Spend a little now.....make a ton later!
 

Question that I posed in another thread.... As someone mentioned that a Baltimore news Ruth was bought for 6k at auction in 1991 and sold for 695k in 2015. Decent ROI lol..

What's the card now that can be bought for 6-10k now but will be worth 6 figures 25 years from now? Is there one, or has the real rare, very old stuff kind of topped out?

Just for fun, but I'm interested in hearing the speculation from the long time experts on the board......and everyone else!

Thanks,

Signed cards of Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, Mathewson, Wojo, and other inner circle HOFers.

The answer
 

1980 Charlotte Os Police issued Orange Cal Ripken card. It doesn't get much better based on the numbers you gave to Invest right now and that card has the greatest upside!

Now, if you find a California league Old Judge player on EBay or a rinky dink auction for 6k, then jump all over that as well.

1948 leaf paige
 

leaf paige , and rare backs drum uzit lenox broad leaf carolina brights
agree with signed cards of ruth cobb gehrig mantle hornsby…

Just for the sake of accuracy, the Baltimore News Ruth sold in the 1991 Sotheby's Copeland sale for $18,700 and it is still in the same person's collection. FWIW, it is not graded either.

Gotcha..
Thanks...I saw those numbers in another thread...I didnt know the actual deal/accuracy...


As cool as 206 cobbs are... There's just so many of them.
Folks new back then how special he was, so tons of those survived 100 years.
Although, the green Cobb is kind of pricey (I have no idea why....maybe it's more scarce?

Interesting about the rare backs... Lenox/Cb etc..

Have they risen in price the past 10 years or so to see a trend like that for the next 20 years? I'm new to the hobby.

As cool as 206 cobbs are... There's just so many of them.

You could say the same about the '52 Mantle, but that hasn't stopped it from huge escalations.

I have no idea. And neither does anyone else. :D

It would probably take another card like that to have a huge return, other than the obvious choices like the Gehrig exhibit rc. Some obscure set with a big name HOFer that no one pays attention to right now. There was probably one somewhere in that collection Leon just sold.

That's about as accurate a prediction as one could expect.

I will tell you after I have finished buying all of them :D

Speculation , conjecture ... Its excited and addicting .

1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig?

~Owen:)

I stocked up on loads of Earl Cunningham rookies about 25 years ago. I am pretty sure I will be banking those soon.

Am always surprised Willie Mays doesn't get more love from collectors. Overshadowed by others to some degree but what a player.
Wonder if his cards will go up dramatically in the future.

How about the 1951 Bowman Mantle? Cash in 2051?

I guess supply and demand doesn't really factor in when you think about the 52 mantle.
My guess is that bubble will burst at some point..

Rare back hof'ers and joe Jackson cards would be my guess.

A joe Jackson that can be bought for 5-10k now and turns over 200k in 20 years.

Maybe a caramel Card in great condition or a '15 Cracker Jack (already pretty high)

I bought a Cy Young signed Callahan last year for less than $1,000. I'm hoping to cash in on that one a few years from now. Also hoping my WaJo signed postcard skyrockets. It's generic but was written out by him between games in Cleveland and Detroit and signed Walter J. Postmark is 1909. Could be the earliest example in the hobby.

I shoot smaller..i look for cards in the 400-600 range that I think will sell for close to a 1000....theres a lot of collectors that pay 400 that can also afford a card for 900 or so.....4 years ago I did that with psa 8 Jackie Robinsons 1955-1956s..wish I bought more of them

I certainly hope you're right about this! Though I've never seen an authentic signed Matty card. Does Mrs. Jane Mathewson count???

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k7wGCxrOKHq3Epgwz5KneDiJm_Z5QsNdec5_I7WHZRE?feat=e mbedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qQ84OOCgzIE/TdxZ9iN8iiI/AAAAAAAAg2Y/NDmVJmzPrxw/s800-Ic42/MrsMatty.jpg" height="800" width="501" /></a>

If it were only this easy!

lol.

I think Peter really knows but just won't say :mad:

Billy Ripken FF.

I think we all grew up in this hobby and collected when we were in our teens or younger.....when we thought about making money on a card originally even 30 years later from that point we would of been in our late 40s..so its fun to think about a huge price increase 30 years later and still be in the middle of our lives.......but when we are in our mid 30s and up....I don't think the same benefit is there for us to hold a card for 30 years later for us..though the family gets to inherit cards for free.

I think some of the mentality of making a significant amount of money on a card works lot better when we were in our teens..

so when thinking about a quick 5 year turnaround who knows....

T206 Magie Error
 

How about the T206 Magie Error. Can't see it coming close to 6 figures, but do see the possibility of a good increase in value in all grade levels of this card.

Aaaaaahhhh GET OFF MY LAWN !!! Ya punk kids with your walked out sayings
 

Vintage Rookies . Rare variations .

icons , legends ,immortles

This is the equation now do the math .

I'm thinking that everything from the 1980s and 90s, that a lot of people call "junk-era" cards, will explode in value because there is a dude who keeps cutting them all into little pieces to make giant cards of old-timey players. Pretty soon those cards will be rarer than the older stuff and I will retire in luxury.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=214222

That's pretty awesome!

I agree about the auto's..... they might be the next large ROI 20 years down the line.

I got to say I dont know if this is a dream or a nightmare of mine . I have a steamer trunk in my basement full( and in my closet ) of this stuff . There has been so many times im like should I save them for my son , donate them to a school , throw them is the trash/fire ! Ooooooor save them and hope that everyone else is doing that and in 30 years Boom ��������������������.

Even though card collecting might be dead by then .

This thread begs the question


Who is going to profit when I'm 118?

Buy silver. It's at $13.80 an ounce right now, a 5 year low from $48 an ounce in 2011.

It costs somewhere around $9 to $9.50 to refine an ounce of silver. Once silver drops below the cost of refining, the refiners will close their doors (at least temporarily), as they're not going to lose money. This will create a demand (temporarily) and it will skyrocket in value. At that time, sell as refiners will re-open their doors to meet demand.

You heard it here first.

Mind blown ! But what makes you think it will drop that low . I've been scooping it up when I can get a good deal . But I just figured it was another collectors issue I was having . So I tried to only buy bullion cause I knew if I bought coins I would look for scarcity.


Guess what I found a guy that sell me junk silver for the weight at 14.00 Oz . I got a problem ! Last time I got a rare walking Liberty 1917 .

It might not. Who knows? It's like cards, nobody can predict the future. But even if it goes back up, don't you still make money?

You're smart buying in bullion. Too many people chase American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, etc - all stuff that carries a premium. It's okay if you're a collector, but if you just want to buy silver, buy bullion (the junk silver is good too if you can continue to buy it at that price).

David...where is the best place to buy junk Morgan silver dollars in bulk? I have seen them on Ebay in 100 count lots go for like $18-19 each, but if silver is at $14 I am reticent to pay that much. Is there a better place to buy it cheaper?

Tom C

Tom,

The site in my signature line is a great place to buy junk silver (from individuals, not dealers). They have a great B/S/T section and members earn feedback from their transactions.

I think junk silver is going for about 12X to 13X FV (face value) right now, so it seems to me like you could buy a Morgan in the $12-$13 range. I don't buy much junk silver, so I may be off a bit, but I think I'm pretty close.

If you're seeing them on eBay in the $18-$19 range, it's either way overpriced or maybe the coins have some collector value???

Other than that, I don't have any sources for junk silver. I buy mostly bullion and I get it from SilverTowne.

www.silvertowne.com

My personal favorite are 1oz silver bars (in lots of 5, 10 or more)...

http://www.silvertowne.com/p-23736-s...-bar-10pc.aspx

I like 1oz bars because I think the'll be easier to sell when I am ready. If the price of silver went back to $48 an ounce, it stands to reason that 1oz bars would be easier to sell (open to more buyers - maybe in small lots) rather than trying to sell a 100oz bar @ $4800 (which would eliminate many buyers just because of the price point).

How about Satchel Paige cards?

Some can be bought now for relatively cheap (1949)....

Could those be the next big boom cards or are there too many circulated

If the price of a commodity quadrupled, you'd probably do pretty well no matter what form you held it in.

Yes, but the premium doesn't quadruple with it. American silver coins (American Eagles) and some other silver coins (even some bullion) carry a much higher premium than a generic ounce of silver. I still say why pay the premium? To each their own, I'm just giving advice on what works for me.

I like a mid grade plank better. it just seems the much tougher card.

Love silver at its current price. I think you will get a chance to make 4x your money in the next ten years. The same is true of oil, but it's much harder to store.

Unquestionably, scrap. :eek:

i think the scrap(crap) train is on its way to jonestown. i say no to magie ever being more than a curiosity...it will never approach plank.

David, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. But if you can buy Morgans for $12-13 each I'll take all of them. In fact, unless they have holes in them I would say $18-20 isn't a bad price. Which just confirms your stand to buy the non collectible bullion.

Mike, this morning I looked at the B/S/T section of the other site that I am a member of and fractional junk silver (dimes, quarters and halves) is selling for 12.2 to 14 times FV. I didn't see any Morgans, but it stands to reason that if the fractional silver is selling for that price, why wouldn't the Morgans? Again, I'm not talking about anything with any collector value whatsoever. I am talking about junk silver coins that it's only value is in the silver itself, not as a collectible coin.

David, that sounds about right for dimes, quarters and halves, but dollars especially Morgan's will go for more than their equal FV smaller denominations.
Silver dollars are really popular plus there is fraction more silver in a silver dollar than a dollar Face value of the smaller denominations (.7734 vs .7236 I believe).

My comment still stands, I'll take all the Morgan's you can get at $12-13 each.

I take it you won these two? ...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1879-O-MORGA...p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FILLER-GRADE...sAAOSwo0JWNmP0

My comment stands as well. Morgans can be purchased in the $12-$13 range. They may not be pretty, but they are Morgans.

EDITED TO ADD: Hence the term "junk" silver.

SECOND EDIT: At the time of this posting, a Morgan has about $10.80 worth of silver. Why would someone pay $18 for a Morgan if they were buying it as "junk" silver? Makes no sense. Sure, it may be worth $18 (or probably more) if it has collector value, but again we're talking "junk" silver.

http://www.coinflation.com/

ideas.....
 

- 1961 Fleer Basketball Authentic Autographed cards

- 1948 Bowman Basketball in High Grades


I truly think both are still undervalued based on pop reports and yes, I do have heavy interests in both for sake of transparency.

Peace, Mike

Those are definitely "junk", and they both cost more than $13.
$14 and $15.82. I agree with you if you're buying for the silver content, dollars are not the way to go.

I don't want to be a Debby Downer but I kind of doubt very many, if any, cards will appreciate like the OP is asking about. Why? Demographics.

It seems most collectors get hooked on baseball when they are kids. Most of those kids don't have big money to collect so they start out with a basic set from a current year. That was the way it was until the early 1990's when the card companies burst the collector bubble with their greed and overproduction.

So, collectors who are retirement age or older have either inherited their cards, kept the cards from their youth or, when they had the money during their prime working years, bought cards they couldn't afford in their youth. Or all of the above. Thus these collectors have benefited from the explosion in prices (and may have even contributed to the explosion).

Collectors who are aged 40 to 65 didn't get burned out by the early 1990's modern card collapse because they started collecting before the greed fest happened and instead of continuing to focus on modern cards, they learned from the collapse and started focusing their money on the older cards. Thus their prime earning years have been spent buying older cards and driving up the prices.

I don't see very many people younger than 40 collecting cards and spending their prime earning years buying cards and driving prices even higher.

I have a niece and four nephews who are aged 16 to 25 and NONE of them care very much about baseball and they don't collect ANYTHING (other than the latest video game console and games and cell phone bills). I have talked to them and they say their friends don't really care about baseball or collect cards either.

This is WAAAAAYYYYYY different than when I was that age. When I was 10 years - old, most of my friends collected cards and by the age of 16 to 25 were trying to sell them because they wanted to buy a car or were trying to scrape up money to pay college bills. At the time they were selling they regretted doing so but thought the car (read getting girls) or paying college bills was more important.

I don't see a ground swell of youth coming up and supporting card collecting like has happened in the past. So, because of that, I don't see cards skyrocketing in price for very much longer.

I don't have a large collection and I also don't have a lot of money tied up in my collection so, if card prices tank, I am not going to be really hurt in a financial sense (other than the opportunity cost of selling the cards I have now at prices higher than what I am probably going to be able to get in the future). That can not be said for other people with larger and more valuable collections so I wonder what is going to happen when the retirement age people (or their heirs) start to sell their collections or when the people with large collections see the light and start to cash out before the collapse comes?

My guess is the values will hold for awhile until either the supply swamps the demand or people start to see what is happening and just stop buying ans start to sell THEIR collections.

My two cents,

David

Not disregarding your premise completely, but Sotherbys is full of lots of stuff every month that no one collects anymore -- let's say antique pillboxes -- and that doesn't keep them from being coveted, pricey collectibles. I think you could easily make an argument that the fact that card collecting holds little if any sway over the younger generation at this point will only make rare cards that much more sought after 25 years from now. All conjectural of course.

When I was growing up in the 80s, no one was really collecting coins either, yet that market seems to have held up just fine. I'm not saying that some segments of the hobby won't collapse, but I think in those areas where there is true scarcity and an area where a lot of folks would want that card, then that area will hold up just fine. However, if you have a low pop PSA 10 common, where there are hundreds of PSA 9's, I think that area holds risk. Or if you have a manufactured short print of a player like Mike Trout where there are 5 different short print refractors in that same set, and multiple other sets do the same thing, and year and year, they come out with more of these "short prints," I think there will come a time when collectors wise up that these really aren't true short prints.

A lot of it is a matter of fashion. Some sets just become popular at certain times, some formerly obscure and some mainstream.

Also, think out of the box, as it were. If you're saying "what baseball card is a good investment," you're already limiting your choices and picking from an already popular area. Be wary of today's hot areas and fads. The best investments are quality and rare items no one is paying attention to right now.

I always say the best investment is what you buy today and sell tomorrow for a profit.

My last two cents of investing advice is remember that you're return is based on what you pay. Many people pick a card (So and so's rookie cards) they think will increase, but overpay for it. If you overpay, you can lose money on a card that increases in book value. If you buy at a bargain, you can make a return on a card that doesn't. A card isn't an investment. It's the amount of money that you put into the card that is the investment. It may be the same card from the same issue in the same grade (etc), but one person buying it for $100 and another for $150 are different investments. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, a penny saved is a penny return on your investment.

Build the Brand
 

IMO the MLB is in it's resurgence. The future is bright. Out with steroid era and in with Trout, Harper, Bryant, Correa...et al. With the wild card, the race to the playoffs and the playoffs themselves have been amazing the last few years. The list of World Series contenders is long. MLB needs to push the history of the game on the audience, show the pictures, tell the stories. Every ball park/team should be celebrating the past. Take the vintage cards/memorabilia out of the vaults and show them, there are millions of future collectors out there. They should be able to see the cards/uniforms/bats/original photos etc. of Jackie Robinson or whoever we are celebrating that day and be able to buy them or be educated on where to buy them. Every game should be a card show. Let the dealers post up at the park, especially the minor leagues. People are followers...look at us and the green Cobbs, ridiculous. It wouldn't take much. I am a vendor for the Dodgers and have been going to the park for 30+ years...only when I became a vendor (last 3 years) did I get to see the stadium from the inside out, amazing. Get the kids to the park on off days to see the history, the hallways, the trophies, the pictures, the work out gyms, the dugouts. Have the players available. Supply and demand - create the demand.

All good suggestions. I know many board members and myself help out our youngest collectors quite a bit when we can. Here's to paying it forward.....

Leon, do you know the demographics of the board? What's the youngest member and who lives half way around the world ?!?!

This might be biased considering I love the set, but I honestly think lower-caliber HOFs in the E107 set could be very valuable one day. While cards like the Wagner and Mathewson are already reaching six figures, I believe decently graded cards of Eddie Plank, Cy Young, or Joe McGinnitty could get there one day. Not because they are the most attractive cards �� but simply their scarcity

RaidonCollects (hi Owen) is one of my fave members and a good hobby friend. I met him and his grandfather at this last National. Owen lives in England and is 12 or 13. I think our overall average age is probably around 40 (down around 4 yrs over the last 10 yrs). I am sure there are a few other teenagers too. I know we have some Blowout Cards forum folks and some of them might be younger too.

Sure we have ideas, and the formula is well-known in any form of collectibles: rare and significant in the best condition you can find or afford. Just remember the focus of collecting changes over time in every field, and with it the demand. Q. David Bowers said that with coins (and baseball cards have basically followed coin collecting trends in every major respect--coins have just been around as an organized hobby 120 years longer), the items in fashion in one decade are seldom the same ones as in the next. You have to look for those that are rare and significant in areas that are at present relatively quiet. As I've said before, you want to think a bit outside the box and be on the cutting, rather than trailing edge, unless you've got really big bucks to spend. You're right, Pete, insofar as your post indicates that no one really knows for certain what items are going to explode in value, but using the tools noted above can immensely increase our chances of finding them. It just takes work, but if its your passion, its not work at all!

As to what you consider rare and significant, that is up to you, based on reading, study, research and analysis of both the game of baseball itself, its history, and cards. I have my own ideas as to what items are in for a sizable increase in value when focuses change over time, and frankly don't need the competition for cards that I believe will fall into that category. It was hard enough finally obtaining a 1939 R303A Ted Williams rookie, after being sniped several times with seven seconds or so left in ebay auctions--seems quite a few others were thinking along that line too! Frankly, I was somewhat amazed that I didn't have to pay more for the '39 V351 Williams rookie in the fall PWCC auction, based on my guidelines (I got it for less than half my max bid).

Just my two cents worth,

Larry

Allegheny playing cards. Only one of each ever made as prototype. Can't get rarer than that.

Stamps are fascinating but in my experience a bust as an investment. I remember in the late 70s my Dad an I milling around a stamp counter in a department store in the mall. They had the famous three zeppelin airmail stamps in mint condition, something like $600-$700. Last time I checked forty years later they are going for maybe $1000 for the three of them. And forget trying to liquidate a large collection. From what I hear you might be getting 5 cents on the dollar of catalog value for some of that stuff.

I always did want the plate block of the upside down Jenny planes, but think that ship has sailed (not to mix metaphors).

The problem with cards like these is they are too rare, which usually results in little demand.
Val

agreed...in a thread entitled "cards to spend a buttload on today that will likely never inccrease in value tomorrow' id put allegenys there!!!!

keep going
 

I like this thread lets keep going with it:)

Just read through the thread to see if anyone mentioned Koufax, Clemente, Ryan, or Rose rookies. Guess we were all off. If you had invested 10k back in Jan you probably would have earned a 100-300% return depending on the card and grade you chose.

'33 DeLongs?

That's exscptt right...

Since I posted this thread in January

Clement, Ryan , Rose, Yaz... Heck even George Brett has maxed out...


Who's next? Carew, Winfield,???

I think the 51 Mays and Mantle, 39 Williams, 48 leaf Robinson and Paige, 57 Brooks and Frank, and the Goudey Ruth's are all decent buys right now. And don't forget the 86 Jordan. Time will tell of course. Maybe someone will bump this again in a few months and we can see how we did. Or in a couple of years.

Wow, love the mention of the 48/9 Leafs...kudos It has tons of great Hof players in the set
I am forseeing Hofers like Ripken and the sterioid era cards.
Thn, it may not be all baseball or even cards at all. along the lines of the memoribilla side or comic books.

Not me :D

$17.40 today.

Best buys today are the Star Basketball rookies of Ewing, Barkley and Akeem. Look and see what the Jordan is going for now. I still believe these are the true rookie cards.

I think there's a good chance that the answer to the original post is "none," that there is no card that will replicate the appreciation of the Baltimore News Ruth.

Rather than say this set or that one, I'd state it as a strategy:

if you don't just have a pile of cash to commit to a marquee card, you have to flip and reinvest and hope you get it right enough to be able to logroll yourself into some really choice items. To paraphrase Willie Keeler: I try to buy 'em where they ain't. This stuff is cyclical. E cards, T206 errors, etc.; all smoking hot once. That's when to sell those items. I sold most of my prewar error cards into the teeth of the surge in interest in them; wish I'd sold them all. I look for cards that are rare in absolute numbers, that are of iconic figures, that are attractive, and that are out of vogue with the trendsetters. For short term, I also look for cards that are hot right now but in conditions just below ones that are soaring high, on the theory that the dramatic price increases in certain cards in high grade will translate into collectors adjusting downwards to nice examples of slightly lower grade cards and being willing to pay up some for them. Check the price trends on midgrade 1954 Aarons; they've had a pretty stellar ROI in the last 18 mos. for a modest entry cost.

Demand is most times more important than supply in the value of our cards. The best cards seem to hold their value best. :) You can quote me on that.

Caramel cards are down a little but nice conditioned ones seem to hold their value. At least I hope they do., (..hey, at least it's been a few weeks since he appeared last....)

Hello Cy, long time no see:rolleyes:

Tickets & type 1 photos
 

Hopefully World Series tickets and type 1 photos will appreciate well!!! That's what I collect. 🙏

Wow!!! ........ And the Boston card at that

It's beautiful

Surprisingly, so far nobody has specifically alluded to the T206 error back craze that has sprung up over the last several years. If that one sticks around, I believe the other types of cards of that same era with misprinted ads on back will similarly find traction in the future. There are fewer of them available than the T206 errors, but still enough around to create some serious demand.

Adam mentioned it 5 posts above yours. I think that craze has fizzled out somewhat.

+1

I am always skeptical of phenomena that are unique to T206 collecting.

Stretching the time horizon from the OP a bit, I think 100 years from now Jackie Robinson will be THE GUY whose accomplishments have neither been forgotten nor written off as relics of a totally different game. Hard to pinpoint a specific card so maybe a game worn jersey.

Of course by then, counterfeiting technology and time travel will be so good that the whole collectibles market will be ruined.

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