Decision SP Jeter or what other card

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I completely understand what you are saying about the best buy possibly being an obscure Trout card. But maybe the best buy from a purely financial standpoint isn't even baseball. Ruth, Jeter and Trout aren't flying under anyone's radar.

I always like reading David Peck's posts on here about his Wrestling All-Stars collection and its explosion in value in recent years. Peck started scooping up those cards when they were worth virtually nothing, and a high-grade Hulk Hogan Wrestling All-Stars card could be had for $50. Who would have ever thought those cards would explode the way they have?

Given the popularity among the general public of golf, the fact that Jack Nicklaus is the best golfer of all time by a near consensus, and the fact that he has only two issues that could be considered early cards, both of which are pretty hard to find especially the 1973 Panini -- I don't understand why those cards aren't worth a hell of a lot more.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Given the popularity among the general public of golf, the fact that Jack Nicklaus is the best golfer of all time by a near consensus, and the fact that he has only two issues that could be considered early cards, both of which are pretty hard to find especially the 1973 Panini -- I don't understand why those cards aren't worth a hell of a lot more.

I never really thought about Nicklaus being undervalued, but that's because he hasn't been someone whose cards I have followed much. I know baseball will always be king when it comes to cards, but along your point about Nicklaus, I have always been amazed at how cheap Marilyn Monroe's cards are. Maybe that is because she has a ton of foreign issue cards, but her cards just seem so cheap for how iconic a name she is. She also has the intrigue of dying young. Her signed checks already sell for well into four figures.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I never really thought about Nicklaus being undervalued, but that's because he hasn't been someone whose cards I have followed much. I know baseball will always be king when it comes to cards, but along your point about Nicklaus, I have always been amazed at how cheap Marilyn Monroe's cards are. Maybe that is because she has a ton of foreign issue cards, but her cards just seem so cheap for how iconic a name she is. Her signed checks already sell for well into four figures.

1. Nonsports is almost uniformly cheap, across the board.
2. As you suggest, there really are a huge number of MM cards. Here are two of my favorites.

[Exhibitman]

If you are approaching this financially, forget about anything except baseball; all the rest are piss-thin markets. Speaking as a boxing collector, trust me on that. You do not want to be in a collectible that has only a handful of interested parties unless you are in there so cheap that it doesn't matter. The only exceptions are probably a 1965 Namath, a Tom Brady RC, the Star or Fleer Jordan RCs and LeBron's RCs. Also the Jim Brown RC, the Russell and Chamberlain and Alcindor and perhaps Dr. J RCs, the Magic-Bird RC, the Gretzky RC, the Orr RC, and maybe Howe and Hull. Maybe also the Ali RC , if we can agree on which it is. Those have transcendent appeal. The rest are for specialists.

As for the original question, Ruth is a much better answer than Jeter. I do not believe that the abundant Jeter RC will do a ton more long term; remember how nuts Ryan pricing was in anticipation of his election. Ruth has steadily appreciated too. Check VCP on his 33 Goudey.

Now, if it was my money and the goal was financial appreciation I'd spread it around a core of rookies in the modern era, guys like Gerrit Cole or Altuve. Trout is blazing hot right now, so i'd watch it with him, but I think the non-2011 Topps Update RCs and the pre-RCs are reasonable values. I'd plunk a grand or so into his 2011 Bowman cards. As the TU prices out of range of most collectors these should go up. I'd also try to pick up some blue chip HOFers like Williams, Aaron, Musial, Gehrig, etc. A nice play might also be Bonds: if he makes the HOF his cards, which are really cold and have been for a while should see a nice punch upwards.

All of which is academic: if you want to make money buy a stock or something. Cards have less liquidity, relatively large spreads between bid (retail) and ask (selling to a dealer), and big financial barriers to exit (selling fees are at least 13% and go up from there), plus unfavorable tax treatment relative to other investments if held for more than a year. Buy these because you enjoy owning them.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I agree with much of what Adam says but I think with a huge influx of Asian collectors, BKB is a major market now and certainly not thin.

[RCMcKenzie]

Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe are much more famous than Derek Jeter. Jeter is a generational hero like Rocco Colavito.

Next time you're looking at a prewar card on Probstein, click "see all auctions" and see how much all that stuff sells for, the Jayson Tatum and Mitch Trubisky and all that.

If your sell point is 10 years, I say Jeter. In 200 years, people will still know about Ruth and Monroe, they will have forgotten Derek Jeter and Jayson Tatum.

[Foo3112]

Ruth over Jeter all day except that buying Jeter at this moment seems like a much smarter idea. It's a fact that Derek Jeter SP cards (and all in general) are about to get a big bump in January as he gets into the HOF. So why not buy the Jeter and then sell off in January and use the original $5000 plus whatever profit you made and put that total into the Babe Ruth card you want?

That would be the best way to stretch out your money for the highest quality Ruth card when it comes time to purchase.

[ronniehatesjazz]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I agree with much of what Adam says but I think with a huge influx of Asian collectors, BKB is a major market now and certainly not thin.

100% agree on this... I actually think the cards with the most upside are 80's BKB rookies. I think 20 years from now people will be shocked to see how much Olajuwon, Malone, Thomas and even Pippen and Rodman rookies are going for. Perhaps my craziest prediction with any "investment" ever but I expect to sell these cards that I have acquired for well above $1,000 each and I've bought most of them over the past few years for well under $100 (most in the 8-9 area). The 86-87 Fleer set is a no-brainer IMO with nothing but upside.

As for the Jeter vs Ruth it's kind of like buying one of the FANG stocks vs an industrial megacap stock. You'd be gambling on the Jeter but investing with the Ruth. Then again, if you're just a hobby purist (which I wish all of us fell in that camp) then just buy whatever makes you happy.

[AGuinness]

Excellent thread. I agree with Adam and Peter, although the basketball side of things has a caveat, I think. It was mentioned elsewhere on this board at some recent point, but the question is: will the influx of Asian collectors lead to increased demand of vintage basketball? It's tough enough at times to figure out how demand will shift on a single issue, but when trying to figure out larger trends due to a continent and the various cultures within it, it's a lot of guess work. Perhaps the new collectors will find appreciation in Dr. J, Wilt, etc., but there's no guarantee they will.
And for this situation, I would also prefer to spread the money around to a variety of cards if it were my choice. But strictly Jeter vs Babe, I would go Babe.