When to SELL / What IF...
 

At what point would you sell ALL or a major part of your collection?

If things continue to escalate, would you sell off your collection if it meant you could buy a nicer home? If you could retire 10 years (or more) earlier? What about just a couple years earlier?

What if you had a card that you paid less than a grand for and now could get $100K for it. Sell it? Hold it?

What IF the collecting community expanded to athletes and other people that have deeper pockets than most of the existing collecting community and you saw the price of cardboard increased to the point where it's no longer a hobby. Do you continue on collecting? Find a different niche which hasn't yet become a part of the "irrational exuberance"?

There's only 1 card in my collection that I can honestly say I would never sell.

Sell Sell Sell

Anyone who hasn’t sold out completely in this market isn’t in it for the money and will most likely never got out completely. That said, while a nicer house doesn’t interest me, retiring early would be amazing. Unfortunately I have expensive taste in everything and would need to add a couple zeros to my collection’s value to do that.

which one?











/

While I have no interest in getting out completely, if I owned PSA 6-7s of Ruth, Mantle, Cobb, Mays, Robinsons, Aaron, etc high dollar cards I would be selling and downgrading to PSA 2-4s in a heart beat.

me too! I don't own any life changing cards!!!!!

The only card my Dad and I ever bought together when I was a kid. I'd be a Hobo on the street with all my worldly possessions (including my 51B Mays) stuffed into a rucksack before I'd sell this card.
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Incredibly gorgeous Mays, Phil!!! I see why you’d hold that one. The sentimental part of it helps too :rolleyes:

Thanks Derek,
I'd feel the same way about a 52T Gus Zernial card for the same reasons. I'm just lucky I was a Mays fan as a kid, that particular card holds all sorts of magic for me.

A card that goes from $1k to $100k rocketed for a reason, and for a card to have such momentum, whose to say the next trip won’t be $200k, and so forth...

As some stock traders would do, ride your winners and ditch your losers.

A card that goes from $1k to $100k rocketed for a reason, and for a card to have such momentum, whose to say the next trip won’t be $200k, and so forth...

As some stock traders would do, ride your winners and ditch your losers.

And I think there already is a lot of new $ with deep pockets in, that’s what is causing these head scratching rises.

I have always wanted a museum. And that's how I see my baseball collection, it's my little museum. I sold some items over the summer that just didn't fit with the direction I was headed, but none of those were my "winners." The golden nuggets I have - which aren't that golden - are the ones I want to present for people to see.

my opinion
 

So I should preface my response with the fact that most of what I collect is more of the rare and obscure stuff - very few regular issue cards and so far the exuberance hasn't affected that stuff like it has the regular issue cards.
That said - what I have always communicated when asked that question is "there is nothing I own materially that doesn't in theory have a price at which I would sell.......but, there are many things that no one in their right mind would offer me enough to make me think about selling."
I also think I am safe saying unless I did some kind of bulk sale, I have enough "stuff" to last way longer than I will!

Precisely. I always say that for the right price I would not only sell my collection, I would help the buyer load it into the car.

Sell modern, high population, 2nd tier player
Keep vintage iconic(mantle/ruth/mays/aaron/koufax/clemente etc....)

Not that many copies going around for those

We are talking little pieces of cardboard, guys. Eventually the world will move on to something else.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I'm in the selling off process right now. Several things entered into my decision: Realizing that I've reached a certain age and that absolutely nobody in my family has any interest in the sport and, therefore, would be lost in how to move them. Before managed payments soured me on selling on the world's largest selling platform, they offered a $10 final value fee opportunity in December, 2019 followed by a $20 version last January. I brought in some good money with those two. After that, I have been blessed to find honest partners to work with on Net54's BST (Shout-out to Leon!).

This week the process came to the point where I'm parting with cards I never envisioned letting go...it is hard, but necessary.

My descendants will still have to contend with the disbursement of my Baseball Library, my Baseball DVDs, my Baseball photos and my Baseball paintings...and the remains for my Baseball Card collection...but, I'm doing the best I can for them.

.

Pieces of cardboard.

Yet, here you are ... reading & posting in threads about cardboard.

I'll take your cardboard off of your hands if it's so trivial to you. LOL :cool:

________________________________
Myself - I am continuing trying to combine and balance collecting + investing.

Collecting -
I began buying packs of cards as a kid in the mid-80's.
Used my paper route money to find vintage off-grade football HOF in bargain boxes at baseball card shows.
I was looking for Bobby Layne when everyone else was hoarding Gregg Jefferies RC.
Bought my first pre-war card by answering a newspaper ad - I was 13, 14 years old.
My dad drove me to the guy's house & I bought a beat-up 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams, trimmed w/ taped for $25. Still have the '41 Williams.
I was hooked.
I love Goudeys. I love T206s. I love E-90s. I love Diamond Stars. etc. etc.


Investing -
When I get to 4 or 5 years before retirement, I want to sell almost all of my collection.
Take the funds for a nice down payment on a parcel of land + cabin in a glorious river valley in Montana.
I can trick my emotions by saying I'm taking a younger life goal (cards) and transferring it into my retirement life goal (river cabin).
New chapter of my life.

They are just "little pieces of cardboard" after all. :rolleyes:
But I will still keep that trimmed '41 Ted Williams w/ the tape.

At least there's a cardboard, crypto has nothing, maybe just a bunch of 0 and 1s.

Fully agree, don't think I own any "life changing" cards yet. If my 4 figure card turned to a 5, I would sell in a heartbeat. IMO, somethings just become too valuable to justify "sitting in a box". I wish I had these problems! 2c from a low end collector.

Edit: I would be hesitant to sell a grade 3 or lower card if there wasn't a cheaper option. I would be selling Henderson 10 RCs all day long and we would be more than happy to live with a 6

Right now the on-paper gains in my collection could probably net me a nice tropical vacation, but not early retirement (I'm 43...) or a new house. Therefore I will remain the card miser from hell, surrounded by slabs and One Touches in my makeshift home office (guest room) while I ride out the pandemic on Zoom everyday...:D

I know it's probably hard for some to believe on this forum, but baseball cards are not life and death to everyone.

What?!?!?!?!?

Money is just a colored piece of paper

That is one great looking Mays. And the story makes it priceless

Exactly!

And unlimited qe

You didn't mention the Netflix and porn...or among this group is that just assumed :)

Dohp. And MLB Network...:eek:

Totally on point. And those who agree, I can help you take those 6-7 Ruths and Cobbs at recent prices, no vig... :)

Awesome story and outlook about the Mays, thanks for sharing it. With some things in life the sentimental value will (and should) eclipse whatever market trends are going on.

I will hold on most everything for now. I'm selling off some pieces that don't fall into my area of interest any longer, just so I can build up a bit of bank for things that do...but I sold off a LOT in 2007 after getting laid off and the recession hit, to keep the lights on and food on the table. While I regret it now b/c a few of those cards (sold for in the hundreds) would be in the high 4 figures now, at the time it was necessary.

I have nothing in hand today that even sniffs 5 figures, so regardless of how much further this bubble expands, I'm standing pat.

But, I too will eventually let it all go as neither of my kids has even the faintest of interest in little pieces of cardboard :)

There is no wrong answer to your question, which makes it such a great question.

Bill

Sell... or hold... or accumulate. 95%+ of my stuff is true vintage in top tier HOFers. Certainly not buying anything now. I would sell current modern if I had it, but I don't. So that leaves me holding.

Well, except I do have some Cobb/Matty/W. Johnson PSA Domino Discs and S74 Silks that have been flat for many years. Now might be a good time try sell that obscure type stuff that has proven not the best investment.

Ah, heck, probably just hold it all for retirement a decade or so down the road. Call me stupid for not selling into this abnormal hot market.

It is a lot of fun, though, seeing the crazy prices. A 1960 Aaron PSA 7 just sold for over $1700. (and not even PWCC). Nice return on that kind of stuff. The PSA 8's are jaw dropping prices - very nice! And the PSA 9 Aaron/Mays from the 1960's are true jaw dropping now in the thousands. WooHoo!

keep/ sell
 

Ive been unloading pretty much every vintage card or set I own...I feel its the right time

Eventually I will move on to someplace else, or not, depending upon your theological view.

And . . . the little pieces of cardboard will still be here. :p

I've recently sold my lesser Brady rookies...cards I bought for $3 years ago...selling for close to $200-$250......

Now, the other Brady's I have....this is the very question I'm struggling with
(No, we are not talking any of the $100K+ cards)

I've been selling off my sports and non-sports collection for the last two plus years. At first it was just to regroup and reorganize; you know, less is more. Then I sold a couple key pieces and realized I didn't really miss them like I thought I would, so I kept selling.
I currently have 10 pieces in my sports collection that I'm keeping for now, about 20 items listed on eBay, 20'ish more items ready to list on eBay, and one piece consigned to REA's spring auction (see avatar). After that I'm moving on to some other interests. It's weird because I've collected sports cards and memorabilia for 35+ years, but I'm ready for a change.

I can't say for sure exactly when I'll cave and sell my more expensive cards, but I can guarantee you it will likely be at the absolute wrong time.

I'll either sell too early and watch prices continue to soar, or I'll hold until this bubble bursts and the prices plummet.

Because that's how my life goes :)

As for a serious answer, as of right now I'm still enjoying the hobby. While I'm on pause for any major pickups right now, I'm still filling out commons and minor stars needed for my sets. And although I don't have many high value cards, I was lucky enough to pick up a couple over the last few years that are seeing surprising gains (including one that seems to have just ticked over into five figure territory which I NEVER thought would happen).

I don't NEED the money, however I have two kids on their way to college in the next several years, so extra money would be nice to have. Assuming that prices don't drop instantly in the near future, if it looks like the market is starting to level off, I'll probably cash in my profits to help defray tuition costs. And it would be very satisfying to see my little hobby play a part in helping to fund my kids' education. Maybe I'll hold back a little to buy beater copies of the cards I sell just to keep my sets intact.

But with prices still seemingly growing exponentially month by month (if not week by week) I feel like I would be kicking myself later if I sold now.

And if the worst case scenario comes true and the cards plummet in value before I sell...well, I have luckily lived by the "buy what you like" rule, so I'll still enjoy looking at my old baseball cards...because I think we can all agree that vintage baseball cards are just really, really cool.

Same thing happened to me, final straw was move to Florida from a 4000 sg foot home which included 2000 sq foot finished basement where everything was displayed. No basements in Florida, no space. Still have my 19th. Century stuff & some display items.

I'm a collector who never sells..

I have sold hundreds of cards in the last several months. Sold everything from junk era singles to a almost perfectly centered Red Cobb.

I only sell to buy new items for my collection. Luckily the cards I sold had greatly increased in price. Even better the memorabilia I am buying with the money has not had the huge price increases.:D

My daughter is just getting her grad school admissions back and the leader so far is hella expensive so if that is the choice I my need to cash in a few highly appreciated cards to cover the balance of it beyond our savings. That would be worthwhile.

I’m in the opposite situation. We’re having a house built that is currently scheduled to be finished May 1st. We’ve been apartment city dwellers for the last decade so now I’ll finally have the space to explore some other interests, like pinball/coin-op and cars. I really want a restored 1968 Charger or something similar. My first car was a 68 Charger and I owned a half dozen 68-71 Chevelle’s in the 90’s.

I've sold perhaps 65% of my collection over the last 18 months, of course if I'd waited to let it all go in the last 4 weeks I'd probably have doubled what I made.:o

Kept my absolute best stuff and will never sell it. Wife/kids will get it as part of the Estate I leave and do much better selling it then because it will be far better tax treated.
I decided that I'd managed to buy what I have with money that could have been used on other things that simply disappeared as a consumable, and instead will have residual and hopefully far better value. And having largely finished collecting I now see it as outside our needed per diem.
It's the apple stock I was never smart enough to buy, earned through spending hundreds of thousands of hours learning everything I could about players and their cards and perusing millions of pages of on-line auctions.
I've earned them all, I love them all, and someone else can let them re-appear to the public market once they are no longer under my protection.:D

I have a 6 figure collection, until I try and sell. I figure I'll hold on for awhile and buy while prices are up and sell when they're down.

I also bust everything out of their slabs so I can get less when the time comes.

Yep. The better tax treatment of valuable items left to heirs (vs. selling while the collector is still living) is something more collectors should be made aware of so they can factor in when considering when to sell.

Not sure about that... for those who voted and won, your welcome!

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/bi...al-gain-72910/

I have always planned for selling my collection to be my retirement job. I'm nearing 60 now and plan to work until 66 1/2. For now the plan is holding and I fully expect I will sell them for less than I might get now. The biggest thing that might tempt me is a single transaction deal.

Like a lot of people on this board, I am not really rich but comfortable. That makes the question how much would it take to be able to buy something I might enjoy more than my baseball cards.

I like the idea of spending a few years finding good homes for my cards with collectors who would enjoy them. I might keep a couple for my kids. My son in particular is interested in baseball cards. The way I figure it though is that it would be a great disservice to give him my cards. The joy in cards is finding them, the people you meet and the advertures you have along the way. Why would I rob him of that?

You’re so lucky to have a son interested in baseball cards. It’s a great way to keep the connection. My son is only into roblox! And my other two kids are more interested in mommy’s makeup and purses (already). Enjoy that!