Quote:
Originally Posted by steve B
It may be that the generation that saw him play is shrinking. Fewer people who have that firsthand idea how great he was and connect with that.
I missed seeing him play by just a few years, and have always thought he was slightly overrated. But that's not the impression you'd get from someone 10 years older, or maybe even 5 years older.
Another reason might be cultural. The regionalism that was common even in the 70's and 80's is fading some with all the games on tv and internet and the now common movement of players. Mantle was a NY guy, and dad was a Red Sox fan, so I'm more partial to Ted Williams.
One of the remaining bits of regionalism is the general attitude of the area. In my perception, which could be skewed, New England is more traditional and sentimental and tied to the past-less so than before, but many of us still give directions less by streets and more by where stuff used to be or still is.
NYC strikes me as more modern and progressive. Less tied to the past and much more of a "now" society. History and tradition is more marketing tool and less ingrained. So perhaps there's more interest in the current players and only a passing interest in players from the past.
Steve B
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I would offer a few alternative explanations. I personally do not feel the declining prices are because of waning interest in these players due to the aging and death of the fans who grew up with them. If this were the case, T206 cards should be pretty affordable, because their fanbase is entirely dead. Yet Honus Wagner's card is more valuable than ever, with other cards catching up such as the Eddie Plank the the Doyle Nat'l variety.
And I would also disagree that these players are being forgotten as interest shifts to newer players. Because people of my generation are more interested than ever in old, vintage stuff. We're skeptical of what we're offered. It seems inauthentic, fraudulent. The players are 'roided up, opportunistic, have no community ties and will sell out their team and their city for a tasty signing bonus. I for one have ZERO interest in modern players, and I can't tell you the last time I watched a baseball game.
Yet I adore vintage cards because they embody an era I'll never know, when these players were athletes, hero's and your older brother all rolled up into one. I see the look my dad gets in his eye when he talks about Joe Adcock or Stan Musial, and I realize that I've never known that kind of feeling about a sports figure today. And I envy him for it.
So now why DO I think card prices are falling?
1) The market was overpriced to begin with. We're still coming off the boom, and I think things are still correcting. Things are exacerbated by the economy and I think people are selling right now...
2) I think the baby boom generation has something to do with it, in that they ARE getting older and retiring, and many are selling off their cards for the money. I think there is a wellspring of cards previously unknown because they've remained with their original owners, and so the population is being inflated.
3) Ebay. Ebay has had a huge impact in all areas of collecting. It's made it far easier to find and buy things, whereas before it required miles and patience to find that right card show with that right dealer. Ebay has revealed how common some cards are.
4) The proliferation of junk cards has devalued collector interest. It's all artificially rare stuff without any artistry, and none of it finds its ways into the hands of kids. It's not LOVED. It's just traded by gross, morbidly obese dealers who never smile and who don't seem to love the hobby, except in how they can make a profit.
Recently I visited a community coin show, and I was amazed at the number of kids there. I also noticed the dealers were friendly, they seemed to genuinely love what they were doing, and interacting with the younger generations. There's is a hobby for which I see a bright future.
Card collecting can be that again as well. I collected coins for decades, and then I switched, because I found coins too tedious. I simply wasn't thrilled by collecting coin after coin, which were all the same save for a date and a mintmark.
I'm building the '52 topps set, and I adore it, because each card is different, and has it's own characteristics and challenges. I love hunting for that centered example with good focus and bright colors. I love the thrill of the hunt.
I think these prices will stabilize over time. And I think they may go back up. But the hobby does need new blood. We need to get kids enthusiastic about these cards, move away from all the cynical worthless shit cards Topps and Fleer churn out now by the box, and get them interested in the good cards, the good aspects of the hobby: learning about the players, chasing quality cards, appreciating their artistry, and gaining insight into a time that has long since passed (but perhaps might one day come again).