Will Topps Chrome Sapphire Retain its Value?
 

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Lately, I have been looking at the cards and autographs from 2018 and 2019 Topps Chrome Sapphire because frankly, the bowman chrome first cards of players like Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuna have priced me out of the market. I am curious as to your answers to the question:

"Will these cards hold their value in the long run (all else being equal)?"

The cards are very nice and before I consider picking some up, I wanted to hear from you all!

Thanks again, and all opinions are welcome and encouraged!

No it will not. For one simple reason. production will go up. also, would not be surprised to see this being a target or walmart exclusive in the future.

With that said, 2018 and 2019 should definitely increase in value. Was originally only referring to future production.

i think so

[QUOTE=psd2k10;15708980]No it will not. For one simple reason. production will go up. also, would not be surprised to see this being a target or walmart exclusive in the future.[/QUOTE]

Prizm silver production is up in basketball... does it hurt the older silvers?

As the years go on and sapphire is undoubtedly produced at a much higher volume, I believe the earlier cards (Acuna, Gleyber, Tatis, Vlad ect) will benefit greatly from that.

Disclaimer...I own 0 of these cards.

[QUOTE=psd2k10;15708980]No it will not. For one simple reason. production will go up. also, would not be surprised to see this being a target or walmart exclusive in the future.

With that said, 2018 and 2019 should definitely increase in value. Was originally only referring to future production.[/QUOTE]

Thank you!

[QUOTE=ThoseBackPages;15708986]i think so[/QUOTE]

Thank you!

[QUOTE=KingInTheNorth;15709001]Prizm silver production is up in basketball... does it hurt the older silvers?

As the years go on and sapphire is undoubtedly produced at a much higher volume, I believe the earlier cards (Acuna, Gleyber, Tatis, Vlad ect) will benefit greatly from that.

Disclaimer...I own 0 of these cards.[/QUOTE]

i agree with this.

Sapphire is a Pedigree now

for the 2019 release Topps QUADRUPLED production, and it sold out in seven minutes

[QUOTE=KingInTheNorth;15709001]Prizm silver production is up in basketball... does it hurt the older silvers?

As the years go on and sapphire is undoubtedly produced at a much higher volume, I believe the earlier cards (Acuna, Gleyber, Tatis, Vlad ect) will benefit greatly from that.

Disclaimer...I own 0 of these cards.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the comment!

[QUOTE=SonofaPitch;15708974]Hello everyone,

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Lately, I have been looking at the cards and autographs from 2018 and 2019 Topps Chrome Sapphire because frankly, the bowman chrome first cards of players like Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuna have priced me out of the market. I am curious as to your answers to the question:

"Will these cards hold their value in the long run (all else being equal)?"

The cards are very nice and before I consider picking some up, I wanted to hear from you all!

Thanks again, and all opinions are welcome and encouraged![/QUOTE]

unopened ....yes
2018 & 2019 boxes
will become very EXPENSIVE
much more than they are currently

[QUOTE=CoolG;15709077]unopened ....yes
2018 & 2019 boxes
will become very EXPENSIVE
much more than they are currently[/QUOTE]

How about individual cards? Like the high end rookies and autographs?

I think wax is probably most likely retain value - as always - because that just needs usually a couple of benchmark cards and I think at least 18 and 19 both have some nice potential to have that.

I'm very skeptical of the general singles market. Like dating during a quarantine.

If it's a superstar - it probably is one of those gold standards. Like prizm. Like Bowman.

But if it's not... the volume these are getting produced... demand starts to drop precipitously and there are a lot of people looking to not be involved with the big stash they once held with unlimited promise. Again - 2018 given lower production may continue to be an exception here (relatively).

I think the sphere of influence seemed to spread to Bowman Sapphire this year... that's a trend I don't see continuing especially if we move towards some prolonged recession.

[QUOTE=CoolG;15709077]unopened ....yes
2018 & 2019 boxes
will become very EXPENSIVE
much more than they are currently[/QUOTE]

You think the 2018 boxes will be much more than $~3500? Seems like 2019 will continue to go up, but I feel like 2018 is near it’s ceiling to due so many people already being priced out.

[QUOTE=ThoseBackPages;15708986]i think so[/QUOTE]
This is the way brotha!

[QUOTE=ThoseBackPages;15709021]i agree with this.

Sapphire is a Pedigree now

for the 2019 release Topps QUADRUPLED production, and it sold out in seven minutes[/QUOTE]


Agree. They also lost the sapphire tint and singles of the top guys were gobbled up at pretty handsome prices. Ronnie set the pedigree and it seems to have bled backwards into 16-17 and forward into 2019.


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[QUOTE=rippev;15709184]You think the 2018 boxes will be much more than $~3500? Seems like 2019 will continue to go up, but I feel like 2018 is near it’s ceiling to due so many people already being priced out.[/QUOTE]

2018 is actually north of 4000.00.

As long as acuna is who we think, they go higher. Torres, ohtani and many other rookies have so much upside still. I agree with PP that sealed 2018 (and 2019) will go higher.

It's a parallel (Sapphire) of a parallel (Chrome).....not too many collectors are going to care about it in the long run...

[QUOTE=mfw13;15709500]It's a parallel (Sapphire) of a parallel (Chrome).....not too many collectors are going to care about it in the long run...[/QUOTE]

thank you for keeping it lighthearted!

[QUOTE=ThoseBackPages;15709517]thank you for keeping it lighthearted![/QUOTE]

You're welcome!

My point is simply that with so many products being released each year, a product has to have something pretty unique to maintain collector interest for more than a month after release.

[QUOTE=mfw13;15709500]It's a parallel (Sapphire) of a parallel (Chrome).....not too many collectors are going to care about it in the long run...[/QUOTE]

Adding to this... if you polled the broader hobby collectors, and asked which products they've heard of / recognized, I bet Sapphire is pretty far down the list.

I think it is most significantly a BO community phenomenon, and that works while the print run is really low. And works for the few players where there is some interesting angle.

But I have a hard time seeing this breaking out into something more than a niche product collected by a niche of the hobby community (us) unless Topps changes to a retail distribution model (as very few collectors are aware you can buy on Topps.com, and even fewer actually do)

[QUOTE=pewe;15709914]Adding to this... if you polled the broader hobby collectors, and asked which products they've heard of / recognized, I bet Sapphire is pretty far down the list.

I think it is most significantly a BO community phenomenon, and that works while the print run is really low. And works for the few players where there is some interesting angle.

But I have a hard time seeing this breaking out into something more than a niche product collected by a niche of the hobby community (us) unless Topps changes to a retail distribution model (as very few collectors are aware you can buy on Topps.com, and even fewer actually do)[/QUOTE]
Yes you keep saying the same thing in many different threads as the sapphire brand continues to climb in value across all years.

[QUOTE=Tim;15710010]Yes you keep saying the same thing in many different threads as the sapphire brand continues to climb in value across all years.[/QUOTE]

Climbing in value does not necessarily equal long-term staying power.

Lots of price activity is driven by speculators, not actual collectors.

I don’t think Sapphire is a parallel. It’s a set of its own—sold & packaged. If it’s not your thing, there’s certainly no shame in that. I do think it’s well on its way to being “the” premier baseball product annually. I had my doubts prior to this year’s release, but 2019 solidified Sapphire in many people’s minds—including mine. It’s difficult to debate that—it accomplished what it needed to convince the majority.

This may be a poor example, but even in a “worst case scenario” if Sapphire goes away, people will always know the Acuna and it will have a substantial floor. Think of the Stadium Club “Murphy” Jeter. It was a quirky “limited” product sold in a stadium shaped can for goodness sakes! It has also gone away, but the Jeter remains a key card for many collectors—at production rates much greater than Sapphire. I honestly think Sapphire is just getting started.

The 2018 is established. And if Acuna and/or Gleyber prove to be superstars over the long-term, those cards will be monsters. It’s sort of like the original Topps Chrome card to explode: Kobe Bryant’s rookie. That never lost its luster.

But as others have mentioned, values moving forward will depend on the direction of the product. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Topps seizes on the hype and starts to overproduce—which they’ve pretty much already started doing. The 2019 Sapphire isn’t as strong as 2018, with production a bit higher. (Also, how do you have a set called Sapphire but without any Sapphire? As is, it’s just a regular atomic refractor.) We’ll see what happens with 2019 sapphire when Vlad or Tatis or Eloy reaches elite status in the hobby—their cards, which already demand a pretty penny, will probably be strong but not as strong as the previous year. Future editions could very well coming with gradually diminishing appeal.


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I'm skeptical on the long-term value here as well. It's an online-only release. Kind of a niche product to me, and I could see this getting lost in the mix when people will prefer flagship and/or regular Chrome in the years to come.

I think this years release will be rough. No Series 2 additions, and very little hype because of no big Series 2 hype. Bo, Gavin, Yordan, Luis, and Nico will have maybe have at best a month of playing time?