Pre-War hype or real?

akuracy503 · May 21, 2009 9:32AM

I keep hearing everyone talk about Pre-War cards to protect 'investment' etc....

Wouldn't the popularity and demand of 50's and 60's baseball/football rival the Pre-War stuff?

I personally enjoy collecting 1950's baseball because I can relate to growing up knowing about these legends, Pre-war for the most part... I don't know these atheletes....

Is it the scarcity that makes Pre-War a more solid investment?
Wouldn't the HOF and SP items from the 50's and 60's be on par since the demand is there...

Would love to hear your take on the Pre-War, Post-War hobby.

Tedw9 · May 21, 2009 9:43AM

Just some random thoughts.....

Pre war was cards were used to help sell a product. People bought the product and the cards were a bonus. Not as many people collected the cards.

Post war cards were stand alone products. People bought the product for the cards (and the gum) and to collect the cards. Because these were a stand alone product, I have a feeling there were more produced.

TomGshotput · May 21, 2009 10:23AM

None of it is a good investment. If everyone is sure it is a good investment, that is already built into the cost

Pre-war covers an aweful lot years. There are affordable cards from the 1880s up until 1941. It is very likely at least something from all those decades will increase in value nicely

GoDodgersFan · May 21, 2009 11:46AM

Pre-War materials are already expensive and I suspect growth will occur in key sets or players
for the era. A good point was made about the era covering a lot years.

There's a fundamental economic shift in the American economy right now and folks are poorer
for sure.

As for the 50/60s, Mantle says it all. High grade Mantles will always command a price even
in this economy.

fkw · May 21, 2009 12:11PM

The deals are out there, especially in these days where some collectors need a quick buck (for bills) and sell fast.

If you know your stuff, oddball PreWar "type cards" at a good deal (pre2005 prices) can be a great investment, but the key is KNOWING YOUR STUFF.

In other words....
Know what that exact card has sold for (in all grades) for the last 20-25 years (did it jump lately?) and know the trend in who collects them (any whales) and the est number of example known (ie how rare it is).

The Rarer the better (under 10 known examples is considered Very Rare).

Stay away from common high pop sets (T205, T206, R319, E145-2, etc.) unless you can get the cards for pennies on the $.

examples...

PS. Like others have noted above... A "TRUE COLLECTOR CARD" was ALWAYS issued FREE with a product or service of some kind.
This is the exact reason NO modern cards will hold (good) value as a long term investment. PreWar baseball cards are all "TRUE COLLECTOR CARDS"

smtjoy · May 21, 2009 2:13PM

I think most of the value is based on rarity, most pre war cards are much harder to come by than a 1950-60's topps anything. Here is an example 1959 Topps # 478 Roberto Clemente, hard to see the value going sky high when you see the pop report shows 2618 graded with 404 PSA 8's alone, great card and I have one but scarce it is not. Also not all pre war go up, T206 in some grades have been falling the last two years along with many other issues but the really scarce cards have hardly gone down.

If you want to collect 50-60's and want the same kind of rarity then collect odd ball types like- early kahns, idl, venz topps, macgregor, early bazooka, stahl meyer, dan dee, etc. Topps test issues are another area where just finding them is hard and I dont see prices going down a whole lot. I went after a topps test issue lot in a recent auction and it went for 3x what the set had sold for 3 years ago, ouch I got blown out of the water on it. I have been looking for a 68 topps all star sticker with Clemente for over 4 years and have not seen one for sale and to think he has other issues even harder to find.

What FKW said is so true in that become an expert in a certain area and you will excel, ie because you know more than the rest of the bidders in the area. Know all issues about the set but also know the buyers, collectors and who is selling them so you are ready to jump on good deals. My two areas are Clemente cards and Exhibits and I do great in those areas, it's when I step outside of those areas I tend to get clobbered. I know others like Oakesy excels on the Post/Jello types, I have seen him buy my cards and sell them for more because he knows that market a ton better than I do. Also have patience, it takes time to learn an area, if you think you can jump in and start flipping cards for big cash you are in for a rough start in most cases.

nightcrawler · May 22, 2009 2:44AM

Cool thread. I personally feel more attachment to the older stuff. The older it is the more historic it seems to me. But of course the value collectors put on some cards make them more desirable. I never did collect for true investment purposes.

akuracy503 · May 22, 2009 3:11AM

Great responses, keep them coming!

The reason I throw in the word "investment" is because these cards are an asset or liability of sort.

Would love to hear from all perspectives whether you're heavy hitters in the industry or just a baby boomer hanging onto their hobby as a kid.

onebamafan · May 22, 2009 7:14AM

There will always be a market for Ruth, Cobb, Young, Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and players of that ilk.

Morgoth · May 22, 2009 11:58AM

There are more factors at play than rarity for cards to go up in value. I feel that if a card is too scarce and of a not highly collected player it is very difficult for the majority of collectors to get excited about it. Also if it is ugly or oddball in shape it will hurt it's value as well.

Rare but ugly oddball cards of minor players to me are not the blue chip investments in the card collecting world. It generally takes a certain amount of card volume to lift a set up and give people a chance to collect it. Also having some popular HOFs helps as well.

If it is so rare only 1 card comes up every 3 to 5 years then what hope do people actually have of completing a set or even finding one?

Pre-War hype or real?

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