A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

[rlevy]

As a non-card memorabilia collector, this picture from the SCP website just amazed me. A 1954 PSA 10 Hank Aaron rookie card sells for 3 times the price of a Hammerin Hank 1967 game used and signed jersey graded a 9.5. And I know there are many other similar sales of card versus game-used item of the same player. The power of the PSA Registry?

Rick

aaron.jpg

[JoeDfan]

And that is why I basically stopped collecting cards, and starting collecting bats and jerseys.
It is astounding to me that a piece of cardboard that there are thousands of would be worth more than the actual player's uniform or bat or whatnot.

I think it is just AMAZING when I pick up a bat and know that Joe DiMaggio or Yaz or whomever used to actually use it.

On the other hand, I certainly do not mind that everyone else is willing to pay up for cardboard. It keeps the prices down on the stuff I like to collect.

[parker1b2]

Originally Posted by JoeDfan

And that is why I basically stopped collecting cards, and starting collecting bats and jerseys.
It is astounding to me that a piece of cardboard that there are thousands of would be worth more than the actual player's uniform or bat or whatnot.

I think it is just AMAZING when I pick up a bat and know that Joe DiMaggio or Yaz or whomever used to actually use it.

On the other hand, I certainly do not mind that everyone else is willing to pay up for cardboard. It keeps the prices down on the stuff I like to collect.

Perfectly stated!!!!

[Chris Counts]

"That is why I basically stopped collecting cards, and starting collecting bats and jerseys"

I barely look up cards anymore on eBay, although it was my focus for years. Now it's mostly caps, jerseys and pins, and really just about anything that makes a great display item. I really enjoy discovering oddball stuff, and it seems like there are way more opportunities outside the realm of cards to get great deals. Compared to other stuff, cards just don't have the same bang for the buck. By the way, I rarely comment on the front page of Net54 anymore, but often in this section. I'm tired of reading about all the card scandals and scoundrels — I discover something interesting every day over here.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by JoeDfan

And that is why I basically stopped collecting cards, and starting collecting bats and jerseys.
It is astounding to me that a piece of cardboard that there are thousands of would be worth more than the actual player's uniform or bat or whatnot.

I think it is just AMAZING when I pick up a bat and know that Joe DiMaggio or Yaz or whomever used to actually use it.

On the other hand, I certainly do not mind that everyone else is willing to pay up for cardboard. It keeps the prices down on the stuff I like to collect.

I am telling you from personal experience you need to completely ignore this poster.

For close to 3 decades I never once considered collecting baseball bats. I start emailing with the above poster, BAM. Now I have a custom made baseball bat display with several baseball bats displayed in it.

[ooo-ribay]

I don't understand the card guys....AT ALL!

Of course, I don't understand the Ruth guys, either.

[perezfan]

Makes no logical sense whatsoever. Why would a mass-produced piece of cardboard with a simple photo of the player's image sell for multiple times more than an actual jersey he wore, or a bat he used?

Even worse... there's a very good chance that the PSA 10 of Aaron is altered, and not even what it's purported to be. This is true of any slabbed card, of course.

Great topic, as I have been amazed by this phenomenon for many years. It simply must be that more people collect cards than memorabilia... thus more bidders to drive up the price?

I keep thinking that these values will flip-flop, but amazingly they never do! Maybe now that PSA and Beckett have been exposed as being incompetent/complicit, things might finally change course?

[todeen]

Originally Posted by JoeDfan

And that is why I basically stopped collecting cards, and starting collecting bats and jerseys.
It is astounding to me that a piece of cardboard that there are thousands of would be worth more than the actual player's uniform or bat or whatnot.

I think it is just AMAZING when I pick up a bat and know that Joe DiMaggio or Yaz or whomever used to actually use it.

On the other hand, I certainly do not mind that everyone else is willing to pay up for cardboard. It keeps the prices down on the stuff I like to collect.

I do have to say that I gutted my card collection about 10 years ago. I got rid of 98% of what I had. I have diversified since then into vintage items, autos, wheaties backs, and items that present nice. I'm a Reds fan, and last year Eugenio Suarez was having a career year. I decided I would buy my first game used item. I put in a bid on MLB auctions on a hat from a throwback jersey game in which Suarez hit two home runs. I had no competition. There were no bids during the last three days of bidding. I know the Reds are a small market team, but I thought that was shocking. It really made me consider if I should even look at cards anymore. I'm going to dabble again this year - maybe on a Joey Votto item.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by todeen

I do have to say that I gutted my card collection about 10 years ago. I got rid of 98% of what I had. I have diversified since then into vintage items, autos, wheaties backs, and items that present nice. I'm a Reds fan, and last year Eugenio Suarez was having a career year. I decided I would buy my first game used item. I put in a bid on MLB auctions on a hat from a throwback jersey game in which Suarez hit two home runs. I had no competition. There were no bids during the last three days of bidding. I know the Reds are a small market team, but I thought that was shocking. It really made me consider if I should even look at cards anymore. I'm going to dabble again this year - maybe on a Joey Votto item.

I agree with what eveyrone in this thread is saying. But I will say this for collecting vintage cards at low grades: it can be much easier and cheaper than completing a set of game used bats for a vintage team. Prices for bats, hats, jerseys, etc. of the big names have been rising high and fast! And game used collecting has been known to have some of its own frauds and scams. But, on the whole, what we collect seems infinitely more closely related to the game.

[JoeDfan]

Originally Posted by Mark

I agree with what eveyrone in this thread is saying. But I will say this for collecting vintage cards at low grades: it can be much easier and cheaper than completing a set of game used bats for a vintage team. Prices for bats, hats, jerseys, etc. of the big names have been rising high and fast! And game used collecting has been known to have some of its own frauds and scams. But, on the whole, what we collect seems infinitely more closely related to the game.

Unfortunately, it is true, game used stuff is not immune from the fraudsters.
I remember last year someone was trying to sell a Pete Rose game worn jersey on eBay. I almost bit, but at the last minute, I recognized the tiniest red flag, and walked away. Someone else did not though. I wonder how that turned out.
But generally speaking, for me, I have had pretty good luck (although not perfect) on the game used side than some of those other guys have had with the trimming debacles.
I do not play in the $10K - $100K circles, so I cannot imagine the sick feeling I would get if I just dropped a ton of money and found out my PSA 10 was trimmed (not to mention the home accounting office fallout!). So perhaps that has a lot to do with it as well. I can't afford the high end cards, so I gravitated to the more affordable game used instead.

[JoeDfan]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I am telling you from personal experience you need to completely ignore this poster.

For close to 3 decades I never once considered collecting baseball bats. I start emailing with the above poster, BAM. Now I have a custom made baseball bat display with several baseball bats displayed in it.

I have no idea what this guy is talking about.

[rlevy]

I have nothing against collecting nice cards. I don't view this as a card collecting versus game used question. However the idea that collectors pay so much extra for a card graded a "10" versus one graded lower, when often the only way you can see the difference is under a magnifying glass, just seems so silly to me, and has nothing at all to do with the game. They might as well be collecting bottle caps (no insult intended to bottle cap collectors).

The PSA Registry was a stroke of marketing genius. They created a way for collectors to compete against each other for bragging rights, and have all the ability and incentive in the world to manage the quantity of cards graded as "9"'s or "10's, knowing collectors will keep breaking them out and resubmitting, paying PSA even more money. What a racket.

And has been pointed out, the odds that the "10" was trimmed seems pretty good right now.

I agree that there is fraud in collecting game-used as well, but it usually (not always) is aimed at making a fake item real, not altering it to increase a grade.

Rick

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I am telling you from personal experience you need to completely ignore this poster.

For close to 3 decades I never once considered collecting baseball bats. I start emailing with the above poster, BAM. Now I have a custom made baseball bat display with several baseball bats displayed in it.

Iv'e always wanted to dive into the world of fake bats!!!!.... The displays are NICE and I think I have one little nook in the office I could cram them into. No more than 5 BATS though. I should have listened

[Exhibitman]

I wouldn't go so far as to trash card collectors. Personally, I don't have the room for bulky stuff like bats or jerseys. I also really like the artwork on cards and appreciate the ones i can get signed. i mean, how do you not like this:

[rlevy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I wouldn't go so far as to trash card collectors. Personally, I don't have the room for bulky stuff like bats or jerseys. I also really like the artwork on cards and appreciate the ones i can get signed. i mean, how do you not like this:

The question in my mind isn't whether cards are collectible. The question to me is would you pay twice as much for a card graded by PSA as a 7, or three times as much for an 8, or 4 times as much for a 9 (get the Picture?), so you could increase your point score on their registry. Or would you say, what a great card I have, period.

Rick

[bnorth]

This thread needs more non card pictures.

[JoeDfan]

Originally Posted by bnorth

This thread needs more non card pictures.

Definitely room for a few more on there.

[hcv123]

The core of my collection is cards, but extends way beyond - newspapers, magazines, store model gloves, photographs, a couple of game used items, etc. As a collector I have not led with the idea of "competing" because PSA arbitrarily assigns a particular number to a particular card. I agree with the questionable judgement of "buying the holder".

As a seller - I have chosen not to ignore the fact that a card in a PSA holder demands more attention and $$ than one outside and have regularly "played the game" to maximize my return (without playing any alteration games)

[Case12]

I enjoy signed cards....more personal....I even take them out of the slabs...the price is not my goal...