quote:

Originally posted by Kevin F:

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
I just can't fathom that (at least) 2 people are willing to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a very common Star Wars card.

1977 Topps Star Wars #1 "Luke Skywalker" #1 PSA Gem Mint 10

I can't understand why anyone would spend a quarter of a million dollars on any non-sport trading card no matter how scarce it might be or the condition it is in. The phrase 'More money than sense' comes to mind

How is it any different from the sports fanatics that spend over a million for a card. I'm very happy as I will be selling mine off next spring probably. I got the #3 set on the PSA Set Registry and have 308/330 in PSA 10, including the big ones.

On the one hand it is entirely different as to my knowledge this is a very unusual sale in the entertainment card word. Quarter of a million dollar cards have existed in sports cards for a long time. People obsessing over PSA grades has existed in sports cards for a long time.

On the other hand it isn't different at all as it is likely a the same type of buyer buying this card who is buying sports cards.

quote:

Originally posted by Capt Jon1:
How is it any different from the sports fanatics that spend over a million for a card. I'm very happy as I will be selling mine off next spring probably. I got the #3 set on the PSA Set Registry and have 308/330 in PSA 10, including the big ones.

I didn't say it was different. I have never understood why anyone would pay these vast sums of money for a trading card of any variety. The people spending over a million for any collectable card clearly have more money than they know what to do with

....and, yes I would quite like to find out how it feels to be in that position

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
On the one hand it is entirely different as to my knowledge this is a very unusual sale in the entertainment card word. Quarter of a million dollar cards have existed in sports cards for a long time. People obsessing over PSA grades has existed in sports cards for a long time.

On the other hand it isn't different at all as it is likely a the same type of buyer buying this card who is buying sports cards.

It's the sports guys who think they're "getting in on the ground floor" of non-sports seeing nothing but upside on their $250,000 investment. And let's be honest, that's exactly what it is - an investment. It's not like this card is new to anybody in our world.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted Dastick Jr.:
It's the sports guys who think they're "getting in on the ground floor" of non-sports seeing nothing but upside on their $250,000 investment. And let's be honest, that's exactly what it is - an investment. It's not like this card is new to anybody in our world.

I've learned to embrace this ideology . . . Come on investors -- get in on the ground floor . . . It's getting to be time to sell my collection.

Art de Bart is currently at $13k+

And that's not even a particularly nice one.
Imagine what one of these would go for:



At this point, I kind of wish I hadn't met Matt Groening so many times at Comic-Con, as I would've certainly picked up one of these when they went for $400. Instead, I took it for granted I could get one down the line, but if not, I still have several sketches and autographs from him (on regular cards, comic books, and even a comic book backing board, before Bongo instructed their artists to stop drawing on those). In terms of me ever getting one now, that ship has sailed and is very tiny in the distance, unfortunately.

I remember years ago there was an advertisement on the back of NSU ,about increasing the value of your cards by getting them graded.
That was the early days of grading.
I have a pile of older NSUs. Wizard. Star Wars Galaxy. and some others somewere amongst the junk will have to find them and reminesce.
What happened to the Star Wars Collector magazine just vanished?

Star Wars Galaxy Collector ran for 8 issues back in 1998 to 99

Thanks for that info I think I only have 6 will have to check

1966 Topps Batman #1 - currently at $78,000.

Wow, these numbers are eye-popping.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Mullins:
1966 Topps Batman #1 - currently at $78,000.

Closed at $131 k.

In the same auction card #2, Robin, was a PSA 10 and went for $62,500.

Saw on ebay 3 Trump autos from the Comic Images Apprentice set sold recently.

$ 1,475.00 for one

One had an asking price of $ 3,999.50. Best offer accepted.

Another had an asking price of $ 5,000.00 and a Best Offer was accepted.

Someone reported that a 2025 Spongebob sketch by Topps sold for almost 9 K.

This all boils down to people with too much money, people that don't understand the non-sports market, and dealers that keep hiking up prices hoping there will be someone coming along that thinks that if it's a high price, that must be the value. The high price is for the speculator who knows nothing. When you see cards being sold at a "sale" price and it's half of what it was, you know the seller has been stung and is now trying to get some of their cash back. Dealers feed this frenzy. Quite a few years ago, a dealer had a Harry Potter card up for £400. I offered him £300 and he said he couldn't possibly sell it to me at that price because he would be selling at a loss (he pulled it from a pack when he was selling cases at £500). All these years later, he still has the card, but now wants £1400+ and advertising it at a new low price. Yes, he may get that assuming someone comes along that is either rich, desperate for the card, or clueless as to what it is but must be worth that. To me, it's still the £300 card I saw all them years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Graham:
This all boils down to people with too much money, people that don't understand the non-sports market, and dealers that keep hiking up prices hoping there will be someone coming along that thinks that if it's a high price, that must be the value.

This is just my own opinion, and it's based mainly on my purchases of certified autograph cards. I don't see a lot of upward movement in non-sport cards made in the past 20 - 25 years. At best, most of the big hits hold their values, while the middle range cards and commons drop in demand and value asked. This should hardly be a surprise when you consider that every modern product has come out at peak price, with an escalating box price on anything regarded as a premium mainstream title.

The non-sport card market has been saturated with new product and that shortens the lifespan of old product. Also demand wears out over time. The established fanbase buys in and then moves on. New demand goes to the new cards and there is always a new series. When boredom sets in or the cost gets too much, everybody either holds off or worse, looks to sell in mass. That is when the prices do take a dip, when all the sellers start rushing to underbid each other.

I agree, there are too many people with too much money buying manufactured collectibles at the highest price they will ever be. It only bothers me when I can't get an autograph card that I think it very nice because I'm not a fool.

Now getting back to modern cards, the top tier autograph cards are not worth their release price. They are at peak and will not increase in value unless there is an event. So, what is an event?

Well, death mainly or if they kill somebody. There are a number of celebrities who have been signing cards for a long time that are quite old. Even better, some have just started, which means the supply is low. On stickers or on stored cards, these autographs can be drawn out over many products. When the event happens, the signature cards can double or more.

I'm not going to mention anyone in particular on the list because that would be ghoulish, but I will point out a recent example. Chuck Norris. Now his signed cards have passed their previous peak, but they have a new value that is overpriced for those who missed their chance.

I have a rule. If I didn't need your autograph card when you were alive, I don't need it now that you're dead. However, the market in general sees it as an opportunity on bigger names to raise the peak.

Now there is another kind of event that can significantly increase the value of a certified autograph card, the change in fortune. However, that event usually comes when a common signer or a mid-range signer does something to elevate their notoriety. Their cards were not regarded as top-tier until well after their appearance. For the fun of it, I'll note two examples that are not so very different, although only one I would value highly.

When Donald Trump's Apprentice autograph card was first pack released in an extremely cheap looking set, it was the highest valued card in the product. It was short printed and hard to pull. It could be had for less than $100. As noted by Tommy C, the current price is ranging from a low $1,500 to a high of $5,000.

My actual thought on that one is that it is worth more. Think whichever way you want, Trump has changed US politics and the whole world. He wanted to make history and he has, however you look at it.

The second card with a big event is Meghan Markle's Fringe issue. A $15 common autograph signer that no one thought about twice until she made her history. This is now another one that depends largely on your point of view. I have seen even fewer of them available than the Trump and the price is way higher, but it has peaked.

Just rechecked eBay for an update on the Markle Fringe card and it has fallen off a cliff already. There are a handful available, mainly in graded slabs, and they are in a $700 - $1,100 range. That's way off the peak frenzy that hit close to $7,000 at one point.

My thought on this one is that anyone who had it should have sold it already. Great if you pulled it, bad if you invested after the wedding. Markle has changed a bit of the world herself, but UK members may feel more strongly about that than I do. I myself expect that someday in the near future she starts to autograph everything in sight. As a member of the Royal Family she couldn't be that commercial minded. As a private citizen who can't put a decent show on Netflix and is looking to promote anything, she will need the money.

Hope I have inspired some of you to post your own thoughts on cards that deserve to be valued high and some that don't. As always just a matter of opinion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Raven,

In 1989 Brooke Bond issued in their tea a set called "The Magical World of Disney" and it consisted of 25 cards and was produced in their hundreds of thousands. A few years later UK dealers were able to acquire complete sets in mint condition direct from Brooke Bond. Currently a complete set is priced at £7.50 by the LCCC on their website. Someone is now selling a graded set with a BIN price of $1440 .