steven jackson-what football card investors think

[general counsel]

Just an fyi on the way the football card investment speculators view steven jackson. A steven jackson rookie card in perfect condition is being auctioned tonight. With a couple of hours to go, the card is over $100! Pretty amazing considering he has yet to set foot on the field. I have seen several other jackson cards not quite perfect but very, very nice go for over $40.

As a data point, marshall faulk rookies in comparable condition are a bit over $200 and he is a lock first ballot hall of famer. You can get a near perfect faulk rookie for as much as $35 and as little as $5 depending on the brand.

Of course, none of this proves that jackson will be a stud, but it sure tells you that someone other than us rams fans believe that will be the case.

ramming speed to all

Sign the Big Man

general counsel

[txramsfan]

Re: steven jackson-what football card investors think

I went to an office auction once here in Austin. The company that went under was called Agillion. Software company, even had a Super Bowl Ad when the Ravens won the thing.

Anyway, they went under as a majority did so I went to the auction and you know what I noticed? A lot of people with stupid money. Used laptops going for a grand. I walked out laughing.

Point: A lot of people will buy things thinking they are getting a good deal when all it seems to be to some is a lot of people with stupid money. That to me sounds like stupid money.

[Curly Horns]

Re: steven jackson-what football card investors think

Isn't a new card in perfect condition? If I go into one of these card shops and I want a new card, wouldn't it be in perfect condition? It should either be new(perfect) or used. Unless new cards are not all created equal and come with flaws, then they should be perfect or new condition. I guess I don't understand the perfect condition? After all, nothing is perfect. Not even funny money, which is different from stupid money.

[general counsel]

Re: steven jackson-what football card investors think

Actually ferter, the context in which i used the term perfect is defined as a "10" as graded by beckett, a professional grading company. All new cards are not perfect since the second that they come out of the pack or the box they get handled. Also, they dont even necessarily come out of the pack perfect, some can have centering or other issues. The rampant speculation in recent issue sports cards is in part driven by the obsession with the alleged scarcity as judged by the professional grading companies. The slightest bit of wear on even one corner can have a massive effect on the price of a new card. Of course, from a collecting, rather than investing point of view, it makes an awful lot more sense to buy a nice looking card from $2 than to pay $25 just because some company grades and it sticks it in a fancy holder. Capitalism at its worst or best depending on your perspective.

ramming speed to all

sign the big man

general counsel

[Curly Horns]

Re: steven jackson-what football card investors think

Very interesting gc! Card collecting seems to be far removed from when I was a kid. We handled every card we had and they were probably sticky and stained from the bubble gum you got with the package of cards. Surely there were no perfect ones but we loved and treasured them none_the_less.(adarian, please note spelling). I remember trading cards with other kids as well. My brother and I had all of our cards bundled in groups, held by rubber bands, and stored in an old shoe box. Now_a_days I suppose You carfully open the package and gently pull the card out with a pair of tweezers being careful not to handle it before you can get it hermetically sealed, if in fact it happens to be a perfect card.

[general counsel]

Re: steven jackson-what football card investors think

The only reason the cards from even the 50's are very, very expensive is because of condition scarcity. The cards themselves are not scarce at all, at least until you get to the very early 1900's and even then tobacco cards were mass produced. Ferter's point is right on target-as kids, we all played with, rubberbanded and handled the cards, thus the wear and tear. Our mothers threw them out.

Today, many many people view even brand new cards as long term investments and they will be very sorry to see that value is a cross between the supply and demand curve. Supply is so enormous today, and so much more of what is produced is carefully preserved, that the price of a 40 year old card today in top condition is very very different IMO from what todays cards will be worth in 40 years.

ferter, you might be interested to know that the first and last card in the old sets are especially valuable, even if they are common players, since most kids put their cards in numerical order, causing even more wear and tear on the first and last cards in the set.

ramming speed to all

sign the big man

general counsel