$15,000 to spend on 1-5 cards...WWYD?

[hcv123]

1) As previously mentioned - whatever the card you choose - be picky about the "right example" - be willing to pay a premium over grade for a card with strong eye appeal and unusual qualities for the grade - especially centering.

That said, I dont know what the 15K gets you in terms of grades of these cards off the top of my head, but these are the cards I would respond to your question with:

1921 Ruth Exhibit
1933 Ruth #144
1952 Willie Mays
1953 Willie Mays
1951 Bowman Mantle
1952 Bowman Mantle
1953 Topps Mantle
1952 Topps Jackie Robinson
T206 Green Cobb
T205 Cobb

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by hcv123

1) As previously mentioned - whatever the card you choose - be picky about the "right example" - be willing to pay a premium over grade for a card with strong eye appeal and unusual qualities for the grade - especially centering.

That said, I dont know what the 15K gets you in terms of grades of these cards off the top of my head, but these are the cards I would respond to your question with:

1921 Ruth Exhibit
1933 Ruth #144
1952 Willie Mays
1953 Willie Mays
1951 Bowman Mantle
1952 Bowman Mantle
1953 Topps Mantle
1952 Topps Jackie Robinson
T206 Green Cobb
T205 Cobb

1921 Exhibit Ruths are great cards and are a good investment as all of them are however I believe that card as many others have seen such rapid growth in a short time that you maybe able to find others with more upside.

However as a potential real long term investor as you mentioned that maybe a non factor in any that you chose

If you are looking for shorter term I would consider the 1925-1929 Exhibit Ruth Postcards. they are underappreciated in my opinion and have more upside potential.

However I do not believe you can go wrong with any thing that is mentioned in the thread especially over the long term.

Perhaps the only thing to try and avoid cards that are to obscure even from the big Names because sometimes if it is to obscure and does not sell often(in years) the potential buyers do not know what the true worth might be and it also shrinks the number of people that might want to buy it

[Leon]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

1921 Exhibit Ruths are great cards and are a good investment as all of them are however I believe that card as many others have seen such rapid growth in a short time that you maybe able to find others with more upside.

However as a potential real long term investor as you mentioned that maybe a non factor in any that you chose

If you are looking for shorter term I would consider the 1925-1929 Exhibit Ruth Postcards. they are underappreciated in my opinion and have more upside potential.

However I do not believe you can go wrong with any thing that is mentioned in the thread especially over the long term.

Perhaps the only thing to try and avoid cards that are to obscure even from the big Names because sometimes if it is to obscure and does not sell often(in years) the potential buyers do not know what the true worth might be and it also shrinks the number of people that might want to buy it

So what you are saying is that I have a collection of cards to avoid? LOL

F272- Unc...

[jingram058]

The big takeaway from all this jolly, carefree banter is...if I had (someone gave me) $15,000 I wouldn't spend it on baseball cards, or anything hobby related. I would probably remodel my kitchen. If you're rolling in money, while the rest of us real people try to get by, then go ahead, buy that Ruth or Cobb.

[Aaron Seefeldt]

A Babe Ruth Exhibit, the earlier the better.

[anchorednw]

Originally Posted by Aaron Seefeldt

A Babe Ruth Exhibit, the earlier the better.

This seems to be a recurring theme. I do like me a good-looking early Babe Exhibit.

[anchorednw]

Now that we've heard everyone's opinion on player/card/set, the real question is "at what price point", which has been bantered about earlier in the thread.

Personally, I (in my limited knowledge) see some value/upside in:

25-29 Exhibit Babe Ruth
1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson
1951 Bowman Willie Mays

Myself, I am eager to learn more about some early 20's items that some may feel haven't run up in price compared to others.

Is there such a thing as undervalued early 20th century items?

[anchorednw]

Originally Posted by jingram058

If you're rolling in money, while the rest of us real people try to get by, then go ahead, buy that Ruth or Cobb.

This comment clearly has undertones of much more going on. Real people? Rolling in money?

I make no apologies for having some $ that I would like to spend on baseball cards and that my kitchen satisfies my wife, as that certainly doesn't make me less of a real person, lol

[notfast]

T206 Cobb bat off/red
48 Leaf Jackie
51 Bowman Mays

pick two, highest grade/eye appeal you can find.

[anchorednw]

Thank you for the wonderful feedback on this thread. What's it's helped me to do is actually consider a wider range of cards that I may have not considered. In addition, given me jump off point to study and learn more about some of these items (as my knowledge and experience in prewar and early vintage is still limited).

A year ago, if someone asked me that question, I would have probably said "easy, go grab an early Mantle or Mays", which isn't a terrible answer, but short sighted and limited in scope.

After much banter and discussion, I've begun to put pen to paper and make a list (albeit long) of players and cards/sets that I love and want. These include the obvious suspects.

I lean towards Babe and Cobb in early cards such as exhibit, t206, caramel, sporting news, etc. While I understand the draw of Goudey and early Topps/Bowman, I believe I would enjoy owning something a bit older and a bit more scarce/harder to find.

Really appreciate all the great insight, advice and banter.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by anchorednw

This comment clearly has undertones of much more going on. Real people? Rolling in money?

I make no apologies for having some $ that I would like to spend on baseball cards and that my kitchen satisfies my wife, as that certainly doesn't make me less of a real person, lol

I don't know anyone who has $15k to spend on baseball cards, other than the folks who post on this forum. I would have to sell cards I have to raise that kind of $$$. Sorry, but that is how it is. The regular work a day people are not in that league. I love this forum and the amazing cards posted, but it isn't a hobby for regular blue collar people anymore, only for the well-heeled card investors.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by jingram058

I don't know anyone who has $15k to spend on baseball cards, other than the folks who post on this forum. I would have to sell cards I have to raise that kind of $$$. Sorry, but that is how it is. The regular work a day people are not in that league. I love this forum and the amazing cards posted, but it isn't a hobby for regular blue collar people anymore, only for the well-heeled card investors.

I will agree that to drop $15k on a card is a lot of money, at least in absolute terms. Certainly with many hard working Americans taking 3-6 months to earn that kind of cash, it’s a lot. To save that much, for many it would take even longer. And considering what else you could acquire with that kind of cash (like a semi-decent used car), it’s also a lot.

But I suspect that many of us spending that kind of cash on cards are still very much working for a living. At least I am!

At the same time, it’s fair to admit that I’ve been greatly blessed with tremendous resources to have the option to lavishly spend that kind of money on a luxury such as this. While I have worked hard to get here, paid my dues for many years, and gained some very valuable skills that I now use in my business to make a living, and with an income now at the top of the charts and a tax rate over 50% to go with it (part of the joys of living on the left coast) my situation is obviously different than the vast majority of Americans who do not have available cash to lavish on such luxuries at the same scale.

Is that a bad thing? Is it a good thing? Not sure that I have answers to those questions. I’m also not going to get into a political scrum about it, because that’s the best way to make any activity a lot less enjoyable.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by jingram058

I don't know anyone who has $15k to spend on baseball cards, other than the folks who post on this forum. I would have to sell cards I have to raise that kind of $$$. Sorry, but that is how it is. The regular work a day people are not in that league. I love this forum and the amazing cards posted, but it isn't a hobby for regular blue collar people anymore, only for the well-heeled card investors.

Personally, I think there is very much of a hobby for the blue collar still. The blue collar can't buy the very best items, but I bought cards for entertainment even when I made $60,000 a year in the Bay Area, California (which is almost nothing with the cost of living here) when I was starting out. You can't buy the 1% cards, but you can build a fun and awesome collection of low grade less popular cards with the same or better aesthetic appeal as the investment pieces. If it isn't viewed as competition, but building a collection for personal enjoyment, I think the blue collar have a much better time than the white collar actually. The blue collar 'I just enjoy these cards I gather' seem to have a lot more fun and less stress than the $$$ collectors who are primarily interested in their profit from the hobby. As I buy for personal enjoyment and entertainment and budget my card buys accordingly as my 'beer money', I would consider myself in the blue collar class here as well. I'm not dropping what it takes to buy the cards that have 1,000 threads about them.

Discussion centers around money and the rich, that is absolutely true. The poorer collectors don't tend to be active in the forums and like nearly as much, for reasons we could speculate on but I don't think could prove. Probably would be an interesting topic to examine if everyone behaved for another thread.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by jingram058

I don't know anyone who has $15k to spend on baseball cards, other than the folks who post on this forum. I would have to sell cards I have to raise that kind of $$$. Sorry, but that is how it is. The regular work a day people are not in that league. I love this forum and the amazing cards posted, but it isn't a hobby for regular blue collar people anymore, only for the well-heeled card investors.

I'm going to disagree a bit here James, I'm a working class guy in a blue collar business in a HCOL area. I'll be the the first guy to admit I've been fortunate enough to collect cardboard pictures of little baseball men.

When I got back in I built a list of 300 cards I wanted to reflect my collection, never mind the price that's what I wanted my collection to look like. Within that frame is always economics, I'll never be the guy who can spend his way through, but I did sacrifice for my collection, sometimes when I shouldn't have but that's the nature of this fantastic hobby.

I'd love a Wolverine Cobb but that's above my pay grade right now, maybe someday, but I don't fret over it because I have other collecting goals and am happy with my current collection.

It's really never about the money, it's about the passion for collecting, there's guys here who can buy whatever they want, there's also guys here who sacrifice to spend $250 on a card. I'm happy for for both of them when they reach a collecting goal and post about it here.

For me it's always about the relationships formed with fellow members here, which if graded by any TPG would be a Gem Mint 10 or whatever they call it...

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

If you are looking for shorter term I would consider the 1925-1929 Exhibit Ruth Postcards. they are underappreciated in my opinion and have more upside potential.

Definitely my favorite prewar card.

[anchorednw]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Definitely my favorite prewar card.

What an incredible looking Babe exhibit Adam! Thanks for sharing.

[anchorednw]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

The Jackie is a beautiful card, but I am surprised it's as prized as it is, being only a 4th or 5th year card depending on your definition with plenty of earlier cards, and aside from people looking for perfect centering, not at all hard to find.

I am currently looking for a 49 Bow Jackie myself (in a low grade) for my post war vintage index run. I'm just not in love with the 49's. The 52 Topps is definitely one of his "prettiest" cards IMO

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by anchorednw

I am currently looking for a 49 Bow Jackie myself (in a low grade) for my post war vintage index run. I'm just not in love with the 49's. The 52 Topps is definitely one of his "prettiest" cards IMO

No doubt, i just can't think of any other examples on the postwar side of things where a player's 4th or 5th year card is his most iconic.