Spike in unopened

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by packs

When will you guys enjoy something?

It’s human nature to an extent...same reason we complain it’s too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

I know I look at prices I paid for cards the last few years and am amazed how much they look like great deals...didn’t feel that way at the time in retrospect.

Now with prices up I’m not buying as much of the graded HOF stuff I was...but am having fun looking for value where I can find it.

With a little luck, 2024 me will think 2020 me is as smart as I think 2017 me is today.

[packs]

Nothing is getting cheaper. Buy what you want when you can afford it. Remember the guy in 1990 who thought $200 was too much for a Goudey Ruth.

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by packs

Nothing is getting cheaper. Buy what you want when you can afford it. Remember the guy in 1990 who thought $200 was too much for a Goudey Ruth.

“Yeah, I can buy FOUR Kevin Maas rookie cards for that!”

Yes, don’t be that guy!

[cardsagain74]

Even when supply isn't going down, there are still plenty of bizarre price inefficiencies around in this market.

The one that stands out to me is the '81 Topps baseball set. There is nothing of value in a typical raw set with most of the cards being 6s or 7s, so it was even overpriced at $30 before the '80s Covid boom.

But it's still gone up the same amount as the other sets from '80 to '85, where you actually get at least one big card that's worth something. Now you can't get that type of '81 T set for less than 60 or 70 bucks + lots of shipping.

Funny thing is it's my favorite design from that era. I love the caps. But I really doubt that others share that opinion (to the point where the set is worth almost as much as an '83).

Sometimes a market price for something just doesn't represent anywhere near its true worth. There are examples on the other side of this as well, where the set gives you more value than it "should"

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

Something I learned while hanging out in the Blowout forums is that there appears to be a niche of our hobby that enjoys collecting unopened wax. They keep it unopened, display the unopened boxes, etc. Not just vintage, but modern wax. They like the way it looks. So it’s possible that the unopened 70’s boxes aren’t being bought to be opened, and sent for grading. But maybe just to be collected and enjoyed. I can’t imagine there are TONS of unopened boxes from the 70’s?

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by thatkidfromjerrymaguire

Something I learned while hanging out in the Blowout forums is that there appears to be a niche of our hobby that enjoys collecting unopened wax. They keep it unopened, display the unopened boxes, etc. Not just vintage, but modern wax. They like the way it looks. So it’s possible that the unopened 70’s boxes aren’t being bought to be opened, and sent for grading. But maybe just to be collected and enjoyed. I can’t imagine there are TONS of unopened boxes from the 70’s?

I've only followed the situation with the unopened boxes sporadically, but that's my understanding of what's happening. They are collectibles apart from the possible value of the cards inside. There is some aura of the potential for what may be inside, but the fact that they are unopened and, to varying degrees, rare is the actual appeal.

[drcy]

Unopened is something in and of itself. It's not merely a collection of cards.