[ls7plus]

Jarrod, in my humble opinion, based on a 20+ year study of both the card market and coins, appreciation is directly related to three factors: (1) rarity, or scarcity; (2) condition--get the best you can find or afford (although I'm awfully leery of pre-sixties ultra-grade condition rarities--who know how far ahead of the graders the card doctors are at any given moment?); and (3) significance. Follow auctions; follow e-bay; check pop reports (as just a guide only), talk especially to members of the pre-war section of this board, as you've got some of the most knowledgable collectors and dealers right here (for Exhibits, which I personally like and consider to be "high-end" with regard to the photograph reproduction of the images, check with Adam, the Exhibitman--he really knows this stuff).

I collect primarily pre-war stars and hall-of-famers, after starting out with '50's and '60's cards around 1990. One thing that will become very apparent after some interaction with the pre-war set collectors is that they know the most about how tough it is to find any given card in a set, with the type collectors coming in second, and guys like me coming in quite a bit behind.

Are there too many '33 mid-grade Goudey Ruths to appreciate in value quite nicely? My personal opinion is yes; others may feel differently. But there will never be too many '23-'24 Exhibit Ruths to do quite nicely in the long-term, or quite obviously, some of the other Exhibits (I believe Adam states that the 1926 Exhibit Ruth is very, very tough also), and feel these are just coming into their own. Their are quite a few more of the '21 Exhibits, but this is truly a classic Ruth card, embodying what was really Ruth's best all-around year (off the top of my head, 44 doubles, 16 triples, 59 HR's and a .376 average) and the year of the Yankee's first pennant. Don't get stuck in a box, thinking only Goudey. The most valuable Ruths are mere regionals--the 1914 Baltimore News Ruth minor league schedule card (since only about 11 are known, however, they've gotten a little out of my price range. The first sale I know of was for $6,000 in the '89 Copeland auction; now try to find one for less than a cool $200K!).

Which reminds me--I could have gotten a NMt-Mt M101 Ruth rookie in the early '90's (many of which are actually regionals) for only $7,000 (there we go:relatively rare and significant, and in high grade)--problem was, only had $5,000 to spend. Now, almost 20 years later, after a PSA 8 has sold for $140,000, the wife says she would have given me the additional two grand, since it was Babe Ruth--yeah, right! $140,000 she likes; Babe Ruth not so much!

Think a little outside the box, and remember, collectors like things rare!

Just my two cents (or 50 or 60!).

Best wishes always on your collecting,

Larry