Which card will sell for more

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Steve D

Speaking as someone (who relies on the measly military retirement and VA disability pay) who has to scratch and claw for the money to buy the cards I want, the obscene prices cards are getting right now make me absolutely sick and disgusted.

A PSA 3 '86 Fleer Michael Jordan is going for $2K+ right now!!!!!

I'm seriously wondering if I should just throw in the towel and give up

Steve

Hey Steve, Brian Powell here. Just a fellow collector who also has to scratch and claw for hobby money. I've collected cards since 1961, and entered the adult hobby in '72. In that virtual lifetime of collecting, I have seen a lot of trends. Some of those have disappeared because the items were just tough challenging to hunt down. Another trend, rookie collecting, sprung up in the 70s as collectors found they liked collecting that niche. Dealers quickly noticed, AND BEGAN JACKING THEIR PRICES UP HIGHER AND HIGHER, UNTIL WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. When the hobby seemed to explode in the 80s, rookie card speculation of modern day rookies became its own niche, and rampant. The belief was that some of those players would become Mickey Mantle. Rarely, as you probably know, did any of them get half as good as Mick.

Then, in the early 90s, chase cards blossomed on the scene. Artificially rare, but so what? They were indeed rare as hen's teeth. Thus came those ultra rare Michael Jordans collectors discuss with the shaking of the head..... The filthy stinking rich have always seemed to play these kind of conniving games with their collecting interests. Sometimes there's absolutely nothing conniving about it----2 blokes with deep pockets love the same kind of cards, and they have an auction dogfight. In the end, expensive gets reinvented. Let's face it, the motivation of 75% of younger collectors today is buying for resale, which is speculative. Whether they buy boxes or cases and have their ripping games and events, or flat out "invest" in what they honestly believe has great potential in the coming years, it all seems to reflect the gambling mentality that is so prevalent in today's society, which is absorbed with lottery ticket gambling, or going to the casino. They wish to take "that chance". At times I cannot blame them one bit; after all, what kind of interest does your bank pay you on your savings account? If it's like mine, then essentially nuttin'.

Precisely.

Friend, deep, deep, down, if you love the cards, keep collecting for your love of the cards. Avoid over-paying where possible. All in all, collect what brings a big huge smile to your face. Me, I love Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. The prices today---oooh boy. By the grace of God, I was able to hold onto most of my childhood Mickeys and the ones I was able to procure in the 80s and 90s. My enjoyment in recent years has been finding modern day Mantle & Maris cards that have lots of eye appeal to me, with a great photo and a clever design. Many of the modern cards fall short in these areas. Most collectors turn their collective noses up at modern cards of the greats. Nuts to them; if I love them, I will collect them and display them---for me. I didn't get them so they would appreciate in value; I got them because I appreciate how they look. The period photos of Mick and the Rajah hail back to their glory days with the Yanks---so to me, that's great. That's what it's all about.

Believe me, I understand. Nobody, but nobody, wants to throw their money away on worthless cards, or vintage cards that millenials or the baby just born may not be interested in 20-30 years later. Life is full of choices and chances, as you well know. Thank you for your service to our country, sir.

In the end, keep your collecting for FUN; otherwise, find another hobby that IS fun to you.

A brotherly hug to you, buddy. --- Brian Powell