Condition, Condition, Rarity, Rarity

There is little doubt that prices of many "collectible" baseball cards and memorabilia (we can not speak to autographs, equipment or uniforms) have
dropped by 15-40% since the financial crisis which was fueled by the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

In the 30+ months since the crisis began, we have tracked selected lots in over nearly 80 auctions (all major houses).

While prices have generally dropped, truly rare offerings, cards that are new to the market, and ultra high grade type card examples have more than held their own.

Whether one looks high grade Kalamazoo Bats, 19th Century team cabinets,
E cards in a grade of 7 or above, Boston Garters, J=K, and post cards with exceptionally rare team or player images, the prices have been strong. In most cases the prices were strong regardless of the auctioneer. Especially worth noting are the three groups of Negro League and PCL post cards that drew record prices in auctions where only a very small percentage of the hobby participated.

As in most collectible fields, the best of the best holds it own, even in a declining market. There are several reasons for this (1) rarity (2) the market is targeted to the top 5% of the collecting community (3) Wealthy collectors are more selective in their buying habits.

We look forward to the forth coming Bill Mastro collection and the REA auction in the Spring of 2011.

In the interim, look for these trends to continue. We predict that many auction houses will reduce the number of auctions and limit auction size

It just does not make sense to have 20% of the items remain unsold especially when the opening bids are between $100-$500. Catalog auctions
will lose business back to E Bay unless they refine their strategy.

We welcome your comments, as well as any extraordinary items that you may have for sale.

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com