Advice on High End Card purchase

[Canofcorn]

Dont you just hate the new guys that always want to "invest" in the cards. Actually, I really do love the hobby aspect...and I've been on the boards for a while now and really enjoyed it. Have done some nice transactions with many of you and built up a nice little collection and have assembled a smattering of 50's-60's rookies...but now it's time to step it up a notch.

In your opinion, what are some card(s) I need to collect that potentially has the best upside in 5-10+ years. Like the 1952 Topps Mantle, if you got a nice one even just a few years ago you are just sitting pretty.

I would like to hear what you guys think. I just want to put myself in the best position. Nothing is guaranteed of course..but I love vintage and it's very stable.
I heard things from, buy a 1951 Bowman Mantle, Goudey Ruth, to a PSA 7 Hank Aaron rookie, to key T206...."nothing sells in a pinch like a Mantle or a Ruth" Is there something else I should keep an eye out for. Budget is up to $5k. It's nothing crazy...but a lot for me. I blame Mike Trout...if he wasn't so good I wouldn't have this Paypal avaialble.

I put this in the baseball section but certainly open to other sports suggestion. (I have a Gretzky O Pee Chee and Jordan already)

[mmier118]

My advice is probably only worth what you are paying for it lol, but I would think that if you are just going for one card that either a 1951 bowman Mantle or a 1933 Goudey Ruth are good options. I even like the World Wide Gum Ruth's, as I believe they are still a little under appreciated compared to their Goudey counterparts. You said you were open to other sports and while not as expensive as the others a high grade centered 1958 Jim Brown should hold it's value or do better as centered versions of this card are tough to come by. I am of the opinion that vintage football has more room to grow than baseball so high grade centered examples of older football HOF RC's would be worth looking into. Ultimately I would try to find cards that you will enjoy owning no matter what happens to their value and trust that in the future these will be the cards that others see value in too.

[MattyC]

1. '25 Gehrig RC - edit to add can maybe still find a 1-2 grade specimen for 5k, if one surfaces.

2. 51B Mick RC.

3. 33 Goudey Ruth, #53 and #144.

4. 68 Topps Nolan Ryan RC.

[pawpawdiv9]

Anything from the Leon Luckey Collection from Heritage.
If Leon once owned it, it has to be worth something!!!

ADDED:
1989 Donruss are gonna be getting HOT!!!

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Anything from the Leon Luckey Collection from Heritage.
If Leon once owned it, it has to be worth something!!!

ADDED:
1989 Donruss are gonna be getting HOT!!!

Lol, Chris ain't they still printing 88, 89, and 90 Donruss or does it just seem like it.

MattyC had some great choices. I am just a collector so grade means nothing to me. My only opinion would be to make the choice in the cards you want to invest in. Then research those cards and buy a couple cheap commons from the same set to get familiar with the set. Then buy raw examples from a collector that you feel meet the stanards you want. If investing always get the best example you can afford. Then when you sell find what grading companies cards are selling the best at that time and then have them graded before selling.

With all the fiasco's going on in the grading industry now I would not hold any of their cards for a long(10+ yrs) investment.

[pokerplyr80]

Those are all good choices. I recently picked up a 51 bowman mantle and a 33 goudey ruth in the price range you're looking at. For an investment I would say a psa 6 or 7 55 clemente would also be a good choice. As would a high end later issue Mantle, PSA 8. Like a 56 or 57.

Or a nice t206 green cobb. You could probably get a 4-5 at your price.

[Canofcorn]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I now have a nice blueprint on what to keep on the lookout for....in fact, I might need to sell a few more Troutys because I pretty much want everything that was mentioned!

[hcv123]

The Venezuelan cards are some of the most underappreciated in the hobby imho. Their availability in any condition is usually between 2% and 5% of what is available in regular topps issues. Collectors are at the beginnings of learning about and understanding these cards. Prices haven't yet truly begun to reflect the limited supply of these cards. I would stay with the key cards:

1959 Venezuelan Mantle
1960 Venezuelan Yaz rookie
1964 Venezuelan Rose
1964 Venezuelan Mantle
1967 Venezuelan Clemente
1968 Venezuelan Ryan rookie


Good luck finding most of them

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by hcv123

The Venezuelan cards are some of the most underappreciated in the hobby imho. Their availability in any condition is usually between 2% and 5% of what is available in regular topps issues. Collectors are at the beginnings of learning about and understanding these cards. Prices haven't yet truly begun to reflect the limited supply of these cards. I would stay with the key cards:

1959 Venezuelan Mantle
1960 Venezuelan Yaz rookie
1964 Venezuelan Rose
1964 Venezuelan Mantle
1967 Venezuelan Clemente
1968 Venezuelan Ryan rookie


Good luck finding most of them

I disagree. The Venezuelans are going to start tanking soon. I would avoid them at all costs, particularly the 59 Mantle. And, if you already have one with a cream back, I'd be willing to help you recoup some of your costs on it.

In all seriousness, as much I hate any additional competition, I think cards like the 68 Venezuelan Ryan Rookie, and others, are very undervalued right now given what they are and the significance to the hobby.

[pokerplyr80]

I personally think for what you're looking for, purely an investment, Venezuelans would be a risky choice. The supply is very limited, but there's a limited market as well. You could hit a home run, or you could take a hit.

Nothing is ever a sure thing, but personally I think you'd be better off with a big name HOF rookie card in the nicest condition you can afford.

Aside from what's already been mentioned I believe a 51 Bowman or 52 Topps Mays still has quite a bit of upside potential.

[autograf]

Like the 1952 Mays, 1952 Robinson, 1952 Campy mid-to-high grade cards. All under-appreciated.......

[Canofcorn]

Originally Posted by autograf

Like the 1952 Mays, 1952 Robinson, 1952 Campy mid-to-high grade cards. All under-appreciated.......

I actually have those 3! Mid grade with nice eye appeal. (despite picture quality)


[IMG][/IMG]

[autograf]

Great centering. Love that campy at a 3.5. What a beauty!

[Econteachert205]

I'd pick up some super high end raw 1970s sets.

[Canofcorn]

Originally Posted by autograf

Great centering. Love that campy at a 3.5. What a beauty!

Thanks! I had a thread on the Campy (which has much better pictures)...seeking advice on possible bump. Not going to try and bump for now is what I took from it...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=208295

[clydepepper]

High-Grade base Mantle issues are what I just finished and I believe they are the closest to anything being a guarantee. I purchased 8's when I could afford it and 7's otherwise...I only have one of each, but would probably consider getting additional copies.

The '52 Topps is way out of my range - especially since I will not take in beaters even if they are graded. That card may not get much higher IMHO. The '51 Bowman is a better possibility for growth.
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Ruth is also a great choice - but nothing compares to The Mick.
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[1952boyntoncollector]

You also want to look at price points...there are lots of guys that make 100k a year that wont pay more than 2k for a card..

so a card that's 1600 now that's one of the cards mentioned on the thread..may have room of 400 to that 2k.....or better yet a card selling for 1200 now....it becomes trickier when buying a 5k card....yeah the more expensive the card the more chance for bigger profit....but the amount of buyers interested in 10k plus cards is a lot less than buyers in the 1-2k range...

[rats60]

I would stay away from post ww2 cards except for Mantle. Those cards are too plentiful. I would look for rarer cards. 33 Goudey Ruth would be a good choice. I would also consider t206 hofers, Cobb, Johnson, Matty, Young or Speaker. I would also consider a t205 Cobb.

[Canofcorn]

Guys thank you!!! I have plenty of info at this point.
I will make sure to post my purchases in a few months on a seperate thread.

in the meantime, I might be selling some other cards on here!
Your recommendations are expensive!!

Best,
Mike

[David W]

I think OPC cards of the major rookies would be a good investment.

OPC from 60's and early 70's are just a small fraction of the amount
of Topps printed.

[hcv123]

The underlying factor to this questions is one of basic economic theory (of which I remember very little about, but will be happy to offer my opinion anyway). Price being the variable - if demand is greater than supply price is driven up. If supply is greater than demand - price is driven down. Time is another relevant factor in this conversation. Today baseball cards are widely collected - part of a sport that is our national pastime, etc, etc. An important question is - is the fan base for baseball growing or shrinking? A growing base would lend itself to a position that baseball card collecting isn't going anywhere and in fact is sustainable for the short to intermediate future. If the fan base is shrinking, it would definitely cause concern for the intermediate but perhaps not the short term.
I would prefer to take the risk with an item I know to be in short supply of the most collected player(s). While often times there is less demand for them, I usually only need 2-5 people interested to get some price appreciation (as in the case of the Venezuelans). Something like the Mantle rookie from a supply stand is much more risky over time- why is the market climbing - are there really that many more people willing to pay that much more for it? Is it being driven artificially in some way? Assuming all is legit - what happens to the price at the point where demand starts to fall and the supply is so plentiful? All of that said. Time will tell.

[drcy]

Remember that investment value is based on the specific price you paid. Some people get this idea to invest in a card and don't think twice about what they pay for it. Though knowing values and following auctions, you get a 10% discount ('good deal') on your card, that's the monetary same of the card going up 10% in value. If you are enamored on the 'investment possibilities' of a card and over pay, you can lose money even if the book price goes up.

Certainly buying a card that has good eye appeal for its grade is a good idea.

[ls7plus]

The winning formula throughout all collecting fields is really rather simple: rare and significant in the best condition you can find or afford. As to specifics, that is where in depth of knowledge of both the game's history and the cards that reflect it come in. Get the knowledge before buying the card, analyse it, and make your own best decision! Rather than simply jumping on someone else's bandwagon, you might want to consider the approach a very knowledgeable coin collector, John J. Pittman took. Pittman was an Eastman Kodak engineer, making a good but never great income, but sought out knowledge and rare and significant but undervalued items (he could never afford the true "trophy" types of coins, such as an 1804 Silver Dollar or 1913 Liberty Head nickel). Over about five decades of pursuing knowledge of the field and that strategy, he was able to amass a collection that sold for more than $40 million after his passing. He also must have had an understanding wife of truly epic proportions, as she agreed to a second mortgage on their home so Pittman could travel to Egypt to participate in the King Farouk collection auction held after Farouk was deposed in the '50's!

As prolific author/head of the class dealer Q. David Bowers wrote in his books on coin investing, buy the book(s) before the coin!

Your effort to gain knowledge, analytical ability, diligent pursuit of the items you consequently determine to seek out and long-term perseverance will determine your success in monetary appreciation concerning the cards you procure.

Best of luck in your endeavors,

Larry