No doubt it will be a Japanese card - if we are talking the increase as a percentage and not a dollar cost.
My pick is the 1967 Kabaya Leaf, Sadaharu Oh or a high graded SSP that is so rare its mythical; 2, 3, 8, 17.
With MLB's continued recruiting of Japanese baseball players such as Ohtani, etc. the market for cards in Japan continues to grow with it. Sports card collecting by no means is limited to the United States. With the majority of Kabaya Leaf cards residing in the United States, collectors across the pond are willing to pay competitively to acquire cards from this set.
If we're talking about cards issued in America only, my pick is the 54 Aaron RC. While there are numerous pre-war collectors alive today, I think the collector base is shrinking every year. Yes, there will always be a high demand but it is shrinking disproportionately from the post war collector base. If you are a die hard pre-war collector, ask yourself whom the audience is you sell too and buy from? It will likely be someone you have dealt with before - an avid collector like yourself. The customer base for the post war seller/collector has a tremendous customer base in comparison. There is a new customer every day - someone you don't know - someone that is completing a set or simply investing - someone that wants a keep sake about someone they saw play a game (McGwire/Clemmons/Maddux/Trout/etc.).
Today it is a GLOBAL market, not limited to borders. The change has been gradual from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the Caribbean with players such as Clemente (PR) and Amoros (Cuba), then players like Bobby Avila from Mexico, and then the first Japanese player in MLB Murakami in 1964. Along with these players came a new card collector base. Of course, they collect cards of their home-grown player, but also collect cards of those who played with them. None of these new collector bases have a great interest in collecting pre-war cards, or a limited number. My thoughts, right or wrong, is the collecting base for pre-war cards will diminish substantially in the next 10-15 years, while the collecting base for post war will continue to increase with the largest increase in demand coming from countries outside the United States.
Yes, that small population that spends a million+ on a Wagner or a Ruth is still out there. I'm guessing they actually know each other and enjoy the competition of spending that kind of money out bidding each other. The reality is - that's not reality for us that don't have that kind of disposable income. I wish I did!
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12-16-2022, 02:07 PM
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