Gone from the Blue-Collar Guy

[FrankWakefield]

Seems to me Johnny M and Jewish Collector are correct, as are everyone else.

What were our expectations? As a 10 year old kid buying a pack of cards, I wasn't thinking about future value at all. And the same for buying my first T206 in the mid 80s. I just liked seeing a card from some player's playing days.

Have I ever thought about an increase in value? Yes. Although I think the value doesn't change, the value is nominal; what changes is the dollar amount at which buyers and sellers are willing to engage in transactions. I've bought graded cards, and for years whenever I bought them I cracked them out. The last few years I've left some of them in their slabs. Is that a tacit decision on my part recognizing that I'm gonna sell that card one day?

I mention the slab cracking to help folks see 2 perspectives: I'm buying this card to collect it because of the player, what he did on the field, the set and it's history, and the visual image of the card; vs I'm buying this card because it's going to increase in value. The 'buying to collect' folks get frustrated and thwarted with rising prices; while the 'investor' guys depend on that price increase.

Seems to me that in one way it sorts out the collectors and the investor/speculators. If the cards I'd bought as a 10 year old were still worth pennies I'd be ok with it.

[ullmandds]

Ya i remember and long for the days when nice t206 cobbs and goudey ruths were somewhat affordable. I missed the boat on 1-200 babe ruth strip cards noone seemed to want at the time. I also missed the bot on apple stock in the single digits.

Do i stop buying apple stock? No…i buy less.

I buy more raw cards for my binders now than I ever have since I was a kid. Its quite enjoyable. If the cards you buy have to be PSA sevens or eights and there is no deviation you’re in this more for the investment than a hobby. Invest elsewhere.

[NiceDocter]

I’ve had success going for whatever is out of favor…. skip chasing what everyone is after! Not that I’m looking for more competition but oddball stuff, programs, display items, the kind of stuff Gray Ghost sells…. It’s great and makes the hobby fun. It may or may not go up in value but if you love it who cares! The more narrow your focus is , the more likely you will miss some really cool items that not many have. Of course by my method you will end up with one heck of a bunch of crazy boxes and displays …. but it makes the hobby fun !! Don’t quit keep looking around…. expand your horizons! This is my formula for my epic estate sale one day…..

[Snapolit1]

Plenty of cool things to collect other than high end Goudeys. Photos. Tickets. Programs. Just have to be on the look out for the unusual and overlooked.

I bought a postcard on BST last year of relatively obscure 1900 black pre-integration player George Wilson. Have spend a lot of time researching him and seeing what I could find. Honestly has given me a lot more satisfaction than lobbing yet another psa entombed graded card into my safe deposit box. The fact that so few people know anything about him makes the researching aspect of it very satisfying And don't cost anything to research an obscure player.

[Eric72]

Take what the defense gives you.

Everyone ignoring oversized cards? Maybe pick those up.

SGC slabs sell for half the price of PSA? Consider snapping up the discount.

Non-mainstream cards being offered at a fraction of the cost of set registry darlings? Get the oddball item.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Take what the defense gives you.

Everyone ignoring oversized cards? Maybe pick those up.

SGC slabs sell for half the price of PSA? Consider snapping up the discount.

Non-mainstream cards being offered at a fraction of the cost of set registry darlings? Get the oddball item.

Pokémon!