Baseball Card investing 101 question

JWBlue

I am new to baseball card investing.

I was a rabid collector in my teens during the 1980's but stopped right around 1990. I am not familiar with PSA ratings.

Is a PSA 10 for a 1983 Topps Gwynn considered rare?

Recently one sold on ebay for $475. Did the price go up recently due to his passing?

When a player passes away do his cards rise in value?

begsu1013

1. welcome back
2. there are 312 gwynn's w. a pop 10
3. usually when someone passes, value tends to go up for a little while, then tends to level out just a little higher after his passing...usually.

here's a link to check the POP (population) of a card

enter cert number here

TheMick6

Here's my advice on that, don't invest in sports cards. It is a hobby, yes it can cost lots and lots of money but if your looking to "invest" then I'd say you'd need big dollars to drop on really rare high grade stuff or your more than likely to lose money or break even. Collect what you love and enjoy it for what it is, an extension of the sport you probably love. Just an opinion and I'm sure other board members have different views but to me the only people making real money on the hobby are those that have money to spend in the first place.

Dpeck100

There have been 16,069 examples submitted to PSA. Of those 312 have graded a PSA 10 or 1.94%.

This is a pretty tough card with these stats.

begsu1013

re-read everything the "TheMick6" posted a few times. when in doubt, refer back to it.

best of luck!

mattinglymint23

I don't view it as an investment.

At best - if you make smart choices and acquisitions - it's a capital preservation exercise at the most.
I see it as a way to satisfy my OCD - talk with like minded folks - acquire cool cards that I appreciate - and hide money from my wife in boxes around the apartment.

I do buy things I think will retain value over 10-20 years but don't bank on serious appreciation.
If/when I NEED to liquidate I hope to do as well as if the money sat in a savings account or CD.

That said I have gotten lucky with some RC buys over last two years and a bump here and there.

Additional thought and just my opinion - hypothesizing on market demand of a deceased player over the long run seems a bit morbid.

Scarcity or perceived scarcity of a gem 10 population and betting that there aren't a lot more 10's out there and betting that demand for a ten will increase over time is a tough strategy to follow.

Unless it's the 64 Flood.

lightningboy

Here's my advice on that, don't invest in sports cards

I always wonder why this is repeated so often on these Boards. Do I think that sports cards are a sure thing investment? Not even close, but neither is real estate or the stock market. What about all the people who were investing in their 401 K's a few years back with Enron and other companies. I don't know of anyone who has lost $50,000 - $75,000 on sports cards. Collector's who "invested" in vintage unopened as little as 2 - 3 years ago could certainly turn a profit equal to any of the so called "wise" investments.

I'm not here to promote sports collectibles as the top investment choice for anyone. That being said, the opportunity to make money in the hobby is certainly there.

JWBlue

I actually used the wrong word in my title. Not sure why I used investing. Maybe since the question had to do with PSA rating which seems investment focused.

I don't expect to make money purchasing baseball cards.

I will be purchasing PSA rated cards just to have a perfect copy of the cards I like.

A lot to buy. A lot of expensive ones. Some not that expensive. I am looking forward to it!

ashabby

I think this can be a good or bad investment based on what you buy. Just like anything else. But the bigger issue is to enjoy it.

elsnorto

<< <i>I actually used the wrong word in my title. Not sure why I used investing. Maybe since the question had to do with PSA rating which seems investment focused.

I don't expect to make money purchasing baseball cards.

I will be purchasing PSA rated cards just to have a perfect copy of the cards I like.

A lot to buy. A lot of expensive ones. Some not that expensive. I am looking forward to it! >>



Welcome to the boards, Kevin. As you're finding out, a lot has changed in the hobby since 1990!

My advice is to acclimate to all that is on offer before jumping in with both feet. Try to find an area, or areas, to focus on that fall into both your interest(s) and budget.

Also give a lot of thought to what you want to collect raw vs. what you want to collect graded... as well as what condition/grades you want to pursue.

The difference between a PSA 9 Mint and PSA 10 Gem Mint card can be considerable in terms of price. Whereas the difference between the two in appearance is often negligible, with most collectors being unable to consistently identify a PSA 9 vs. 10.

Dropping your focus from PSA 10 to PSA 9 can save you a lot of money and allow you to get more proverbial bang for your buck.

Great to have you back in the hobby and I look forward to seeing what you decide to pick up!

Snorto~

JWBlue

<< <i>

<< <i>I actually used the wrong word in my title. Not sure why I used investing. Maybe since the question had to do with PSA rating which seems investment focused.

I don't expect to make money purchasing baseball cards.

I will be purchasing PSA rated cards just to have a perfect copy of the cards I like.

A lot to buy. A lot of expensive ones. Some not that expensive. I am looking forward to it! >>



Welcome to the boards, Kevin. As you're finding out, a lot has changed in the hobby since 1990!

My advice is to acclimate to all that is on offer before jumping in with both feet. Try to find an area, or areas, to focus on that fall into both your interest(s) and budget.

Also give a lot of thought to what you want to collect raw vs. what you want to collect graded... as well as what condition/grades you want to pursue.

The difference between a PSA 9 Mint and PSA 10 Gem Mint card can be considerable in terms of price. Whereas the difference between the two in appearance is often negligible, with most collectors being unable to consistently identify a PSA 9 vs. 10.

Dropping your focus from PSA 10 to PSA 9 can save you a lot of money and allow you to get more proverbial bang for your buck.

Great to have you back in the hobby and I look forward to seeing what you decide to pick up!

Snorto~ >>



Thank you.

Today I was thinking of the individual cards, sets, and unopened I want and deciding whether I want to pay a premium for PSA 10 cards vs PSA 9.

There are not a lot of cards I really want so I will likely splurge on the PSA 10. I am an attention to detail person so owning PSA 10 cards fits my personality.

How different the hobby would be if machines of the past were accurate enough to crank out all PSA 10 cards.

dtkk49a

I don't expect to make money purchasing baseball cards.

You interested in any Ray Rice or Aaron Hernandez cards?

jmmiller777

Welcome back to the collecting world. It sounds like you may want to leave the investing part of it out. But the good thing is that you can afford just about anything from the 50's up in lesser grades. You don't need to chase down 9's and 10's when you can get a beautiful 7 or 8 for a fraction of the 10 grade. Just enjoy it and if the card appreciates, then great. If not, you still have a piece of history.