[Muir2]

If you paid $100 a share for Google stock back in September of 2004, you probably took a bit of abuse from your friends for spending so much on an unproven commodity.

Or maybe you waited six months after the stock took off and ended up paying more than $200 a share. Probably kicked yourself at the time for not jumping on it when it was cheaper, but hey, at least you were in the game. And you felt a whole lot better within a matter of months when it again doubled to its current price of more than $400.

It’s a beautiful thing to watch the impact of unlimited potential on supply and demand. You can see it in a stock like Google. And as a collector, you can see it in the ultra hot cards of Sidney Crosby.

By this point, the popularity of Pittsburgh’s 19-year-old superstar is not catching anyone by surprise. When a kid gets to 200 career points faster than Wayne Gretzky, and when he captures the scoring title and MVP two years before he legally can buy a drink, well, those sorts of facts tend to catch your attention whether you follow hockey or not.

We do extensive research on Crosby and his collectibles, and that includes figuring out who exactly is spending upwards of $1,000—sometimes waaaay upwards—to buy his cards. What we’ve learned is that it’s not simply the dedicated hockey fans that are propelling his cards to heights previously unknown. A surprisingly large part of that demand is coming from well-heeled collectors who don’t normally traffic in hockey cards. These folks simply know a good investment when they see it.


In the May issue of Beckett Hockey, we examine the trajectory of his key RCs since their first listing. Several of them have made jumps similar to those experienced by Google, including his premier single, found in 2005-06 The Cup. Last August, the card initially listed at $3,500 – a staggering figure at the time. The Cup RC, which features an autograph, a patch swatch and is limited to 99 copies, currently lists at $4,500-$7,500. That's about to change. Last week, a single with a three-color swatch was snatched up within minutes of being offered on eBay for $10,000.


Feel free to take a moment and let that sink in. That’s ten t-h-o-u-s-a-n-d dollars. Wow.

Beyond this single, Crosby has five other RCs that trade for upwards of $1,000. Each one has seen growth of at least 20 percent in the past two months, while some, like his 2005-06 Upper Deck Ice RC, have nearly doubled. Two of the 99 total copies of that card have sold for more than $2,200 in the last week alone.

But it’s not just his high-end cards that are setting cash registers to ringing. Even his entry-level RCs, from products such as Victory, Parkhurst and MVP have doubled in value recently, proving that it’s not just the deep-pocketed who are jonesing for Sid. And the action on Crosby’s 2006-07 autograph and memorabilia cards is proving he’s no rookie year wonder.

There are no guarantees with Crosby, just as there are none with Google. But given the recent results, it’s apparent that a sizable number of collectors see his cards as an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

If you get in on the fun, you might want to do it soon. You don’t want to be the guy who waits until the prices double again before jumping on the bandwagon.