Welcome back to another installment of Tips Tuesday, where I provide collectors of all levels with a little information to help them in their journey through the hobby. Today’s tip is geared toward the investing hobbyist as I take a look at a card-flipping tactic I like to deploy in the final week leading into the NHL trade deadline.
Welcome back to another installment of Tips Tuesday, where I provide collectors of all levels with a little information to help them in their journey through the hobby. I believe our website can be a vessel to help grow the hobby one collector at a time, and that education is key to making that happen.
Today’s tip is geared toward the investing hobbyist as I take a look at a card-flipping tactic I like to deploy in the final week leading into the NHL trade deadline.
Card flipping is when you identify a player or card that is undervalued and purchase it to resell the card at a later date in anticipation of the card rising in value. It’s part of the ‘buy low, sell high’ mantra.
When players get traded, it often creates a new demand for the card with the new fan base.
For example: last year, the Toronto Maple Leafs were aggressive at the deadline and made several moves, including a trade for Ryan O’Reilly. I knew there was interest around the league for O’Reilly and figured he would be a hot commodity at the deadline, and if he landed in Toronto, the demand would be sky-high for his cards.
My hunch was correct.
O’Reilly was dealt to Toronto on February 19th, a couple of weeks before the deadline, and his market skyrocketed immediately to a record-high sale of $129 for a BGS 9.5 graded copy of his Young Guns.
Even for raw cards, before the trade, O’Reilly was an afterthought in the hobby while in St. Louis, but once he got dealt to Toronto, his Young Guns rookie card went from around $10 to $25-$30 overnight.
I remember going to a card show the Sunday after the trade was made and all of a sudden, everyone had dug out the O’Reilly cards from the value boxes and had them all displayed with a fresh $40 sticker on them.
That is the type of flip investment you're looking to take advantage of around the trade deadline. Either as an immediate flip or as a hold for the playoffs.
However, it’s not an extremely strong list of players this year on the trade bait boards that fit the mold of what Ryan O'Reilly did last year. The trade boards are all littered with defenders, depth forwards, and a couple of top goaltenders. Unfortunately, those types of players just don’t have as much value in the card market as goal scorers do.
That said, here are three players I’ve identified as intriguing buys to make with this tactic ahead of the deadline:
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins.
To me, this is the player that has the most to gain at the NHL Trade Deadline, especially when you hear the names that are being attached to Guentzel with interest in the player. Both the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks are said to have significant interest in the penguin star, and if he lands in either of those markets, I think there is growth potential in his card market.
Last Young Guns sale: $38 (Feb.24)
Pavel Buchnevich, St. Louis Blues.
There is no guarantee that Buchnevich will be dealt at the deadline. However, Jeremy Rutherford, Blues writer for The Athletic, believes there has been interest in the power forward, and General Manager Doug Armstrong is willing to listen to offers.
Buchnevich has 189 points over the past two and a half years in St. Louis and still has another year left on his deal at a $5.8M cap hit, so teams would have to pony up to get his talents for not one, but two playoff runs. He’d be worth it and would certainly play a major role for whoever acquires him, which should enhance his value as well.
Last Young Guns sale: $3 (Feb.25)
Noah Hanifin, Calgary Flames
Typically, defensemen don’t garner much hobby love. However, the price point of Noah Hanifin rookie cards is quite low. You can purchase his Young Guns rookie card online for just a few dollars, which means there could be a high growth margin if he gets dealt to the right team and goes on a deep playoff run (IE: Dallas, Boston, Tampa).
Last Young Guns sale: $3 (Feb.26)
Overall, it’s not a great group of players to pick from this year, but there are always a few players who are dealt at the deadline that see an uptick in their market right away, and then further growth if that player plays a prominent role in a long playoff run.
Who do you think fits the bill for this tactic? Will you be proactive and make some purchases with the flip game in mind?