Do You consider YOUR Cards an Investment!

[cardsin47]

It’s all about You! (Seriously) ~~ describe your own Collection relative to its financial relevance - honesty helps with accuracy! / The poll is anonymous :)!

[Allen Ginter 99]

I consider my cards to have a value but my pension, 401k and my personal stocks are an investment ..... baseball cards are too volatile imo to be considered a wise investment. Yes everyone is going to say what about the flippers like that trout guy but there are always unicorn stuff

I know a guy that bought 9000 in bitcoin when it first started to get known, he’s in his late 30s retired living in a million dollar house ....
Doesn’t mean everyone that invests in bitcoin made it big.... I know tons of people that lost BIG.

I have prob 25,000 in my card collection but if tomorrow it is all was worthless I wouldn’t care .... I don’t consider any of this to be of value I do this for fun and enjoyment if pulling and collecting players I watch on tv

Now is there anything wrong with considering this investing ... if you make it work and make gold money than all the power to you

The blez kid that’s 24 is a millionaire from breaking sports cards he’s killing it


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[BBases31]

It's hard to put money into cards that I think won't go up when there is so much easy money sloshing around. I've bought plenty of cards that I wasn't expecting to gain value on but it is much harder to pull the trigger on those as time goes on.

The 2020 Finest Moments autos are the best looking I've seen in a decade and the set has a unique mix of all time greats and modern players. I would love to try to complete that set. I ballparked the cost at $4000. I can't bring myself to start going for it when I think of the opportunity cost versus dumping that into Soto

[jduds]

I don't think of them as investments really as any sales are done to purchase other cards. I pay attention to price mainly to make sure I am not getting ripped off.

[Alwayslefty]

hard to call it an investment. for me, I really picked it back up because I needed a low impact hobby after a hernia and a tough year in 2019. It's helped me get through 2020. Not without frustration (fu&%ing Target Flippers).

However, I do like to think that there are cards I'll flip. Hell I sell on eBay, but just to buy more cards... And I'd like to profit because it will help me buy more cards. If that becomes too hard or the bottom falls out, I'll just have less to sell and buy less. I'll still collect who I like.

Lefty

[VintageMustache]

I consider my cards to have a value but my pension, 401k and my personal stocks are an investment ..... baseball cards are too volatile imo to be considered a wise investment...Now is there anything wrong with considering this investing ... if you make it work and make gold money than all the power to you

The blez kid that’s 24 is a millionaire from breaking sports cards he’s killing it


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These might be my favorite honest comments I've ever seen on the forum. I also happen to agree with them 100%.

[Donkaylove]

had a big collection, EVERY set from 1970 on.....squirt, 7-11, kelloggs, pop ups, cartoon, minors, discs, scratch its, cups, helmets, etc.

down to 68-75 sets, an awesome vintage-rc hoard/modern (lillard, rodgers, russell, luka/ja)

[ewokpelts]

I like to use the term “for fun and profit”

[KurtisCards]

Every year I dump maybe 20 dollars into a prospect starting the year (this year it was kyle lewis, 4 bowman papers 2 chromes and 2 refractors, came out to like 15 bucks or so) then if they blow up, ill sell enough to pay for what i bought.

last year i did pete alonso, but ended up just giving people my extras instead. That guy i think i only spent like 5 bucks on 3 papers and 2 chromes.

But outside of that, i open packs and chase rookies. will buy some budget vintage or modern rookies, just putting together binders of all the rookies of decent players and Hof'ers i can.

If when i die, someone wants to sell it, i hope they can get more than just 50 bucks out of the whole thing, but more so i just want a cool interesting collection.

[gottagitdemjs]

In my youth and teens, it was for fun and bonding with my dad, but after graduating college, it became a little more business-like. I despise the term "PC." You can say "it's not for sale" all you want, but everything has a price. I am proud to say that some of my investments from a few years back have now appreciated so much in value that they will actually figure into my retirement (as long as the bottom doesn't completely drop out of cards).

[GSWSFGSF49]

Being in college I like flipping for some money when it presents it self, otherwise mostly a hobby, I like collecting, but it has come up huge in saving my butt in tight financial situations

[LVDan]

Oh hell no. I play with buying and selling cards because it’s fun. I’d never consider cards, especially the ridiculous junk I buy as any sort of investment.


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[thfc1987]

Nope. Everything I pull goes into the collection. It's getting a little much so I'm narrowing to the PC plus players I like, and I will trade here and there. But nah, not in it for money. I think my most expensive card is only worth a couple hundred bucks.

If I were to invest, it'd be index funds (I'm a weenie and hate risk) or more into my retirement. Cards are just fun, and I don't ever want them to become something I chase for money. That's cool if people wanna do that, just not my thing.

[mcgoo2]

I break boxes and buy my Twins and Negro League cards entirely for enjoyment.

I buy my higher end cards with the hope that they retain most of their value while I get to enjoy them in my collection.

I'll be aware of the value of my cards and if they're worth more than I value them at, I'll even happily sell them for a profit. But I never buy cards with the expectation that they go up in value.

Investing in a highly volatile unregulated market like cards should never be a direct substitute for a 401k. My fear with this growing treatment of cards as an investment is that when values stop doubling year over year, the growing population of people who buy cards just to make a quick buck will be the first to leave the hobby and crash the market on their way out a la Project 2020. Collectors are die hards, investors are not, and that's the recipe for a popping bubble.

[rogueriver]

Depends.........Mantles= Investment Jordan= Investment 49ers cards= Fun....Raiders cards = Kindling.

[Vinny1984]

Was “forced” into a role as a stay at home dad due to COVID. Had a decent job before this sh*t show happened. I’ve been buying/selling/grading during this time and making pretty good money doing it. That being said, I love the cards and don’t WANT to sell but I also realize this is a business for me for the time being. About 25% of my collection is untouchable though.

[coachnip13]

My Trout PSA 10's and my BBCE FASC wax are all investment-minded. My Rays game used collection is not. So it's a mix of both.

[deadman31]

I don’t really consider my Griffey jr. collection as an investment because I’m not sure I could ever part with it, but it is nice when the cards are worth something.

[kabrune2]

Collecting has always been about the chase for me, I’ll sell occasionally if I have doubles/triples, but it’s about building sets, buying low and accumulating cards I think will grow in value (but I never think to sell them usually, especially if they’re singles). I guess I think like a scout, I look at minor league k/bb rates, some eye test, and just decide I’ll collect a few of that player and hope they pan out, and they usually do to some success.

However, my main goal the last 2 years due to the cost of wax and singles exploding has been to organize and grade the true gem mint cards, catalog the higher end stuff, and see what I have, sell what I don’t have attachment too, and if something untimely happens to me it won’t be a huge burden on my wife to recoup some cash if she needs it since the top 200 or so cards can be sold easily and probably represents 50% of the collections worth.

[NewLondonWhaler]

I like prospecting. I don't like to hold. It's fun to watch prospects fluctuate in value and finding that time to pull the trigger on a sale. However I would not say it's investing. I burn cash if can't keep spending within my profit margin. It's just really nice to pull a good card and flip it or buying low on a prospect and watching it blow up.

[unclemonkey]

I like to use the term “for fun and profit”

It started as a treasure hunt for me.

I have recycled the same $5K about 6X in the last four years.

[Zauron]

I consider it a little bit of both, for fun and investment.

Any money I spend is either from selling cards, or money that is free up and not going to hurt me financially.

I would really like to be able to have a nice collection that in 10 years, I can help pay for my daughter's school, 15 years for my son. Just stuff I wouldn't have to worry about.

If not, it's no big deal though.

I continue to add to my player collection, next year I'm hoping to hit 600 different cards. Still trying to figure out a way to display/organize all these cards because it's getting a little out of hand now at the moment.

[Raleigh504]

Mine is both, I enjoy opening packs and its a good thing my gf enjoys it too. I will keep PC/Indians/HOF/RCs and typically sell off the rest to hopefully get money back or make money.

Mainly been in the process of cleaning up what I have and have been spending more on HOF/Graded. Went through all my old cards a few times now and going to go through them again to do a bulk sale and clean up space and get a few bucks.

[unclemonkey]

My first two purchases on getting back into cards were two 1980's junk wax hoards totalling over 1M cards.

At one point bought 50+ cases of paper base from breakers.

It was strictly a treasure hunt. Probably spent $30K and learned alot and still unloading stuff five years into this.

Figure that I am about break even or have lost about $3K after fees. Add some coin deals and flips etc then I am break even.

Some exciting stuff I have found forgotten and stashed away.

Torn between just grading and or being strictly PWE.

Always on the lookout for bulk deals so things may change.

I have a personal box of 30 for long term... or until a cash crunch :)

[Kyle14892]

I consider it a little bit of both, for fun and investment.

Any money I spend is either from selling cards, or money that is free up and not going to hurt me financially.

I would really like to be able to have a nice collection that in 10 years, I can help pay for my daughter's school, 15 years for my son. Just stuff I wouldn't have to worry about.

If not, it's no big deal though.

I continue to add to my player collection, next year I'm hoping to hit 600 different cards. Still trying to figure out a way to display/organize all these cards because it's getting a little out of hand now at the moment.


I'm hoping to be able to do this as well if our daughter doesn't get a scholarship or something. Maybe pay for some books or something.

[bajcards4215]

I voted option two, but in reality, I'd put myself somewhere between option one and two.

I have some financial interest, insofar as I know I could sell some of my collection for a bit of money right now. However, if/when I do decide to sell and it's worth nothing, I'd still love the cards I've collected.

[mfw13]

I buy what I like and I rarely sell anything from my collection.

So I chose option #1.

[blackbears86]

When I first started collecting, I considered it a "hobby" and if the value of the cards I had went up, it was gravy.


But now that over 30+ years have gone by and my collection has increased in value significantly, I certainly consider it an investment. (Trout/Lebron/Patty/Brady rookies, unopened boxes)


Is the market volatile at times? Certainly. But all things considered, unless the world absolutely falls into anarchy, I can be guaranteed a certain dollar amount for the items I mentioned above.

[mvp]

I have some cards (https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1354843) that are 100% for my collection. I couldn't care less if they go to $100k or $0.01.

Others I do consider investment, but not in the sense I want to get rich off them, although the monetary upside plays a part.

I'm an Australian living in America. Sport has always been such a huge part in my life, but I have no connection to American sports, its leagues, its players, its history, etc. It's not easy to just "start following" something and genuinely care about it.

In the case of baseball, I dropped maybe $2k on Tatis cards, and I want to see the value go up - but that's not where I see the realised value. By "investing" in Tatis and the team, I actually really care about the Padres now and have had hours and hours of enjoyment watching games, learning about the sport, and really having a reason to root for a team. I've ordered merch, subscribed to MLB.TV etc.

The monetary upside is my initial motivation to wanting to see Tatis and the Padres succeed, but this is more in lieu of an emotional investment from living in the city, growing up playing the sport, going to games as a kid etc. Stuff I never and will never have.

So I don't see that $2k as an investment in cards, any more than one would see $1k on a PlayStation and games as an "investment" in gaming consoles. It's basically my ticket to the game.

[asujbl]

I'm like 85/15 collector compared to investor

It just so happened what I've been PC'ing for years is the hottest thing on the planet right now... I've also sold less than 5 cards in the last 9 months simply because I don't have any reason to

They are cards I like and I bought them for my PC

Am I glad they went up? Yes

I guess my rational (humble brag... I'm aware) is that I don't need the money so I simply don't sell.

If I did need the money for something? I'd probably be closer to 50/50 collector and investor because I'd be selling off significantly more than I currently am.

I just don't sell because all I'm going to do is buy more cards... because I buy all the other day to day crap regardless.

If that makes sense.

[bpc3qh]

I don't think I buy any cards purely on speculation--if I don't love the player, I'm not going to buy the card. I know what I paid for the cards, and there are some cards where I'm happy to unload them now if the player's stock shoots up; but there are others where I'm going to hold the card even if the cards could be turned for a big profit. So I like that my cards can be sold for a profit, but that isn't my goal when I'm buying.

[whackadoo]

i consider my vintage an investment. modern, pure speculation -- Trout included.

[boston12]

Investment yes for my kids and wife. I’ll never sell the big cards I have, unless something occurs where I need money quick.

[Bcwcardz]

No. I’m a collector. If you have been in this hobby long enough you have seen this stuff tank and become junk before so investment would not be wise for me.


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[tkraft24]

I buy stuff I like with the intention of keeping it but that doesn't mean I just like to piss money away. A lot of stuff I buy will never turn a profit under any circumstances but as a trade off I'll opportunistically sell certain stuff from my PC if the going rate jumps up by a large margin.

[NYJNYYFan]

I was leaning between 1/2. The last few years I was picking up a few Yankees and Jets players I liked and this year I got back into ripping packs. I started a collection of mid-tier rookie cards like Topps Flagship and Rated Rookies for football. My biggest purchase was Mosaic football, since I made a goal to try to complete a set for myself.

Once in a while if I pull something that's worth $100+ of a player I don't like I'll sell, but it's never my intention when buying a box.

[magicpapa]

I don’t really consider my Griffey jr. collection as an investment because I’m not sure I could ever part with it, but it is nice when the cards are worth something.

Sentimental Value is > Monetary Value

https://www.blowoutforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=492439&stc=1&d=1600981409

[KSterner]

I'm 50/50. I love card collecting, but the investment aspect is fun.

If I invest in someone, it's really just because I like their potential and I want to follow and cheer for them. Being a Minnesota fan in all sports makes it very difficult to just follow your own teams.

That being said, I have made decent money by buying and selling. I have the cards that I know will be sold later and I also have my PC.

[OscarOne]

Gosh, I would love to know.

So much of my stuff is personalized...oddball...I have no idea how I would go about selling it. Which sucks since I have seriously considered selling off like 80% of my stuff. But right now it's at roughly 15,000 autographs...so it's probably too much to sell in bulk at a fair price, but too much work to sell separately.

Again: I should have gotten into stamp collecting. At least it would take up less space!

[MoreToppsPlease]

It’s all about You! (Seriously) ~~ describe your own Collection relative to its financial relevance - honesty helps with accuracy! / The poll is anonymous :)!


It’s fair to say most here consider cards to be a short-term investment only.

If they people had real faith in cards as a long-term investment, they wouldn’t be so quick to sell.

With that said, it would be pretty funny if technology made cards worthless overnight...

[VandyCards]

No. This is a hobby for me. I’m not dumb enough to not be aware that some things I buy may appreciate in price, and I do sell from time to time. I am aware that some of my cards have increased in price by 40x-80x in some instances, and they might go even higher in the future. But that does not change the underlying character of my possessions, to me.

I also think there is a tremendous overuse of the term “invest” in this particular segment of the world.


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[Cubs_rock21]

I look at card like currency. Ill buy collections and sell, but I also love buying rookies in all sports that i think can blowup. i invest in my 401K, IRA, and stocks. Sports cards however are a great way to make huge profit. I have no issue with people who buy to collect, I just don't get blinded by shiny object. patches, bat barrels, etc. I look at cards like Dollar biils.

[cardsin47]

The results are in! You are just like Me! ( care about the cards and the bucks )