The Three Best Sports Investments You Can Make

THERE WAS NO BETTER TIME OR PLACE.  THE 450,000-SQUARE-FOOT CONVENTION CENTER WAS FILLED WALL TO WALL WITH THE WORLD’S RAREST AND MOST VALUABLE SPORTS TREASURES, FROM AN SGC 3 HONUS WAGNER THAT HAS EXCEEDED $4 MILLION IN A ROBERT EDWARD AUCTION CLOSING ON AUGUST 15 TO AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE GAME USED BABE RUTH HE NOTCHED WITH A KNIFE FOR EIGHT HOME RUNS HE HIT. “IF YOU CAN’T FIND IT AT THE NATIONAL, IT PROBABLY DOESN’T EXIST” RUNS THE CONVENTION’S MOTTO.

 

Joe Tomasulo, consignment director for Memory Lane Auctions.

 

The 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card. “Because the population is so much lower than the ’52 Topps relative to the price (1,785 PSA Topps versus 2,333 Bowman.)  A PSA 5 ’52 goes for $100,000; the ’51 for $35,000. So the ’52 Topps is about 35% rarer, but the difference in price can be between 200% to 300%. Plus it is Mantle’s true rookie card!”

“The T205 Ty Cobb is still undervalued compared to the T206. It’s gorgeous with those gold borders. The issue is corner wear on the fragile borders.” (A PSA 5 T205 fetches $11,000 in contrast to a $15,000 PSA 5 T206.) 

The 1936 World Wide Gum Joe DiMaggio. (The first traditional card showing him in a Yankees uniform, distribution was limited mostly to Canada. The population is just 31; PWCC is offering an SGC 2 for $59,999.) “A lot of DiMaggio is undervalued, given his greatness.”

Brian Dwyer, president of Robert Edward Auctions.

 

“No one has ever lost money on a T206 Honus Wagner. There is a long history of opportunity and rising demand. Everyone knows its importance.” (In its booth, REA was displaying an SGC 3 Wagner that hat had surpassed the $4 million threshold with more than two weeks left in the auction, an astonishing amount for the card in that grade.)

“Original Type 1 photography.  Look for top tier photos of Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth. We are seeing Mantles set records.”

“High-end game used bats and jerseys.  You can own a 1968 Mantle jersey for $200,000. PSA 8 ’52 Topps Mantles go for $2 million. Look for top tier Hall of Famers. Particularly Aaron and Mays when you look at what these guys are going for.”  (A player was usually issued one home and one road jersey per season before they were often reused in the minors or discarded.)

Don Hontz, Veteran high-end card dealer. [email protected]

 

All four 1933 Goudey Babe Ruths. “He is the greatest player ever to me. I buy and sell his Goudeys like no other card.”

All four of the T206 Ty Cobbs. “The second greatest player ever. Just think of all the batting titles.”

1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. “Maybe Willie Mays was a better player, but Mantle was the golden boy of the golden era.” (Hontz sold a well centered PSA 2 for $40,000 the second of the show. He couldn’t resist also touting the 1951 Bowman Mantle and 1953 Topps, either.)

 Ryan Krupa, Goldin Auctions consignment director for modern cards

 

“Tom Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket autographed rookie card.  It has sold for more than $2 million and numbered to 100. If he retires in two years, it will double or triple easily.”

“Kevin Durant 2007/08 UD Exquisite Collection Rookie Parallel Signed Patch Card. They number 35.  Right now it’s about $800,000.  When he retires in two to three years, it could be $1.5 million.”

Lebron James 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Parallel.  (In April PWCC, announced a private sale of $5.2 million, the highest ever for a basketball card and a tie for the world record for all sports cards. The parallel has a print run of 23 copies, matching James’ jersey number). “Every year it goes up. Everyone who wants ones knows the demand will never keep up with supply.”

Brian Drent, president of Mile High Card Company

 

“Any high-grade Ruth cards. His Sporting News rookie, Goudeys and Sports Kings. They will go even higher.”

“Game-used Ruth bats. Prices have not escalated like his cards. I could not be more bullish on them.” (They average $1 million.)

“I’m also bullish on unopened ‘50s and ‘60s baseball wax packs.  I like boxes when you can find them.  Those are outstanding finds. Prices have gone crazy, but they are still undervalued.”

Leighton Sheldon, Owner at Just Collect Owner at Vintage Breaks

 

“Babe Ruth Type 1 early photography. People being priced out  of his cards are looking at photography.  Action is better than portrait if you can see Babe clearly.”

“Jackie Robinson.  He was not only pivotal to the game, but to our society.  I recommend his rookie 1948 Leaf and ’49 Bowman. His Exhibit from ’47 to ’56 is affordable at $400-$600 in high grade. Topps are overpriced unless you can get them in lower grade from $200 to $500.”

Michael Jordan 1984 Star basketball.  “There’s a lower population of a few thousand. A PSA 8 sells for $20,000 and a PSA 9 for $50,000.”  (“The Star Company cards, issued before Jordan’s ‘official’ 1986 Fleer have been attracting more interest in recent years with prices climbing upward,” reported Sports Collectors Daily in 2016. “Star Company was NBA’s trading card licensee from 1983-1985 but distributed its sets primarily through hobby channels and team promotions. Beckett has graded only 523 Jordan cards from the Star Company set. PSA alone has graded more than 16,000 Fleer Jordan cards with 264 Gem Mint 10s.”)

 Michael Osacky, PSA lead appraiser and president of Baseball in the Attic.

 

“PSA 9 Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer rookie, not the PSA 10.  “It goes for $25,000 to $30,000. (A PSA 10 recently sold for $840,000, but the prices have tended to dip to below $400,000.) He is an icon and rises to the top.”  

“1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson. There are varying degrees of principles that make this a good long-term investment. His civll rights leadership off the field.  African Americans with disposable incomes are looking for collectibles that look like them. They are more interested in him than they are in Mantle. Every April 15 is not just tax day, it’s Jackie Robinson Day in major league baseball.  One day each year, everyone stands and applauds.

“The 1961 Fleer basketball set. There’s the Wilt Chamberlain rookie.  It’s hard to find all the cards in the set. Elgin Baylor. Oscar Robertson (rookie). Bill Russell. John Havlicek.  I have tried a lot, and I never see these cards. I take 20 airplane appraisal trips per year and these are very, very uncommon. You don’t see them in any grade. They just don’t exist.”

Jordan Gilroy, Lelands’ director of acquisitions

 

“Michael Jordan photo matched game-worn jerseys. A few have sold recently. The numbers are really picking up.  You could buy a nice piece of his jersey on a card for $500,000.  The entire jersey costs $300,000.”

“2017 Patrick Mahomes Panini National Treasures rookie card Auto Patch.  He has the chance to be one of the all-time greats, the next Tom Brady.”

“The ’52 Mantle Topps.  It peaks, then there’s a new peak. A PSA 8 sells for $1 million. In three to five years it could be $3 million. It’s an iconic card, one of the most sought after. They aren’t making more of them. High-grade examples are setting records.”

Matt Corin, owner of The Postgame Show, specializing in Jackie Robinson cards and memorabilia. eBay ID: THEPOSTGAMESHOWDOTNET

 

“Jackie Robinson’s rookie cards like Leaf, Bowman (1949, second year), Bond Breads and Sports Thrills. They are getting so much more attention. He is timeless. As generations come up, they know Mays and Mantle. But Jackie is in every classroom.  As our culture divides today, he is really the solution.  That is how we get back together.”

“Original Jackie Robinson Type 1 photos.  “Buy the images used for his cards, like the Barney Stein image for his 1950 Bowman, which goes for $20,000.  Then there are the iconic shots of him signing his contract and stealing home which cost $4,000.”

“Signed Jackie Robinson cards.  “It’s really hard for people to find them. I highly recommend them.”

Al Crisafulli, owner of Love of the Game Auctions.

 

“Frank Robinson.  The most underrated guy in history. Frank Robinson is Superman. He had a legendary career.  He won the Triple Crown, MVP in both leagues, and hit 586 home runs. He was the first Black manager.  He was also an assistant general manager. He is the most affordable of the great players.  I am a big fan. As the hobby is starting to give players of color— Aaron, Mays, (Jackie) Robinson—their due, they have all skyrocketed, Robinson has not moved.”

“19th century Hall of Famers and rare issues.  Right now 19th century has not gotten caught up in the hobby boom. Once, their prices were really high.  The N173s (Old Judge cabinet cards) Hall of Famers sell for considerably less than 10 years ago. I feel the same about  Kalamazoo Bats (an extremely rare 1886-`87 rare issue). How about the infamous Hoss Radbourne N173 with him giving the finger?  $11,000. That’s lunch money in this hobby.”

“Premium issues that can’t be graded because they are too big.  Two examples are the 1899-1900  M101-1 Sporting News supplements (filled with Hall of Famers such as Cy Young and Nap Lajoie) and 1898-99  National Copper Plate Co. Portraits (Cap Anson and Buck Ewing). Any large newspaper supplements.  (They measure 11×14” and 10×13”, respectively.)

They are big and beautiful. One day, the grading companies are going to connect these with holders. Nat Turner, the new PSA CEO, will be looking for news streams of revenue. There’s oddball sized stuff that you cannot grade now. As you can see with Type 1 photos and oversized cards, customers are demanding oversized holders.”

David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions

 

Babe Ruth notched bats. (On rare occasions, Ruth would carve notches on his bat to mark a home run he had hit, like a gun slinger.) In the 30 years we’ve been doing this, there have only been three. (Lately, Ruth bats have regularly sold for $1 million. Hunt has a Ruth bat with eight notches with an estimate of $750,000 to $1.5 million slated for auction later this year.)

“Bill Russell jerseys. Historical basketball jerseys like his are starting to gain new ground. They are extremely difficult to find. I think they will rise from a quarter million dollars to $1.5 million over the next few years.” (This  fall/winter Hunt is offering Russell’s personal collection for sale, including his circa 1960s Celtics professional model.)

Visually appealing cards. Look at this SGC 5 Joe Jackson. (He pointed to a perfectly centered, clean 1909 American Caramel Jackson sitting in his case).When the eye appeal is so strong it can outperform the technical grade on the card. Sometimes a PSA 6 ’52 Topps Mantle brings more than a PSA 7 is the second is off-center.

Derek Grady, Executive Vice President, Heritage Auctions

 

“Willie Mays game worn items and cards. Willie Mays is probably the greatest player or second greatest behind Babe Ruth. Just think, he’s less than Mantle and Jackie Robinson. A great investment.”

“Vintage wax.  As more people are buying and opening, it’s getting tougher and tougher to come by. Breakers are buying boxes and opening the damn things. The ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s are a solid investment.”

“Blue chip, high-grade cards. Because it’s getting difficult to get 8s and 9s. Head graders at SGC and PSA are getting harder and harder. What used to be 8s are now 7s.  Buyers can focus on the Ruths, Gehrigs, Mantles, and Cobbs.  Psychologically, the graders think it’s more responsibility and more liability. This is happening at all three grading companies. They are hiring and training more graders. They do not get fired for under grading or being too conservative.” (Grady was SGC’s head grader for three years before joining Heritage.)