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Collecting for investment purposes - where to begin in today’s market?
Rofles
Posts: 752 ✭✭✭✭✭
Say you have, 2500$, and you’d like to invest in collecting. What do you purchase? The oldest unopened box you can? Graded packs? Graded cards? Tough High-grade cards? Multiple unopened boxes? Would you spread it out similar to stocks or put all your eggs in one basket per say?
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2500 is not much.
Newer unopened, 1987 and 1990 had great rookie crops.
I would put all your eggs in one basket, I mean who would walk around trying to carry 10 baskets each with only one egg in it? ...and buy the most expensive 1980s unopened rookie showing pack you can afford.
Join the Rookie stars on top PSA registry today:
1980-1989 Cello Packs - Rookies
If you want to double your money in a year, roll the dice on a couple higher graded newer basketball prizms, higher risk and bigger payoffs.
If you want something that will appreciate over time and has less risk, graded cards of timeless HOFers (which are also increasing rapidly at the moment!).
You have to work a little harder, but deals are out there to be had. Where you fish is as important as the fish itself. $2500 is enough to lay down a nice bet on a product. I'll give you a free tip, modern products with an exclusive prizm or refractor are going crazy right now.
I am not a believer in investing in cards as the market is fickle and volatile. I Say collect what you want because if the value drops out you will be stuck with those cards. That said, Ruth and Mantle cards are doing well right now. Shop around and but the highest graded Goudey Ruth you can find or the highest graded pre-1957 MAntle you can afford. Those cards have staying power and you will likely not lose your investment and get a decent return over the years of holding onto them. Maybe not as high as hitting a rare pull in a current pack but but it is a return on your money with a good solid card.
buy 3 prizm Zions psa 10
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
Thanks everyone!
My favorite set I’m collecting right now are highest grade 71’s baseball I can find. Goal is to get as many as I can that are PSA 8 or better. I just had 39 delivered for grading, so we will how it goes! I was curious if getting into unopened market would be good too.
This question has been started about 100 times since I came here 15 years ago. I’d love to dig up every thread and see how everyone did. 4 years ago it was 1960’s rookies. Unfortunately peaking at that vet time the 10’s have lost 60% of their value in most cases. Stephen Strasberg was the cant miss 5 figure rookie. Hmmm. Aaron Judge was the smoking hot rookie a few years ago. So who’s the flavor of the month now? People sitting at home buying and flipping. Prices are at an all time high but when life returns to normal and the temporary players bow out? So what’s a good investment for $2500? I’d find the nicest T206 Cobb Red and let it ride the coat tails of the Green Portrait. T206 HOFers are steady and even if they don’t rise immediately they are sure to hold their value.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Vintage unopened. go after a 1975 Topps rack with a HOF'er showing as they are more plentiful than 1976 or 1977. For now.
That will set you back say 1,500 or so. Take the last K and buy a nice wax, cello, or rack box FASC or two from a EARLY 1980's issue. Topps, Donruss, or Fleer.
BOOM that's what I'd do
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
How do you invest in other stuff? I like the first part of this recommendation, grab the 75T rack (obviously with the proper approvals), but then take a risk with the last $1k. The rack will ensure you don't lose if you wait long enough, but you also have a chance at a massive score or losing it all on top.
This hobby is large enough and more importantly connected enough for a collector to make it a few bucks in many different ways. While I don't chase singles like I used to, I have found different areas of the hobby to explore and it has been a blast. I started getting back into baseball and I have really enjoyed getting to know the products from the past few years.
I don't want to be critical, but a lot of the advice above is recommending to purchase items that are hot and have just increased dramatically in price. The real question is, "what is going to be the hot thing next year?" That is what you want to buy now. I've down well in the past by buying up players I thought were going to make it into the hall of fame. Even Jeter rookies increased earlier this year, and it certainly wasn't a surprise that he was going to get elected.
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Look for what you think is undervalued.
Last thanksgiving when BBCE had their special 10% off I was looking at their inventory and
thought 1983 topps baseball wax boxes were undervalued. 1981 and 1984 topps football wax boxes
were selling for around $1,000 and 1983 topps baseball wax boxes were a little under $400.
I didn't think that made much sense so I bought 4 83 bb wax boxes and got them for around $350-360
apiece and 5 83 fasc vending boxes for around $167 each. Turns out my timing was good as less than
a year later they all have at least doubled in price.