They Don't Know the War is Over

[JailOJohn]

Is what my Grandpa used to say when something was overpriced. Overpriced is probably a relative term on Wackys, because like all things, it is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Has anyone noticed large price increases in the Wacky hobby/collector market over the last 12-18 months? I know several people who collect comic books, and prices for key or high grade issues in that hobby have gone through the roof the last year or two. Has anyone seen that type of market force in Wackys? I had not been paying any attention to the Wacky market for 10-15 years, but it seems sale prices for Original Series stickers, binders, and sets have shot up quite a bit lately. Do we think this is related to the overall economy, or "covid economy" or just a dwindling supply of stickers? I know there will always be price inflation over time, but it seems like certain hobbies have by far outpaced regular inflation. There seems to be a dwindling number of collectors of these stickers, so shouldn't that make the price go down, if demand is going down? Or is it a small group of hardcore collectors willing to spend more and more on the hobby, thus raising prices? I am just talking about raw stickers here, the effect of slabbing on the marketplace is another discussion. Obviously the prices of unopened packs and boxes are astronomical for most of the Original Series, since there is precious little of that stuff available. Just curious to hear some opinions from some of you who have been in this hobby for the long haul.....

[jleonard1967]

I have been noticing on E-Bay, Facebook and at shows there is lot of demand for not just Wacky's but all non-sport cards in general.  The last show I did I saw that the Vintage Marvel Stickers have taken a huge jump in price.  You really can not find them out in the wild anymore.  Wacky's on Facebook up and disappear really quick.  Especially if they are vintage.  I have been seeing on E-bay people paying 10-20 for Wacky's graded PSA 6, where as before those were .99 cards.  So even though our core of collectors on this site might not notice it.  If you are active in the community you will defiantly see it.  I have also noticed a big surge in 1966 Batman cards (black, blue and red bats).

[drono]

Unfortunately there is no complete and up-to-date price guide to OS Wackys or older non-sports cards, so it's hard to tell what is the going price.  The guide in NSU doesn't list anything old, and while Beckett has a bi-monthly Vintage Collector guide for sports cards before 1980, they offer nothing comparable for non-sports.  I guess there is no market for it?

I've been working on finishing some of my childhood football sets, and what I have noticed is that the prices are really high at the shows and on eBay, but the guides aren't reflecting those prices. IMHO, a lot of that is due to perceived grading. The guides give a low and a high range for near mint, and those cards are hard to find in vintage because we didn't protect them when we were kids - we played with them, carried around to show and trade with friends, etc.  But there are a lot of sellers on eBay who either don't read that in the guide, or their eyes are just deceiving them into thinking that they have a near mint treasure.  Dinged corners, minor creases, off center 80-20, and scuffs do not a near mint card make, but I constantly see items being listed above and beyond the high range NM price when they're in that kind of condition.  Really to match the guide, these cards should be listed at about 40-60% of a NM card.  I think the hype of getting that card that grades a 9 or 10 has overinflated the prices of every card and most sellers think they're selling that one golden ticket card.

[Adrian]

I think in general things have gone up. Lots of people stuck in there house are looking for the things that brought them joy. This is how I found myself in my basement looking at all my non sports cards after years of neglect. Something about looking at those Three’s Company, Star Wars and of course my beloved Wacky Packages gives me joy. I have noticed as I work on upgrading the quality of the cards I have, that prices are higher than ever. I do use this site to keep an eye on things https://www.comc.com/Cards,so,=Wacky+packages

[BattleCaps]

There has been a bubble in graded sportscards in the past 2-3 years that has gone into non sports cards as well and has sgenerally lifted the prices for everything.

I think people being stuck at home during the covid pandemic exacerbated the price hikes and increased the amount of 'flippers' into the market who buy in order to sell it as a profit, especially with limited issues.  Seen it in cards, coins, and electronics.

  I'm in the market for the original series stickers but am hoping these latest prices will fall, so i can pick some up at more reasonable prices.
 

[Adrian]

There has been a bubble in graded sportscards in the past 2-3 years that has gone into non sports cards as well and has sgenerally lifted the prices for everything.

I think people being stuck at home during the covid pandemic exacerbated the price hikes and increased the amount of 'flippers' into the market who buy in order to sell it as a profit, especially with limited issues.  Seen it in cards, coins, and electronics.

  I'm in the market for the original series stickers but am hoping these latest prices will fall, so i can pick some up at more reasonable prices.
 

I guess I have skewed gamblers logic of some sort. What if this is the new low price? I don’t want to miss out. I agree Covid has absolutely exploded the market. I’m one of those people who lapsed due the junk wax era, dabbled over the past couple of years and now I’m back. I don’t have ability to go on vacation so my money has gone into cards to take me on trips. Also seeing a lot loved ones die to Covid, I’d rather have joy today, then be dead with money in the bank I never get to use. Morbid I guess, but I don’t feel I’m alone based on what I am seeing on the buying and selling side.

[crackedjerk]

Interesting topic.  I don't pay close attention to vintage wacky prices as I'm neither a buyer or seller.  But I have heard prices on many comics and non-sports cards have gone up, so it doesn't seem odd that the same would apply to wackys as I would imagine there is a similarity in collector mindset for those hobbies.

[ToadallyDude]

Interesting conversation.  I think one of the things not mentioned yet is the massive amount of brand new Cryptocurrency millionaires and Robinhood/WSB stock millionaires with newfound disposable cash that weren't there 5 or 10 years ago.  I wish I was one of them, but I never bought in even though I read about Bitcoin and wanted in back in 2011/12.  Yah, Dimwit Dots comes to mind.  But I think that's part of it too... not to mention real estate.  AND stuff like Amazon Fulfillment freelance gigs that bring in 6-figs a month.  In CA, I see a ton of 18-25yo's rippin' around in their Ferrari's and countless boasters on YouTube.  I mean, good for them.  I'm all for an honest buck.  But I don't think the prices would be where they are without some of these overnight fortunes happening.  I mean back in 2000, if anyone had said a PSA-9 or better Bandache or 16th series sticker would go for $1000, we'd have either thought they were nuts or one of us would have bought out everyone's collection and waited.  It was fun when you found a Grime-Heavy at a show for a buck and flipped it for a C-note.  But these prices are just ludicrous.  The 1-16 run with all variations used to Max out at $2K or so.  At this rate, it'll sell for a Bitcoin.  (so, technically, you could get a nice PSA 1-16 run for $10 if you hadn't bought that pizza with it in 2010, dude!)