Buy/Sell/Trade Forum

Honestly curious about something...

Can someone explain why so many have an inhibition to trading away older cards for modern cards?  I get that you wouldnt trade a $100 older card for $3 in modern cards.   But...

If you 1) have modern cards on your want list, 2) have older cards on your FS/T list, and 3) can come to an agreement on the valuation of each side of a trade, then what is the purpose of a guideline like that?   

Maybe theres something I'm not concidering there...    Let me know, are you ok with this type of trade or not?

I have traded older for newer all the time.   

IMO the issue is a $100 older card will stay around $100   but a new card at $100 may drop real fast in time.   I traded a $10 card for a $10 card at the time.  Now my $10 can be purchased at $1 and the one he got now is at $25.

Tim, I concur with budler.

My main reason is that I have tons of vintage wants and far less vintage for trade, so I need to be picky about giving up vintage, i.e. pre-1980 in my perspective.

I have traded boatloads of modern for vintage, and have accepted the same on occasion. I've even traded a few boatloads of vintage for high end vintage, and have accepted likewise.

But it is on rare occasions that I will trade vintage for modern straight up, generally I need to really want a player's card before I'll give up old stuff for new.

Budler, your arguement on the changing values over time is a good one.   Certainly makes sense for brand new cards that are changing "rapildy" in value.    

Sportzcommish, I guess I hear you saying it basically comes down to perceived value.  You place a higher relative value on an older card based on your own supply of them.  Is that fair?

My thinking might be more in line with Sportzcommish. I think commons have little to no value whether they are from 1985 or 2015 if you are going to go seek out a trade. I do find it more difficult though to trade for an older common. I recently started to work on a little project where I am trying to build team sets of Brewers and Packers from when I started collecting in the late 70's on forward. My hope it to make team albums to flip through when I want to look back. It is pretty darn difficult though to find trade partners unless you have something of a similar year.

I have been buying some stuff from a local guy where he pulls what he wants and I can get a trunk load of cards for $40. These usually have a mixture of junk era to present and the current stuff even has high end brands. I'll pay the $40 to be able to spend hours sorting and looking at all taht stuff. I guess it's about the same cost as taking the wife out to a 2 hour movie.

I think my conclusion would be that while a common from 1980 probably isn't worth anything more than the postage to mail it in a small PWE that the current cards are worth even less. If I were to say how I value a common card I would probably pay something  for an older common I wanted. I have a hard time paying anything for something new that I can buy locally in a huge dump lot for pennies a LB. My experience is that pre 1985 commons let's say are a lot tougher to find.

Drives me nuts. Cards are cards.  I've seen people restrict trades to these things and more. Same Sport only.   Vintage for vintage only. Modern for modern. Premium for premium. inserts for inserts. Commons for commons. Who gives a ****.  If I think the value is fair and I'm trading I'll pull the deal and make the trade if not I'll let the trader know.  It shouldn't be that hard. 

I agree for the most part hawkking.  I wouldnt get too mad at anyone for what they are willing to trade or not, everyone has their own valuations.   But I do get frustrated at the blanket approach some take.  

Basically, yes, vintage are dearer to me due to their nostalgic nature, and when you peruse my Want List you'll see that I have nowhere near the matches for some of those. I have to rely on low conditioned cards of HOFers, but even commons can be hard to trade for when trying to complete my '59 Topps baseball or '62 Post baseball. 

But, yeah, Joe, I hear you, too. Occasionally that card-r-cards bug hits me and I'll let lose on a deal (not often, though). The worst that can happen is you get declined for an offer without a reply. 

Not that I have much that would count as "vintage" by basketball standards (where does that even start?) but I guess I can respect if a person want to trade like for like especially if they only have a small amount of vintage to trade.

However, that also makes the situation self perpetuating — "I am keeping my vintage to only trade for vintage because other people only trade vintage for vinatge therefore the only way to trade for vintage is to keep my vintage! Blah!

In basketball I have made a couple of trades here which have got me what I guess is vintage in exchange for modern cards. Last one invoved some Curry and Harden cards for Thurmond and Frazier RCs so it does happen!

My answer is similar to others, it depends. I have traded away vintage for modern and vice versa. My hesitancy to trade my vintage cards for recent cards is both a supply and demand issue as well as what I am looking for. My primary focus in collecting is Red Sox, all years, brands, etc, I want them all. My secondary focus is bulding vintage sets, which is a much lower priority for me.

The supply and demand comes into play, when, lets say you offer me a 2021 Topps Devers and JD Martinez, which I do not have yet and you want a pair of 1966 commons in exchange. Yes, I want the two 2021 cards, but they are so common and plentiful, that I can pick them up for 10-25 cents or will acquire them as part of a lot, but it is not the same for the 1966's.

Looking at just the supply and demand on this site for two current stars and two 1966 commons..

2021 Topps 20 - J.D. Martinez  - there are 603 in collections, 15 on wantlists, and 138 available for trade

2021 Topps 226 - Rafael Devers -  there are 596 in collections, 19 on wantlists, and 121 available for trade

1966 Topps 6 - Chuck Schilling  - there are 183 in collections, 43 on wantlists, and 12 available for trade

1966 Topps 93 - Jim Lonborg - there are 184 in collections, 46 on wantlists, and 15 available for trade

Just looking at that there is less supply and more demand for the vintage, and far more supply on the modern.

Now, if I needed one card to complete a set, of course I would trade vintage for it, If anyone has a 2003 Topps Gold Tim Wakefield, or 2003 Splendid Splinters Ted Williams #19 available, I would glad give up vintage or a lopsided trade in your favor to complete either set.

Otherwise, if you were to offer me the above mentioned Devers and Martinez, yes, I want them, but not badly enough to trade the 66's. Sticking with 1966, I have 394 of the 609 cards in the set and would rather hang onto the doubles in hopes of trading for other commons from that set.

Anyway, that is my two cent on the subject, hope it helps.

Scott