collector's items that tanked in value

[biosurfer1]

Originally Posted by MRM

I graduated from high school in 1983. It's not a complete coincidence that I have a 1984 911. I grew up dreaming about SCs and Carreras and the Carrera was the newest and most expensive Porsche I could afford when I was able to afford one. I suspect that's the sort of thinking that drives a lot of collecting.

If I were ever to make cars an investment (and I won't), I've always felt you should aim for the "cool" cars that guys in their late 40's/50's/60's wanted when they were in highschool.

For a long time it was the muscle cars from the 60's and 70's, now it seems to be the BMW M cars and Porsches from the 80's/90's.

The big question is will it continue? Seems like kids in high school since the turn of the century don't seem to care much about cars other than getting them from A to B.

[gtc]

I have a few boxes of baseball cards from 1990-1992 that are worth about $3.50 in total.

My Magic: The Gathering cards from the 1994-1997 time frame actually did quite well.... I sold probably 50 of the rarer ones for about $1000 a couple of years ago. Who would have thought that being a dork in middle school would pay off?

[p911dad]

Carnival Glass. Depression Glass, other types of collectable glass as well. The people that valued that stuff are on to the next world.

[sammyg2]

I just checked my pocket: a 1954 Denver penny, in really good circulated condition.
It's worth prolly about 30 cents, maybe more.
Pretty good investment for pocket change

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

I just checked my pocket: a 1954 Denver penny, in really good circulated condition.
It's worth prolly about 30 cents, maybe more.
Pretty good investment for pocket change

Well, in '54 the purchasing power of that penny was about the same as 30 cents today...

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Well, in '54 the purchasing power of that penny was about the same as 30 cents today...

True. but I haven't had it that long. I've prolly only had it in my possession for a few days and I paid one penny for it in today's money

[sammyg2]

Over the weekend I saw a 1990 Cadillac Allante convertible up for auction on the mecum's Denver auction.
It was in good condition, low miles, someone cared for this car.
It was likely bought and put away as an investment.
Sale price? $1500. And that's before the seller has to pay the consignment fees
There's usually no money in rolling stock.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/DN0618-328573/1990-cadillac-allante-convertible/

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Over the weekend I saw a 1990 Cadillac Allante convertible up for auction on the mecum's Denver auction.
It was in good condition, low miles, someone cared for this car.
It was likely bought and put away as an investment.
Sale price? $1500.
There's usually no money in rolling stock.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/DN0618-328573/1990-cadillac-allante-convertible/

Those were depreciating on the lot new when I worked there in the 90's.

[pwd72s]

Yep..cars are NOT investments. More like gambling to buy a car thinking there will be a future demand.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Those were depreciating on the lot new when I worked there in the 90's.

The Mecum announcer said the bodies were flown from Pininfaria in Italy to the US on 747's.
Even at $50k+ each I'm betting these cars were not a huge source of profit for GM.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

The Mecum announcer said the bodies were flown from Pininfaria in Italy to the US on 747's.
Even at $50k+ each I'm betting these cars were not a huge source of profit for GM.

The demographic at the dealership I worked at was probably 65 to 80 year olds wanting Deville's, Broughams and Fleetwoods in the 90's. The car was just out of place at the time. I think they have a much broader demographic now.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

The Mecum announcer said the bodies were flown from Pininfaria in Italy to the US on 747's.
Even at $50k+ each I'm betting these cars were not a huge source of profit for GM.

They had very limited appeal w the buying public, which is ok when you only plan on selling a few of something but I think that Cadillac had bigger plans for that car. I'm imagining that they saw it as a competitor to the MB SL or something.

The few people that bought them really liked them, I think. My uncle bought one new and his son may still be driving it, lots of sentimental value.

[daepp]

Originally Posted by id10t

Most of my LA Olympics trinkets are from the '32 games.... set of Gold Silver and Bronze medals, the silver plate used to stamp the actual invitations (bent into a candy dish), the US flag raised for the winners, etc

Do have a few trinkets from '84 - complete collection of the country and a double collection of the sports pins, one of the torches carried, just a few things

Lots more spread out through the entire family (another set of '32 medals, more pins from '84, etc), not a bit of it cost us a single cent. Grandma was secretary to the GM for the '32 games and helped coordinate the volunteer effort for the '84 games.

I have a bunch of unused '84 Olympics posters in Russian. They were never deployed as the Russians decided to boycott LA. I got them off a city/Olympics worker I met in Westwood during the games who was tired of carrying them. Think they're worth anything?

[tabs]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

True. but I haven't had it that long. I've prolly only had it in my possession for a few days and I paid one penny for it in today's money

Well then sell it and take your profit.

[MRM]

Originally Posted by daepp

I have a bunch of unused '84 Olympics posters in Russian. They were never deployed as the Russians decided to boycott LA. I got them off a city/Olympics worker I met in Westwood during the games who was tired of carrying them. Think they're worth anything?

There's nothing quite like them on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=soviet+union+1984+olympic+poster&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=soviet+union+1984+olympic+poster What is similar seems to run from about $30 to $300 or so. It's possible they're collectible.

[Starless]

Originally Posted by KC911

I had a virtually brand new pair of Air Jordans back in '87 when I trashed my knee good a few times....NBA dreams dashed forever . They got stowed boxed away for a couple of decades. Saw a TV doc on how sought after they were....figured some kid might like to have them. Dug 'em out....the leather uppers still looked almost new, but other parts desintegrated. Does he have a plan B ?

He does have a plan B, he buys every new pair that comes out.

What's even worse is he buys the 2 year old Jordan sneakers. Can't talk to that boy, he know it all. I've tried.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by MRM

I also agree on early 20th Century cars, and probably for the same reason. When I was a kid a Model T was collectible. Now its barely worth the cost of storage. Each year it seems that another generation of older cars falls from being collectible to the "just old" category and a newer generation of cars that were popular when this year's crop of 45-60 year old men were in high school becomes the new collector car class.

I graduated from high school in 1983. It's not a complete coincidence that I have a 1984 911. I grew up dreaming about SCs and Carreras and the Carrera was the newest and most expensive Porsche I could afford when I was able to afford one. I suspect that's the sort of thinking that drives a lot of collecting.

Amazing how that goes. I also graduated high school around the same time, and my "keeping forever" car is an '82.

It is interesting to follow how long it takes for generations of cars to fall out of favor, and lose value. As you point out, there probably isn't a huge market for Model Ts.

I'd imagine the same thing is true from the cars of the 30s and 40s. ??

So then the cars of the 50s and 60s will be next, or are those "different"? I wonder, for example, if there will be a significant decline in the price of 356s, or early 911s, and when will that be? (It seems like 356 has been softening already).

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

What is that thing? Some sort of medallion or something. Oh wait, weren't those things used in ancient times along with colored paper to buy and sell. I think I saw something about this stuff on the history channel.

The value of the coin is probably close to about the same as copper scrap prices. Throw it in a shoebox and your great grandkids will have something worth a few bucks some day.

[sammyg2]

My son has a soviet military cap loaded up with about 75 pins from the USSR (and before).
They were passed down from his great-great-grandfather who did not escape Stalin.
These pins are all pre-WWII, many are pre WWI and date back to the late 1800s.
I haven't done the research yet but I'm thinking they are worth some scratch.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

[B]
The value of the coin is probably close to about the same as copper scrap prices. Throw it in a shoebox and your great grandkids will have something worth a few bucks some day.

1954 D Wheat Penny Value | CoinTrackers