Quote:
Originally Posted by G1911
The 1980 cutoff makes no sense to me outside of a calendar. I think there are 3 reasonable lines one could draw:
Pre-1974 - the end of Topps issues by series and the beginning of the 'modern' hobby starting to emerge where cards had some value outside of a few pre-war ones.
Pre-1981 - the end of the Topps monopoly.
Pre-1988/1989 - When mainstream generally-issued cards grew more advanced and objectively of higher quality (which doesn't mean overall better). 1989 Upper Deck is the famous peak of this shift, but 1988 Score was a big step up in quality over 87 Donruss/Fleer/Topps and does not get enough credit these days.
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Greg, upon reading this thread, I was about to type essentially what you did. That sums it up perfectly. Which of the three lines one draws is purely generational. For me, it's always been the end of the Topps monopoly. For those older than me, it would most likely be pre-'74, and for those younger than me it is probably marked by the arrival of Upper Deck in '89.