Quote:
Originally Posted by Leon
From what I have seen, collecting today's cards is close to being 100% gambling.
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Agreed. Even with vintage collectors - those with means are often interested only in investment grade cards (PSA 8+) or buy spots in "vintage break" deals where it's $200 or more a card for (example) a wax pack of '67 Topps where the goal is to get the cards with the sharpest corners and best centering. They pull a HOFer in many videos of situations like this, but will lament it being a "dud" because of the centering.
Collecting today at least for those with means has gone out of focus and on a tangent in some respects due to this. Each unto their own, but when I was a kid collecting vintage - like you said - the focus was on the players, and the history and love of the game. Even if I had unlimited funding, I would probably find it wiser to just buy what I want to start with in a decent grade. For someone like me that would mean buying a '67 Roberto Clemente in about EX shape instead of gambling on getting a PSA 9 one out of some spot in a pack bust...