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Coins vs Basketball cards

Anyone on this board who has ever collected basketball cards may have feedback on this post. For those who have collected Basketball cards, have you ever compared 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards to Indian Head Cents? They share a lot of similarities.

*132 cards in the set, 52 Indian head cents in the series (both are achievable collecting goals)
*Michael Jordan rookie equivalent to 1877 Indian Head cent in terms of valuation and desirability
*Hakeem Olajuwon rookie somewhat comparable to 1909-S Indian
*plenty of star rookie cards with significant value, plenty of semi-key dates with significant value
*common examples in common condition readily available for a dollar or two
*certification on key issues is mandatory
*1986-87 Fleer Basketball are considered to be of the classic era of collecting, just like Indian Cents
*Both are condition sensitive
*Both are considered to be high demand and somewhat scarce

While there are many similarities between 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards and coin collecting, there are so many differences between the two hobbies. First, coins within the same grade can have many different looks depending on toning, color, luster, and strike. Cards assigned to the same grades pretty much look the same. Cardboard doesn't tone.

A comprehensive coin collection never ends! Take the simple type set for example. Once a collector has completed the set, there is ALWAYS something that can be added to expand the type set. Within each example of the type set is an entire date run with mint marks and in many cases, even die varieties to collect. Compare a collector of coins from the 'yesteryear' to a sports card collector who focuses on the 1950-1990 era. Each sport can be adequately covered in the back issues of Beckett. A Beckett magazine is only a quarter of an inch thick, and the price guide summary of classic-era cards is only about five pages total per sport. I referred to my March 1996 issue of Beckett by the way.

Would any sports card collectors or former sports card collectors like to chime in?

Comments

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have two 1996 Skybox Basketball Cards featuring Detroit Pistons Joe Dumars and Theo Curtis Ratliff. I seem to recall that they were in loaves of bread.

    Am I rich?
    All glory is fleeting.
  • impressionist paintings vs. beanie babies, the juxtaposition is comparable
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    To each his own interest.......just enjoy the hobby..Cheers, RickO
  • FullStrikeFullStrike Posts: 4,353 ✭✭✭
    I remember back in the last century (1999) I read about Dealers buying up the 1986 Fleer Basaball sets at around $15.
    I'm so sad I didn't buy me a few at $30 or whatever the going retail might have been. Basaball wasn't too hot back then.
    It sure is smokin hot now.

    One of these days I swear I'm a gonna get me a Dr J rookie and a Lew Alcinder rookie.
  • stevepkstevepk Posts: 238 ✭✭✭
    If dealers were buying boxes of 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards in 1999 for $15, they must have had some pretty steep markups. My 1996 issue of Beckett has an article on 1986-87 Fleer Basketball cards that stated the going rate was about $5,000 per unopened box. I suppose a complete set of Indian head cents could be purchased for about $5,000 as well as a complete set of 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards.
  • BarndogBarndog Posts: 20,454 ✭✭✭✭✭
    around 1992, I bought a pack of 86-87 Fleer basketball for $125 or $135. I was the first person at the San Antonio show to buy a pack from a box that a local dealer had. I knew the local dealer, frequented his store, knew about his purchase of the box, and trusted it was not searched in advance. My collection was nearly complete, but I did lack a couple key cards, including the Jordan.

    When I bought the pack, collectors and dealers took notice. I pulled a Jordan and a few other high dollar cards out, easily "making me some money" on the gamble. Helped me complete the set! The excitement surrounding that one purchase enticed others at the show (collectors and dealers) to buy more packs -- so the local dealer ended up selling the whole box at the show in about 30 minutes.

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