Looking to invest in Greinke...
 

I'm a big fan of Zack Greinke and upon looking at cards for a few months, I've determined that THE card would be one of his 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres Cut Autograph cards. I've had an interest in getting one as they are truly great cards and you can't beat having one of if not the best rookie cards of your favorite player. I can get a BGS 9.5 example (9.5s across the board on the subgrades) with an 9 auto grade. I have a chance to get the 9.5 for $200 and would like some opinions on whether or not this would be a good price and an investment?

I've seen this card fluctuate but hold pretty well around $350 (low end) plus for graded copies. I realize that Zack is relativley obscure and his cards will never achieve the prices of today's superstars, however, I strongly believe that Zack will be enshrined in Cooperstown and that fans will eventually appreciate his career.

The eventual enshrinement in the HoF brings me to my next point. A player like Peyton Manning has been destined to the HoF for almost a decade now but with the official announcement of being elected a finalst for this year's class, his card prices have skyrocketed most noatably his Gold Topps Chrome Rookie. I feel that Greinke's best cards will eventually see this price bump as well, especially his 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres Auto. I feel that the prices would soften a bit after his induction but not by much.

Being that this is what seems to be his #1 rookie I'm definetly interested but no matter what card it is I don't want to overpay and I want to make sure that what I pay now has the chance to become an investment in the future. I would most likely try to sell my raw 2002 Bowman Chrome Joe Mauer Base Auto and put whatever I get from that into the Greinke.

Any and all opinions are welcomed!

Thanks and stay safe!

I wouldn't do it.

In general, pitchers are a poor investment choice, they almost never achieve the popularity of hitters and their cards fall behind. Greinke is shaping up to reach the Hall, but he will make it with a compiler reputation (2009 and 2015 are not getting him in) who played for several times and split his prime among several teams, none of which he is identified strongly with. Greinke is a poor investment; there are not many Greinke fans, his hall election will not be a surprise but it also won't be a top tier. He's going in with Niekro and Perry, not Maddux and Pedro as the best of the best. Even the absolute best pitchers don't usually make for good investments, nothing going for Greinke seems to indicate he would break the trends.

If one collects, one will have one. If one invests, one may make money. If one tries to collect and invest at the same time, usually one doesn't end up having a lot of fun or making much money. I'd collect Greinke because you like Greinke, or invest in something more likely to produce a safe return.

Buy one if you like the card (I prefer the Bowman myself) but not as an investment. It isn't one.

There are lots of collectors who sell cards to buy cards. Do what makes you happy. We have super collectors on this site, some of players who aren't in the hall, never will be. But I agree with others, it's hard to forecast a solid investment.

I'm not sure Greinke is comparable to Manning. Did Mannings cards jump in price due to HOF voting, or because all cards are going bonkers this year?

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Had AJ Hinch left Greinke in game 7, the Astros would have 2 World Series wins, instead of 1. I'd rather have his rookie card than Joe Mauer's. That said, I know very little about cards made after the eighties, and view them as valueless.

As a Royals fan I've always been a Greinke fan as well. Watching his early struggles and then bouncing back to win the Cy Young award in 2009 was great (I had to go hunting in multiple stores in the KC area in the summer of 2009 to find a copy of his Sports Illustrated cover...they were hot sellers around here).

While it was unfortunate he wasn't around during our 2014 and 2015 World Series years, he definitely had an impact because it was his trade to the Brewers that landed us Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain...two major contributors to those World Series teams.

I researched Greinke rookies back in the late 2000's and I agree, the 2002 Upper Deck Prospects auto is the best Greinke rookie. It's a really cool design. I never did pull the trigger as they were going for around $50 raw at the time, and as I had two young kids, that was a LOT of money to be paying for a baseball card.

With patience, it looks like you could still pick one up for around $100 raw or 8 or 9 grade. Personally, I would pick one of those up for enjoyment. I agree with the other posters that Greinke rookies probably aren't the best "investment". But it could be a lot of FUN to build a Greinke collection (cards, autos, etc.) from all his different teams....and that 2002 auto rookie would be the cornerstone.

His WAR is among the highest of any active player and he will get into the HOF.

He has somewhat quietly been excellent for a long time.

Might be along the lines of Smoltz, Glavine, Schilling, Hoffman in terms of collector interest though.

I would say though that he could be like Scott Rolen, who was a hobby ignored star, that has seen a real jump in his best RCs since he has been on track for getting the votes needed for the HOF in the near future.

Peyton Manning has a lot more going for him than Greinke. Greinke is probably a HOFer but the lowest tier. Since this isn't an investment opportunity that will ever bring much in return I would buy the card you like in whatever grade you like so long as you're happy with it. It's unlikely to leave your collection once you get it.

My Zack.

This was my thought about Peyton v Greinke. Manning was the star of multiple teams that went to the Super Bowl. He has national advertisements for more than one company. He is a household name.

But like I said before, we have super collectors on this site. I always think it's cool when they show off their collections. If you're into Greinke, go after it.

it's much more than that. Manning would make most people's list of the top 5 QBs of all time. It's hard for me to believe Greinke is even among the top 50 pitchers.

This is superb! Beautiful card!

I’m going to hold off a bit and save a little more but I think I’ll go for it! I really like the appeal of the card and yes, it most likely wouldn’t leave my collection, I was just curious about it’s value but that’s something that really doesn’t matter for this piece. I’d only sell it if I had to I guess.