What is the net worth of the baseball/sports card collector?

[JohnnyHatesJazz]

Money just puts a roof over your head and food on the table. Do that consistently and you’re a true man.

High net worth does not make the man. Well unless you ask a woman.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

what do you drink?

Water, milk, fruit juices.....

Occasionally order a glass of wine or cocktail when we go out to dinner, but not too often, since they are usually overpriced....

I'm fairly frugal in other ways as well.....despite being a voracious reader, I check out probably 80-90% of the books I read from the library....also we rotate our streaming services so that we're never paying for a service we're not using that month, and we never pay full price to see a movie in the theater.

And that frugality in some areas of our lives allows us to splurge in other areas....travel, and in my case, collecting sports cards.

[rogueriver]

Personally my net worth does not match my collecting goals, you will still find me digging in the dollar boxes and trying to get that 5 dollar card for 3.

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Why is that hard to believe, given that the stock market has risen pretty much nonstop for the past 16+ years? The S&P is roughly 4x it's 2007 pre-crash levels, and 9x (i.e. up 900%) from it's March 2009 lows.

Bitcoin is well over 100K, which is more than 10x what it was worth even five years ago.

Gold & Silver are at/near all time highs.

If you've had any $$$ to invest over the past twenty years, you SHOULD be pretty wealthy by now.

And people like me who have been investing since the mid-90's....well let's just say that tech stocks have made me pretty damn comfortable.

$1000 invested in Apple in 1995 is worth about $183,000 now.
$1000 invested in Microsoft in 1995 is worth about $122,000 now.

You get the picture.....if you've been able to invest in the stock market even a little bit over the past 20-30 years, you should be pretty rich by now.

The next 20 years are going to be interesting. "The Great Transfer of Wealth" that the media has been touting is a very real thing and it will be interesting to see how it affects the markets and collecting over the next couple of decades. There are tons of people in their 30's, 40's, and 50's who will become instant millionaires even if they themselves haven't built up much to this point. I could see sports cards going berzerk. People don't generally treat inherited money with the same caution as their own. This is why I don't particularly fear a long-term recession or stock market crash. If you think the crypto/stock/flipper crowd is wild now, just wait til their parents pass even more money onto them.

[Badgers0821]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Then why are all the buyers lowballers?

Most wealthy people don’t get wealthy by wasting money.

[carlo16]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Water, milk, fruit juices.....

Occasionally order a glass of wine or cocktail when we go out to dinner, but not too often, since they are usually overpriced....

I'm fairly frugal in other ways as well.....despite being a voracious reader, I check out probably 80-90% of the books I read from the library....also we rotate our streaming services so that we're never paying for a service we're not using that month, and we never pay full price to see a movie in the theater.

And that frugality in some areas of our lives allows us to splurge in other areas....travel, and in my case, collecting sports cards.

When you say we, you mean you and your cat?

[boxbuster7]

[dodgerfanjohn]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Then why are all the buyers lowballers?

Which came first, the lowballer or the “I know what I have” guy?

[dodgerfanjohn]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

Your perspective may be skewed in certain areas of California where virtually anyone who owns a paid off home is a millionaire. I understand your point, but when you feel rich because your home may be greater than 60% of your net worth, you’re likely to feel more comfortable spending more on cards.

I know I presented a simplified view because a lot of discretionary spending has to do with income as well, which is another factor that may make you more likely to make large purchases despite a lower net worth, but that’s another topic in itself.

My skewed perspective isn’t unique to California, but even if it was, the sample size is over 10% of the nations population and probably 15-25% of the nations GDP.

[boxbuster7]

california so damn expensive

[Badgers0821]

Originally Posted by dodgerfanjohn

My skewed perspective isn’t unique to California, but even if it was, the sample size is over 10% of the nations population and probably 15-25% of the nations GDP.

And 100% the worst run state in the US.

[PuddleMonkey]

Originally Posted by SleepyWill

Live in a nice home in a affluent area of Mass, very lucky to live the life I do

But that still puts you in Massachusetts so you have plenty to complain about.


West Coast Best Coast!

[PuddleMonkey]

Originally Posted by mfw13

I check out probably 80-90% of the books I read from the library.

So you're the reason the Library's crying about funding.

[theshowandme]

Only poor people use their home value in their net worth calculation

[boxbuster7]

Originally Posted by theshowandme

Only poor people use their home value in their net worth calculation

so tired of the poors on this forum complaining

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by carlo16

When you say we, you mean you and your cat?

Been happily married for 26 years and don't have a cat

[asujbl]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

50k in debt

ps - I need the two names that put 5-10 million because I don't believe either of you

I’m 5-10

I’m over 10 if we include my wife and some accounts she had before we got married

Our joint PFS is over 10

Since you asked

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by Badgers0821

Most wealthy people don’t get wealthy by wasting money.

This x1000.....

The wealthy people I know (myself included) have generally gotten wealthy by being relatively frugal and saving money to invest in the stock market.

I was lucky enough to have been exposed to the stock market in high school, and after that my mindset was always "every dollar I spend is a dollar I can't invest". And that got me to cut back on spending on things that didn't really give me pleasure, focus my spending on the things that did, and invest every penny I could into the stock market.

Not surprisingly....doing that for 30+ years has made me pretty wealthy....

[hermanotarjeta]

It’s funny, I’m way more wealthy than I was six years ago, but I spend way less on sports cards on an annual basis.

Perhaps I’ve saved more because the breaker culture has actually stopped me from buying so much wax, and I’ve probably prevented myself from losing even more money.

It’s not that I can’t afford to participate in today’s opening wax market, it’s because I choose not to participate.

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by Badgers0821

And 100% the worst run state in the US.

I didn’t look at what you were referring to but I can only assume it’s Louisiana or Mississippi.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

I didn’t look at what you were referring to but I can only assume it’s Louisiana or Mississippi.

If you think more politically, then you would be able to guess the right answer.

Hint: the state has probably the greatest sports card purchasing power in the entire country.

[mfw13]

Interesting that over half the people who have voted in the poll are millionaires, but only approximately 10% of the overall population is.

[asujbl]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Interesting that over half the people who have voted in the poll are millionaires, but only approximately 10% of the overall population is.

People have no idea how to actually calculate net worth and/or do their PFS

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

If you think more politically, then you would be able to guess the right answer.

Hint: the state has probably the greatest sports card purchasing power in the entire country.

Ohio?

[6celtics33]

I’m 2-5 counting wife’s and my cash, liquid assets, and retirement accounts. I have 0 debt.

If I calculated it wrong I don’t care.

I’m frugal on most things. But food, cards, traveling comforts, things that I want I will spend on. Luckily I don’t want much.