Rarity discussion

VintagemanEd

Just a comparison to throw out for feedback and thoughts.....
What is the more rare card.... A card that has 30 psa 10's out of 1,400 graded or one
That has 325 psa 10's out of over 23,000 graded? How should these 2 examples compare in value?

bobmoat

define 'value'

VintagemanEd

In this case....which card should command the greater premium

maddux69

Here is an example based on Derek Jeter RCs. The Sp is easily attainable card, but it is rare in gem mint condition. The Upper Deck Gold Hologram is a rare card as it is inserted at one set of gold hologram per factory case, but not rare in gem mint condition.



Sp- 17 PSA 10s out of 11737 total graded(VCP $30,000)



Upper Deck Gold Hologram- 31 PSA 10s out of 137 total graded(VCP $1,700)

MULLINS5

I say the card that's graded 325 PSA 10 because there is enough popularity to submit it 23,000 times. Popularity is key in these cases, I think.

thebaseballcardkid

To compare their value, who is on the front of each card? Front matters.

bishop

How should rare be defined ? What would qualify a card as rare ? Is there a difference between a scarce card and a rare card ?. If so, what defines a card as scarce ? Is the T 206 Wagner scarce or rare, as compared say to the 1961 Mantle Topps Dice card ?

Does value have anything to do with scarcity or how rare a card is. I assume no one would say a 52 Mantle is rare or scarce. If you have a PSA 10 Mantle is that rare ? Does it make that version of his card rare ?

bobmoat

define 'premium'

KendallCat

A lot of factors have to be considered. You have to look at both economic factors, supply and demand, in order to figure out the correct answer. Just because an item is rare or scarce does not make it valuable. If there were for example the same number of Jordan 10's and Olajuwon 10's from the same 1986 Fleer set which would be worth more? Just using supply as your criteria they would be exactly the same price but we know that is not the case. Same for Mantle rookie and Matthews rookie from the same 1952 set.

VintagemanEd

Yes all very good points and a nice discussion topic....
The card that has 30 is not of an iconic player by any stretch but the one with over 300 psa 10's is

bobsbbcards

Originally posted by: bishop
How should rare be defined ? What would qualify a card as rare ? Is there a difference between a scarce card and a rare card?

I've posted before that a card is rare if you put it into the search field on Google, choose to show images, and no picture of the card appears.

1958 Kahn's Clemente
1968 Ashland Oil Jim Maloney
1963 Pepsi Colt 45's John Bateman (Hey! Three images showed up!!!)

bishop

That's not bad Bob. Did you think that up yourself

JoeBanzai

Rarity is only really a factor on a high demand item. Case in point 1960's OPC cards are much more rare than Topps but the "premium" doesn't match the difference in availability.

In your example the 1,400 card is more "rare" but that doesn't mean it's worth more. Depends on the player featured (demand).

jay0791

For this discussion scarce and rare mean the same thing.
A card that has high production numbers needs to have high demand to have and keep value.
Some cards have so low of demand that grading isn't worth the cost vs. return on investment.
Many new cards need to get that PSA 10 or you will lose money.

I collect NY Yankee team sets so here is an example.

1993 Jeter RC in Topps. A zillion made a zillion graded. 14,949 submitted. 1545 PSA 10's

A 10 runs you about $125 and demand seems to keep eating up the growing pop numbers.
I can buy a lower pop of say 4 of a NY Yankee common for $4 from 4SC.
Once the 3 of us collecting this set have the card probably there is no home for another one.

IndianaJones

I could not find where Mr. Mint Alan Rosen separated "scarcity" and "rarity", but if memory serves, he defined scarcity as there being a small number of items originally printed, whereas rarity points to a paucity of surviving specimens existent today. ---Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)