Thoughts on 1950s cards over the next 15 years?

[wfubob]

I appreciate all the feedback! Learning a ton about how the industry has changed (for the better and worse!) since I got out of active collecting in the mid-80s. Enjoying it so much, I may come back in. Forgot how great it is!

I just wanted to clarify one thing--as I said in my initial post--I don't need the money. I would prefer to not sell the cards, preserve them in holders in my safe deposit box and give them to my kids someday (as I will my 70s and 80s collection). However, my grandmother gave very specific instructions that she wanted me to use the money from them to help send my oldest to college. Not to be sappy, but she couldn't afford to send her kids to college, and that's why I'm going to sell them. And you never crossed grandma!

It's just a matter of when over the next 15 years, which was the heart of my question to you guys, experts on this vintage. Obviously noone has a crystal ball as to values, but you are much more experienced than me.

Thanks again for any thoughts.

[mckinneyj]

Seems that you could satisfy your want to keep 'em and grandma's want to send the grandkids to college by getting them appraised (or appraising them yourself), buying them yourself, and then using the proceeds to fund the educations.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by mckinneyj

Seems that you could satisfy your want to keep 'em and grandma's want to send the grandkids to college by getting them appraised (or appraising them yourself), buying them yourself, and then using the proceeds to fund the educations.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[Volod]

Originally Posted by wfubob

I appreciate all the feedback! Learning a ton about how the industry has changed (for the better and worse!) since I got out of active collecting in the mid-80s. Enjoying it so much, I may come back in. Forgot how great it is!

I just wanted to clarify one thing--as I said in my initial post--I don't need the money. I would prefer to not sell the cards, preserve them in holders in my safe deposit box and give them to my kids someday (as I will my 70s and 80s collection). However, my grandmother gave very specific instructions that she wanted me to use the money from them to help send my oldest to college. Not to be sappy, but she couldn't afford to send her kids to college, and that's why I'm going to sell them. And you never crossed grandma!

It's just a matter of when over the next 15 years, which was the heart of my question to you guys, experts on this vintage. Obviously noone has a crystal ball as to values, but you are much more experienced than me.

Thanks again for any thoughts.

It's certainly admirable that you wish to abide by your grandmother's wishes, but give some thought to the possiblity that, however well-intentioned she was, the period from 1980 to 1995 was full of media reports about the new "hobby craze" of card collecting, with wildly inflated estimates of old card values. I think this period of publicity and hype may have led many people outside the
hobby to think that any old card collection was some sort of treasure trove and more valuable than it actually is.
Thus, your current knowledge of card values and how best to handle the collection should probably override - or at least temper - grandma's instructions at this point.
The psychologist is now out.