Has Anyone Been Getting Back into Sports Card Recently?

[TheLionTamer]

Haven't posted on here for a while so I apologize if there is already a thread about this, but I recently got back into collecting/re-selling various sports cards. The current prices are insane (over $700 for a box of 2019-20 basketball cards). My question is do you think this is sustainable? From my own personal experience there's a lot of value of buying the boxes without opening them and reselling them at a later time.

I am being told that taking part in this is killing the hobby, but from a financial perspective the returns have been astronomical. Even the process of buying a cheap raw card on ebay for a couple of bucks, getting it graded, and then re-selling provides a consistent average of at least a 100% return on total investment. Has anybody else been getting into this?

 

[tangata motu'a]

I am sitting on bout 100,000 cards from the 70's and 80's. I wish to god I had sold them before they became worth nothing. maybe by the time I die they will

I stopped collecting when the price to buy went through the roof. it really became a shit hobby to me. I miss taking my dollar allowance and going to the store to buy four packs of topps every saturday

 

[MeanStreets]

I had many complete sets of hockey cards, and alot of old rookie cards in mint condition that I kept in my storage locker. Unfortunately they were stolen by a crackhead that broke into my storage unit a few years ago.

 

[heloder]

The whole market in the 80s and 90s was predicated on scarcity (and the notion that some new card was going to become the next Honus Wagner). Once the Internet became a thing, the scarcity no longer existed, and card prices plummeted (proving that if something is ever being sold to the general public as a collectible, it isn't. Oh and that the whole Beckett guide was pure bullshit). The only way I see that scarcity coming back is by making new packs and boxes exorbitantly expensive, or making them cheap, but having the rare cards be extremely rare indeed. But then, they're only worth a lot if someone is willing to pay a lot. I don't know what's out there right now, but when I stopped buying cards, they were just starting to come out with game-worn jersey cards that had little pieces of actual jerseys in them (I had a Joe Montana, which was probably the "best" card I ever found).

I did love baseball cards back when I was a kid in the mid 90s. I remember going to trade shows and buying unopened boxes for $8-$30. I enjoyed it so I suppose it wasn't a total waste, but in retrospect I would have been much better off spending my money on video games. Most of my enjoyment with the cards was believing that I was actually sitting on something valuable, or potentially very valuable in the future. I still have them all somewhere. Maybe after the world ends I'll be able to trade that reverse-negative Jose Canseco rookie card for an iguana-on-a-stick.

 

[Foppa21]

My buddy continues to this day to pass the time. Collects all sorts of baseball cards. He even got into NPB cards.

 

[agourbet]

Why to collect cards when you can collect collectible tokens on Ethereum blockchain? This is the future of collectible items now.

 

[HomeCheese]

I still have my baseball cards from when I was I kid, look at them once every ten years or so. Early 70's.

 

[Deleted member 405583]

@Gutter Chris

 

[Gutter Chris]

Ive been looking at old hockey cards online and posted a ton of em in my hockey thread.

I recently gave what i still had left to my nephew and it made him so pumped i have already begun building him a little binder with some of my faves from the 90s and his now

 

[TeTe]

I've been buying and selling on eBay for the past 14 years

 

[TeTe]

Haven't posted on here for a while so I apologize if there is already a thread about this, but I recently got back into collecting/re-selling various sports cards. The current prices are insane (over $700 for a box of 2019-20 basketball cards). My question is do you think this is sustainable? From my own personal experience there's a lot of value of buying the boxes without opening them and reselling them at a later time.

I am being told that taking part in this is killing the hobby, but from a financial perspective the returns have been astronomical. Even the process of buying a cheap raw card on ebay for a couple of bucks, getting it graded, and then re-selling provides a consistent average of at least a 100% return on total investment. Has anybody else been getting into this?

You should check out this thread

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...922k-box-breaks.4109810/page-3#post-160492882

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

You should check out this thread

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...922k-box-breaks.4109810/page-3#post-160492882

Landed me a Patrick Mahomes 2016/2017 Select XRC Becket 9.5 for a grand earlier this year. Three 9.5 subs with one 10.. cards graded similar to mine are selling for 4k and up right now. PSA 10’s (which mine would easily land if I had them re-slab it) are going for 6k and up.. or they were


I also landed a Becket 9 Mahomes Prizm Stained Glass around the same time for real cheap.. still can’t fugure out why it is graded a 9, everything looks kosher on it to me. Has to be a surface knock (this slab doesn’t have the four sub grades).. either way it’s a great card.


I plan on holding on to them for while, especially that XRC.. the price increase on that thing in such a short span is pretty crazy. It’s the type of card that could legit fetch 20k in a few years. Love that 2017 Select set.


I’ve also got a Mahomes auto as well as some solid Zion cards too..

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

Haven't posted on here for a while so I apologize if there is already a thread about this, but I recently got back into collecting/re-selling various sports cards. The current prices are insane (over $700 for a box of 2019-20 basketball cards). My question is do you think this is sustainable? From my own personal experience there's a lot of value of buying the boxes without opening them and reselling them at a later time.

I am being told that taking part in this is killing the hobby, but from a financial perspective the returns have been astronomical. Even the process of buying a cheap raw card on ebay for a couple of bucks, getting it graded, and then re-selling provides a consistent average of at least a 100% return on total investment. Has anybody else been getting into this?

700$ for the Prizm I’d imagine.. I think the Optic has flattened out in price a bit.

I’d look at the Purple Shock Optic Zion Rated Rookie if you want to scoop up some individual cards of his that may see good increased value over time. Not sure where they’re priced at tho atm.. last I looked they were around 200$ a pop. It’s a nice card tho. The Optic set has a lot of really nice cards.. Prizm is where it’s at right now, but that might change over time.

 

[TheLionTamer]

Why to collect cards when you can collect collectible tokens on Ethereum blockchain? This is the future of collectible items now.

I have a pretty diversified portfolio that consists of stocks, rental properties, precious metals, crypto, retirement accounts, etc. With sports cards, I find a particular joy in the collecting aspect. I know I mentioned earlier about flipping unopened boxes, but from my aspect the money I make from doing that basically pays for my personal collection of sports cards that I intend to keep. All of the money I spend on boxes or single cards is spent with solely disposable income and I do not intend on any of the cards being one of my sole sources of income.

The other aspect that I find particularly enjoyable is that for me it kind of blends in with the fantasy sports aspect in a sense that you invest in certain players which makes the games/teams that you wouldn't usually watch worth watching.

 

[TheLionTamer]

Landed me a Patrick Mahomes 2016/2017 Select XRC Becket 9.5 for a grand earlier this year. Three 9.5 subs with one 10.. cards graded similar to mine are selling for 4k and up right now. PSA 10’s (which mine would easily land if I had them re-slab it) are going for 6k and up.. or they were


I also landed a Becket 9 Mahomes Prizm Stained Glass around the same time for real cheap.. still can’t fugure out why it is graded a 9, everything looks kosher on it to me. Has to be a surface knock (this slab doesn’t have the four sub grades).. either way it’s a great card.


I plan on holding on to them for while, especially that XRC.. the price increase on that thing in such a short span is pretty crazy. It’s the type of card that could legit fetch 20k in a few years. Love that 2017 Select set.


I’ve also got a Mahomes auto as well as some solid Zion cards too..

I'm thinking of going the BGS route and maybe even SGC. PSA is taking really long right now to get cards back. Have you ever had luck getting a BGS 10? I hear this is near impossible.

Nice pick ups btw! From one of my prizm boxes that I did open, I was lucky enough to pull a Silver Zion and a couple of Ja Morant base cards. The Zion looks to be a bit off center (PSA 9) at best. I don't know if it's worth trying to grade it with BGS with the hopes of getting a 9.5 with the other subgrades hopefully getting better grades than the centering.

 

[TheLionTamer]

700$ for the Prizm I’d imagine.. I think the Optic has flattened out in price a bit.

I’d look at the Purple Shock Optic Zion Rated Rookie if you want to scoop up some individual cards of his that may see good increased value over time. Not sure where they’re priced at tho atm.. last I looked they were around 200$ a pop. It’s a nice card tho. The Optic set has a lot of really nice cards.. Prizm is where it’s at right now, but that might change over time.

Yeah, I was referring to Prizm. Good call on the Purple Shock Zion. I'll def check it out. What are your thoughts on Mosaic? Thinking about picking up some Zion, Ja, Lebron singles and a couple of hangar boxes.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

I'm thinking of going the BGS route and maybe even SGC. PSA is taking really long right now to get cards back. Have you ever had luck getting a BGS 10? I hear this is near impossible.

Nice pick ups btw! From one of my prizm boxes that I did open, I was lucky enough to pull a Silver Zion and a couple of Ja Morant base cards. The Zion looks to be a bit off center (PSA 9) at best. I don't know if it's worth trying to grade it with BGS with the hopes of getting a 9.5 with the other subgrades hopefully getting better grades than the centering.

Never had a 10 overall (pristine is what they label those I think). They are expensive for sure. I do have some PSA 10’s tho.


As far as boxes go.. Boxes can be fun to open.. but I prefer to save a little money and buy the cards outright that I’d be spending all that money on to pull from the boxes. It adds up and you wind up with mostly junk base cards no one wants.

 

[TeTe]

700$ for the Prizm I’d imagine.. I think the Optic has flattened out in price a bit.

I’d look at the Purple Shock Optic Zion Rated Rookie if you want to scoop up some individual cards of his that may see good increased value over time. Not sure where they’re priced at tho atm.. last I looked they were around 200$ a pop. It’s a nice card tho. The Optic set has a lot of really nice cards.. Prizm is where it’s at right now, but that might change over time.

These are a couple of my favorite recent pickups

@TidWell @Smokes

 

[TeTe]

Never had a 10 overall (pristine is what they label those I think). They are expensive for sure. I do have some PSA 10’s tho.


As far as boxes go.. Boxes can be fun to open.. but I prefer to save a little money and buy the cards outright that I’d be spending all that money on to pull from the boxes. It adds up and you wind up with mostly junk base cards no one wants.

I stopped busting wax about 2.5 years ago. The price is so inflated the value isn't there anymore.

 

[TidWell]

These are a couple of my favorite recent pickups

@TidWell @Smokes

Where you cop those at man, and how much it run you $$$?