Selling 80% of your collection for ‘52 Mantle - would you?

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by ChasingPaper

How much enjoyment can one get staring at 1 card as opposed to a plethora of cards from all different sets/designs and players across many years?

Yes, that's precisely my question too.

Originally Posted by Fandom0610

It all depends. You gotta look at what you have now and ask yourself are they cards you can live without. If theres some in there that are sentimental or are cards you know you could never obtain again then keep what you have. If not I would definitely do it.

1) Twould seem strange for a card collector/enthusiast to have acquired mostly cards which he doesn't like that much.

2) Would you not need to really like Mickey Mantle and that particular 1952 card to "do it" anyway? It's a card that's so common that you can select from a plethora of offerings at any time.

[Fandom0610]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Yes, that's precisely my question too.



1) Twould seem strange for a card collector/enthusiast to have acquired mostly cards which he doesn't like that much.

2) Would you not need to really like Mickey Mantle and that particular 1952 card to "do it" anyway? It's a card that's so common that you can select from a plethora of offerings at any time.

I never said anything at all about "cards he doesnt like" so im confused where you got that from. As a collector sometimes you sell stuff in your collection to obtain a grail or something youve been after. Not sure if youve heard that before but its very common. Obviously he likes whatever he has in his collection but sometimes you sacrifice cards you "like" for a card you "love".

Also it is a common card but is it something he'll be able to afford "at any time???". Not sure you really thought out your comments before you posted them but the value of that card continues to go up in value.

Confused

[Eric72]

The most beautiful thing (to me) about this hobby is freedom. I can collect what I want and do it the way I want.

From set builders to people who only own one card, there's plenty of room for everyone.

Collect what you like. Like what you collect. Leave the rest for everyone else.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Eric72

The most beautiful thing (to me) about this hobby is freedom. I can collect what I want and do it the way I want.

From set builders to people who only own one card, there's plenty of room for everyone.

Collect what you like. Like what you collect. Leave the rest for everyone else.

I dunno, man.

I'm pretty sure that my way is the only right way, and everyone else is just doing it wrong.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by raulus

I dunno, man.

I'm pretty sure that my way is the only right way, and everyone else is just doing it wrong.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by raulus

I dunno, man.

I'm pretty sure that my way is the only right way, and everyone else is just doing it wrong.

You're right. But then again if that makes me wrong, then my agreeing that you're right makes us both wrong. Hmmmm. Now I'm really confused....

I still don't want a 1952 Mickey Mantle though. If I find one in a drawer somewhere I'll put it up for sale immediately!

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

I still don't want a 1952 Mickey Mantle though. If I find one in a drawer somewhere I'll put it up for sale immediately!

When you go to sell, just make sure that you have a solid backstory about how it was inside an envelope taped to the underside of the dresser drawer, and just happened to have vibrant colors, razor sharp corners, and perfect centering, despite being 73 years old, and in spite of basically none of them coming out centered without tilt. Plus you can't possibly be bothered with the time and expense to get it graded. And so therefore, there is zero possible chance that it could be a reprint.

Throw in something about your uncle or your old man for good measure...

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by raulus

Throw in something about your uncle or your old man for good measure...

My father bought it to finance my college education but got drunk, forgot where he put it and never even remembered to tell me he'd stored it away somewhere.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by Eric72

The most beautiful thing (to me) about this hobby is freedom. I can collect what I want and do it the way I want.

From set builders to people who only own one card, there's plenty of room for everyone.

Collect what you like. Like what you collect. Leave the rest for everyone else.

Well said, Eric. I collect cards most here wouldn't desire. The older I get (I'm 52), the less I care about condition. I've returned to my late 40s to mid 50s set building ways. It's about completion for me now. I used to agonize over the finest, pickiest points of condition over every single card. Needless to say, I often bogged down. My sets now are generally lower grade (not beaters), but I'm able to finish sets. I enjoy the cards for what they are. They are simply period-specific fun ephemera to me. I am an avid reader, and it's fun to own the cards of the players I read about. The books and the cards work together and make the players come alive.

Regarding the question of this thread, I would not trade 80% of my collection to own a '52 T Mantle. My other Mantles and cards of the era will have to do. I freely admit to liking the card a great deal and would love to own one and to build that set, but it's not going to happen. That's fine because there are countless other sets from that era I can complete. I figured out a long time ago that I can't buy them all, as much as I might like.

[DeanH3]

I've been doing the consolidation plan last couple years. I've netted two cards I would not have been able to acquire otherwise. No regrets on my end. I can replace the cards I've sold down the line if I desire. And I will probably keep consolidating in the future.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

I've been doing the consolidation plan last couple years. I've netted two cards I would not have been able to acquire otherwise. No regrets on my end. I can replace the cards I've sold down the line if I desire. And I will probably keep consolidating in the future.

-
Nice Dean.
-

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

-
Nice Dean.
-

Thanks Phil!

I must admit, I am starting to run out of cards I’d like to consolidate. So I could run into trouble soon.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Fandom0610

I never said anything at all about "cards he doesnt like" so im confused where you got that from.

Because you said this:

Originally Posted by Fandom0610

You gotta look at what you have now and ask yourself are they cards you can live without.

I'm a collector. The cards I bought I love. It would be very painful for me to part with a large percentage of my core collection let alone 80%. I couldn't do it.

Originally Posted by Fandom0610

As a collector sometimes you sell stuff in your collection to obtain a grail or something youve been after. Not sure if youve heard that before but its very common.

"Very common"? Is it really? Doing that sounds bizarre to me. I'm all about permanence.

Originally Posted by Fandom0610

Also it is a common card but is it something he'll be able to afford "at any time???". Not sure you really thought out your comments before you posted them but the value of that card continues to go up in value.

No. It's you who should think very carefully before picking a fight with me with the statement that I couldn't have been thinking very carefully.

Consider just your statement regarding affordability. You realize of course that you're intrinsically assuming that whatever has gone up in price will continue to go up in future. But there's a disconnect there. When it comes to investments, there's only a past tense and a future tense. Past price increases tell you nothing about the future.

Moreover with respect to collectibles such as baseball cards, Pokémon cards, comic mags, My Little Pony figures, coins, stamps, Beanie babies, pogs and tulip bulbs, there are no intrinsic growth factors such as increasing sales, profits and dividends as there are for some publicly traded stocks. Future price increases depend strictly upon future demand increases and these are never certain.

And with respect to the 1952 Mickey Mantle card specifically, the demographic factors don't look good. The main factor that's driven demand for this card is that the baby boomers who once idolized Mantle as kids and collected baseball cards in wax packs with bubble gum could afford to pay ever increasing prices for the Mantle as their own income/wealth increased. But these baby boomers are now all entering their "estate planning" years (or even dying). Many(most?) of them are hoping that they can sell these Mantle cards now to those who are willing to gayly extrapolate past price increases for this card on into the future. But that is in no way guaranteed.

[Fandom0610]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Because you said this:



I'm a collector. The cards I bought I love. It would be very painful for me to part with a large percentage of my core collection let alone 80%. I couldn't do it.



"Very common"? Is it really? Doing that sounds bizarre to me. I'm all about permanence.



No. It's you who should think very carefully before picking a fight with me with the statement that I couldn't have been thinking very carefully.

Consider just your statement regarding affordability. You realize of course that you're intrinsically assuming that whatever has gone up in price will continue to go up in future. But there's a disconnect there. When it comes to investments, there's only a past tense and a future tense. Past price increases tell you nothing about the future.

Moreover with respect to collectibles such as baseball cards, Pokémon cards, comic mags, My Little Pony figures, coins, stamps, Beanie babies, pogs and tulip bulbs, there are no intrinsic growth factors such as increasing sales, profits and dividends as there are for some publicly traded stocks. Future price increases depend strictly upon future demand increases and these are never certain.

And with respect to the 1952 Mickey Mantle card specifically, the demographic factors don't look good. The main factor that's driven demand for this card is that the baby boomers who once idolized Mantle as kids and collected baseball cards in wax packs with bubble gum could afford to pay ever increasing prices for the Mantle as their own income/wealth increased. But these baby boomers are now all entering their "estate planning" years (or even dying). Many(most?) of them are hoping that they can sell these Mantle cards now to those who are willing to gayly extrapolate past price increases for this card on into the future. But that is in no way guaranteed.

That card may be important to him and something he's been after for a long time. There are some cards that are grails for people and making a sacrifice to obtain that is up to each individual person. That mantle has consistently increased in value and will always be a extremely iconic card. Your remarks were not thought out at all. Good luck though