Most Upside in Next 5 Years

[Rhotchkiss]

I acknowledge and respect there are many on here who view themselves as pure collectors and consider their "stuff" purely collectables. They apparently don't care about value and do not consider collectables assets. This thread is not for them/you, and I respectfully request that those fitting this description do not post here unless its constructive to the topic.

It seems to me that certain card-adjacent collectibles are becoming more mainstream/accepted as assets. Specifically, tickets, photos, game-used, and historical sports items that I will call ephemera (contracts, magazines, advertising pieces, programs, etc), all seem to be gaining in popularity, and value.

Here is my question: of these (or other) areas, including cards, which do you think is the best investment/has the potential for highest relative returns over the next 5 years, and why. Or, put differently, if you were given $10k and told to invest in sports stuff to generate the highest return in the next 5 years, which item would you invest the $10k in and why:

I believe the answer is tickets. I believe this for several reasons: (i) tickets are naturally rare and limited in supply (they only made one for each seat in a venue on that day; (ii) tickets are specific to a date, thus they represent the true rookie/debut event and/or reflects the occurrence of the actual event (vs a 1954 Aaron which of his entire rookie year); (iii) they are most closely adjacent to cards -- they are paper, they fit in normal PSA flips, they connect people to the sport in a personal and unique way, etc., (iv) despite that they are much rarer than cards, they are currently only a fraction of the price of cards, meaning there is embedded upside; one could argue that they should be worth more than cards, not just to equal or fewer multiples of card value, and (v) it is a fragmented asset-class in its early stages, which usually allows for upside as the asset class becomes more institutionalized, uniformly graded, and more widely collected bought/sold.

Cards are now an established asset class. At least once per day I hear them talk about cards, including Pokemon, on Bloomberg. Does this means that cards take off even more? Perhaps. Does it mean that card-adjacent things take off too, and perhaps more than cards because they are currently undervalued and less widely accepted? Perhaps. That's the topic of discussion.

[BearBailey]

I think it will still be cards. Just had this conversation with someone. I think the issue with tickets is they don’t make them anymore and once my generation dies off and all the ones before me as well most people won’t know what a ticket is because they don’t make paper tickets anymore. I asked my kids and the person I was having the conversation with, to ask our kids all of the kids said keep the cards get rid of the tickets they had no interest in them. Not that I plan on getting rid of any of it but I was quite disappointed, as I have kept every ticket to every sporting event and concert I have ever been to and bought several historic ones over the years, as much as they like the cards, they have no interest in tickets.

[Hankphenom]

And I'm not a card guy! Far be it for me to disagree with one of the whales of our hobby, but I can't see tickets, Ryan. I just think cards, for a number of reasons, will always be the 800-lb gorilla, assuming you pick the right ones, as you have. Vintage autographs might be some competition for the top spot, again assuming it's the right ones. Other than forgeries, there will be no more coming out from any players born before 1935 or so, so that pretty much guarantees appreciation as they get collected up. To summarize, I'd go with the tried and true unless one is inclined to gamble with the money.

[Rhotchkiss]

Hank, great point about autos. I totally forgot to add them to the poll. I have asked Leon to edit the poll to add them as another choice

[brunswickreeves]

Great topic and well framed. I don’t have data to back this up, although I’m sure I could with time…But my gut tells me that it’s NFTs and Blockchain…as the world and economies become more digitized at exponential speed, younger technologically astute generations seeking to create wealth fast and with a lot of bandwidth, will explore and optimize these technologies.

I love cards and their economic opportunity because I grew up reading Beckett and dreaming of the high value vintage cards profiled in there. Likely many collect cards because their father’s followed the game or players in the ‘50s and ‘60s. And maybe their father collected cards because their father followed the game or players in the ‘30s and ‘40s. So there’s an emotional connection to the asset class to take a chance on it and invest in cards. Same may hold true for modern digital generations. They’re growing up with or embracing technologies they love, so may be emotionally connected to NFTs and Blockchain, and take risks to monetize via those platforms. And in doing so, contribute to that growing market.

Disclosure: I own zero NFTs, etc.

[CardPadre]

I will shit on tickets also (with the exception of a few mega-significant events). They generally don't evoke any kind of feeling or emotion or joy from just seeing them.

Seeing a card, you often get an immediate feeling based on who the player is, the art/design, the type/issue, your own experience with collecting or coveting it, just a lot of instant and positive reactions to a card.

Tickets...you look at one, and its significance is almost never immediately apparent. You can read everything on it, and then you have to look at the flip to see why PSA says you should be impressed by, and value, it.

NOT...FUN.

Like I said, a handful of extremely monumental events will be highly coveted, massively valued, and probably appreciate reasonably well. But I doubt the general ticket market does anything noteworthy to rise beyond its current status in the collecting world.

[Brent G.]

Cards, cards, cards. From a player standpoint, I still think Jackie Robinson has the most room for growth, in all things.

[sb1]

While tickets might make a move up, I believe cards will still be king over them as well as autographs and other memorabilia. In a nutshell it is the visual aspect of the image on the card. Imagine the ticket which holds a lot of info and historical context on a Aaron or Mantle game and you could look at it or an early Aaron or Mantle card in your collection. As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words". Therefore, I believe the masses(which is what really drives any market), will still opt for the card. Sure a small percentage might opt for the auto, but it will be like many other areas of the market that are thinly traded, popularity trumps rarity.

[sb1]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

Great topic and well framed. I don’t have data to back this up, although I’m sure I could with time…But my gut tells me that it’s NFTs and Blockchain…as the world and economies become more digitized at exponential speed, younger technologically astute generations seeking to create wealth fast and with a lot of bandwidth, will explore and optimize these technologies.

I love cards and their economic opportunity because I grew up reading Beckett and dreaming of the high value vintage cards profiled in there. Likely many collect cards because their father’s followed the game or players in the ‘50s and ‘60s. And maybe their father collected cards because their father followed the game or players in the ‘30s and ‘40s. So there’s an emotional connection to the asset class to take a chance on it and invest in cards. Same may hold true for modern digital generations. They’re growing up with or embracing technologies they love, so may be emotionally connected to NFTs and Blockchain, and take risks to monetize via those platforms. And in doing so, contribute to that growing market.

Disclosure: I own zero NFTs, etc.

NFT's have already had their day and they failed miserably, many people lost huge amounts of money, others just lost everything they had put into them.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I completely understand why other people may get excited over tickets and their direct connection to a moment in time, but they're mostly bland in appearance and do nothing for me. The stubs are so often torn worse than a strip card and can look rather ratty as a result. Many were taped into scrapbooks, so lots of ugly yellow spots in many instances.

While I've hung onto ticket stubs from everything I've ever attended, I never even look at them.

Zero interest in tickets whatsoever, unless it was to turn a nice and tidy profit, but I could say the same thing about a truckload of sporks.

I don't have interest in unsigned photos, either, but if forced to choose, I'd much rather have an original photo of a certain event as opposed to a stub from the same date. While the stub "bore witness" to the event, it fails to convey any emotion, which is the strongest trait of the greatest photos. Emotion sells. With the photo, you yourself are able to bear witness to the event, even if you weren't alive to have been there.

I could certainly understand people's appreciation of having the trifecta of the photo, the stub and autographs of all pertinent parties to create a nice framed piece. Nothing wrong with that idea whatsoever, and each item compliments all the others. Throw a scorecard in there, too!

[MVSNYC]

Hi Ryan, great post.

I voted tickets as well. They've really gained steam in recent years, for the reasons you mentioned- rarity, pinpointed to a specific event (the catch, called shot, perfect games...), special record, rookie debut, etc. They very often have cool typography/graphics design, and are easy to store/display.

My kids collect with me now, and when I acquire a new ticket, I'll often pull up the video of the moment/game to show them, and it instantly gives them a memorable visual to go with the ticket.

Edited to add: I see that Autographs have been added to the conversation. I also see them making a big move up, especially PSA graded Autos on cards.

[Casey2296]

Can you even get a printed ticket from a modern game today? Seems like everything is done electronically now. If younger collectors can't get an Ohtani 50th home run ticket for example, does that generation lose interest in them as collectibles?

[raulus]

If I knew, I wouldn’t tell my own mother.

I do think that there are strong arguments for most everything on this list, along with lots of arguments against.

While there are obvious investing elements associated with collecting, there are also serious emotional aspects, as many of us collect what makes us happy, and the financial aspects come along for the ride. I know you don’t want to dwell on this sentiment, but it’s difficult to ignore, and it certainly can have an impact on returns as well, as an emotional connection drives popularity and value.

My guess is that if you collect nice pieces from top flight players from any of these categories, you’ll do fine. Obviously one group might outshine the others, particularly over a short or mid-term window. But whether the return is 4% or 7% or 15%, other than collecting NFTs or ultramodern stuff, my guess is you’ll make money as long as you aren’t looking to flip it in super short order.

[calvindog]

Tickets largely bore me, especially when compared to cards. However, Ryan asked about a five year horizon -- and tickets have just started picking up steam. Over the next five years I wouldn't be surprised if tickets outperform cards. Twenty year horizon, different story.

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Tickets largely bore me, especially when compared to cards.

I couldn't agree more! To me, tickets have next to no eye appeal. My guess is that autographed cards and autographed Type 1 photos have the most investment potential over the next 5 years.

[MVSNYC]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

My guess is that autographed cards and autographed Type 1 photos have the most investment potential over the next 5 years.

Type 1 photos (signed & not signed) have also really gained steam too.

I think, in any of these categories, if having a conversation about appreciation and value, the simple rule of thumb (just like when collecting cards) is...try to get the best players, best moments, best debuts, best images, in the best condition that you can.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Hank, great point about autos. I totally forgot to add them to the poll. I have asked Leon to edit the poll to add them as another choice

Sorry I called you Rich, yet another old guy moment to add to the growing list.

[Brian Van Horn]

Should be interesting the impact of AI shill bidding.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Can you even get a printed ticket from a modern game today? .... does that generation lose interest in them as collectibles?

As Jeff correctly pointed out, the question is the NEXT FIVE YEARS, meaning the next generation is largely irrelevant for purposes of this thread.

And no worries Hank, I have been called much worse!

[scooter729]

Since cards seems to be the most popular answer, I'd love to hear from folks about what sports have the most potential upside in that same five-year window.

I know most of us on this page are going to be biased towards baseball, but if we ruled out baseball, where do you see the most growth potential? Basketball (which saw exponential growth during Covid, much of which crashed back to earth quickly)? A sport like soccer with global appeal? Something else?

[Schlesinj]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Can you even get a printed ticket from a modern game today? Seems like everything is done electronically now. If younger collectors can't get an Ohtani 50th home run ticket for example, does that generation lose interest in them as collectibles?

Isn’t that a similar argument as none of us witnessing Babe Ruth or someone like me never seeing Mickey Mantle hit a baseball live, but I would much rather own their card vs Aaron Judge.

We now have audio books, but people love to grab a hard copy to read. People collect records and some prefer listening to them too. Nostalgia is nostalgia.

To Ryan’s original question if I were to invest 10k into a sub-section of this class I think vintage of the greats has highest floor. Pokémon highest ceiling (own none) but witnessing “regular” shows and local shops the kids are very much interested in that space.

I am personally enjoying and see beautiful tickets from 30s-60s. Great colors. They present very well and are great to mix and match with type 1 photos, scorecards and art. Great story telling.

*One digital art comment, I read Christie’s shut down that category recently from their platform.

[oldjudge]

As someone who once collected tickets (Roger Clemens wins--talk about bad choice) I can appreciate that collecting genre. However, tickets to events that were deemed significant at the time tended to be saved so I think there are plenty out there in scrapbooks yet to hit the market. Also, as someone already pointed out, they are no longer issued so it's not something people think about. I think type 1 photos from significant events offer better appreciation opportunities because there is the visual appeal that Jeff mentioned. Personally, I still think that cards are the best bet in the long term. Shorter term it could be anything based on hype.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

As Jeff correctly pointed out, the question is the NEXT FIVE YEARS, meaning the next generation is largely irrelevant for purposes of this thread.

Duly noted.
So if we take:

A Joe Jackson ticket like the ones in your collection.

A Type 1 Joe Jackson photo

A 1914 CJ Jackson

IMHO they will all appreciate in the next 5 years, maybe 2x but that's just a guess, but I think the CJ appreciates a bit more than the other two.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Since cards seems to be the most popular answer, I'd love to hear from folks about what sports have the most potential upside in that same five-year window.

I know most of us on this page are going to be biased towards baseball, but if we ruled out baseball, where do you see the most growth potential? Basketball (which saw exponential growth during Covid, much of which crashed back to earth quickly)? A sport like soccer with global appeal? Something else?

Woman's basketball cards. They've had tremendous appreciation in the last few years and, based on scarcity, there is still plenty of room to go. The WNBA added a team this year, the first addition in a long time, and has two more scheduled to be added next year. Attendance at games has gone up a lot and television coverage has increased dramatically. Part of this began as the Caitlin Clark effect, and that got people in the door, but the quality of the product kept them there. A Clark 1/1 rookie(one of several different 1/1 rookies --does the Panini printing press ever stop?) went for almost $700,000 this year. I think that price is totally crazy but it does show that there is money out there with an interest in the woman's game.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Schlesinj

Isn’t that a similar argument as none of us witnessing Babe Ruth or someone like me never seeing Mickey Mantle hit a baseball live, but I would much rather own their card vs Aaron Judge.

-
Maybe. Even though we never saw Ruth we collected cards of what was current at the time, 50s to 70s, at some point we ended up jumping down the pre-war rabbit hole of the past and discovered the old timers. But we had a connection because we collected cards as a kid.

If there are no hard stock tickets for a kid to collect today I think you lose a generation to ticket collecting because there was no modern equivalent hook to set regarding tickets. Now that's not saying the younger generation can't find their way to ticket collecting but it's not a straight line anymore.

I'm not a photo guy either but is there a modern equivalent to a type 1 photo in the modern digital age? The same dynamic might play out there too.

[BioCRN]

Tickets and photos are def having a "moment" right now in popularity, especially photos most recently.

[Fred]

With every genre, will there be sub genres to them? For cards, there's rookie cards. For tickets, would it be 50 yard line seat for football, row 1 behind home plate for baseball? Ok, now I'm mocking this... sorry.

I don't trust autographs unless it's something that I'm near certain (JSA cert doesn't count) is authentic (Ruth passed away a bit before I was born so I couldn't get his in person).

I'm sticking with cards, but the poll is about "upside". How much more can cards increase?

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Fred

I'm sticking with cards, but the poll is about "upside". How much more can cards increase?

A constant--and reasonable--refrain for the last 50 years.

[puckpaul]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Woman's basketball cards. They've had tremendous appreciation in the last few years and, based on scarcity, there is still plenty of room to go. The WNBA added a team this year, the first addition in a long time, and has two more scheduled to be added next year. Attendance at games has gone up a lot and television coverage has increased dramatically. Part of this began as the Caitlin Clark effect, and that got people in the door, but the quality of the product kept them there. A Clark 1/1 rookie(one of several different 1/1 rookies --does the Panini printing press ever stop?) went for almost $700,000 this year. I think that price is totally crazy but it does show that there is money out there with an interest in the woman's game.

I find this hard to believe. I have NEVER heard any guys i know, many of whom are all big sports fans, ever talk about women’s sports and certainly never about women’s basketball. I scroll past it in the online papers. The players are unappealing. Can women and speculators pick up the slack? I have serious doubts.

I still say its cards. Baseball cards. Just has the deepest widest appeal. I wish it were hockey, and i have felt that hockey memorabilia is undervalued, especially older wool jerseys and photos, but i still think of hockey as a niche and though collectors are rabid, it doesnt have the spillover appeal (yet, there is always hope as they add more teams in more US cities.)

Everything feels a little frothy at the moment, so a lot of cards and memorabilia dont stand out as cheap today. This is all a relative argument. As long as we are cutting rates into a frothy time to keep the game going, the dollar is going down relative to hard assets including collectibles, so I think we are ok for the time being.

I have some tickets i have owned and collected. They remind me of a game i went to. Those used by others to attend big games do relatively little for me for reasons others have stated. But starting from a low base, they could certainly do well from here. The best ones though will have been used not issued, and then the condition wont be great (torn) if they were older and ripped on admittance…is that what happened to most?….and that would eliminate the condition upside for the most part, and the registry game that has driven a lot of the card upside.

[oldjudge]

Paul--You may find this hard to believe but it is true. The expansion Golden State Valkyries sold out every home game this year in an 18000+ seat arena. The Las Vegas Aces have had over 30 consecutive home sell outs. Valkyrie courtside tickets for next season are selling out at about $30,000 for a 22 game home season. Where it was rare to see games on TV in the past now virtually every game day has multiple WNBA games on. For the first time ever the woman's NCAA basketball tournament has outdrawn the men's. The fact that you and your friends are not now interested in the woman's game means that there is plenty more room for expansion of the fan base, a good thing for these collectibles.

[Kzoo]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Can you even get a printed ticket from a modern game today? Seems like everything is done electronically now. If younger collectors can't get an Ohtani 50th home run ticket for example, does that generation lose interest in them as collectibles?

The Indianapolis 500 still has printed tickets each year and they've been attractive with great colors and graphics for over 100 years now.

[aelefson]

I have been wrong for the past 20 years, so I figure I will continue to be wrong, but I am always baffled that memorabilia and ephemera are so low valued compared to cards. I assumed that a lot of collectors would tire of cards and decide to pursue lemon peel balls, ring bats, or other displayable items and that those items would ultimately rise in value. Instead, most of the items I collect (like the above) are worth about what they were 20 years ago and some less. I still enjoy what I collect and am happy the prices are relatively stable/low as I have been able to add some incredible items for relatively small money (compared to cards).

One of my favorite examples is a 1933 All Star Game scorecard I own with Babe Ruth on the cover. There are not many known at least compared to most of his cards. I paid less than 500 for mine (it has condition issues) but even a nice went for about 3000 a couple of years ago. A 33 Goudey Ruth card in similarly nice condition sells for tens of thousands of dollars. I just do not understand the gap in price.

I do understand there are far more card collectors. I just assumed more would tire of that pursuit but I am doubtful enough ever will to change things. As I said, the relative affordability of memorabilia definitely allows me to have a deeper and larger collection than if I only collected cards.

To finally answer the question, I chose ephemera but probably should have chosen other (display memorabilia). Given my track record over the last twenty years though, I assume I am going to be wrong for the next five too.

Alan

[Mikehealer]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

For the first time ever the woman's NCAA basketball tournament has outdrawn the men's.

They did outdraw the men in 2024, but this year, like every other year, the men
more than doubled the women in viewership. 2024 was an outlier due to Caitlin Clark's participation in the game. I've been wrong many times, but I would be surprised if WNBA cards/memorabilia gained significant traction.

[ValKehl]

I'm an old fart who has been watching the NBA since the 1950's when I greatly enjoyed watching the Celtics teams with Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, et al. Other than possibly Jay M., I may be the only Net54er who prefers watching the WNBA to the NBA these years for various reasons, such as:
- WNBA players appear to play their hardest all the time, whereas NBA players seldom play their hardest until the playoffs.
- On the whole, I feel the WNBA teams exhibit more teamwork and less 1-on-1 play than the NBA teams.

[sb1]

Originally Posted by Kzoo

The Indianapolis 500 still has printed tickets each year and they've been attractive with great colors and graphics for over 100 years now.

I have near complete ticket/stubs runs of Indy 500 and Kentucky Derby from the 1920's on and of now, unfortunately, there is little demand it seems, I keep waiting for them to pick up, it seems they have to be graded to bring anything and ticket grading is not cheap.

[Writehooks]

While baseball cards will no doubt continue to be our most coveted collectibles, I strongly believe vintage boxing ephemera will see a significant upsurge over the next five years. Even though the sweet science is no more than an adjunct to North America’s “big four” mainstream sports in the 21st century, its colorful history and worldwide appeal make it special. In addition, big time professional boxing has doggedly preserved what I consider to be the two most enduring “I was there” artifacts in the realm of sports collecting: printed programs and commemorative tickets.

Due to prohibitive production costs, dwindling ad revenue and pressure from environmental groups, the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have pretty much thrown in the towel on paper keepsakes of a trip to the stadium or ballpark, instead providing a constant flow of digital data that can be accessed on smart phones. Fortunately, boxing hasn’t followed suit. World championship fights, particularly in the heavyweight division, continue to feature some of the most gorgeous programs and tickets ever produced – a tradition that dates back to John L. Sullivan vs Gentleman Jim Corbett in 1892. You could do a lot worse than invest that $10K in programs or tickets from fights involving Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Roninson or Muhammad Ali, or even stepping into the “modern” era of Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.

[oldjudge]

Hi Mike! I'm not saying that the WNBA will ever be as popular as the men's professional leagues. What I am saying is that viewership is growing and should continue to grow. If even a minuscule percentage of these new viewers become collectors then prices will continue their meteoric rise. From 2006-2018 WNBA cards were produced by Rittenhouse. The cards in many of these years were small boxed sets made in very limited quantities. In 2011, Maya Moore's rookie year only 225 sets were made, meaning only 225 Maya Moore rookie cards exist. Maya Moore is an all-time great who was just inducted into the Naismith HOF. Compare that number to the number of rookie cards available for HOFers in any other major sport and it's easy to see why a small increase in interest in these cards could translate to a big increase in prices.
I mentioned these cards a few years ago when a similar thread was going. My idea was laughed at then, but the prices of high grade star rookies have increased ten fold or more in many cases during this period.
I'm just as happy if no one believes this--I'm still buying and don't need additional competition--so I'll shut up about these cards after this post.

[aro13]

I selected Game Used but I could easily be persuaded by peoples opinions on this thread.

I agree with Jay on women's basketball and women's sports in general. The print runs are just so low on anything WNBA pre-2019. I don't see the newer stuff worth nearly as much as the print runs have gone crazy. HOFers in all sports are always in demand and there are plenty of elite women athletes whose cards have a lot of room to go up based on the limited supply.

[Aaron Seefeldt]

I voted for photos. A nice & sharp photo can be mesmerizing.

[Vintageclout]

Originally Posted by Aaron Seefeldt

I voted for photos. A nice & sharp photo can be mesmerizing.

In lieu of the seemingly infinite-like price tags of signed modern star cards, I’m going to jump in here and say AUTOGRAPHED vintage HOF cards (especially rookies), tickets or type 1 photos. Modern sports personalities are already achieving six to seven figure pricing points almost every day (including an astounding & record setting $12.9 million fee for a Kobe/Jordan signed 1/1). While I already see a trickle-down effect to pre-1970 immortals such as Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Jackie, Clemente, Mantle, etc., there remains an immense gap in the pricing disparity between signed modern & vintage. This will also be infectious for iconic tickets & type 1 photos since their scripted availability is few and far between - consistent with the manufactured rarity of so many signed modern cards.

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by Writehooks

While baseball cards will no doubt continue to be our most coveted collectibles, I strongly believe vintage boxing ephemera will see a significant upsurge over the next five years. Even though the sweet science is no more than an adjunct to North America’s “big four” mainstream sports in the 21st century, its colorful history and worldwide appeal make it special. In addition, big time professional boxing has doggedly preserved what I consider to be the two most enduring “I was there” artifacts in the realm of sports collecting: printed programs and commemorative tickets.

Due to prohibitive production costs, dwindling ad revenue and pressure from environmental groups, the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have pretty much thrown in the towel on paper keepsakes of a trip to the stadium or ballpark, instead providing a constant flow of digital data that can be accessed on smart phones. Fortunately, boxing hasn’t followed suit. World championship fights, particularly in the heavyweight division, continue to feature some of the most gorgeous programs and tickets ever produced – a tradition that dates back to John L. Sullivan vs Gentleman Jim Corbett in 1892. You could do a lot worse than invest that $10K in programs or tickets from fights involving Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Roninson or Muhammad Ali, or even stepping into the “modern” era of Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.

I respectfully disagree — I think boxing is probably the worst segment of the hobby to drop $10k. The biggest fight of the past year was the Paul/Tyson farce. We’re 20 years removed from it even being the most relevant combat sport. There are some incredible boxing cards out there — especially Jack Johnson and Ali. It’s a pretty inexpensive segment, but that’s because demand is getting smaller by the day. Tyson is the only boxer out there making money selling autographs — and he peaked in 1990. I love ‘60s-‘90s boxing history, but I’m 51 and there aren’t many younger than me that feel that way.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

I respectfully disagree — I think boxing is probably the worst segment of the hobby to drop $10k. The biggest fight of the past year was the Paul/Tyson farce. We’re 20 years removed from it even being the most relevant combat sport. There are some incredible boxing cards out there — especially Jack Johnson and Ali. It’s a pretty inexpensive segment, but that’s because demand is getting smaller by the day. Tyson is the only boxer out there making money selling autographs — and he peaked in 1990.

Some PSA 9 1948 Leaf Boxing cards sold in Memory Lane last night in the mid 3K range, up as much as 7x in the past six years.

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Some PSA 9 1948 Leaf Boxing cards sold in Memory Lane last night in the mid 3K range, up as much as 7x in the past six years.

That tells me that they were worth almost nothing six years ago and have to be in otherworldly condition to move the needle. I just don't think it remotely compares to the other sports, and that's too bad. No one younger than me knows the greatness of say Hearns v. Hagler or the many dozens of other incredible events from the sport's past. Foreign domination of the heavyweight class went a long way in killing it over here. It's truly insane that you can get a beautiful 1910s Johnson for $500, but that illustrates the demand.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Writehooks

While baseball cards will no doubt continue to be our most coveted collectibles, I strongly believe vintage boxing ephemera will see a significant upsurge over the next five years. Even though the sweet science is no more than an adjunct to North America’s “big four” mainstream sports in the 21st century, its colorful history and worldwide appeal make it special. In addition, big time professional boxing has doggedly preserved what I consider to be the two most enduring “I was there” artifacts in the realm of sports collecting: printed programs and commemorative tickets.

Due to prohibitive production costs, dwindling ad revenue and pressure from environmental groups, the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have pretty much thrown in the towel on paper keepsakes of a trip to the stadium or ballpark, instead providing a constant flow of digital data that can be accessed on smart phones. Fortunately, boxing hasn’t followed suit. World championship fights, particularly in the heavyweight division, continue to feature some of the most gorgeous programs and tickets ever produced – a tradition that dates back to John L. Sullivan vs Gentleman Jim Corbett in 1892. You could do a lot worse than invest that $10K in programs or tickets from fights involving Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Roninson or Muhammad Ali, or even stepping into the “modern” era of Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.

I wish.... I've been waiting for a boxing boom for so long that I have just about given up on it. If anyone has ten grand they want to bet on boxing stuff, please let me know.

I was going to say F1 and soccer. Both global, both largely untapped except cards, and both with substantial asymmetries of information (aka widely varying prices).




These are pure gambles, though. The best bet still is baseball, but not auctions, card shows, etc. From a pure ROI perspective, finding photos, tickets, and other ephemera in the wild is the best bet of all. If you have the time and the inclination, and you are a good picker who is expert in the details of the items you are chasing, you can score better than any traditional sale via nontraditional means. I've picked up scorecards, tickets and photos at a small fraction of value from ignorant sellers at paper fairs, antique shows, flea markets, etc. I wrote a Substack on it.

https://open.substack.com/pub/adamst...eOnShare=false

[gonefishin]

Cards are King, but I think the combination of photo, ticket and autograph are pretty cool too.

[Brent G.]

Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron (in order) led online sales last month and I assume every month for a very long time. They were followed by Brady and Messi.

It seems basketball is king, including the new highest price paid for a card. I think Jordan Star rookies -- all 4 of them -- still have a ton of growth potential since PSA started grading in '22 and people increasingly know the top cards weren't the ones reprinted by Star's founder in the Shop at Home scandal.

[Johnny630]

Pokemon Cards

[bcbgcbrcb]

From an investment standpoint, Marshall Fogel knows 100X more than I'll ever know about the hobby and I've heard him repeatedly state game used memorabilia has the biggest upside in the hobby so I voted for that. Wouldn't be where I would allocate my funds due mainly to lack of knowledge and challenges with the authentication process.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

From an investment standpoint, Marshall Fogel knows 100X more than I'll ever know about the hobby and I've heard him repeatedly state game used memorabilia has the biggest upside in the hobby so I voted for that. Wouldn't be where I would allocate my funds due mainly to lack of knowledge and challenges with the authentication process.

That was my vote (and it wasn't even close). There is no form of memorabilia that brings you closer to the actual game than game-used Bats, Jerseys, Caps, Jackets and Equipment. It is the most fun and rewarding segment to collect, IMHO. I know other people who are feeling this, and (for the record) I collect every category listed in the survey.

To me it seems like cards are already at a high-point, and are perhaps due for a plateau or even a decline. Most "golden era" cards are just so plentiful when compared to other forms of memorabilia. But truly rare cards of HOFers should continue their upward trajectory. So instead of lumping all cards together as a single category, you pretty much need to segment them... 19th Century, pre-war, post-war, modern, ultra-modern, etc.

[UKCardGuy]

I was tempted to say memorabilia, but I went for photos. Technically, they're a subcategory of memorabilia.

Photos have the same viceral connection as cards but with greater detail and more rarity. There's something extra special owning a type 1 photo that was used for a card.

I don't get some of the comments about tickets though. It doesn't have a photo but for me a ticket is a direct connection to a historic event. That's the appeal of tickets for me.