I started collecing Bicycle Decks a couple of years ago and now have some 175 different ones...they must say Bicylce and are completely unopened. I really like collecting them because either USPS or various artists make them so unique...

Not that I want to sell mine... but I wonder how many types of bike decks have been made...and when will my madness stop!

This reminds me of the comic book market in the 90's - tons of special editions, holographic covers, etc. Comic book stores sprung up all over and everyone bought 2 issues - one to read and one to bag and box as an investment. Overproduction let to a crash and now you can find mint "special editions" at garage sales. Most of the comic book stores went bust along with the market. Comics still survived, but the collectors madness has diminished for now.

Playing cards seems to being going thru the same cycle - being hyped as investments, overproduction of dubious "special editions" and we're buying multiple decks and storing them sealed. Sooner or later the crash is bound to happen . . .

The good news is that we'll probably be able to pick up lots of cool decks for bargain prices!

sam

You're right ... but there are some very cool new (and old) bike decks -- that even my wife says are beautiful...

Big Sam nailed it. Trading cards went through a similar boom followed by a bust. Not to mention Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch Dolls, tulips...

If your desire is to make money off this trend, you need to find a way to buy low and sell now. Buy and hold may work with stocks (may) but rarely for mass produced "collectibles" (now there's an oxymoron).

I used Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger themed cards while they were at their height of TV popularity in my kids show. I originally found 2 decks in a store and bought both of them. About a year later I found a whole bunch of the decks for 29¢ each. I thought I'd hit the jackpot and bought 10 of them. That was about when MMPR lost popularity to the X-Men or some other characters. I still have those MMPR decks in the wrappers, but they're probably not worth the 29¢. The only thing I can really add to the answers above is hang onto them, pass them along to the next generation and hope they do the same. They might be more valuable by then.

I try to follow advice given to me, in that you should only collect what you love. That way, you'll never have remorse or feel like you've invested poorly. Speculation when collecting something trendy will always be high risk (collecting coins, antiques, classic art etc. is still risky but these items have historical worth and not necessarily based on pop culture). If you love the art of contemporary deck design - as I do - than buy with that in mind. You are buying out of the love of the craft. Your collection may fail in "value" over the long run, but hopefully, you are buying decks that you want to keep because you love them, not because they may be an investment. They should be worth something to you, and that's value enough.

Well Spoken (er written)