jick Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Since I was a kid in the mid-80s, comics has always been my first love. Sometime in the mid-90s, I briefly got into basketball cards - which I would buy in the local comic store actually. With a little disposable income and returning to my love for comics, I started buying/collecting original comic art in 2011. In 2018, I started buying autographed basketball cards because those did not exist during the 90's and I thought it was cool that now the cards were actually touched by the player. Since I started collecting comic art, I have always limited my spending per piece - all usually below $2k. I only have a two pieces over that amount which I spent $3k and $4k for each respectively. But I have always been salivating at the idea of getting more high end pieces of comic art. Fast forward to today, with the explosion of the sports card market - I have one card I bought in 2018 for $300 which consistently goes for over $7,000 now. Then there's another I got for $500 that has just sold for $9,000 in an open auction. If I let go of these two cards, my total exposure is actually just $800 and I can go for a big $16,000 original art purchase. After all comics is my first love. Is that a good idea or should I just wait it out because sports cards are still exponentially going up as a faster rate than comic art? Or will the sports card market bubble burst soon? Just want to know your thoughts! aardvark88 and silverseeker 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Rick2you2 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) Keep the cards. They are a newer collectable, and likely have a higher upside. But, don’t lose sight of the fact these are only hobbies, not business ventures. Edited February 3 by Rick2you2 Link to post Share on other sites
Bronty Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 You are golden either way. I have some trepidation at current card prices and would be tempted to sell in your shoes, but I’d go with whatever you’re more into Link to post Share on other sites
Timely Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Two friends of mine were arguing their hobbies, comics and cards and which was better. The card friend said, “You collect drawings.” The comic friend said, “Well, you collect pictures of men!” Out of context, they are both right! Rick2you2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Twanj Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) Depends on what you like more. If the alternative is getting a bunch of Silver Surfer art, stay heavy in the cards! Edited February 3 by Twanj Andahaion 1 Link to post Share on other sites
cstojano Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 16k minus taxes... Rick2you2 and Twanj 2 Link to post Share on other sites
brownies8701 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Curious, what are the 2 cards? Link to post Share on other sites
vodou Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 1 hour ago, cstojano said: ...taxes... Link to post Share on other sites
heartened Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Figure out what makes you HAPPIER. And if it's seeing a great piece of art you love, sell the cards. If you need money or feel you may need money in the future, then it's a different discussion. TMNT 1 Link to post Share on other sites
GreatEscape Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Ten years from now, you gather with friends to watch Super Bowl LXV in 2031. Halftime comes and your buddies say, “Heard you’re a collector, whacha got?” So, what do you show them knowing (1) they won’t care how much you paid or how much it’s worth and (2) they won’t understand what exactly makes it scarce or desirable. The only thing they will see is what it means to you and how proud you are sharing it with them. Would you feel happier and/or cooler showing them a couple of autographed cards or a piece of original comic art? Primetime 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Primetime Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 There are many angles to this. OA is one of kind. If you dump the cards, you can always get them back (probably in lower grades, but they are accessible in the market). Unless the signatures mean so much to you, then perhaps this will be a harder decision for you. Sometimes you have to part with a collectible to test if you long to get it back. At the same time, you can test if your newly acquired collectible is the real deal. silverseeker and jsilverjanet 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Rick2you2 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 4 hours ago, GreatEscape said: Ten years from now, you gather with friends to watch Super Bowl LXV in 2031. Halftime comes and your buddies say, “Heard you’re a collector, whacha got?” So, what do you show them knowing (1) they won’t care how much you paid or how much it’s worth and (2) they won’t understand what exactly makes it scarce or desirable. The only thing they will see is what it means to you and how proud you are sharing it with them. Would you feel happier and/or cooler showing them a couple of autographed cards or a piece of original comic art? Bill Ward’s babes at half-time, no question (unless I had a Vargas girl lying around). Link to post Share on other sites
tth2 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Chase whatever is hotter. That has been a proven strategy in stocks, bonds, real estate, comics, cards, etc. Link to post Share on other sites
vodou Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, tth2 said: Chase whatever is hotter. That has been a proven strategy in stocks, bonds, real estate, comics, cards, etc. Tulips! Randall Dowling and Rick2you2 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Peter G Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 37 minutes ago, vodou said: Tulips! Speaking of ... Bitcoin ! ! ! Link to post Share on other sites
jick Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 10 hours ago, brownies8701 said: Curious, what are the 2 cards? Actually the two are just an example - it's a Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods card. I also have a couple of Lebron and Jordan cards that have gone up at least 8x in value. All those cards I got in the 400ish range in 2018 and now they are $3k (Lebron), to $9k (Kobe, Tiger). Thanks for all the replies. They are very insightful. There will always be an autographed card of a particular player you like in the market, but a piece of OA is one of a kind. Therefore, I will probably hold back disposing my cards until I find a page or piece that really means a lot to me. Your insights are all much much appreciated and I welcome even more insights to this discussion. T Shen 1 Link to post Share on other sites
batman_fan Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 55 minutes ago, vodou said: Tulips! Sell sell ! Garry Ghoul 1 Link to post Share on other sites
delekkerste Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I'd keep the cards. Sadly, there's not much you can buy in the comic art world for $16K anymore that is cooler than autographed cards by Kobe (RIP) and Tiger. $16K buys what, maybe half an Erik Larsen Spidey page these days? Unless you happen to like niche stuff that hasn't gone totally nuts in price, I think you're better off keeping the cards than trying to roll that money into mainstream hero art. greggy and Rick2you2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
exitmusicblue Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Keep your fave cards, sell the rest to spend on OA, everyone wins. Link to post Share on other sites
Bronty Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 17 hours ago, delekkerste said: I'd keep the cards. Sadly, there's not much you can buy in the comic art world for $16K anymore that is cooler than autographed cards by Kobe (RIP) and Tiger. $16K buys what, maybe half an Erik Larsen Spidey page these days? Unless you happen to like niche stuff that hasn't gone totally nuts in price, I think you're better off keeping the cards than trying to roll that money into mainstream hero art. I mean, there's always hookers and coke. Naturally, I'm talking about rugby and soda pop. batman_fan 1 Link to post Share on other sites
