Sell my 52T Mays?

[Brianruns10]

Friends I'm really struggling with a tough decision here. I have a 1952 Topps Mays. It's a PSA 6 and dead centered. A beauty. It's my favorite card in my collection, and I'm fortunate in that I am not hurting for money right now. Normally I wouldn't think of selling, but I just cannot decide what I should do with these crazy sales prices.

A card identical to mine sold on ebay a few days ago in a Best Offer for $25K. And there's an SGC 5.5 on ebay now that's already up to 20K with 7 days yet to go.

Like I said, in normal times I would be content to hang on to this beauty but if this is a bubble and I could get 25K for a card that will soon be work 5 or 6K again, I would seriously be thinking of cashing out.

Or is this a price correction for an undervalued player? As much as I hate the thought of losing 15 or 20K by not selling now, I hate even more the thought of selling something that might one day be a new Mantle, fetching high five or low six figures for that grade

What do you think?

[Casey2296]

It's my favorite card in my collection

Nuff said...

[Peter_Spaeth]

I think it's more likely than not we are near a peak but then again there is a lot of new money in the hobby and it's an elite card so who the heck knows. Nobody is who. There's no right answer. If you sell, ask a lot more than 25 based on that SGC card you mentioned. Or, auction it, in a rising market that can work out better. PM me and I am glad to recommend someone if you wish. Good luck.

[Cmvorce]

If you don’t need the money and you value having the card in your collection, don’t sell.

If you don’t care about grades, you could sell and then buy a PSA 3 and still come away with a nice profit.

I think it comes down to whether, at heart, you’re collecting for profit or collecting for love. Different cards fall into different places on that scale for me. It sounds like the Mays is all about love for you. If that’s the case, no need to sell no matter what.

[marzoumanian]

I have a 52 Mays in a PSA 7 and I also have been tracking prices on it BUT just for the fun of it. DON'T pull the trigger. As others have said, it truly is a sweet card from a truly iconic set. Enjoy the card and relax. Prices aren't going down on this one, IMHO.
Peace.

[jchcollins]

It's a very personal decision. I would be on the side that says don't sell your favorite card if you don't have to, but then again I am in it much more for the cards than the money and I don't have anything in my collection worth even a fraction of that card. There are those who always intend to get rid of their cards at some point; if you are one of those types of collector / investors then it may well be worth considering peaks and where exactly the market is. But I would also use the "regret meter" - are you going to be kicking yourself a month from now if you sell it? I try to approach decisions kind of like that even if moving some of my smaller pieces around.

[Tyruscobb]

If you truly feel this is a bubble and that we are nearing its peak, then it only makes collecting/financial sense to sell - even if it is your favorite card. Earmark the sale’s proceeds for future card purchases, and sit tight.

Then, when prices drop, you can buy the same equivalent card (maybe even a better one), and potentially a lot more cards, with the earmarked money. You will have a much better collection in the long-run, and without having to pump new capital into it. However, this assumes we are in a bubble and its peaking.

Mays cards started trending upwards in December, and exploded after Aaron’s death. I almost think that his death will not have a major effect on his card’s prices. His death is almost already baked into the prices we are seeing – at least in my humble opinion.

Good luck with your decision. It’s a great problem to have – keep your favorite card or sell and make a boatload.

[jchcollins]

Aaron could prove us all wrong, but historically anyway - I usually think that player deaths are extremely overrated in terms of their effect on card values. Sure there may be a temporary spike, but in most markets a year or so later it was hard to tell exactly what had happened to the cards only because the player died. Mickey Mantle cards were already valuable when he died. They remained that way, but not necessarily because he died. Does that make sense?

[deken]

It’s funny you posted this as I am having the exact same dilemma as you are. The only difference is that mine isn’t graded. Trying to decide whether to send it in to get it graded. However, I know if it grades 6 or better I will sell it, and not sure I am ready to part with it yet.

[drcy]

My philosophy is if you can get substantial profit, take it. But that's my philosophy.

I think Mays is a bit undervalued and forgotten at this moment. When he dies, he will likely get a great deal of attention as one of the 1-3 greatest baseball players of all time. His Negro League ties will aid in this attention.

[jchcollins]

Cracking up remembering the time a kid brought a '52 Topps Mays to junior high school and was showing it off. This was like 1990, maybe. I think it belonged to some relative? It wasn't in great shape but it was real - I knew enough about cards even then to realize. At the time probably a $500 card. That kid traded me a lot of things over the years, but he wouldn't trade that, LOL.

[dio]

No one can tell you when the top is. Just if you sold,try not to look back. Just enjoy your cash depreciation when fed prints more money

[ccre]

I'm curious how many of you have shifted from collecting cards to investing in cards at this point. Essentially moving from collecting what you like to collecting what you think will be a big investment.

[1880nonsports]

but I have faced that problem MANY times albeit not at that lofty a level. Unless it can't be replaced - lock up a good profit and buy a NICE card in it's place.

[dio]

I regretted sold 2x 86 Jordan 8.5 for 850. 1200 for 51 Bowman mantle 3 and others when I need to buy a house back in 10. I should have just ride it through without selling. Lesson learned. After that I have been buying back and never really sold a single card. Maybe down the line in future I might have to. But I'm not selling something I love and will continue to appreciate unless I have to.

[Jason19th]

I am having the same dilemma with my 52 Jackie. I have an A that I paid 900 for. It’s looks great and I am seeing all of these much worse looking 1’s going for 4,000. I really comes down to 1. Do you need the money 2. I there something you want more you could buy and 3. Is the profit so much that you cannot justify keeping. When I think about profit I like to think about if it’s an amount of money that I would notice six months from now or would it just go into the wash

[dio]

Originally Posted by 1880nonsports

but I have faced that problem MANY times albeit not at that lofty a level. Unless it can't be replaced - lock up a good profit and buy a NICE card in it's place.

It can be replaced. But knowing you sold it for xxx amount. Later when it rises to xxxx . Even you have the money you will not buy it back because in your mind you remember you sold it for xxx

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Sell it and find the best looking replacement at a lower grade level. You'll still own the card and will have taken some $ off the table at a great price.

[riggs336]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

Sell it and find the best looking replacement at a lower grade level. You'll still own the card and will have taken some $ off the table at a great price.

This. But wait until May when there is substantial media coverage of his 90th birthday.

[jcmtiger]

Originally Posted by dio

It can be replaced. But knowing you sold it for xxx amount. Later when it rises to xxxx . Even you have the money you will not buy it back because in your mind you remember you sold it for xxx

This happens with lots of sales. We would never sell anything if we thought this way I see cards I had that are selling for many times more than I sold them for. Especially when grading came along. Sell & purchase a lower grade for less money. Joe

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

Sell it and find the best looking replacement at a lower grade level. You'll still own the card and will have taken some $ off the table at a great price.

I agree. Did that with my Dr. J RC last year and haven't regretted it. Of course it helps that I got out about 25% above current market.

Or just put the card up for sale at a crazy price and see what happens. I did that over the weekend with a Ruth card I don't really want to sell but will if I can cash out at the right price. In this frothy market you never know.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by ccre

I'm curious how many of you have shifted from collecting cards to investing in cards at this point. Essentially moving from collecting what you like to collecting what you think will be a big investment.

I invest in companies and my business, I collect cards. Yes, my collection is worth quite a bit but its for my pleasure that I collect. My son and daughter can decide what to do with my collection after I'm gone.

I also don't think I would be a very good card investor/flipper since my collecting journey is personal I can't separate the two.

[Mike D.]

Another angle - what would you do with the profits? You say you don’t need the money, but money you don’t need can be powerful.

Buy other cards you’d really enjoy? Go on a dream vacation? Retire 6 months earlier? Donate to a charity near and dear to your heart?

If those things would give you more joy than owning the card...sell. If not, hang onto the card and don’t worry about what it’s worth!

[iwantitiwinit]

Don't be a numbskull sell it. In my opinion prices are beyond rational as are equity prices, cryptocurrencies, real estate in many locations, etc. It can't last forever and never does. When this ends it will be more than painful to many people. That said if the money doesn't mean anything then do what your heart tells you.

[Republicaninmass]

I'd sell and not look back 25k could get you a nice toy, or a step towards another goal

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by ccre

I'm curious how many of you have shifted from collecting cards to investing in cards at this point. Essentially moving from collecting what you like to collecting what you think will be a big investment.

I'd quit collecting before I focused on the financial aspect first. I will admit to being as intrigued by the dollar value of my collection as the next guy, but I think any more that's just being basically responsible given the price tags that are starting to accompany certain vintage cards.

But no, first and foremost - a card has to appeal to my sense of history and nostalgia and give me my "fix" in that department. Here lately that seems to be late 60's and early 70's sets. There was a time I would have snubbed such things and was interested only in 1950's cards. I sometimes have no idea what motivates me, but I can tell you for sure it's not money. (Unless you count figuring out how to get more money to spend on cards...)

[Jewish-collector]

Everything's relative. When a collector says their collection is worth "a lot" or "quite a bit" or "very valuable", that can mean $2,500 or $25,000 or $250,000 or $2.5 million or $25 million, etc,... It's nice to see cards skyrocket in price, but it's a double edged sword because it pushes others out of the hobby. I think it's only going to get worse as the balance tips even further to the business side of the hobby.

In terms of Brian selling his Mays or not, there's no right or wrong answer. You have to do what makes you happy in this hobby/business.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

Sell it and find the best looking replacement at a lower grade level. You'll still own the card and will have taken some $ off the table at a great price.

This right here. Sell the Mays, buy a nicely-centered 5 to replace it, and pocket the difference.

[egri]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Aaron could prove us all wrong, but historically anyway - I usually think that player deaths are extremely overrated in terms of their effect on card values. Sure there may be a temporary spike, but in most markets a year or so later it was hard to tell exactly what had happened to the cards only because the player died. Mickey Mantle cards were already valuable when he died. They remained that way, but not necessarily because he died. Does that make sense?

I disagree; when a player of Mays’s caliber dies, there is an extensive amount of positive media coverage that exposes people who otherwise wouldn’t be as aware of that player’s accomplishments. When Tom Seaver died, after reading some of the press coverage, I nearly went and picked up a couple cards of his (I couldn’t find a signed 1987 Topps at a reasonable price). I wouldn’t have looked into his cards if it hadn’t been for the attention he got, and he had been in declining health for a while, so it wasn’t really a shock.

[AGuinness]

One of the great parts about a hobby, any hobby that is, is the decisions that need to be made and how people prioritize parts of that hobby. What to collect, how to display it, when/if to sell, etc. are all valuable experiences to go through in their own right, not to mention the process of reevaluating things and shifting your collecting goal or focus.
I have my PC cards and I have also flipped, in part to help fund my PC. Unfortunately, I flipped my Mays 52T in an SGC holder a couple years before this boom, but it was the decision I made at the time. But again, I think these decisions and the process to make them are valuable in their own right.
Whatever you do, take some time to really think about it and make the call when you feel like you're ready. If you're not ready, just hold on to it until you are.
And one thing to consider if you do look to downgrade and try to keep some profits - after selling fees and taxes, the downgrade might be larger than you would want, so do those calculations first.
Oh - and congrats on having a great card and having the opportunity to make a good decision on it, whatever it may be!

[dio]

Originally Posted by Tabe

This right here. Sell the Mays, buy a nicely-centered 5 to replace it, and pocket the difference.

a regular 6 and a center 5 , difference might not be that much
great centering carry a huge premium.

[Tao_Moko]

This is and has been an under valued card for a long time. He is the last of the most iconic players still living. A well centered 6 will have a home in the market no matter the boom happening now. However, I have to agree that selling and buying a nice looking lower grade might be a reasonable compromise.

[campyfan39]

Agree

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

Sell it and find the best looking replacement at a lower grade level. You'll still own the card and will have taken some $ off the table at a great price.

[JohnnyKilroy]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

Sell it and find the best looking replacement at a lower grade level. You'll still own the card and will have taken some $ off the table at a great price.

I got a PSA 4 I’d love to upgrade. Let me know if you want to go this route!

[investinrookies]

I would not sell even in this market. This card is truly iconic and people are sleeping on its potential even after the run up it’s had. Furthermore a centered copy is very hard to find for this particular card and a centered 6 should be well north of 30k easy


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[dio]

Originally Posted by 1880nonsports

but I have faced that problem MANY times albeit not at that lofty a level. Unless it can't be replaced - lock up a good profit and buy a NICE card in it's place.

I think really higher end stuff iconic rookie grade 6+ will eventually hard to find unless paying ridiculously high bin now. When modern collectors diversify some of the asset into iconic vintage. Those will be ultra blue chip long hold

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by dio

I think really higher end stuff iconic rookie grade 6+ will eventually hard to find unless paying ridiculously high bin now. When modern collectors diversify some of the asset into iconic vintage. Those will be ultra blue chip long hold

Agree. Keep it.

Not the same thing, but a lesson learned. A few years ago I bought 2 ounces of rhodium for $775 each. I later sold one on ebay for a net profit of about a hundred and fifty bucks, and about a year ago traded the other one for 4 ounces of platinum, worth a little under $4,000.

Today, two ounces of rhodium are worth $38,000.00. Point is, when you have a rare, quality commodity, keep it. Someday the value of the 1952 Mays will more closely approach the 1952 Mantle, and the value of your card could easily get into 6 figures. Granted, the '52 Mantle is a high number, but it is also a double print. Career-wise, I would take Mays over Mantle personally and so would a lot of other people. Since you say you don't need the money, and the card will obviously always be worth way more than what you paid for it, just keep it and enjoy the ride.

If you sell it you could have serious rhodium-like regrets. If you keep it you will always have a great card with no regrets.

[Gorditadogg]

If you are looking at your card as an investment then you should sell. You are obviously worried about its future value. If that is keeping you up at night, it is a sign that it is too much risk for you and time to cash in.

I personally feel it is a good time to sell. Post covid, the demand for cards will drop as people find other things to do. Longer term I have concerns whether collecting old cardboard will be as popular for the younger generations and on a larger scale whether baseball itself will be as popular a game as it is now.

Having said all that, if you sent me a PM that you wanted to sell me that card today, I would figure out a way to stitch together the funds to buy it from you. After all there are only so many dead centered 52 Topps Mays cards out there and the collector in me would overrule my investor's logic.

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[brunswickreeves]

Compare any 52T graded version of Mays to Micks and you'll see all the potential. As new money enters the market from future relief funding, higher salaries pushed up by a rise in minimum wage, retirees swimming in retirement cash from double digit market returns over the past several years, and a rational market movement for greater equality in Mays card's values aligned to Micks, there is so much opportunity for a surge in this card's value.

Another point of view is to sell and actually upgrade.

[drcy]

No one (except by accident) can time the market perfectly or know when the peak is for a card or stock or anything, so don't concern yourself with that type of exactitude. As Salvador Dali said, "Have no fear of perfection. You'll never reach it."

[cardsagain74]

Even if the market does burst soon, it may be less likely that something like your Mays would lose anywhere close to the 80% that you fear. It's naturally a blue chip type holding.

What seems more like a possible bubble issue in the making is back page stuff like 1988 Fleer Magic Johnson PSA 9s selling for $250 now. A $15 card a year ago. That seems more like irrational panic buying that can lead to highly inflated prices that eventually plummet from the peaks

[rjackson44]

Keep it never ever sell it .take my advice

[toledo_mudhen]

If you dont do anything else - Spend the $ and get that thing in a PSA Holder - If for nothing else - Just to keep it safe(r). Accidents happen -

[Kutcher55]

Another PSA2 sold for over $5,900 on the bay last night. That is 4x what I paid for mine back in November. It’s hard to not want to sell at those prices but then I wouldn’t have a ‘52 Topps Mays card. Mays cards in general are still 3x or more less expensive than the comparable Mantle in most years after ‘52. The ‘52 is still probably 5x to 6x less expensive (est) so I guess I’ll hang on.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by egri

I disagree; when a player of Mays’s caliber dies, there is an extensive amount of positive media coverage that exposes people who otherwise wouldn’t be as aware of that player’s accomplishments. When Tom Seaver died, after reading some of the press coverage, I nearly went and picked up a couple cards of his (I couldn’t find a signed 1987 Topps at a reasonable price). I wouldn’t have looked into his cards if it hadn’t been for the attention he got, and he had been in declining health for a while, so it wasn’t really a shock.

Again, temporary spikes - yes. Did Mantle's card prices double when he died? Did anything like that happen for Ted Williams? No. I'm simply saying that the perceived effect of the death is less in my estimation than some people make it out to be. Most of the time significant increases in card values are attributable to other things.

[skelly423]

I sold mine in early 2020 and have regretted it ever since. It's got nothing to do with the money I left on the table by selling before the boom. It's the sadness of knowing what a great card I had, and that I can never replace it. Anything less than what I had feels like a cheap knockoff. Even with the market losing its mind lately, when you're talking about your favorite card, leave money out of the equation.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Again, temporary spikes - yes. Did Mantle's card prices double when he died? Did anything like that happen for Ted Williams? No. I'm simply saying that the perceived effect of the death is less in my estimation than some people make it out to be. Most of the time significant increases in card values are attributable to other things.

Didnt even happen for Berra. Who among his jokes, was the captain of the yankee ship, and very under rated

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Didnt even happen for Berra.

True. Berra has always puzzled me in that the baseball establishment seems to value him more like a clown prince than a 3 time MVP with 10 World Series rings...

[Exhibitman]

We are all facing the same decisions right now and there is no right answer (except of course our wives' standard answer to any question about cards: "Sell it all!"). About all I can add at this point is that I didn't start collecting 45+ years ago as an investment and I don't collect now to make money, I collect because I enjoy it. If my enjoyable little pastime happens to be part of my investment portfolio for retirement in 10-15 years from now, fantastic. If not, I still had a blast playing with my cards and BSing with my friends about it.

Burdick wrote that a card collection is "a magic carpet that takes you away from work-a-day cares to havens of relaxing quietude where you can relive the pleasures and adventures of a past day—brought to life in vivid picture and prose." Good to keep in mind these days.

[MR RAREBACK]

Always try to buy many extras off the cards you like in lower condition, you can sell the lower grades off when prices go up and keep the nice examples its a win win