Printing More Money vs. High Card Prices

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by packs

I haven't seen a very good explanation for why a person with no previous interest in cards would suddenly decide they needed a 1953 Topps Satchel Paige.

I really don't see why there is a POV that the uninitiated are driving up prices. A 52 mantle, a T206 Wagner, sure, those kinds of cards will appeal to the same layman that Picasso does to people who don't collect art.

What drives a guy to buy a 1950 Bowman Jackie Robinson?

One Word MONEY

[packs]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

One Word MONEY

But that's not realistic. How would some everyman be driven to buy esoteric collector cards without being a collector?

There are no newly initiated people driving up the prices for many issues that have spiked. It doesn't make sense that they would look anywhere else but prime time for something they know nothing about.

If I'm getting into art, I'm not asking to see someone's Lucien Freud collection. I might have heard of Andy Warhol though.

[Directly]

Cash is trash!!

[bbcard1]

So here's what I'm wondering. If stocks, real estate, cybercurrency, metals, art and baseball cards are all overpriced, isn't it probable that cash is overvalued? The reason I'm not ready to buy into the concept whole cloth. The reason for that is we are not seeing wholesale price increases in staples. People have been sitting around with nothing to do so buying cards has been a fair enough diversion. Those who have not been hurt by COVID-19 haven't been spending money on some of the things like travel and, to a lesser degree, cars and clothes that we normally would. It's a mystifying time. I would think stocks would be the first to adjust, but what do I know.

[packs]

There are a lot of assumption being made that people even take vacations or go out to eat. Those are luxuries many people I know had to forego even before the pandemic.

[joshuanip]

Originally Posted by packs

There are a lot of assumption being made that people even take vacations or go out to eat. Those are luxuries many people I know had to forego even before the pandemic.

Its odd, because people are not eating out, or traveling (less experience spending), they are spending on material goods. At the upper end, private planes, boats, second homes away from NY. At the lower end, people like me, baseball cards.... =)

[packs]

Money is money in every other context really except the baseball card world, where now your money is worth the least it has been in quite a while.

If you managed to save 15K and that money means something to you, this is probably the worst possible time to buy.

[TedWill1939]

IMO, I think the pandemic and a 40+ age group with monay to spend created a booming market. There are many factors to it but I think this is the foundation. I'm 45 and have a certain amount of comfort in my life that has allowed me to purchase cards I only dreamed of having during the card boom of the 80s. I'm sure there are tons of people in the same situation. The pandemic gave people the free time to explore and revisit old anew interests. I picked up skateboarding with my son after 20 yrs of not being on a board.

Enter the highrollers and speculators getting in on the frenzy and its anyones guess where this will go, a big inflated pissing contest that tanks or a lasting trend with stable highs and lows?

At this point I am thankful for what I have and defintely bummed that some cards I wanted are way way out of reach