is ebay killing high grade 50's-60's market?

[mintacular]

eBay doesn't KILL anything. SMR is usually 1.5 x 2 overpriced (i.e. a $100 SMR card usually sells for $50-75) Thus, eBay completed sales are a closer actual market $ to what the market truly bears, compared to SMR.

If your business plan is based on getting SMR prices on graded stuff, then you are in for a world of hurtin', and deservedly so, IMO...

[Chris-Counts]

It sounds to me like the free market is setting the price. Isn't that the way it should be?

[ibuysportsephemera]

I think that eBay has been the price guide for many collectibles for YEARS now.

Jeff

[Chris-Counts]

I completely agree with you, Jeff. And unlike the other services, it doesn't cost anything to look at eBay ...

[Exhibitman]

Welcome to the Great Recession. With all that's going on is it any surprise that cards are feeling the pinch?

The basic problem with high grade mainstream postwar cards is that they aren't all that uncommon. I don't think there is an 8/88 out there that can't be found readily with a little effort. With that availability deferring a purchase is easy. Now, if you take a 1 of 1 card or a very low pop card, it will still sell very nicely even with fewer people out there to compete for it.

Of course, if you really care about value maintenance, stop collecting plastic and start collecting classics--go prewar and go rare when you do. When a rare prewar card surfaces it does well in almost any market.

[JasonL]

if buyers are thinking that they are getting good deals relative to the SMR value....helps keep the buyer buying!
It's like an Indian Rug store that has the perpetual "Going out of Business Sale!"
Why wouldn't you buy????
Deals galore!

[Leon]

Well, I am not really a postwar or high grade collector but I have followed a few auctions before and use ebay to buy, extensively. I think Adam hit the nail on the head.

If you can go find the card tomorrow, and cash is short today (as it is for a lot of us), then you put off that buy unless it's a steal ie...a few of the sales listed in the first post. If I were a high grade 50's - 70's collector I would still have some worry that many more of my valuable PSA 9, 1 of 1 cards would come to surface. I am sure a 1 of 5 goes for less than a 1 of 1. I wonder how many unopened cases the Fritsch family still has?

In the pre-war space it's about true rarity and not pop reports. I still get a chuckle when someone asks me about many of my rare cards and ask the pop report on them. I usually just tell them the pop is snap-crackle and move on. They obviously don't understand pre-war (WWII)......

edited to add that I am NOT putting down the way anyone collects...if they want to go for high grade post war it is their money...If they have fun collecting that way who am I to rain on their parade?...Hey, who knows, their way might be better in the long run!! (it's not a philosophy I share though)

[mintacular]

I think SMR book prices is the issue, not that demand for post-war vintage has dropped. If your argument is "post-war vintage cards aren't selling for book", then yes, you will lose every time (recession or no recession) as book prices have historically represented the top end price for almost all cards and are almost never realized.

As for pre-war cards, I think any smart consumer recognizes that these cards are a safe investment IF YOU HAVE THE $ and KNOWLEDGE to play the game.

Here's my question: If you had 100 grand to spend on cards and your primary goal was to purchase cards that would appreciate in value over time, would you buy pre-war tobacco cards, etc. or load up on high-grade HOF golden era rookies (Mantle, Koufax, Mays, Clemente, etc)??

I think the argument could be made that supply of high grade post-war cards will stay low enough and demand will be steady (no one family can flood the market with thousands more Clemente cards) and thus a 100 grand investment in these cards could pay dividends.

Here's my issue with the pre-war ones, I think a big chunk of collectors buy cards for the player on the card and memories of post-war players are still fresh with many while pre-war players will fade in the public's conscience as the years roll on...JMO