Posted By:
Al C.risafulliIf I were going to think like an investor, I would want to invest in the cards with the least risk.
That means I wouldn't be buying low pop commons. The risk would be too great that they could become high pop commons.
I also wouldn't be buying anything scarce that nobody knows about, like 1921 Herps. Who knows if ten years from now, a shoebox of them doesn't show up at a yard sale?
I wouldn't buy any current players. I've seen too many Mark Fidrych and Joe Charboneaus.
I wouldn't be buying any commons, so I wouldn't be building sets. I'd want to be able to sell my cards to the widest possible market, without worrying about whether the supply will ever outweigh the demand. That means household names only.
I'd also want to safeguard myself against the possibility that the "market" loses confidence in high-grade cards due to alterations, or in low-grade cards for whatever reason, so I'd want to choose cards that have value in every grade, and I'd want to own them in a variety of conditions.
So, essentially, I'd just hoard '52 Mantles, Goudey Ruths, and T206 Cobbs. As many as possible. From an investment standpoint, I don't think you could go wrong with that. Which is also why I think all of us - even those of us who consider themselves "investors" - are really "collectors" who have different approaches.
-Al