Which cards do you recommend for good investments?

krazyace5

Spin off from earlier post.

Any player, any sport. Also which brand of said card(s)?

WinPitcher

I suggest none as investments....i suggest what ever strikes your fancy to fulfill your hobby goals.

TMc

Any Mantle PSA 8s. They will always appreciate, always be in demand, and were printed in lower runs than today's cards making the pop reports fairly stable.

AkbarClone

There are quite a few guys (on the B/S/T forum) who are still offering to sell Ryan Leaf cards. Must be some value to them so I suggest buying up all of his cards.

Stone193

Appreciation of cards
Krazyace
Is this the thread you are talking about? If not, a lot of good stuff was discussed here about investment in cards.


<< <i>I suggest none as investments >>


I am in agreement with WinPitcher in that in the context of a true investment, one would like to see "reports" on the asset and the ability to leverage that asset to further purchase investments or collateral for another endeavor - some institutions will accept my collection as collateral but to my knowledge Merryl Lynch would not allow it to purchase more stock. Having said this, I do think if you want to purchase high grade material for hobby fun with the speculative likelihood that you may be able to fund a retirement home in 30 years....that is a possibility - but I wouldn't want to be held to that statement as a guarantee.

Speculation vs. investment - I think speculation is an attempt to take a little money and make a lot. Whereas, an investment is an effort to prevent a lot of money from becoming a little amount.
These are just my thoughts on this and if it sparks a debate, again, that's OK - I just don't think except for very high grade material, that cards are a 'true' investment unless kept as a small speculative portion of ones portfolio.

Mike

goodriddance189

Hank Blalock Bowman Chrome rooks.

any ballplayer with only one or 2 rookies (Beltran, Sean Casey, Nomar, etc)

RobE

Any PSA 10s that can be picked up for roughly $10.The older the better but 10 buck pick-ups I think not.

I agree with the mantle theory but would like to add that PSA 8s from the 70s are severely undervalued in the current market.I could see a large amount of PSA 8s from 80 and back being a great long term investiment purchased in quantity.

bill7549

I'm hoping to make a good amount on my '52 set once I get up to 60 years old (26 years from now). I'm sure that these cards will have appreciated by that point enough to justify the fun I'm having collecting the set.

Spigrimace

I'll take a crack at a mix of finding great future % appreciation & steady slow appreciation (i'm a little biased as I have almost all of these in my collection):

1986 W. Palm Beach Randy Johnson PSA 10 (rumor is they only made 3000)

1990 ProCards Dominik Hasek PSA 10 (even better if you can even find that 1989 sticker out there. if anyone's selling, I'd buy it!)

1992 Derek Jeter Front Row Promo PSA 10 (would also consider all his 1992 Minor League except for classic)

All Vlad Guerrero minor league PSA 10 I've said for 5 years now he's going to be HOF.

Bernie Williams 1987 ProCards Oneonta & Ft. Lauderdale PSA 10

1990 Score Canadian & 7th inning sketch Marty Brodeur PSA 10

1990 OPC Premier & UD French sets

1983 Canada Cup Post Cards Lemieux, Yzerman & Andreychuk PSA 10

1985 Brendan Shanahan London Knights PSA 10

1986 Bellingham Mariners Jr. Griffey (buy it on the dip!) PSA 10

Up to 1985-ish all Gretzky cards in PSA 10

early 1980's Joe Montana cards in PSA 10

Marino & Elway mid 80's cards in PSA 10

Pat Roy RC in PSA 10

1975 K. Hernandez #623 in PSA 9/10

1975 Int. Lg. AS Gary Carter PSA 9/10

1975 Hostess Box Robin yount PSA 9/10

1989 Vero Beach Dodgers Piazza PSA 10

1981 Pawtucket Boggs PSA 10

1978 Jack Morris PSA 10

All Nolan Ryan PSA 10's up to 1980, especially early to mid 70's.

Seaver, Carlton & Bob Gibson cards in PSA 9/10 for steady appreciation of legends that are cheap!

For gamblers: 1989-90 7th inn sketch Keith primeau PSA 10 in case the Flyers take the cup this year. Quick in and out.

I'm not big on Autos but a Mel Ott 500 homer club cut auto at $400 is a steal. Has to be one of the toughest star autos to find as he's been gone for so long. Should be an extra zero on that price and just may be there sooner than you think.

I don't agree with the risk factor associated with a Lebron James, Mello Anthony or Dontrelle Willis as anything can go wrong with those young careers. I'd rather pay double what they are going for now in 5 years when they may be assured of HOF status vs. pulling a Kevin Maas, Mark Fydrich, etc. Jordan & A-rod are already priced high, I'd buy on a dip though. Tiger Woods cards may be a bargain on the dip if he ever regains that surreal legendary status.

Let me know how I did in 15-20 years. lol

MorrellMan

I haven't bought a new card in over 10 years - it's hard for me to believe that any recent issue won't pale in comparison to vintage cards due to the stockpiling and general care taken with new cards. Cards in the 50s and 60s were the domain of kids - when I pulled a card I needed or wanted and showed it to my dad, he smiled and went back to his paper. How many dads would do that today if Junior showed him the hot chase card from a new pack? More often than not that card would be snatched and cached before the kid could say hello. I know I'm in a minority here, but, hey, this is a forum and I had 2 cents burning a hole in my pocket. So that's mine.

cardboardjungle

IMO, Craig Biggio is looking like a good investment right now.

He has 2500+ hits, having a great year so far batting leadoff. If he can play two more full years at this pace, he's almost a lock for 3000 hits. Every player eligible for the HOF with 3000 hits has made it.

His best rookies are dirt cheap, even in PSA 10. '88 fleer update glossy (SMR $20!), and '88 score traded glossy (SMR $50). I bet you can buy those for half of that on ebay.

joestalin

Ill take the modern side here, goodrid brings up a great point, there is much money to be made simply
if you know some information. There are many players out there who only have one or two
rookie cards (versus some that have 20 different). If you know who these players are and buy them
early before the player makes news then you will be set. Keep in mind that UD and topps have
rights to different players, still today there are players with only one or two rookie cards, bowman
draft for instance. If you study up around December (when everyone else will be looking for
football), you can predict which players will be up around triple-A ball. Those are the players that
will be hot in March. Heck they don't even have to do anything on the field. The hype is what
sells and only in baseball can you take advantage of this because the drafts don't mean that a player
will be playing that year! Kotchman is a great example this year. Blalock comes to mind too! I find
it funny that in the past 5 years many of the most sought after cards were actually retail issues!

If you are smart and do a little research you can make good investments.

Good Luck

Kevin

joelwalter

KARL MALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

koby

Spigrimace,

There are a lot of minor league cards on you list. I have always liked the idea of minor league cards because usually they are manufactured by a handful of companies. I read, however, that many minor league cards are associated with reprints and counterfeits. Are the minor league cards that you listed above not plagued by this problem?

Koby

joelwalter

COREY DILLON, RAY ALLEN, BARON DAVIS..all of these have potential to make lots of money


Ray Allen- Chrome Refractor PSA 9 was selling for over 200, now, they are for around 50. A trade to anyone would make his cards double or triple in price.

Corey Dillon-should be interesting to see how he does in N.E. Anything of his can be had for extremely cheap right now.

Baron Davis- personally, I think he's a star in the making. His cards are all relatively cheap, although I'd stick to the low #ed rookies like the Credentials, Flair Legacy, Rubies..

Karl Malone-he's in great shape and his cards will skyrocket if he can break the all-time scoring record. Low #ed inserts and autographs from 97-2000 will be the greatest payoff. A Jordan 97 Ultra Platinum--$250, A Karl Malone-$15....98 Precious Metal Gems Jordan $500+, A Karl Malone will cost you $35. The list goes on..

Even if Malone doesn't break any records or win any championships, his cards cannot really go down. They are as low as they can go. He'll still enter the hall of fame as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.

KallMaloneSay

Buy mid-priced prospects that hit at every single level. Kotchman, Morneau, and Eric Duncan look like good ones to me.
Jason

phreakydancin

<< <i>Spigrimace, There are a lot of minor league cards on you list. I have always liked the idea of minor league cards because usually they are manufactured by a handful of companies. I read, however, that many minor league cards are associated with reprints and counterfeits. Are the minor league cards that you listed above not plagued by this problem? Koby >>

He recommended only PSA graded cards, which at least in theory would not be counterfeits.

Spigrimace

I don't have info on the minor league stuff as far as counterfeits go. I'm sure they are there. But as for what is real, the numbers produced have to be less than main issue stuff. For example that 1986 W. Palm Beach randy Johnson must be the easiest thing to counterfeit. Not much graphics to that card. I always love when I show minor league cards to kids and they light up because they never saw it. They only know mainstream stuff. Like 1982 Reds Minor league Paul O'Neil & Eric Davis (with his eyes closed!). And I like the First David Cone Card in the minor league where backs were switched and never corrected with Spiro Saltsis. Theres a 1989 Star Hensley Muellens St Pete & Albany. Which one is the error?? yet no one seems to notice. Many of these minor league cards are real. I still have a sneaky suspicion about that 1982 Anchorage Mark McGwire. It came from no where. I would bet my right arm there are many 86 Bellingham Mariners Griffey counterfeits. They were like $500 each at the pinnacle. I always liked to have stuff that no one has, but sometimes they just call it odd-ball. One of my favorites is an '82-ish Oshawa Generals Dave Andreychuk police card. It's a tall boy and man he looks soooo young! And awesome that if you can find one, it's only like $10. I like the 1991 7th Inning Sketch Sudbury Wolves checklist with Mike Peca on the front in Braces as well. He looks 14. And I like the (82? 83? 84? I forget) kitchner Rangers Al MacInnis. Cheaaaap! Oh I posted about the 1990 7th inning sketch preimeau b4. I have 2 that each have wayyy different fonts. bad print run? or is it a variation? When you put one on the other, the printed name pyramids by more than two letter widths.

Anyway, maybe someday minor league stuff will pick up and get recognized. if it doesn't, then we get cheapies that no one else has! I will hold my PSA 10 1986 W. Palm Beach randy Johnson 1 of 7 out of 3000 printed for eternity! Tell me that shouldn't be a $1500+ card.

Maybe someday I can get that Rocket minor league card. I need jed to shoot up my back yard and find some oil :-) Yet the Boggs 1981 Pawtucket card is dirt cheap as is the Arby's (82? 83?) Mattingly Minor League card.

I'm babbling. Peace!

Spigrimace

Hmmm. I'm thinking a (+) on Randy after the perfecto :-)

Knlsportsandmore

Someone mentioned Hank Blalock. He is a good one don't forget Laynce Nix his 2002 Heritage rookis is listed at 30 in Beckett and is bringing nearly full book pretty frequently on Ebay and there are fewer and fewer being offered. Now I wish I had bought those 500 Topps Chrome Blalocks and Michael Young rookies I had a chance to for about 60 dollars a couple of yeas ago.

CON40

I'm keeping an eye on Carlos Beltran... true superstar on a bad team. He has one major RC and will be a free agent. If he signs with Boston, New York or Anaheim, his RC will take off like a rocket. Second to him is Hank Blalock... he's a beast!

For vintage, keep an eye on old timers that may get into the HOF through the veterans committee. If Dom DiMaggio, Ron Santo, or Gil Hodges get in, their cards will reach a new plateau among HOF collectors.

BigKidAtHeart

<< <i>I suggest none as investments....i suggest what ever strikes your fancy to fulfill your hobby goals. >>

I agree.
for investment buy real estate.

gemint

Low pop vintage commons in high grade. People have been waiting for the bubble to burst as hoards of these cards get unearthed after the first few sell at record prices. What seems to be happening is more and more people are building a given set while very few of these low pop cards are being located. This results in increased demand as those collectors try to claim that final piece of the puzzle.

goodriddance189

Michael Young Chrome rookie. my friend has been raving about this guy for years, and now i realize why.

joestalin

way to late on Mike Young or any of the big Ranger studs, you have to invest BEFORE the season,once
a guy is hitting .350 10 homers through the first month it is too late. A subscription to baseball weekly
is worth the money if you are into speculation!

JS

bladefox

Great topic , you're right on the Laynce Nix Hertiage RC's just checked some on ebay.
Here are some:

any 1975 Topps PSA 8- esp. if it's centered and no printer marks. Esp. the Jim Rice RC- usually a good seller, esp. if he's gets in the HOF as a vetern's selection
-88/89 Fleer basketball PSA 9's/10's esp. the Reggie Miller RC if the Pacers win the title this year. Actually finding any in 50/50 centering is hard. Stockton and Pippen RC's in 9's can be had for cheap. Psa 10's are hard to come by, and if they do usually range in $300's.
Lyle Overbay- like Carlos Beltran- great hitter in a bad market (Brewers).

goodriddance189

hey i know the Nix's (Laynce and Jayson). my girlfriend went to HS with em

67standup

I'd put my money into the 1971 Topps Perez PSA 7 or 1974 Munson PSA 8...hey, I think both are on Ebay right now.

jrdolan

I'm investing in 1985 Donruss Tom Niedenfuer. I made that decision after failing to get a Clemens (or hardly any other money card) out of an "unsearched" wax box. I did, however, get a dozen or so Niedenfuers and they are all mint and centered nice. When the time is ripe, I will sell them as error cards. They were supposed to be Clemens, but due to a print malfunction they turned into Niedenfuers before they got to me. Sorry, I won't sell any now, so don't ask.

purelyPSA

Get RCs of future football HOFs. I'm not talking about the Peyton Mannings of the world, either. Guys like Will Shields and Aeneas Williams. You can get them for commons (if you can even find them singly) and when they get in the HOF, you'll be able to sell for several times what they cost you. You can also be choosy as to what to submit to PSA, because I can't believe there's a ton of people right now chasing down their RCs.

Spigrimace

We all forgot about Edgar Martinez. .315 lifetime batting ave may get him into HOF. Downside is he's old (40) and probably wo't even get 2500 lifetime hits. Has more than one hand counted on 100+ RBI seasons. Real borderline HOF'er. I say if he doesn't get in, he'll get in down the road by the vets committee. Great player and all his RC's and minor league stuff are CHEAP!!!

Others that came to mind for the vets committee:

Another .300+ lifetime hitter that might get a look by the vets committee is Bill Madlock. He was an SOB and the press hated him. You can get his raw 1974 RC in the $5 range.

Funny how we all think Bruce Sutter should be in the hall. Pioneer of the reliever but relievers don't get respect to make it in. And if he makes it, then Dan Quisenberry should be too.

Vargha

The Hall isn't any guarantee of high prices. Billy Williams and Gaylord Perry cards aren't exactly setting the world on fire.