College student interested in investing in a Hank Aaron Rookie card

[AstroJake09]

Hi all,

I am interested in investing in a 1954 Topps rookie card of Hank Aaron. I have a small collection of cards featuring my favorite players but am a very novice collector when it comes to sports cards. From what I’ve seen Aaron’s ‘54 Topps not only holds its value but is often a good card to own at any time. I’ve seen the prices it commands Andy’s a college student this is a project that would take time to save up for even with the cheapest option. I’d just like to get a feel for what I should expect to spend and if there is anyone on the forum who can share what I should look for and what I should avoid.

Thanks so much!

[Natswin2019]

I'm not sure if it shows a complete picture, but based on the psa website most recent auction results page, it looks like for a low grade example (A,1,1.5,2) you are probably looking at a price of between 750$ and 2000$ depending on the grade.

[ASF123]

Assuming you're looking for a graded card, you will likely get a better card for your money with an SGC or BVG than a PSA.

Prices are rising across the board, but according to Vintage Card Prices (an invaluable resource), PSA 2s have been selling for a little over $2k on average (range between $1500 and $2950), whereas SGC 2s range from $890 to $1540, average of $1290.

Of course that only speaks to a nicer card for you to have. In terms of resale value, the market currently puts a premium on PSA graded cards over others (as shown above) because...??? As far as I can tell, there is no factual basis for why the market does that (and a lot of reasons not to), just "that's what the market does." Will it continue to be that way in the future? Who knows - I would like to think not, but a lot of irrational beliefs are proving to be pretty durable these days.

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by ASF123

Assuming you're looking for a graded card, you will likely get a better card for your money with an SGC or BVG than a PSA.

Prices are rising across the board, but according to Vintage Card Prices (an invaluable resource), PSA 2s have been selling for a little over $2k on average (range between $1500 and $2950), whereas SGC 2s range from $890 to $1540, average of $1290.

Of course that only speaks to a nicer card for you to have. In terms of resale value, the market currently puts a premium on PSA graded cards over others (as shown above) because...??? As far as I can tell, there is no factual basis for why the market does that (and a lot of reasons not to), just "that's what the market does." Will it continue to be that way in the future? Who knows - I would like to think not, but a lot of irrational beliefs are proving to be pretty durable these days.

My belief as to the primary reason why PSA cards sell for more has everything to do with the PSA set registry - a forum where people compete for the best cards and sets - all in PSA holders. While an easy argument could be made to support that SGC and BVG are as competent (or incompetent) at actual grading - neither has competition for the PSA set registry.

[ASF123]

My belief as to the primary reason why PSA cards sell for more has everything to do with the PSA set registry - a forum where people compete for the best cards and sets - all in PSA holders.

Fair point - that is indeed a stroke of marketing genius on PSA's part. Whether it constitutes a "real," factual basis for that much of a premium is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by hcv123

My belief as to the primary reason why PSA cards sell for more has everything to do with the PSA set registry - a forum where people compete for the best cards and sets - all in PSA holders. While an easy argument could be made to support that SGC and BVG are as competent (or incompetent) at actual grading - neither has competition for the PSA set registry.

Totally agree. That's PSA's competitive advantage.