Investment Q...

[glchen]

I think I agree that a top tier HOFer in higher condition will appreciate more than a short print like Demmitt. There will be more demand for the Cobb in higher condition. It's an interesting question because Demmitt is part of the Big Six (? or 7, 8, etc) of the T206, so there is still some cache to the card as opposed to a Nodgrass card. I would wonder which would appreciate more, a Doyle Nat'l in poor condition or a Cobb in higher condition (say 7/8) but equivalent value. Here the Doyle is in even scarcer short print and is in the Big 4. I think in this case the Doyle would probably be better.

[fkw]

Neither card is "Rare", but the Cobb (red) is actually probably the most common prewar card in existence, with a few thousand out there floating around and many sold every single day.

Values on T206 cards in low to mid grade will stay the same roughly, they sell now (raw) for basically what they have sold for over the last 20 years.

If you want to buy a lower/mid grade card and flip for profit a few years from now, buy a rare "type" card, not a T206.
And obviously the price you initially pay is going to make a difference in how much profit you may make when you flip it. If you pay top $$ or overpay, you may not make a penny.

[ls7plus]

Very interesting and persuasive analysis by both Franks. Price appreciation, in my humble opinion and after through study, is generally a factor of (1) scarity or rarity; (2) significance; and (3) condition. I would agree that the answer will really depend upon whether the population of Cobb collectors grows faster than that of those collecting T206 relative rarities such as Demmitt. Interestingly, even Hager's 1995 Sixsport Certified Price Guide (yeah, yeah, I know, its Hager, but he had the right idea with regard to what was really going to become valuable even in times prior to that, when the hobby was running amok with modern rookie card fever!) would seem to indicate that Demmitt is losing that race, after an early lead. At least for now.

I generally put a higher value on upper-tier hall-of-famers such as Cobb, but I like mine quite a bit rarer, and don't have much interest in an example that, as Frank Ward suggests, exists in the thousands.

Nice pic, Peter.

Very thought provoking.

Larry