1952T Mantle price drops

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by DocScoot

And for the record, I wasn't predicting a drop in the card market, I was asking for folks' opinions on the extent to which overall baseball popularity (which is objectively on a downward trend when you take more than a one year view) is strongly coupled to the card market value. I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other on this question.

I don't think collectors necessarily feel the need to watch baseball so much as they appreciate it. Speaking for myself, I almost never watch MLB games anymore. I might catch an inning or two of a few playoff games here or there, but I haven't sat down to watch a full game in decades. I do watch highlights with some degree of regularity, and I do pay attention to player stats throughout the season, but that's about it. I simply don't have time to watch baseball games, and even if I did, I could find a thousand other things I'd rather be doing. However, I watch dozens of full NBA and NFL games every year. I even watch full soccer matches during the world cup. But my collection is probably ~60% baseball and ~40% basketball, with less than 1% other sports. There's just something nostalgic about baseball cards that other sports don't offer. I'll continue to collect them even if I never watch another game of baseball on TV in my entire life (a fairly high likelihood).

[DocScoot]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I don't think collectors necessarily feel the need to watch baseball so much as they appreciate it. Speaking for myself, I almost never watch MLB games anymore. I might catch an inning or two of a few playoff games here or there, but I haven't sat down to watch a full game in decades. I do watch highlights with some degree of regularity, and I do pay attention to player stats throughout the season, but that's about it. I simply don't have time to watch baseball games, and even if I did, I could find a thousand other things I'd rather be doing. However, I watch dozens of full NBA and NFL games every year. I even watch full soccer matches during the world cup. But my collection is probably ~60% baseball and ~40% basketball, with less than 1% other sports. There's just something nostalgic about baseball cards that other sports don't offer. I'll continue to collect them even if I never watch another game of baseball on TV in my entire life (a fairly high likelihood).

Thanks for this input! I believe my situation is similar to what you describe, for me the love of the game has become more about the history and the nostalgia than it is about continuing to watch every game. Though I did watch quite a bit more this past season, and probably was part of the increase in popularity this past season referred to by the previous poster (pitch clock change, crazy buzz around Ohtani, and several other factors also had a lot to do with that bump I'd assume, will be interesting to see if it continues). But I still worry that you and I are holdovers from perhaps having had parents and grandparents who loved, and did watch baseball more than any other sport. I wonder if this nostalgia will still be there for our kids and grandkids. I very much hope it is, otherwise my collectibles will just go to waste

[Exhibitman]

Please, let’s not over analyze this. I don’t care about the World Series if my teams aren’t playing. The two in there are not known for their national fan bases. It’s a who cares series everywhere except Dallas and Phoenix. Punch in the Yankees or Dodgers or Cubs or Red Sox instead and viewership will go right up.

[DocScoot]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Please, let’s not over analyze this. I don’t care about the World Series if my teams aren’t playing. The two in there are not known for their national fan bases. It’s a who cares series everywhere except Dallas and Phoenix. Punch in the Yankees or Dodgers or Cubs or Red Sox instead and viewership will go right up.

The point I'm trying to make is not about single year fluctuations due to any number of specific factors (yes it's not at all surprising viewership is down for THIS particular WS given the teams). I'm referring to very pronounced decades-long trends in overall popularity, and wondering if my (middle-aged) generation's nostalgic love for this sport will go the way of the dinosaurs, or somehow be sustained by folks who collect without actually engaging with the sport more directly. I think many of you are missing the forest for the trees on this one, but that will be it for me, didn't mean to hijack the thread!

[Seven]

While I do think the Mantle rookie was inflated by the Covid boom, and did expect some regression, I don't think it's going to go down much more. Sure times are uncertain, between the economy, and the conflicts going on overseas, but I think this is pretty much all we see in terms of price drops. I could be wrong.

His 1952 Topps issue, is certainly not going back to pre-covid prices. Would I be surprised if one graded a PSA 1 sells for a touch more than 20K? No. But I think the days of getting one for under 15K are long gone.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by DocScoot

The point I'm trying to make is not about single year fluctuations due to any number of specific factors (yes it's not at all surprising viewership is down for THIS particular WS given the teams). I'm referring to very pronounced decades-long trends in overall popularity, and wondering if my (middle-aged) generation's nostalgic love for this sport will go the way of the dinosaurs, or somehow be sustained by folks who collect without actually engaging with the sport more directly. I think many of you are missing the forest for the trees on this one, but that will be it for me, didn't mean to hijack the thread!

I appreciate that but I do not think that current sports fandom closely correlates with collecting. I don't like most sports as a spectator, but I definitely enjoy collecting cards from those sports. For collectors like me, collecting in and of itself is an end, not an expression of fandom. I mean, I never saw Babe Ruth play but I sure appreciate his cards.

[Johnny630]

This post asked about the Drop in the 1952 Mantle..... can you imagine how the person feels who bought the 52 SGC 5 in REA for $306,000 in August 2022....ugh YIKES

[bnorth]

It is a simple printed picture on a piece of paper. The fact it is worth more than a few cents amazes me. Not to worry some day it will be worth a few cents.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

This post asked about the Drop in the 1952 Mantle..... can you imagine how the person feels who bought the 52 SGC 5 in REA for $306,000 in August 2022....ugh YIKES

Considering how rare it is to find a copy with this much eye appeal, I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's still feeling over the moon about the pickup.

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