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Long term investment on Gaming Cards

So back in the early nineties, my buddy asked me to play some new kind of card game. The artwork wasn't very impressive compared to Marvel masterpices, I thought to myself. Anyway, I didn't quite get into it as he did as I was spending my money on Stadium Club football looking for First Day production cards. Those were going to be worth a fortune! As you probably already know, the game cards I'm talking about are Magic: The Gathering cards.
Fast forward to today and I'm shoked at what unopened boxes of Magic The Gathering cost. $30,000 for Alpha, $20,000 for Beta and Legends....why didn't I get into that stuff!


So my question to you all, with the older stuff is impossible to find and the newer stuff as popular as ever, what's the future hold for Magic:The Gathering as an invesment? Is the true long term investment only in the 90's product? Will the newer stuff increase in value over time just as the 90's have?

What do you think about Pokemon,YugiOh and World of Warcraft?

Comments

  • "investment"

    First thing to do. Erase that word from your mind. If you are going to buy stuff thinking that tomorrow you will be rich. You are wrong.



    << <i>What do you think about Pokemon,YugiOh and World of Warcraft? >>



    I avoid collecting trading card games. I never understand how to play them, but as far I saw from players and collectors. Not all the cards will get you hundred$. In trading card games many of that cards that actually have a value because are "rare" cards or powerful cards "banned" from tournaments. The "sets" of a series isn't just 100 card. So a sealed box of packs will not warranty you get something good unless all the series is "rare" to find.

    If you want to really make a good hit. I recommend check garage sales and for kids growing up because it is the only places you can find the "rare" and powerful cards for cents. I had a co-worker that tell me he got tire of the Yugi Oh cards when grown up. After spending a lot of money and building a powerful deck. He sold it technically for cents. After I told him I collect cards he said to me: "Oh, man. I throw some good valuable stuff for a misery."

    If you never collected or play with these cards. Be careful buying some cards from Pokemon or YuGi Oh. There is a lot of reprints, International versions, and even fakes.
    My extra/duplicate cards for sale in my eCrater Store: http://elpereles.ecrater.com
  • 3BoyzTrading3BoyzTrading Posts: 798 ✭✭
    Good point about the term "investment". I'm the guy that started out great buying a 1981 Topps football set for $17 in 1988, scoffed at 1986 Fleer basketball and didn't listen to my cousin when he recommended I buy Apple at $15 a share because they were working on a revolutionary music player that'll antique the walkman.

    However, I can't lie and say that I'm in this hobby purely for the fun. I've been around long enough to understand how the media, rookie prospects and sportscards work. I'm also fully aware of the disposable income that will be spent on recent stuff 20 years from now.

    I'm going to go out on a limb and say that early Magic has peaked and anything recent won't come near the value. As for Pokemon, I'm seeing the first series stuff going for good money. YugiOh isn't doing too bad and the Warcraft money seems to go to the loot cards.

    As for counterfeits, I'll have to educate myself with those but I'm aware of the International versions. Thank you for your opinion!
  • slackerslacker Posts: 231 ✭✭
    Back in the day I bought 120 boxes of the third series magic the gathering for 12k at my local card show I did. It was every Wednesday and Saturday. That Wednesday they were 120.00 strong. I decided this was an investment and didn't sell them the week I bought them. Less than 3 weeks later the price crashed to 20.00 a box at the show. I sold every box for 2k and took a 10k loss. Thinking they would go to 2.00 a box for life.
    Jump ahead today and they're 2k a box on eBay. YES 2K A BOX. OUCH!!! Don't even get me started on first series garbage pails kids I refused to to buy as 10 year old kid because the wrappers were pink. Last but not least I remember 1986 fleer basketball sets at a mall show for 1.00 a set. The guy must of had 500.00 sets and I walked by and laughed and didn't even blink. Though my fav could of, should of, would of. Is the stock mdbx, a penny stock that once bud was legalized in 2 states this year it jumped from .06 up to $215.00 in less than a week. Everybody thought it was the green rush. It's now @ like back down to 26.00 last I checked. Moral of the story I feel your pain on the missed investments.
    Love and laughter,
    Slacker
    Ps thanks for reading slacker thoughts...
    Pss I feel my hobby for high end gum cards, vintage unopened Star Wars toys,is for pleasure as well as my pop-culture401k investments.
    goal is to build my 1962 topps mars attacks set psa gpa 8.25.
  • slacker, prices in the trading card market changes so fast like the NY stocks. Right now I see a drop of prices for some "new" trading card boxes, but it is something momentary until you can't find one anywhere.

    I don't have nothing against if somebody buy a lot as "investment". But as far I saw in the past. It just made prices go to non-realistic points because it creates a fake scarcity. The best example was the Death of Superman in the '90s. A lot of non-collectors jumped to the market just to buy for investment. I makes the comic industry to believe they were "strong" and incremented their print runs. It killed any potential value for that comics of that moment.

    For Superman #75 (1st print) in eBay. I saw some sellers selling lots of dozens of that comic for even less than their actual retail price in total.

    Also in the past few years for Non-sport cards. I saw/noted a lot of sellers appearing selling stuff "no longer" available or considered "scarce" for really good prices. Meanwhile other sellers with long print run or common boxes are asking ridiculous prices.

    And returning to the topic of Trading Card games. You really need to understand the topic before going to some "investment". I recommend even get some old price guides as reference. Because here isn't so easy like identify a Michael Jordan rookie card.
    My extra/duplicate cards for sale in my eCrater Store: http://elpereles.ecrater.com
  • 3BoyzTrading3BoyzTrading Posts: 798 ✭✭
    When it comes down to it, it's simply supply and demand. I'm interested in gaming cards because of the high interest in Magic The Gathering 1990's product and high interest in Pokemon. All of these were produced in an era where more was best. The difference these have than anything else is the fact they were actually played with. Yes, there are holders for them but who was really interested in the latter game? Kids played with these and were likely not interested in keeping them "mint". As eBay shows, there are solid prices on high grade copies of particular cards. Magic is a different beast and has a life of it's own. I still can't believe the pricing on early boxes. I'm still hoping to see a box of these show up at my local Goodwill or a garage sale.


  • << <i> I'm still hoping to see a box of these show up at my local Goodwill or a garage sale. >>



    Yeah, hope is the last thing to loose. I also read somewhere of good findings from big storage lots and government/state auctions. I believe you can only find cars and houses in the government auctions, but it look like some people get other things. I remember to read also something about a divorce where the goods ( a collection of comic books) was in sale because it was part of the half thing.
    My extra/duplicate cards for sale in my eCrater Store: http://elpereles.ecrater.com
  • 3BoyzTrading3BoyzTrading Posts: 798 ✭✭
    I have a friend that dug out his childhood collection of Magic. A lot of Beta,Legends and Arabian Knights. He was still attached to them so there was no interest in selling them. I believe the finds are in estate sales.
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