PSA/Beckett Ratio
SOM
Posts: 1,555 ✭✭✭
Some questions on Topps baseball sets from 1952 through 1968:
Comparing PSA 7 with the Beckett NM pricing, the biggest discrepancy is the 1959 set. SMR reports its value at 2.81 times the Beckett NM price; the closest match is 1952, which is at 1.59.
I wondered if there was any correlation between these ratios, and the number of collectors of PSA graded sets. So, I checked the ATF chart for each year, and I counted the sets that were 75% completed in each of those years. Lo and behold, the 1959 set had the second fewest participants! (12; the 1966 set had 11.)
Coincidence? Is that the way to tackle the Registry, if you're looking for a good return on your investment? ie: if you purchase a 1959 set raw on the street in Nm condition, it will you $5,000. If each card then grades PSA 7, the SMR value of that set is over $14,000.
Or, do folks simply collect the years that they like?
Comparing PSA 7 with the Beckett NM pricing, the biggest discrepancy is the 1959 set. SMR reports its value at 2.81 times the Beckett NM price; the closest match is 1952, which is at 1.59.
I wondered if there was any correlation between these ratios, and the number of collectors of PSA graded sets. So, I checked the ATF chart for each year, and I counted the sets that were 75% completed in each of those years. Lo and behold, the 1959 set had the second fewest participants! (12; the 1966 set had 11.)
Coincidence? Is that the way to tackle the Registry, if you're looking for a good return on your investment? ie: if you purchase a 1959 set raw on the street in Nm condition, it will you $5,000. If each card then grades PSA 7, the SMR value of that set is over $14,000.
Or, do folks simply collect the years that they like?
0
Comments
I think for the most part that people collect what they like, certainly there is an investment aspect in almost every instance, as people don't want to "lose" money. However, I think by and large the desire to do one of these sets is vested in something other than monetary value. Either the set was the first set they collected as a kid, or it's the year their favorite team won the world series, or the year they were born or some other sentimental meaning. In my case, I started with the All Time Rushers football set reg because I grew up watching a lot of those players and I had a couple of the cards already and decided to go for it. Next thing I knew, many of those cards applied to other sets...so I started doing those as well....then those cards filtered into other sets still...ack...it's a vicious cycle and now I'm addicted.
My eBay Store
BigCrumbs! I made over $250 last year!
How about ebay sales results?
A board member posted an amazing Return on Investment grid a couple of months ago, based on historical EBay sales results data. Average 1959 PSA 7 common results were $10.34 each. With the $5 grading special, plus postage you are around $6. With about 10% Ebay/paypal fees, and a 20% margin, you would need to pay no more than $1.22 per common to turn a profit on EBay ($10.34 x .9 = $9.28), ($9.28 - 6 = $3.28), (3.28 - 2.06 = $1.22).
However at full SMR, sold to a party via the boards or other method, the ROI is much more appealing.
Bosox1976