Best investment potential

lightningboy

Aside from the particulars of individual cards/grades, what is the better long term investment between vintage blue chip players (Ruth Cobb Gehrig Mantle Jordan etc) or vintage unopened material?

CollectorAtWork

I think it will depend on scarcity, popularity and price of the vintage unopened that you are looking at. The blue chip players should hold steady or show some gains. There's a decent history of how these cards have done over time. Not sure if the pricing of unopened material has tracked similarly, and w/ unopened, the scarcity is likely to increase over time and some people won't be able to resist the tempation to open them.

MattyC

I'd venture most would say blue chip athletes and their most popular cards all day over unopened material. I sure would. For one, unopened remains a niche, whereas the mainstream of the hobby is cards. Then there will always be people hesitant to pull the trigger on high-end unopened, for fear of it not being authentic, no matter who authenticated it. Lastly, the savvier collectors know that busting hardly ever yields the cards one was dreaming of, which brings the unopened piece back to the relatively smaller niche market of unopened collector. The certainty of spending X and knowing exactly what you are getting, ie a vintage Mantle or Jordan RC, will always appeal to a broader group.

So while it is very hard to speak accurately in such general terms, it of course is possible a given high-end unopened piece could find its way to the perfect buyer for a very high price, yet I'd be more comfortable holding an expensive piece that is known to have the most potential buyers.

handyman

Yogi Berra. Undervalued and will go up.

CollectorAtWork

I guess let me ask this since I don't know unopened at all. Are there any unopened packs of 1952 Topps High Numbers out there, and if so, how much do these go for? Say that a pack in PSA 7 go for the same price as a 52 Topps Mantle PSA 3. Which would have better investment potential?

Dboneesq

<< <i>I guess let me ask this since I don't know unopened at all. Are there any unopened packs of 1952 Topps High Numbers out there, and if so, how much do these go for? Say that a pack in PSA 7 go for the same price as a 52 Topps Mantle PSA 3. Which would have better investment potential? >>



I have not seen a hi #'d graded pack in some time, but I believe a PSA "7" would go for significantly more than the $7,500.0 +/- a PSA 3 Mantle would cost you.

I like unopened, but I'm also a huge MICK fan. I'd probably stick with a MICK card as opposed to the unopened that you could buy for the same price. I also think that there is more of a risk that the unopened is not as it may seem.

Yankees001

<< <i>Aside from the particulars of individual cards/grades, what is the better long term investment between vintage blue chip players (Ruth Cobb Gehrig Mantle Jordan etc) or vintage unopened material? >>



Both seem good. With individual cards you know what you have. Packs are always getting opened, so rariety is a factor.

I would go with the blue chip players. I like to know what I have. I would concentrate on the Old Vintage (1880-1950's) not the new vintage (the 1960's-1970's).

Packs should only go up in value, but their are collectors who will not pay much for packs (no stars are gaurenteed).

Dave

Nathaniel1960

1955 Topps Low Number Stars in 6's and 7's. Aaron in particular.

addicted2ebay

Vintage unopened packs, cello's ect. get my vote.

Juggs

Unopened. People are still cracking stuff. It's dwindling.

lightningboy

When the term vintage is used with unopened material, what is the most recent year that you would consider vintage?

MattyC

Meant to post this here but there's another thread that is quite similar; guess it fits as an opinion in both places...

Folks seem to put a lot of faith in the ability to authenticate unopened vintage packs. There is a thread archived somewhere that discusses a PSA-slabbed Schmidt RC pack with a very odd wrapper on it. I found it to be quite a rational discussion, and there were some very knowledgable collectors involved who made some great points. Though my passion for unopened will always be strong, such examples as that have helped me stick with my favorite blue-chip graded cards, when weighing the choice between a card and unopened.

I will buy boxes and packs to rip for fun, no problem (from BBCE). But I'd pause before buying a 25K box over a 25K 52T #311.

cellos

A run of 1952 - 1959 wax packs

vintageinvestments

Silver, atleast 4 acres of land, and ALOT of ammo. Some replenishing seedlings would help as well.

corncobb

I believe the card market will drastically decline in the next 30-40 years.

ClockworkAngel

<< <i>I believe the card market will drastically decline in the next 30-40 years. >>



Way to keep it positive!

What is the reasoning behind your opinion?

ClockworkAngel

In response to the OP, I think the only "if" in the equation is if the card market as a whole will continue to go up. If that happens, then I think all of the above will continue to appreciate. IMO you can't really go wrong with either vintage unopened material or high end graded cards.

IMO, here is a list of things that I think has the most room to go up:

1. High End football rookie cards.
In relation to baseball, I think football is relatively underpriced, especially when you consider that is has overtaken baseball as the most popular sport in the country. Football cards like Montana RC, Payton RC, Rice RC, anything from the 70's and older is rare than their baseball counterparts yet are valued less

2. 1970's OPC Baseball
Some of the superstar RC's from the 70's like Ozzie, Murray, Yount, Brett, Schmidt have OPC rookie cards that are much less than Topps and also much rarer. I think this will become more and more appreciated

3. 1980-81 Bird/Magic
The singular most undervalued card IMO

I'd stay away from some of the PSA 10's that have command 10K plus in auctions. Much more volatile...

MattyC

I could not agree with the last post more, with respect to the Bird/Magic RC. That and the Mantle RC are my two most underrated cards around.

I don't see it as much with OPC though. I agree they are rare-- but so many of us who grew up collecting the Topps/American cards feel fully sated once the Topps is in-hand. I can see hardcore player collectors and straight OPC collectors driving the market for those cards, but I'd venture most will first move to buy the Topps RC of a key player, and then be content to own only that one; likely they would purchase many other cards before circling back, if ever, to land what is essentially the same image.

Sometimes rarity, however undeniable, cannot alone spur mainstream demand for an issue. OPC may be a prime case of this. That said I personally can appreciate the OPC cards for their rarity and often unique cut.

larryallen73

Besides '79 Bob Horner and '81 Joe Charboneau rookies I don't know. However, stock up on these because they can't miss!

MinorLeaguer

<< <i>

3. 1980-81 Bird/Magic
The singular most undervalued card IMO

>>



I disagree except in the case of PSA 10. $15k or so with 18 in PSA 10 out there to date for the big boys to fight over the bragging rights. Unbelievable star power on the card, iconic card and a must have in your collection, but just feel population is too high for PSA 9 and below. 2,045 currently graded in PSA 8 alone and growing. $300-$350 or so is in PSA 8 is probably about right with that type of population. I can't call a top, so sure it can go up more, but just don't see it going through the roof in 9 and below. But I've been wrong before.

ClockworkAngel

<< <i>

<< <i>

3. 1980-81 Bird/Magic
The singular most undervalued card IMO

>>



I disagree except in the case of PSA 10. $15k or so with 18 in PSA 10 out there to date for the big boys to fight over the bragging rights. Unbelievable star power on the card, iconic card and a must have in your collection, but just feel population is too high for PSA 9 and below. 2,045 currently graded in PSA 8 alone and growing. $300-$350 or so is in PSA 8 is probably about right with that type of population. I can't call a top, so sure it can go up more, but just don't see it going through the roof in 9 and below. But I've been wrong before. >>



Disagree. The PSA 9 at $900-$1500 is a bargain. Compare it to how many Jordans there are out there and I know many will disagree, but I think the Bird/Magic is way cooler than the Jordan

MinorLeaguer

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

3. 1980-81 Bird/Magic
The singular most undervalued card IMO

>>



I disagree except in the case of PSA 10. $15k or so with 18 in PSA 10 out there to date for the big boys to fight over the bragging rights. Unbelievable star power on the card, iconic card and a must have in your collection, but just feel population is too high for PSA 9 and below. 2,045 currently graded in PSA 8 alone and growing. $300-$350 or so is in PSA 8 is probably about right with that type of population. I can't call a top, so sure it can go up more, but just don't see it going through the roof in 9 and below. But I've been wrong before. >>



Disagree. The PSA 9 at $900-$1500 is a bargain. Compare it to how many Jordans there are out there and I know many will disagree, but I think the Bird/Magic is way cooler than the Jordan >>



Nothing wrong with agreeing to disagree. Have at it, buy all you can and hope you make a mint.

To me a bargain is the 1990 ProCards Dominik Hasek Indianapolis Ice PSA 10 XRC-first card for the $15-25 or so that they have been selling for. Population is currently 28 in PSA 10 and 8 in BGS 9.5 (No Pristines-BGS10 yet). Ok, those pop numbers will more than likely triple over time and I'm sure a few pristines will eventually pop. But really, are there not enough hockey card collectors that wouldn't want Hasek's first card in PSA 10 for a measley $20?? I know there were a lot less of these produced than a 1990-91 OPC Premier Jagr! lol.