Posted By:
Charlie BarokasI will take the liquidity of "Babe Ruth" over most any growth stock in the market, let a lone a Futures Contract.
Once again I think this thread wreaks of sour grapes and or the aggrivation of a hobby/business that has matured pasted penny packs.
Everybody wants to buy good quality items at a bargain price but as with the stock market and other markets , "value stocks" and or discounted items might just be discounted for a reason.
This is a homework hobby/business (like the stock market) and if you have done your homework there might just be value in paying up for a high quality card.
Dealers or collectors that are only looking to buy cards strictly on a discount to book price ratio might end up with a portfolio of low-end for the grade cards. In my opinion, low-end for the grade cards are the more susceptible to a decline in value..
I think it is missing the point to always be looking for the cheap card. I would argue that the finest cards in the hobby have gone up far more over the last 10 years than the so called "crumbs" have.
Some collectors might say that they are not buying cards for the appreciation, well then this thread does not apply to you. But the point of this thread is be fearful of expensive cards as they might fall off a cliff and the true seasoned 30 year vet knows how to pick value out of the dime box that will some how be bullit proof to the volatility of the coming ebbs and flows.
Fine wines just keep getting better and better. If you feel like bidding on 50 Goudeys all without the last name Ruth only because you might win them at a discount to SMR, I would argue buy the Ruth and overtime you will be rewarded even though you may have to pay up now. This does not apply to those that are building the Goudey set but rather to the Author who seem to think the "crumbs: are the safe haven of the hobby while all expensive cards are doomed to fall.
Some people will say they cannot afford a Ruth, well in that case, buy the best cards (Scarity, condition etc) within your budget and forget about the deceptive "crumbs". Like in the stock market, its not how many shares you buy of stock that makes you money, its the percentage allocated to the best of breed companies. Would a person have been better off buying 1000 shares of collectors universe at 20 or 100 of Google at 200.
Charlie