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April, 2017 The Antique Shoppe Page 35
TRADING CARD VALUES MAKING SOARING COME BACK When you visit the shows and shops that advertise in this newspaper, please

Collecting.com reported in a February article that the value of trading take the time to tell them you saw their ad in The Antique Shoppe.
cards and comics has “skyrocketed” in recent years and seem to continue The only way these businesses know this newspaper works for them is by
shattering records as these collectibles appear at auction. hearing it from you. It is because of them that you are able to enjoy this edition.
What led to this unprecedented increase in value? Their opinion is that
since interest rates have been kept below that of inflation for the last Thanks for reading!
decade we’re seeing the effects spilling over into the collecting realm, hiking
up the prices of tangible commodities. Because paintings, cards, comics and
other tangible assets — or collectibles — aren’t subject to inflation the way
currency is, that means your trading cards and comics, although many of
which are innately rare and sought after, are enjoying astronomical jumps in
value.
However, you can’t just flood the market with Renoirs, Mickey Mantle
Rookie Cards and vintage Superman comics. Thus, we’re seeing landmark
dollars placed into a different sort of investment, a collectible one.
A 1952 Topps Mantle currently selling at auction typically averages around
$500,000-plus in high grades,
according to Professional Sports
Authenticator’s Sports Market
Report. (The company assigns a PSA
grade of 1-10 to trading cards and
other collectibles, based on the
condition of the items.)
A PSA 8 1952 Tops Mantle just
broke the auction record for the
grade, $600k, image via Heritage
Auctions.
Back in 2004, a 1952 Topps
Mantle sold for just over $56,000.
Four years later, the value of PSA 8
Mantles nearly doubled, selling for
around $112,000.
In 2015, that card fetched a
staggering $525,800 at auction.
That’s an 827% increase from its
2004 value, a mark more impressive
than the performance of bullion over
the same time frame.
A card graded PSA 9 is worth as
much as $1.7 million, according to
PSA’s website.
Not just baseball cards but other
rookie sports cards are on the rise
also. A Wayne Gretzky 1979 O-Pee-
Chee, graded PSA 10, rookie card
set a new world record $465k at a
Goldin August 2016 Auction. In 2011,
the very same card sold for $94k.
Don’t forget about vintage comics,
which are also enjoying the rise. In
2014, Superman #1 sold for $3.2m, a
new record.
A high-grade example of Fun
Comics #73 recently sold for
over $100k. Early Batman Comics
continue to leave their mark,
especially since Detective #1 sold for
over $1 million back in 2010. The list
goes on and on.
Will the Current Trend Continue?
That remains to be seen. But in the
meantime, rent continues to climb —
at the time of this writing, February
2017, apartment rent is 1.8% higher
than February of last year, college
tuition has seen an approximate 5%
hike over 10 years, and of course the
value of our beloved trading cards
and comics continues to soar.
Check out more card values as
well as the best in coins, action
figures, autographs, stamps and
more at www.collectors.com