Which to sell first , pre war or 50s?
 

I got three main collections. Pre war HOFer stash. 1933/34 goudey sets. Post war to 1969 HOF RCs and rare-ish issues.

Which category is least investable? Or more like: which category is the one I should drop if long term value is a partial concern? I'm looking to sell one of them . I want to offload the the one that is least likely to appreciate considerably and most likely to be in risk of a down turn in a bad economy . All 3 sub collection are equally valued and the players represented are equally prestigious and carrying their value weight over the course of time.

I've been tap dancing on his issue forever and would dig hearing if anyone has an opinion on the issue. I personally think the population (scarcity) figures indicate that pre war is the one to hold. But I'm wondering if prewar might take a hit as the original collections get broken up. Meaning, will new vintage collectors have more awareness/interest in the name players of the 50s and not really care about Mel ott or lefty grove? To some degree it has always been that way, but will the scales slip even further causing any non - pantheon HOFer to fade a bit in value or be less likely to continue appreciating b/c not as many chase them?


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I would sell the post-war.

I just made this decision myself. I have my T206 set, and a set of mint Topps 1965. I'm selling the Topps, in part because they're hot right now, in part because I think the number of people interested in this set will begin to decline (which I don't think will happen to the T206 set).
But mostly because I love the T206 cards.

Which set means the most to you?

Post War RC's have had a significant run-up, so I think it's easy to say that these cards may stall or even drop in value going forward. However, I think they still may have room to go higher.

I think commons, even for rare type cards, would be the ones to sell. (The exception here are rare back T206 commons, which I think are still highly in demand.) Next I think to sell are minor HOF types such as Rick Ferrell, Chuck Klein, etc.

I think the cards to keep are the ones that everyone wants, e.g., there is always a steady demand for. For example, the Pinkerton Wagner, the T206 Green Cobb, or the 1914 CJ Mathewson. Rarity is only important in terms of value when there is excess demand to match.

Why make it an all or nothing proposition? Sell some from each era of your collection and keep your favorites from each era.

I agree with the selling of the commons and minor stars, and in your case, that would be the Goudey sets, since the others are Hall of Fame rookie cards.

Personally
 

I would keep the best from each group.

Sell Pre War. New collectors and younger collectors in their early thirties want Post War. We've been seeing it and will continue to see it. From 1951 Mantle to 1980 Henderson is where the demand will be from here on out.

The kids in the late 80s are buying now and returning to their hobby, and they want Mantle and Nolan Ryan. Not Mathewson or Walter Johnson. Just do a lot of talking to collectors aged 27-39 spending thousands to tens of thousands; I've done it, and with the exception of Ruth and Gehrig Goudeys, they want Post War. Pre War almost seems like oddball to them with no major set like Topps.

What's happening price wise with Mantle, Clemente, Koufax, Ryan, even Schmidt, Michael Jordan, too, no Pre War cards are undergoing that type of appreciation. Not even Ruth. Which is very very telling.

Long term, I see Pre War being sold off as collections of older men hit the block, whereas in contrast we have forty years until some 30 year old sells the Mantle or Ryan he just bought with his Goldman Sachs bonus.

I agree with glyn
 

keep the best cards from each group

Sell it all. Buy bitcoins.

Just an amateur's theory......I think it depends on what condition your cards are in. Prices for cards in "average" condition, across all eras, have actually not risen significantly since the baseball strike in '94, except for a few very notable exceptions, like Mantle, and a few sets that for some reason capture collectors' interest for a period of time. (thinking of Cracker Jack) But a raw, VG '57 Yogi Berra, for example, is a bargain today compared to '94 prices, as is a t206 common (thanks primarily to the internet). And many post-war sets are actually cheaper today than if purchased in '94.

The real big money is in the high grade PSA stuff. If I wanted to selectively maximize my investment today, I'd sell my highest graded cards - no matter the era. Any HOF'er in a PSA 9 holder purchased raw, decades ago, is the equivalent of having purchased Coca Cola stock in 1910. The rate of return is so great, I'd never regret having sold them. And these are the cards most likely susceptible to downturns in the economy. So if your post-war collection is loaded with high-grade stuff I'd sell those.

I don't think that's true in terms of pre-war. Try picking up a Walter Johnson T206 portrait in the PSA 2 range. It's going to cost you a lot more than it did in 1994.

Just an opinion, but depending on the condition of the 2 Gehrigs, Foxx, Dean and Greenberg cards, I would favor selling the '34 Goudey set. While it will never have the cachet of its' older brother, the '33's, due to the exclusion of the Babe, nor fetch as much at sale or auction, it still is a mainstream 30's set and commands respect. If at a future date you decided you couldn't live without it, then a replacement set shouldn't be too hard to find. Tough decision any way you decide to go. Good luck.

As for me, I would probably keep the worst from each group. To be sure you would be keeping the cards least likely to go up in value. But I have some stuff like a low grade DeLong set that would not fetch a handsome price and only a select group of auction houses would even want, but I think they are cool and have a great player selection.

Which to sell first , pre war or 50s?
 

Really appreciate all the feedback. Think I'm going to sell the low-mid tier HOFers and low value cards first. Now I'm convinced that I can do that across both the 50s stuff and the pre war at the same time to reduce risk, weed out the junk and get a little extra coin. Not selling the good stuff. Except one or two that either don't matter to me personally (Psa 7 Wilson franks Enos slaughter, PSA 6 Venezuela bob Gibson, etc) or might be over valued at moment (Psa 6 '55 Clemente.)But I think wave 2 will be all 50s stuff except maybe 4-5 cards that are easy to call investments.

Can't bring myself to break up the Goudeys. Think I'm taking them off the table along with the cream of the crop for the prewar (few dozen keepers).

In brief, I'm focusing the collection more on pre war and raising the bar for what an average card in my collection is. That and pocketing some money. Seems like a good time for selling (though prices may creep higher before any reversal starts.)


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good choice!

I can't take anything away from the 50s stuff. They are some great cards, but as a thirty something with now disposable income. I'm enthralled with Pre-War stuff. Cobb and Young will get you interested and the others will keep you there. I have only been watching the T206 cards since 2002 but have seen them grow well beyond inflation. Great thread BtW!

Cards from the 1950s are going up because guys in their 60s - 70s with extra cash are buying memories of players they saw. In 10 years, give or take, they will have to sell (medical, estate). Sure, some guys in their 30s are buying them too. But mostly because their Dad talked about those players. That won't last and if they stay in the hobby they will go Pre-war. Example, my Dad loved morse code and ham radio. So did I.......for about 4 weeks.

Keep what you enjoy the most/and or furthers your goals the best.