Gone from the Blue-Collar Guy

[yanks87]

I guess it all comes down to the big question of "what makes you happy?!" If you are in it to get the best of the best, and only mint cards will do, you had to know at some point, even in normal times, the market would push prices higher. If you can't afford to get what you want, and won't bend on condition, then it's probably time to take a step back, re-assess and find a direction that excites you.

For me, condition doesn't matter, I have built sets, picked up cards here and there, and have a BLAST on the hunt. I have run into better cards than what I usually collect, and if the prices are right I will snatch them up. I never looked at the hobby as an investment, and maybe (probably) I am horribly naive, because I could move a bunch of my collection and make A TON more than what I have into it, but I enjoy it all too much to do that. Will I ever buy the 1933 Goudey Gehrig that I have chased, probably not. I have a tough time "paying up" for cards, I think I saw the light when I bought a George Brett rookie card for $2 at Mall Show in Ithaca, NY. I quacking un-velcroed my wallet and paid for it, running from the table like I had just snatched up the holy grail. It was beat to hell, but the price guide said it was worth $40, so I just made money in my eyes. That approach is still active to this day.

Find the things that bring you joy, if it has become a transaction, find something new!

[tschock]

Originally Posted by yanks87

For me, condition doesn't matter, I have built sets, picked up cards here and there, and have a BLAST on the hunt. I have run into better cards than what I usually collect, and if the prices are right I will snatch them up.... Find the things that bring you joy, if it has become a transaction, find something new!

This! I don't think I've ever been to a show where I haven't picked up something that I wasn't looking for. But it also doesn't hurt to have eclectic interests as well. I have holes in my sets but have no problem passing over an item that would fill that hole if the price isn't right, and being a bargain hunter, it usually isn't. But that doesn't stop me from picking up some really cool items.
One of our local dealers who always has a mixed bag of 'stuff' told me once that he always looks forward to seeing what I might buy from him as he has no idea what will interest me. My response was :Neither do I".

[Natswin2019]

Originally Posted by tschock

This! I don't think I've ever been to a show where I haven't picked up something that I wasn't looking for. But it also doesn't hurt to have eclectic interests as well. I have holes in my sets but have no problem passing over an item that would fill that hole if the price isn't right, and being a bargain hunter, it usually isn't. But that doesn't stop me from picking up some really cool items.

This is exactly how I collect as someone who has a limited budget. I have things I would love to collect but definetly pass on if I think I can get a better price else where. I also will just pick up random cool things that I see in auctions or at shows if they fit my budget even if they arent a target of mine.

[parkplace33]

The amount of money coming into the hobby right now is crazy. Are baseball cards for Main Street or Wall Street? In the last 10 years (and really the last 5 years), people looking at cards as an investment vehicle has exploded. We have moved into a new phase, treating cards like gold or some other commodity.

At the last card show, collectors walking around with bags full of cards, most for trading or trying to get the best price. It looked like the NYSE floor to me. I guess this is the future.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by parkplace33

The amount of money coming into the hobby right now is crazy. Are baseball cards for Main Street or Wall Street? In the last 10 years (and really the last 5 years), people looking at cards as an investment vehicle has exploded. We have moved into a new phase, treating cards like gold or some other commodity.

At the last card show, collectors walking around with bags full of cards, most for trading or trying to get the best price. It looked like the NYSE floor to me. I guess this is the future.

What this observation seems to indicate is that a lot of serious collectors that are trying to trade current value in their cards so that they can get something they want without having to pay the exorbitant prices being asked in today's "market". When the cash totally dries up at shows, it'll probably reinforce that this bull market has reached the end. What happens after that is beyond me. Will card prices stagnate and sit at this level for a while before some other monetary real world market fluctuation (not related to cards) drives the prices back up or down.

I think the OP is probably like most of the "real" collecting community. I'm at the point where I am really considering dumping a lot of my stuff because it's about the right time. Time will tell.

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by Fred

What this observation seems to indicate is that a lot of serious collectors that are trying to trade current value in their cards so that they can get something they want without having to pay the exorbitant prices being asked in today's "market". When the cash totally dries up at shows, it'll probably reinforce that this bull market has reached the end. What happens after that is beyond me. Will card prices stagnate and sit at this level for a while before some other monetary real world market fluctuation (not related to cards) drives the prices back up or down.

I think the OP is probably like most of the "real" collecting community. I'm at the point where I am really considering dumping a lot of my stuff because it's about the right time. Time will tell.

Brilliantly Said Fred I agree. I said this before on here, I think people blew it off but I think a lot of money that has come into this market over the past 14 months has been from crypto. Many big cards are playing Musical Chairs from Heritage, to Mile High to Memory Lane Ect. Pump Repeat Recycle... Will it fall? I don't think enough for it to affect these crazy levels I could be wrong. Def a lot of Speculating in Cards over the past year.

[Luke]

I get the idea of being kind of stuck in your ways and it being hard to adapt, but to me it feels pretty natural to adapt to new niches as I get priced out of some. T206 is still my favorite set to collect, but my dollars go a lot farther elsewhere and I have about 10 other sets and certain type cards that I'm always happy to add when they show up, and those buys always feel like a bargain to me.

I know we all have our condition preferences, but limiting yourself to just graded cards with big numbers on the label seems a little extreme. To each his own obviously, but if I ever got to the point where a crease or a rounded corner made me not want an otherwise nice card, I'd have to ask myself if I really like cards, or if I am a perfectionist who used to like cards.

If everything I like shot up 20x tomorrow, I'd start working on that matchbook set from 1935 and collecting team issues and photo packs from the 40s, etc. There's always something out there that's underappreciated and underpriced for how cool it is.