Kobe. When he died, I heard there was price gouging. I didn't go look, but in the last month or so I did. Prices still high, I was impressed.
So then I went looking at Lebron prices. Figured they'd be high. Um, yeah. They were much higher than I would have thought! My Bowman RC is now a big time card!
And it isn't just basketball, even baseball cards are popping!
Andrew McCutchen 2005 Topps Updates & Highlights looks like they are going for $8+ for raw, ungraded copies on COMC. Is that for real? I think I have several in a box somewhere...
And pretty much anything graded seems to be going for astronomical prices. What do you think of this?
But all of that is just some minor ridiculousness.
Which brings us to....
Mike Trout
I have heard mention of Trout rookies going for absurd prices, and several people have made comments about Trout RC's in passing here on my posts. Since I had not looked in my big box of keepers in detail for a while, I grabbed the box and flipped to the Trout section.
An unassuming Trout RC stared back at me. Kind of bland, couldn't be worth the big bucks.
But I was excited, and went to Ebay to look at completed sales and....
Holy %#&@%&!!!
Here is the card I have:
 |
| 2011 Topps Update |
The copyright on the back is 2011, so not a reprint. I have no idea where I got it, likely at a card show many years ago. I never spend real money on singles, so I can't imagine that I spent over $5 for it. Talk about a good purchase!!
So here is the thing. I know that many of us bloggers are not big on selling their cards. To those who feel that way, I apologize, but I need to at least think about the possibility of selling this card. Possibility, not certainty. And really, I am leaning against it right now. But if I could get the kind of moolah that they have been selling for, then my financial situation might demand it.
One reason to sell...
It seems like the current influx of money into the hobby may not be sustainable. What do you, my wonderful readers think of that idea? Could we be in a bubble, destined to pop? Or could the prices keep rising? Could the prices level off soon but not deflate? I'm wondering if, in 5 or 10 years from now, that these prices might be a fraction of what they are now.
On the other hand...
I really do see Jordan and Trout being a lot like Mickey Mantle, with their reputations in the hobby keeping their card prices afloat regardless of the rest of the hobby. And it is definitely possible, even if the prices plummet, that I would never be able to put my hands on this card again.
If I did decide to sell, it looks like I would definitely need to get the card graded. It looks pretty good to me, but I have never graded a card before, and besides the expense, I would be worried that it would come back a 7 or something.
Looks like there are 3 real grading companies out there. I looked at them and Beckett looks the most affordable and quickest on the turnaround. What do those of you who have experience with the grading process think? (It also looks like the grading companies are swamped. Could everyone be jumping to grade while the prices are so high? Can I get a 'duh'?)
Maybe I could find a place where I could trade it. Anybody got a 2012 Trout RC and a beat up Hank Aaron RC? Just kidding, but kinda not? Turning it in to a large number of smaller cards that I really want but would never be able to buy has it's appeal too.
Ugh, this isn't nearly as fun as going through dime boxes!! But I don't want to make a bad decision when the stakes are this high.
Any advice?? Oh, and what other cards/players do I need to look up and see how they have gone through the roof?????
