Downward trend in card values?

[rats60]

Originally Posted by OlderTheBetter

Will there be future generations of collectors of anything in the numbers we see today? I seriously doubt it. The digital world is much different than the one we grew up in and the passion for ephemera of all kinds is on the wane by the under-40 crowd. There will always be enthusiasts but they will become scarcer. Interest in hard-copy anything is decreasing overall.

We're already seeing an obvious decline it in the antiquarian book market as well as in comic books that are not first appearances, key issues or low-print variants.

Set building in almost all collectibles is slowly dying in interest and that trend should accelerate.

Hall of famers, key rookies and players with high name recognition for pre-1970 cards will retain value due to lower supply and condition issues. Demand will decrease but be offset by low supply.

These are my predictions as a collector for over 50 years of cards, comics and books. I seriously hope most collectors aren't investing big money in their collections. Leave your money to your kids in another form.

I agree with everything above, except your last statement. Vintage sports cards are as good an investment that you can leave. That is what my son is getting. They are extremely easy to liquidate. I wish my dad had done the same instead of parking his investments with crooked financial institutions. If it wasn't for the few hard assets, precious metals, I would be screwed in taking care of my mother. Those people make those in the sportscard industry look like saints.

The death of set collecting is the high price of common no name players. Those who collected in the 50s and 60s chased sets because the fillers cost a penny, nickle, or dime. Dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars in no name fillers when you can put the same money into any of the top 10 or so names, easily recognized by any collector in the future, seems foolish to me. Invest smart by buying "waterfront property" and you will be ok.