I have a huge card collection. Actually saw one of the Wagner cards in the early 70's when it sold for around $1,000 (probably not this particular pristine version). At the time there were about 13 known to exist. People no doubt did some attic searching and now there are around 50 out there.

I quit buying up new sets in the early 90's when there got to be 6 or 7 manufacturers. Got too expensive.

I have cards of Ruth, Aaron (rookie), Paige, Mantle, Mays, etc. Mostly from the 50's - 80's. As such, I'm a walking encyclopedia of useless sports trivia.

Did you hang onto the stuff you collected as a kid?

Speaking of kids, how's your boy?

Damn! 2.8M

TAXMAN, what's the tax on something like that?

I have a shitload from 87 to about 93. The era of Frank Thomas,Bagwell, Sosa, Griffey Jr,Jeter, Arod, would love to sell. full sets and factory sets.
Storage is a much bigger issue than one would expect.
Autod bats and jersies are more fun and display better.
The Ali gloves are my personal faves.

$450K in six months.

And my mother threw out my collection when I went to college.

Doc,
Yes, it all sits in boxes about 20 feet behind me. Over the years I've put about half of them in plastic sheeting. Never threw out any of it. A few years ago my father told me if he'd known cards would have grown in value like they had that he'd have tossed some $$ my way to "invest."

The value of cards really grew in the 1970's to early 80's. It leveled off and actually dropped, I believe, toward the 90's and onward. Now, when I see a card show at the mall it rarely has anything of my generation. But it's fun to look through some of them and say, "I have that one... and that one..."

As an example of how cheap some of these cards were in the 70's I paid $15 for a 1933 Goudey of Babe Ruth... around $7 for an early 50's Bowman rookie card of Satchell Paige... $3 for a '54 Aaron Topps rookie, etc. My kids couldn't believe it when they were younger and into collecting.

Thanks for the update, Oohrah, sounds like he's doing well. It'll be a good Thanksgiving for your family this year, no doubt.

Yes, we're trying to work out an Ohio swing where we take in my wife's family and also what remains of part of my family. They'd all like to see Bob and he should still be on leave through the Thanksgiving time frame.

TAXMAN, what's the tax on something like that?

Posted by COMMONSENSE at 2007-09-07 10:03 PM

Six months... short term capital gain taxed at ordinary income rates.

But only on the gain of the selling price less the purchase price.