Question for the experienced collectors

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Posted By: Richey

I have seen the price lists at SGC and others, and they are extremely high, yet nobody rarely pays for them unless it is a card that is extremely scarce. My question is this:
Will card grading become something that is mandatory to the point where every card will be graded and prices will go down because the supply will be so great?

I just can't see these elevated prices lasting so long. I compare it to the "dot com" stock market bubble. I think people will get burned in the long run.

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Posted By: julie

it wouldn't break my heart!

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Posted By: jay behrens

All you have to do is look at the coin colelcting hobby to see where we are headed. You will eventually see all 'rare' and high demand cards slabbed, mainly for resale purposes. I don't really forsee any change in prices things sell for in regards to high demand, high grade examples will command astronomical prices and 'ordinary' cards and lower grade examples of tough cards will be in a more affordable range. Granding will not boost the value of a mid to low level grade cards beyond confidence it gives people that the card is legit.

Jay

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Posted By: Richey

But, the hobby is all about supply and demand. I see the future where nobody will buy an expensive old card unless it is graded. This takes all of the fun out of it if you ask me...along with a chance to get a bargain. A Mantle that is graded a 5 and a Mantle that is not graded but would grade an 8 would bring two different results. I believe the 5 card would win in an auction...even if the Mantle is determined to be 100% authentic. I guess it is that feeling of confidence that makes the prices go up so much.

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Posted By: jay behrens

As I said, you have to do is look at the coin collecting hobby to see where we are headed. The days of innocence are over, sad to say.

Jay

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Posted By: Hankron

My sense is that the highly experienced, talented and authentic collectors, buying what they what they think is quality material to fit in their personal collections, are aware of the current trends and fashions but are not bound by them. In my collecting, quality is quality is quality (and that's my personal definition of quality, not neccesarily anyone elses), no matter what the latest article or hobby trend is. In my opinion, I don't think one can be an advanced and high quality collector if one follows, or worries too much, about every present or future hobby conceit.

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Posted By: Hankron

I recently saw an old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes, and in it was an elderly music box collecter. A woman offered an extremely large amount of money for one of his music boxes, but he wouldn't sell it. He explained to her that he was a collector, and that meant that he could never sell it no matter what the price. When he bought a music box he kept it forever. To me, that's the ultimate form of collecting, and the buyer no doubt took great care in which music boxes would be with him for the rest of his life.. Worrying about what the SMR will be in three monthes or how PSA's grading standards will stand up in two years, that's something different.

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Posted By: TBob

that for some bizarre reason, you can get caramel cards graded as PSA 2 and they will sell for more than raw ones which are VGEX. Happens all the time. Collectors are paying for the "emperor's clothes" the feeling that a slabbed card is unaltered, something we all know is bull shippy. Some are, some aren't.

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Posted By: Hankron

Many 'collectors' guage the market, try to predict future SMR prices and population reports, try to predict what what will be their profit on their recent buy when they resell it on eBay in year or five years. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but that's known as investing not collecting.

If the initial post was addressed to "experienced investors" instead of "experienced collectors", my answer may been have been different.

To me, investing and dealing deals with the price, while collecting deals with the priceless. I have a number of items in my personal collection that are priceless to me, and that wouldn't sell for $10 if I put them up on eBay.

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Posted By: BcD

you need money to pay for 10 million other cards!