Your cards ---> Investment or Hobby?

[Fraser9698]

I'd say it's a bit of both for me. Wall is my PC guy, but sure I would sell his stuff if it suddenly blew up 70-80%, and if it doesn't than I still have some awesome cards for my PC guy. Happy either way.

Same with my other cards. Really only have a few every so often that I buy to make profit on but hopefully I can get to a point where I can put my profits back into my PC and the whole thing essentially runs itself.

[Orangejello727]

purely investment. THe only paper I love is currency!!

My hobby is in flipping cards.

THeres nothing wrong with either side. But who are you kidding if you say you are a pure collector and you sell a card! Thats an oxymoron. I personally think the only true collectors in this hobby are those who put base sets together.

[Fraser9698]

Originally Posted by Orangejello727

purely investment. THe only paper I love is currency!!

My hobby is in flipping cards.

THeres nothing wrong with either side. But who are you kidding if you say you are a pure collector and you sell a card! Thats an oxymoron.

I agree, also get joy in finding a card that I can flip for a profit.

But also enjoy my stash of Wall cards that will definitely hurt to sell...

[Knight]

For me it's purely a hobby. I collected M. Beasley rookie cards hard as you can see in my collection and as he started playing like crap and acting stupid his value dropped big time but I haven't sold any and still find a card or 2 that I can add to it sometimes now that it's more affordable lol.

[tristan20]

I dont think any collector no matter how much they say it, purely throws money away on cards without the thought of it being worth more in the future.

Whoever says not an investment is lying.

[puregreen5]

Overall I'm both an investor and a card lover/PC'er!

[n1nesports]

Originally Posted by Orangejello727

THeres nothing wrong with either side. But who are you kidding if you say you are a pure collector and you sell a card! Thats an oxymoron. I personally think the only true collectors in this hobby are those who put base sets together.

Couldn't agree more. I'm both.

[badbeatkking]

I would also agree that it is both for almost everyone. Even if it is your pc guy, if you have a chance to make 50k and 40 is profit you would be clinically insane not to capitalize. There seems to be a thin line in this hobby between being a collector/ and being simply stupid. It is very easy to lose money, but it is an art to make it.

[puregreen5]

I do have a few cards that I act like Gollum with (LOL), I present my precious:

Not my most expensive card, but it blinds me from its beauty, sometimes! LOL! Plus I meet Holiday as a H.S. So. (going into his Jr. year) he is such a great person and is everything the NBA should be about!

but overall I'm both an investor and a card lover/PC'er! I love money, but at the sametime look at the fricking beauty of some of these cards from Panini and UD!!! I own 150-300 great cards at any given time and sell less then half of them a year! I need to make room for Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins, Jeremy Lamb, etc. for the future!

[ratherunique]

i got into to the hobby to collect knick and hof cards. haven't sold any yet but i'm starting to go broke. might have to start putting stuff on ebay soon. i was happy to finally get my shump auto, but after today, i think i paid way too much for it

[melletted]

both


I pc raiders everything else is investment

[Burt-Reynolds]

Everyone buys to sell and sells to buy. It's a rotating door with this hobby. 99.9% of hobbyists buy for money and enjoyment, it's impossible not to do both, unless you are just some super baller who doesn't care about money.

[jubei777]

Mostly investments for my PC. Everything else I flip when they're hot.

[lakernation10]

I would say both as well

But I like to collect players that are California native and grow from there.

[rmiller1k]

Originally Posted by jubei777

Mostly investments for my PC. Everything else I flip when they're hot.

truuuu this

[asujbl]

Both - easy answer

[WillC]

Originally Posted by tristan20

I dont think any collector no matter how much they say it, purely throws money away on cards without the thought of it being worth more in the future.

Whoever says not an investment is lying.

I disagree.

I buy cards that I want to keep forever. Does that mean I do? No. I sometimes have to sell cards so that I can buy cards that I like even more.

But it's definitely not an investment for me. I do it because I am obsessed with basketball and feel like I own part of NBA history. It's like having a mini basketball hall of fame in a box.

I fully expect my cards to depreciate in value over time due to an increase in supply.

[MSD]

Only investment. It'll be a whole new story once im through with college..need to stop breaking wax though, such a bad habit..

[brandonlec]

I'm what you call an Investosaurus Rex.

-Brandon

[tristan20]

Originally Posted by WillC

I disagree.

I buy cards that I want to keep forever. Does that mean I do? No. I sometimes have to sell cards so that I can buy cards that I like even more.

But it's definitely not an investment for me. I do it because I am obsessed with basketball and feel like I own part of NBA history. It's like having a mini basketball hall of fame in a box.

I fully expect my cards to depreciate in value over time due to an increase in supply.

So that means every card you purchase you automatically write it off as a loss?

[Randomcards]

Wow, this thread is actually kind of depressing. Nobody collects for fun? I mean even just a little?

I understand buying to sell and investing in a certain player, but what happen to collecting for a guy that you actually like? Your PC guy that you will probably never sell who is not Kobe, Lebron or Jordan?

I'm just saying :/

Oh yeah, my LJ cards are my pc that I plan on keeping as long as I can. Anything I buy to sell I either won in a group break or something I saw on eBay going for cheaper than I believe it should.

[WillC]

Originally Posted by tristan20

So that means every card you purchase you automatically write it off as a loss?

No, I wouldn't say that. However, I do buy some cards that I know I am overpaying for and will never get my money back, let alone make a profit.

I expect many of my cards will keep their value while some might be worth more in the future. However, like I said, I need to be realistic and anticipate that many of my cards will lose value due to an increase in supply.

But I don't factor in future value when I buy cards. My main criteria is whether the card would look good in my PC and whether the card would give me enough enjoyment/satisfaction to justify the price.

[Rare23air83]

Both for sure.

[WillC]

The more I think about it, I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when I bought cards purely to flip them. Obviously if you see a card for a bargain price then it would be foolish not to snap it up, flip it for a profit and then use the money to fund PC cards.

However, what I was getting at before was that I don't see my PC cards as an investment. I collect for the love of the game (coupled with the fact the cards are eye-catching, almost like artwork).

Maybe it's different if you're a player collector. I think there might be two different types of player collectors:

i) Those that idolise the player and don't care about card values. This is perhaps particularly true for those that collect obscure players.

and

ii) Those that collect the player because they think he has the potential to get better and, thus, increase the value of their investment.

There's really nothing wrong with any of the reasons for collecting, is there? I'm sure we all love the sport. Otherwise we'd be spending our money elsewhere.

[thenwhatjk]

what if investing in the teams and players you like is your hobby