How do you see the market 10yrs from now

[Touch'EmAll]

As a tax guy, I see a lot of different investment transactions - Government bonds, basic interest accounts at the bank, speculative stocks, blue chip stocks, high dividend yielding mutual funds, single family rentals, small businesses, etc.

Cards are investments, not mainline, but they are investments. Tough to imagine that anybody thinks, gee, I am buying cards, but have no hopes of them ever increasing in value.

Be smart and don't build your entire portfolio around them. However, if done right, they can be investments that DO yield a positive rate of return. I have accumulated pre-war cards of major HOF'ers mostly in PSA 5 and 6 grades: T206's of Cobb, Matty, Walter Johnson and Cy Young. 1920's Exhibits of Ruth and Gehrig. A Satchell Paige here, a Jimmie Foxx there, A very nice PSA 8 run of Hank Aaron's, and similar type stuff.

The long term result (10 year hold plus) has seen some nice price appreciation. I am glad I have them built into my portfolio as investments. Just my 2 cents.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by 100backstroke

Cards are investments, not mainline, but they are investments. Tough to imagine that anybody thinks, gee, I am buying cards, but have no hopes of them ever increasing in value.

The long term result (10 year hold plus) has seen some nice price appreciation. I am glad I have them built into my portfolio as investments. Just my 2 cents.

I have been doing this (for the most part) 30+ years.

Appreciation is only guaranteed in my eyes, not in value.

I went through many phases of my collection crashing after booms like we have seen in the past few years, ask the 90s guys. If I don't lean on a hope that demand outpaces supply and just enjoy myself I will not be disappointed.

If your window is only the last 10 years, then yes you have been in a phase of appreciation. How long the PSA love lasts with outside investors depends on a reputation with a constantly eroding base.

Just enjoy the collection and if something good happens value wise, enjoy that too.

[Timbegs]

I have often wondered what will happen in 10-20 years when most of the people who could have pulled these cards from packs and their peers have passed. I think many adults who collect - of all ages - are reliving their youth, chasing cards they had or coveted as a child (guilty!). Granted, I am 37 and have never collected cards that were from my lifetime. When me and my friends went to the card shop, they bought packs of NBA Hoops while I saved up and bought a Willie, Mickey or Duke. My favorite cards have always been mid to low grade from that era 1951-1969. With little exception.

I have never been able to draw a conclusion. Up, down, stays about the same? Hard to say - and much like the stock market, there are both predictable and unpredictable factors and we're really just guessing...