Another interesting comparison would be the value of quality older baseball cards vs. newer cards with limited production runs.

I think the mushrooming of baseball card collectibles, then the decline in interest of the "casual" collector when things got too greedy, has some parallels to what we might expect in casino chips. It's not inevitable, and I hope it doesn't happen, but most collectibles seem to go through some up & down cycles like this.

I would bet that the values of quality older cards held up better than the recently-manufacturered "rarities". However, I've never collected baseball cards, so I'm just guessing. Anyone out there with experience in this field?