By Michael Osacky for Kovels.com

A reader asked if he should spend money accumulating vintage baseball cards and then sell them in 5 years for a profit.  My response, “If it were that easy to make money, everybody would be doing that.”   

Supply and demand dictates pricing for vintage cards and memorabilia.  Of course, we don’t fully know exactly how many 1933 Goudey Baseball Cards are in existence and we don’t know how many 8×10 photos Babe Ruth signed. Let’s use Ruth as an example. He was a gracious signer and rarely turned down an autograph request.  There are plenty of signed photos and baseballs of the great bambino available for sale.  Even so, there is always more demand for Ruth’s signature than the current supply.  An authentic Ruth signed photo ranges from $1,000 to $7,500 based on rarity of photo and sharpness of autograph.  When people think of the all-time baseball greats, the “Babe” is always on the top of the list.  Therefore, you are pretty safe in buying authentic Ruth signatures and his baseball cards.  Be ready to open the pocketbook because his memorabilia is not cheap. If you stick with the greats it is always a good time to buy or sell!