Time to unload those vgex T206

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Posted By: David Vargha

Also, sudden price increases don't indicate a "bubble". A sustained, sharp increase fueled by speculative pressures and an underlying belief that one must buy now or never again see these prices is the engine of a bubble. However, prices can both turn up sharply, never to return to their previous levels as well as turn up sharply and then correct somewhat without a speculative bubble being the fundamental cause in either case.

It's simply a matter of going back to Econ 101 and looking at the supply and demand curves. Demand has grown immensely as the Internet has served to create a previously unknown supply. This is great for everyone. What is somewhat puzzling is when more accessible sets such as T206 experience price increases like those mentioned. However, one simply has to go back to the P&Q curves of the Supply and Demand charts to see that rising demand drives rising prices.

Now, we must remember that we have been in a period of sustained economic growth for the last 15 years or so. An economic "shock" or catastrophe could easily have a devastating effect on the entire card market. As such, at that time I would rather be holding the cards not only in the greatest demand in the current market, but having the added element of scarcity as well should I ever need to sell. Nonetheless, this is an age-old phenomenon that is certainly brought up quite often on this board. Prices as a whole tend to go up over time. Sometimes we start to sound like our parents when we recite the "When I was a kid" mantra. Just know that sometimes people "discover" certain cards and that means that their days of being underpriced are over. Other times, new money comes in to chase certain cards and it creates undue price pressures that cannot be sustained over time. I wish I could always discern one from the other.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com