Questions about the hobby

[pokerplyr80]

I'm not saying it's a bad looking card. But once again someone has stepped up and paid a big premium for a dead centered card. The discussions are remarkably similar every time this happens. With all of the hobby knowledge on this board I'm surprised so many here don't realize there are collectors who will pay 2 or 3 times the normal selling price for a card in a specific grade for an example with elite centering. Especially if it's very difficult to find centered.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

I'm not saying it's a bad looking card. But once again someone has stepped up and paid a big premium for a dead centered card. The discussions are remarkably similar every time this happens. With all of the hobby knowledge on this board I'm surprised so many here don't realize there are collectors who will pay 2 or 3 times the normal selling price for a card in a specific grade for an example with elite centering. Especially if it's very difficult to find centered.

Speaking only for myself, I guess I just don't understand why a 50 50 card is worth 2-3 times a 52 48 one. I don't recall seeing that until fairly recently and I've been buying a long time.

[pokerplyr80]

52/48 would be elite and close enough for me. It all depends on the card. I'm just saying, and not to you specifically, but when you see a card go for 2 or 3 times what you thought it should have, or another similar card for recently sold for, maybe just see how it's centered. If an off centered card goes for a huge premium I might suspect something.

[frankbmd]

The irony of centering being the be-all and end-all for not only grading, but pricing premiums as well, I find amazing.

Centering is the one thing a moron can see without getting the card graded in the first place.

Well, maybe not all morons.

[Exhibitman]

The question of whether it is a bubble kind of answers itself: if you have to ask if there is a bubble, there's probably a bubble. Of course a 20% or more a year increase is unsustainable. The more interesting question is whether recent pricing is stable or will a historically $2000 card that sells for $4000 now revert to $2000 when the economy slows, the newbies lose interest, etc. Depending on how you answer that decides whether you buy, hold or sell. Of if you just like your cards and don't need the money, you can take a purely academic interest in it and enjoy your collection.

As for foreign money, you're looking in the wrong place w/r/t vintage American baseball. Look to basketball cards from Jordan forward, Pokemon and other gaming stuff. That is where the real overseas collectors go. There have been some insane prices on LeBron and MJ cards from recent shiny sets driven by heavy interest from Asia. PSA opened an Asian office to handle interest from that part of the world and their clientele aren't submitting E98s.

[drcy]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

The irony of centering being the be-all and end-all for not only grading, but pricing premiums as well, I find amazing.

Centering is the one thing a moron can see without getting the card graded in the first place.

Well, maybe not all morons.

Ranks right up there with the professional grading of an autograph.

My thought has been that if you need an 'expert' to tell you the condition of the sharpie autograph on a photograph, you probably shouldn't be collecting.