Consigned a Large Part of My Vintage Baseball Card Collection

[Theragingloon]

Hey folks,

I was a longtime collector of vintage baseball cards, specifically cards dated from 1909-1939. Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, etc.

I built up a pretty sizable collection, both in volume and in value.

I have frequented hobby events (card shows, community gatherings, etc.) across the country and thus built up a community of friends.

I recently decided to exit my position for a number of reasons. In short, I want to prioritize different things (travel, additional investments, house, etc.).

This has shocked several in my circle. I was flooded with texts, emails, direct messages, etc. asking why I am selling.

In a few instances, when I explained my position and viewpoints on the industry, folks have tried to rebut me.

They have made comments like, "you can always make more $" and "the market [stocks] is too risky at the moment."

I do not really understand this at all. I thought these people were like minded in that they viewed these things as alternative assets that tend to go up over time.

I do believe that when things sell, I will have profited from a cost-basis perspective. That was not always my intention, it just happened to be so.

I loved the cards, history, etc. but I am not emotionally attached to them or the idea of collecting. I may dip back in at some point for fun, but as of now I want to use the money for other things.

I believe this is something that happens frequently in hobbies where things are treated as collectibles (sports cards, watches, etc.).

People tend to act as purists and take a "never sell" approach. I just do not get this.

I feel like I am losing a part of my community because of this and that just sucks.

What is the Mustachian way to view all of this?

[GuitarStv]

I don't think there's a mustachian way to be a collector.  You're just buying and holding on to stuff because you want it - not because it really helps your life in any appreciable way.  Sure, some collectibles will gain in value over time . . . but I think it's dangerous to think of them as investments.  The value of a collectible is due to scarcity, market whims (often heavily relying upon nostalgia in the buyer), and disposable income.  These are shaky points to try to build an investment from.

FWIW, it seems like you're making the right decision by stepping away from this to do something that you want.

[Dicey]

You have (had?) a genuine Honus Wagner? Wow!

The collectibles market is even more volatile than the stock market. Plus forgery isn't really an issue with stocks.

Your post sounds a lot like a guy I almost married, back in the nineties. It's a blast from the past, for sure.*

Your card friends are more worried about themselves than you. They feel secure in their "investment" decisions, and now you're challenging their choices. They're thinking "OMG, what if he's right?" I get that it feels like multiple losses, but I would politely suggest these are people who share a common base of knowledge, and not true-blue friends. It might help to think of them as former co-workers.

There is nothing wrong with capturing gains, aka rebalancing and diversifying your portfolio. It's actually the right thing to do.

To your last question: you just did it. Welcome to the MMM Forum. Want to meet cool people IRL? Participating here and going to meetups now and then are outstanding options.

*Last I heard, the former fiancee is a marketing executive with an entertainment company with very high name recognition. You might say all his card dealing served at catapult him to greater success.

[Omy]

DH is a lifelong baseball card collector. The internet has made it so much easier to buy, sell, and trade in the past few years. I can't imagine him ever selling his collection because of the emotional attachment he has to it - and because of the time and money he's put into it.

He wants to start another expensive hobby, and I joked that he could fund the new hobby by selling his collection. He looked at me like I was suggesting he murder a puppy.

I am fine with his collection (because it makes him happy) but I would personally be happier if he'd sell. We'd have an extra $20k, and I would regain the use of a walk in closet. I joke that he better outlive me...otherwise he'll  haunt me when I sell the collection for less than he thinks it's worth.

Congrats for selling something that no longer aligns with your values. That's the essence of Mustachianism.

[Sibley]

There is nothing wrong with choosing to focus your time and energy (and money) on other things than you have previously. These individuals who are upset are not actually worried about you, they're worried about themselves. Just tell them that this is what works for you now, because it's true.

[HPstache]

I'm a baseball card collector as well, I have found it's a hobby that can pay for itself if you do it right, one of the reasons I like it.  Good for you finding that it wasn't something you wanted to prioritize, but for me I can't see exiting the hobby any time soon.

[Morning Glory]

Hi OP friend. I hope you are a new forum member and not a bot.
It's OK to have a hobby or special interest then get saturated and move on to another one. Just don't leave it in piles or boxes around the house if you live with other people. Especially if those other people get irritated by visual clutter. 

If your collection is worth real money and you're not interested any more, it's probably better to sell it to someone who will love it and at the same time reduce your personal risk from mold or natural disasters. (This is a regular conversation in my family. I am the person who gets irritated by clutter).

[Dave1442397]

I can see stepping away from collecting.

I've been getting rid of books over the past couple of years. Any large Amazon boxes that show up go to the attic, and when I get to it I fill them with books that go to our local library's book sale. None of those books are collectible. They're mostly pre-Internet, and back then I kept everything because I used to sometimes run out of new books to read, and I'd go reread old books. It's definitely a holdover from my teenage years, when my local library didn't have enough to keep me going.

I still have all my 'collectible' books, but even those have way overflowed their allocated space.

Some are worth way more than I paid, a lot are worth at least triple, and many are worth half what I paid, if that.

Once we decide where we're going to move in retirement, I'll have to really pare down the collection.

[Theragingloon]

Thank you for all the positive feedback and assurances.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ender]

fwiw, I sold a decent sized collection of collectible cards about 15 years ago now for $2000 and would gladly buy them back for $10k if I could undo that transaction.

For me, the game/community they represented and all the tournaments/hours of playing makes me feel far more nostalgia than I ever anticipated for that collection.

I don't really know how in the moment to evaluate such things though. I was moving around a lot in college and got tired of moving heavy boxes of cards.

[classicrando]

Yeah, losing community makes it more difficult.  But that's just kind of how it goes with activity- or interest-based communities and friendships.  Within the past year or two, I unloaded my entire Lego collection and most of my old Warhammer 40k models.  But I had the advantage that I had fallen away from those communities long before I sold all the stuff, so there wasn't any additional emotional difficulty there.  In both cases, I felt much lighter and freer afterwards.