In perusing some old price lists which Lew Lipsett included

in his Old Judge periodical in the '80s and 90s; it becomes apparent that some n172s gain in popularity over time while others become less important a collectible, by comparison. An example of this is the pricing associated with n172 PCL player cards in 1985 and in 1993 when compared with commons from those years. A significant increase in relative costs are associated with these cards. Similarly, a different set segment: Spotted Ties, has realized far less collector emphasis during that period. So, in 1985 one could have maximized his return by taking his money out of the then hyped Spotted Ties, and putting it into the PCL cards.

I wonder what the current picture looks like. I'd bet it is similar, because I rarely hear of the Spotted (now "dotted") ties.

Also, I note that dual player cards seem less popular now. Actually, if I remember correctly, to qualify as a two player card, both players had to be identified on the card. However, if Auction descriptions are a criteria, simply the appearance of a second player is adequate to constitute a dual player card status.

So, what we have is that some cards become popular for a time, then lose that edge. Recently, e-cards grabbed that "edge". That was a big market share. Fortunately the entire market was "up" so the segment which lost volume on that popularity edge grab, still saw an increase.

Of course, e107 may have over drawn on their popularity, some think that t3s have as well. However, I think that all is well for the anticipated market downturn. The cards which will primarilly feel it (in my imaginary world) are the 5 figure cards with those above and below that level feeling much less impact, if any.

TheRiddler wrote:So, what we have is that some cards become popular for a time, then lose that edge. Recently, e-cards grabbed that "edge". That was a big market share. Fortunately the entire market was "up" so the segment which lost volume on that popularity edge grab, still saw an increase.

I think what we're seeing now (and will continue to see) is a significant shift away from e cards. Over the past 4-5 years, caramels got a whole lot of attention and collectors were paying nutty money to get their hands on whatever they could. E card prices are much softer now for a number of reasons (not just because of the state of the economy). The really scarce stuff (ie. E104-3) will always be strong pricewise; I'm referring mostly to the common sets like e93/e95/e98, etc.

It seems to me like collectors are trending over to T cards again, and, to a lesser extent, 19th century. I think the recent Old Judge book will only amplify these trends. As Gil mentioned, there is so much depth and variety in the N172 set alone that there's plenty of room for new collectors to move in. I'm no investor, but I do see plenty of potential in the 19th century realm (and specifically N172).

These are merely my speculations/observations, maybe others see things differently?

I agree that there will be renewed interest in the N172 and related sets with the new book coming out.

Prices and interest were at their highest when Dave Levin made the large find of OJs in Oregon a few years ago. People were paying record prices for scarcer cards like the spotted ties and HOFers like Bid McPhee. Since that time, prices have really settled down.

It will be interesting to see if price will reach 2005 levels in the next few years.

come on man, time for a new avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moderator!!!!!

You are way too possessive of your Waddell avatar. That's ok.....I like this one better anyway.

thank you. your new one suits you.

Thanks. I am not sure why I can't get the blinking eyes on the condensed version. It's still a good avatar, don't get me wrong, but I might have to go back to the old Rube Waddell avatar.