The Overwhelming Realization That Collecting Baseball Cards is Not Cheap

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Possibly the most asked question in the baseball card industry is: What is the most valuable card in the world?

Rich Mueller,the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily, suggests in his article that he has Five Places to Put Your Vintage Baseball Card Dollars Right Now. In his article he states that statistically the T206 Honus Wagner Card is the most sought after card on the market. The market price for this exclusive card has sold in the past for as much as $1.2 million.

Truthfully, we can’t all afford cards that cost over a million dollars. Mueller later explains that there are five different players/eras of cards that are the best to invest in.

His top recommendation is to buy Jackie Robinson rookie cards. He states that there are “two themes [that] shine through when it comes to vintage card values: the scarcity of the card and the importance of the player”. Jackie Robinson has both of them. Without a doubt, his name will be remembered for hundreds of years after he played so the rarity on his card increases.

The second tip that Mueller suggests is for card collectors to have a budget. Second year Mickey Mantle cards are not as rare as his rookie year, but the second year that he played is still a good place to put your money. Mueller mentions that buying the Topps 1953 Mantle is a better decision based on his research of the Topps 1953 Mantle compared to the Bowman 1953 Mantle.

Surprisingly, Babe Ruth cards are third on Mueller’s list of cards to invest in. Mueller states that “Even if the bottom completely falls out, you’ll never regret owning Ruth cards. He’ll forever be king of baseball”. I agree that Babe Ruth cards are one of the most pricey cards on the market but in the end, you’ll surely look at the purchase as a profitable event.  Babe Ruth is the player that comes to people’s minds when they think of baseball.  Add the scarcity of quality cards to the mix and an investment in a Babe Ruth card is an excellent long term investment.

Scarcity of quality cards also affects Mueller’s decision to place pre-1930’s Hall of Famer’s cards at his fourth spot for baseball card collecting.  It is getting harder and harder to find quality cards from this era so consequently the price goes up.  Even though the T206 Honus Wagner card is the most talked about pre-1930’s card on the market, there still is desirability to own any card from this era.  As the scarcity of these cards goes up, the demand for these cards increases.  

Finally, Mueller recommends the purchase of Joe Jackson’s E90-1 card or his Old Mill rookie card to be a very good card to add to one’s collection.  Mueller believes that baseball fans will continue to be talking about Joe Jackson in the future and buying his cards.  Therefore, it is a good investment for the future.  

Future research: Where should these sought after cards be purchased in order to ensure legitimacy?