less collected sets that bare similar images sell for strong prices. I'm thinking of the Ramly Johnson and the E-90 Young. Same is true for other players. The Speaker T206 is kind of a turd image-wise and even though the E-90 Speaker is far more scarce, I firmly believe that all things being equal the E-90 would always outsell the T206 because it just looks nicer.

Beauty matters in all things. I think the Lajoie with bat card is the next to take off. Find a better looking card of Lajoie.

The cards have been around for 100 years. People are just realizing they are attractive? Makes no sense.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

The cards have been around for 100 years. People are just realizing they are attractive? Makes no sense.

Maybe, as Steve said above, cards really are starting to be a legitimate part of a financial portfolio? That could explain some of the rise in prices of the best looking cards.

[MichelaiTorres83]

Originally Posted by Leon

Maybe, as Steve said above, cards really are starting to be a legitimate part of a financial portfolio? That could explain some of the rise in prices of the best looking cards.

It definitely is. In order to assemble a decent t206 set in PSA 3, your going to spend what, 100 thousand dollars? Bump that to 5s and 6s and you are in the McMansion investment range when your collection might just be worth more than your house.

They have been investments for a long time. Only recently are people talking about it.

How many people here have collections over 1,2,300k a million dollars? I am willing to bet there are several hundreds of people.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Leon

Maybe, as Steve said above, cards really are starting to be a legitimate part of a financial portfolio? That could explain some of the rise in prices of the best looking cards.

Investors have been putting together baseball card portfolios for as long as I can remember, so there is nothing new there.

[Touch'EmAll]

Over the last 10 years the DOW has had its greatest historical increase. The national unemployment rate has moved to a very low level, lowest in many years. The supply of investment quality cards isn't going up. These 3 factors could have significant impact on the price of "good" cards.

[pgconboy]

I am bummed out by the portrait Johnson t206 prices, but oh well. I was 2nd high bidder on a stretch about a year and a half ago for some psa 3s. Any idea that is dead and buried for the time being.

I think the individual card prices are becoming more standardized with current card collecting. There are a few cards worth disproportionately more than others. If we knock out the short prints, we are now watching the rise of the 'chase' cards.

[trambo]

Originally Posted by 100backstroke

Over the last 10 years the DOW has had its greatest historical increase. The national unemployment rate has moved to a very low level, lowest in many years. The supply of investment quality cards isn't going up. These 3 factors could have significant impact on the price of "good" cards.

Agreed! We could be in a card bubble. Or not. No way to know really except to wait it out and see.

Cards being discussed in this thread are investments as well as parts of collections. My guess is the people who think of themselves as collectors only have some way to know what they paid for a card but also have a pretty good idea of value. Very similar to how an investor thinks if you ask me.

The beauty of all of this is we can be both collectors and investors doing what we enjoy doing. I know that's how I look at it!

[packs]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

The cards have been around for 100 years. People are just realizing they are attractive? Makes no sense.

Makes no sense? How else do you explain the disparity between the Red Cobb and the Green Cobb other than one looks nicer than the other? How else do you explain the disparity between action poses and portraits other than the portraits are nicer looking cards? Why does the E-90 Cy Young card sell for so much money? You don't think it has anything to do with the image on the card?

My point is that aesthetics could be playing a larger role in collecting today whereas rarity or types could have been the motivating force behind past sales. I don't care about rarity anymore. I want NICE cards. I'm sure I'm not alone.

[Leon]

Actually I don't think, relative to other cards, the E90-1 Young portrait sells for a lot. I think it's still an affordable (for now) and great looking card. The best looking cards are definitely being gobbled up and their prices reflect it.

Originally Posted by packs

Makes no sense? How else do you explain the disparity between the Red Cobb and the Green Cobb other than one looks nicer than the other? How else do you explain the disparity between action poses and portraits other than the portraits are nicer looking cards? Why does the E-90 Cy Young card sell for so much money? You don't think it has anything to do with the image on the card?

My point is that aesthetics could be playing a larger role in collecting today whereas rarity or types could have been the motivating force behind past sales. I don't care about rarity anymore. I want NICE cards. I'm sure I'm not alone.

[packs]

Originally Posted by Leon

Actually I don't think, relative to other cards, the E90-1 Young portrait sells for a lot. I think it's still an affordable (for now) and great looking card. The best looking cards are definitely being gobbled up and their prices reflect it.

I don't see how one could argue against that idea. Any card depicting the Horner portrait of Wagner sells at a considerable premium, even the Colgan Chip, because it features an iconic image.

Why can't there be room for aesthetics to drive prices?

[Leon]

Apparently you didn't comprehend what I wrote? I said this-

The best looking cards are definitely being gobbled up and their prices reflect it.

Originally Posted by packs

I don't see how one could argue against that idea. Any card depicting the Horner portrait of Wagner sells at a considerable premium, even the Colgan Chip, because it features an iconic image.

Why can't there be room for aesthetics to drive prices?

[packs]

I wasn't responding to you. I was agreeing with you. I was asking a rhetorical question about why it doesn't make sense.

[bbsports]

For people on this site that know me, I'm a dealer of T206 cards for many years, so I can only answer for these cards. There has been a wave of new buyers in the hobby on these cards. You see the high amount of different bidders when a item closes on e-bay, no matter who is auctioning the card off. There has been a wave of high prices of these cards since early last year when the green portrait Cobb starting taking off. It has a caused a domino effect on other Cobb poses & has continued to the Johnson, Young, Mathewson, Speaker, & Lajoie portraits. It could effect other Hall of Fame portraits and other poses on the portrait cards that are currently taking off. Even T206 Southern League Old Mill backs have increased in price that are PSA graded. Eventually some of these Hall of Fame cards will level off and something else in this set will be in demand.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

Makes no sense? How else do you explain the disparity between the Red Cobb and the Green Cobb other than one looks nicer than the other? How else do you explain the disparity between action poses and portraits other than the portraits are nicer looking cards? Why does the E-90 Cy Young card sell for so much money? You don't think it has anything to do with the image on the card?

My point is that aesthetics could be playing a larger role in collecting today whereas rarity or types could have been the motivating force behind past sales. I don't care about rarity anymore. I want NICE cards. I'm sure I'm not alone.

I absolutely agree about image. I'm just saying it can't, to me, explain price increases because the same cards always have been nice. What made no sense to me was your thesis that this was somehow a recent discovery.

[packs]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I absolutely agree about image. I'm just saying it can't, to me, explain price increases because the same cards always have been nice.

But maybe they hadn't been collected for the aesthetic. That's my point. There could have been other motivating factors for why the prices were down. If you pay for rarity, then you weren't paying up for a T206 Johnson portrait in the past.

Originally Posted by packs

Makes no sense? How else do you explain the disparity between the Red Cobb and the Green Cobb other than one looks nicer than the other? How else do you explain the disparity between action poses and portraits other than the portraits are nicer looking cards? Why does the E-90 Cy Young card sell for so much money? You don't think it has anything to do with the image on the card?

My point is that aesthetics could be playing a larger role in collecting today whereas rarity or types could have been the motivating force behind past sales. I don't care about rarity anymore. I want NICE cards. I'm sure I'm not alone.

I didn't know that the Green Cobb looked nicer than the Red Cobb. This is news to me.

[MichelaiTorres83]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

I didn't know that the Green Cobb looked nicer than the Red Cobb. This is news to me.

It depends on the person. There is a lot of green in the world. Blue and green are the most prevelant colors. Our minds have evolved to be receptive of color and use color to help judge and make decisions.


https://smallbiztrends.com/2014/06/p...of-colors.html

[Cmount76]

Hey Pete! Great question. It's funny that you raise this question as a buddy and I were just having this conversation a couple of days ago.

Without piggybacking off of other people's ideas, all of which are valid and possible, and in all likelihood probable; let me offer another option.

Is it possible that the current mentality of the "shiny card collector" has seeped it's way into our universe? They don't collect sets. They don't buys packs of cards trying to fill binders. They don't trade commons, just because they need that one to finish off a team set. What do they do? They chase the lottery ticket. They are chasing some super refractor 1/1, written in gold ink. They buy a 5 card pack, for an outrageous amount of money, and don't care about 4/5 of the cards. They only want to know about "the hit".

Is it possible that in addition to every valid point that has been brought up thus far, that there is also an element of "lottery chasing" going on? How often do we see thread titled "What's the next Green Cobb?" or "What's the next Bond Bread?". I don't know, but I do believe, to a certain extent, that everyone wants the lottery ticket and they see this as a better/safer avenue than 6 good numbers.

[rdixon1208]

The economy is doing really well, at least where I live. I decided to sell an old card I had in my drive way last week....I posted it online and sold it in about 30 minutes. Housing prices are very strong. Everybody who wants one has a job, and in most cases a good paying job.

When the economy was doing really crappy in about 2008-2010 everybody was selling off their collections it seemed. There were some that wanted to sell but wouldn't at the low prices everything was going for.

I don't know about any specific card, but it will circle back around. When it does a lot of people will see the value of their cards dropping and decide to cash out again.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Cmount76

Hey Pete! Great question. It's funny that you raise this question as a buddy and I were just having this conversation a couple of days ago.

Without piggybacking off of other people's ideas, all of which are valid and possible, and in all likelihood probable; let me offer another option.

Is it possible that the current mentality of the "shiny card collector" has seeped it's way into our universe? They don't collect sets. They don't buys packs of cards trying to fill binders. They don't trade commons, just because they need that one to finish off a team set. What do they do? They chase the lottery ticket. They are chasing some super refractor 1/1, written in gold ink. They buy a 5 card pack, for an outrageous amount of money, and don't care about 4/5 of the cards. They only want to know about "the hit".

Is it possible that in addition to every valid point that has been brought up thus far, that there is also an element of "lottery chasing" going on? How often do we see thread titled "What's the next Green Cobb?" or "What's the next Bond Bread?". I don't know, but I do believe, to a certain extent, that everyone wants the lottery ticket and they see this as a better/safer avenue than 6 good numbers.

Absolutely...there is no doubt this type of activity going on. As you stated many people looking for the next big card hoarding up T206s and other poses of different sets.
I think this is also an essential driver of prices is the hoarding of poses probably brought on by people collecting runs in the first place.

One collector on this board has posted 50 or more T206 One collector on this board has posted 50 or more T206 cobbs of various poses for exampls.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Gobucsmagic74

I didn't know that the Green Cobb looked nicer than the Red Cobb. This is news to me.

It don't and it isn't even close for me. The Red Cobb is by far the most beautiful card in the set to me.

Not a big pre-war guy but hope to someday own a beater Red Cobb. Are there any other sets with the same pose?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bnorth

It don't and it isn't even close for me. The Red Cobb is by far the most beautiful card in the set to me.

Not a big pre-war guy but hope to someday own a beater Red Cobb. Are there any other sets with the same pose?

M116, it's close anyhow.

[Exhibitman]

These cards were low and stagnant for years. I last collected T206 in 2005 and until 2015 I still pretty much knew the prices. They've gone up a ways but I think most of that really just made up for lack of consistent growth. I believe that some of the cards are still undervalued.

Beyond T206, i don't see how you go wrong with Ruth, Cobb, Young, WaJo, Matty, Gehrig and a few others from the great prewar sets. There are still good ones to be had at relatively low prices.

As for why a T206 portrait, well, look at them. They are beautiful little lithos. Even in lower grades

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bnorth

It don't and it isn't even close for me. The Red Cobb is by far the most beautiful card in the set to me.

Not a big pre-war guy but hope to someday own a beater Red Cobb. Are there any other sets with the same pose?

I prefer the Red myself, although I regret selling my Green and am looking for one. To me, in fact, the Red Cobb could be THE classic baseball card, at least of ones generally available.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Torn between Cobb Red and Bat off as my favorites. Green is a distant third to me.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

The cards have been around for 100 years. People are just realizing they are attractive? Makes no sense.

+1. Also I think the Young portrait is maybe the ugliest portrait card in the entire set.

[Throttlesteer]

"Attractive" is an opinion. I like the bat off Cobb better than the others. I prefer the Lajoie throwing over the with bat and portrait. Honestly, no one of Cy's T206s are particularly attractive. The portrait is ok, the hand showing is colorful, but a bit awkward, and then there's the milkman (as someone coined it) glove pose. I think the hobby is reacting much like investors do to "hot" sticks. The late adopters are paying high for cards that are solid for the grade. You can still find portraits for reasonable prices if centering and razor corners aren't your thing.

[Touch'EmAll]

FWIW. Years back I had most major T206 HOFers and all their poses. They were all PSA 5's. I sold 3 and have kept all the others. I sold the Young bare hand and the Young glove because I didn't like the artwork on either. And I sold the Matty dark cap because it was a mega print. The artwork on the Johnson hands chest looks nice (to me) and think it may be currently undervalued. The Matty white cap pose is same as dark cap, but much tougher to find, and may also be undervalued, so that's a keeper. If I felt like having doubles, those 2 would be the ones I would look for.

[Republicaninmass]

Postcards getting love, they've been the stepchild for all of collecting. I can see why they are going up in price, as theyve been passed by for a while. But t3s havent gone through the roof? I think that's the most artistic set, with full frames and t206 like artwork and period backgrounds. Only 100 cards, and no silly big 4, ro chase to be complete.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Postcards getting love, they've been the stepchild for all of collecting. I can see why they are going up in price, as theyve been passed by for a while. But t3s havent gone through the roof? I think that's the most artistic set, with full frames and t206 like artwork and period backgrounds. Only 100 cards, and no silly big 4, ro chase to be complete.

I'm sure someone will now start hoarding T3's!!!!!!!!

[griffon512]

Quote: darwinbulldog
The cards have been around for 100 years. People are just realizing they are attractive? Makes no sense.
+1. Also I think the Young portrait is maybe the ugliest portrait card in the entire set.

interesting glenn, young portrait is one of my favorites

[MVSNYC]

I've always loved the Young Port too. He looks very dignified.

[JollyElm]

I think David Clayton-Thomas' first line says it all...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4bSBLctK0g

[jasonc]

Nice thread going here. I Definitely agree, top T206 HOF's Cobb, Wajo, Cy Young are shooting way up in price lately. Even when I want to buy a group of commons either individually or in a lot, if they're nice looking raw cards, they have gone up in price.

Even a low to mid grade, raw group was $15 to 20 per card now has become $20 to 25 per card, even higher.

When I restarted buying T206s over a year ago, I tried to focus on the big HOF's first, I got some of them at the time, which was to my advantage.