Getting the hang of dabbling in alternative investments

A few of my friends overseas buy and sell playing cards. The notion that such an endeavour would amount to any sort of business or investment seemed far-fetched - until the news came that someone in Norway had successfully funded his purchase of an Audi by selling rare out-of-print "Jerry's Nuggets" cards at 200 euros (S$339) per deck.

Right now, companies and even individuals are printing their own decks, keeping them limited to depress supply, holding them in their personal inventories and then selling them in the hope of making a killing. It is not uncommon to see a newly-released deck of cards selling out in a few hours, only to reappear later on eBay, sometimes costing 10 times more.

One can see how playing cards could be a viable - if unconventional - investment. They can be lumped under the category of alternative investments, which refer to any form of investment not considered part of the traditional portfolio of stocks, bonds and c…