My theory is that all of these new collectors we’ve been reading about coming back into the hobby with the quarantine ‘downtime’ really are affecting prices.
If you read the modern boards on blowout, there is a noticeable spike in modern. And some of those collectors are also likely to dip their toe in vintage. And anyone new to vintage is likely going to go after the hobby staples....Cobb, Ruth, Mantle.
I’ve been following the Red Cobb, the Goudey Ruth’s, and the 1952 Bowman mantle pretty closely, and have noticed price surges in all of them. For the Bowman Mantle in particular I’ve seen 30% to 50% increases in just the last couple months. Sometimes with the exact same card being resold. It’s crazy.
The biggest question is to when the prices will flatten out, and to what degree will they come back down. If at all.
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