The U.S. market for baseball sports cards is worth about $5 billion and began growing rapidly during the pandemic. The sports card news often lay in boxes in the attic or basement, forgotten. Apparently, many people, while sitting at home, we’re reminded of the existence of this asset.
Some evidence of a bull market in baseball sports card news
Here’s some evidence that there’s a big bull market going on in the U.S. collectibles market for baseball cards:
- In August of this year, a record price was set. A 2011 card of player Mike Trout, depicting him as a rookie, was purchased for $3.9 million. The previous record was broken by $0.8 million, belonging to a 1909 Honus Wagner card. This moves Trout’s card into the 5th position of the most expensive sports memorabilia in history (the most expensive being the original manifesto of the Modern Olympic Games, which sold for $8.81 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2019). Watch Out For Fake Michael Jordan Rookies
- The 5 most expensive sports memorabilia in history
Offer the opportunity to purchase shares in the most expensive sports card grading (not just baseball cards). All you need is $25 to purchase a piece of a sports card news, such as one from 1953 with a legendary player named Mickey Mantle, costing $2.5 million.
- A 1952 Mickey Mantle card depicting him as a rookie sold for $2.8 million at auction. In 1988, the same item went for $3,300. That means the investor has averaged an annual return of about 2,800% over 30 years.
- Since 2008, PWCC’s 500 most popular baseball sports card news index has grown 216%, while the S&P500 index has increased 135%.
The bull market in sports memorabilia may continue
According to Jesse Craig, PWCC’s director of portal development, the bull market in baseball cards – and even sports cards and sports memorabilia – will last longer and get more and more amazing.
“This year, thanks to pandemonium, investors have been reminded what cool asset sports card news and sports memorabilia are. There is a democratization of investing in sports memorabilia. It’s better to own a $5,000 card than a $5,000 stock in a company because the former gives you the pleasure of owning it. In addition, portals are emerging that allow you to buy shares in the most coveted sports card news. I wouldn’t be surprised if portals like Collectable soon develop secondary markets on such a scale that day trading in sports card news shares will be seen there. I also wouldn’t be surprised if funds start investing in these types of assets in a moment,” Craig said, as the Daily Mail said.
“Card companies have been releasing very limited series in recent years. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was different. They went into mass production, which is now proving fatal for the prices of card grading from that period,” explains the expert of the PWCC company and Probstien Auctions. The cards that will gain the most value in the coming years will be the old ones from before the 1970s and the newest ones.
sports card forums are another factor that will guarantee an increase in the value of sports card news. “You can see growing demand from Asians and Australians,” Craig points out.
However, it is worth remembering that not all sports memorabilia increases in valuation over the years. One of the most glaring examples is the 1968 Heisman Trophy statue (the most prestigious individual award given in college American soccer since 1935), which belonged to OJ Simpson. He was a famous soccer player accused of killing his ex-wife in 1994. In 1997, this item went for $400,000 at auction, and in 2019, it found a new buyer for barely $255,000
Collecting or gambling?
Fans collecting baseball cards can choose from many available series issued by various entities throughout the decades. Newer series – if you can say that, since we’re talking about cards, even more than 30 years old can still be found in full packs of several pieces. In sports card forums depending on the publisher and series, a pack can contain either true rarities or cards that are often encountered but of much lower collector value – and, of course, also material value.
Sports card forums Card collectors spend a lot of money on cards – just like players in casinos and at slot machines – but the chance of pulling out an “ace,” a super rare baseball card, is rather small. The fact that in one package, really tasty morsels await collectors, and in another, only low-value cards make baseball card collecting often referred to as gambling. You never know what you will find.
It is worth mentioning that in the same context, people often talk about collecting cards for the cult game Magic: The Gathering, for example. Admittedly, this game does not have such a long history, but the cards that can be bought for it also reach high prices.
Not just a collection, but an investment
Apart from the mere collecting aspect, baseball sports card news also has another special value: it can be a good investment.
Those who started early and over the years have accumulated many old (and not necessarily only the most unique) copies in their collections can count on a substantial profit from their sale. In this sense, for hundreds of people, card collecting, even if initially envisaged as a mere hobby, has become a way to acquire a large sum of cash. Many people treat buying cards with great potential as an investment. This is done in the same way as buying shares or other securities.
Some individuals have made trading baseball cards their profession. card grading They have made considerable fortunes with good sense and the ability to take advantage of opportunities to buy cheaply and sell at a good price.
Interestingly, many of these people note that they went from a hobby to trade quite a by accident and were prompted by the prices of cards they had long had in their collections. Collectors-traders admit that they collected their card grading intending to preserve them forever. Still, when they saw that they could turn their passion into considerable profits, they started buying and selling cards and made this activity their main source of income.