I'm not currently a big collector of modern cards, nor a big collector of pre-WWII cards. I mainly collect cards from the 50s and 60s. There was a day when I bought several cards and packs from the mid-90s through let's say 2015 or so. With all that said, I think what is happening with the manufactured 1/1's is comparable with what happened to game used.
When game used came out, it was all the craze. Collectors were paying big bucks for anything game used. I could be wrong, but one of the biggest at that time was Upper Deck - they literally owned the market in game used cards at the beginning. It was new, different, etc. Of course, everyone started mass producing game used cards. It went from bats, to uniform pieces, etc., and eventually involved into game used dirt and grass - how silly is that! The market for game used started tanking, and game used pieces that were worth hundreds were now worth pennies.
Could this be the way of the 1/1's? It very well could be. However, all the major players marketing/sales teams are always thinking and planning. What is the next big thing to entice buyers? A golfing day with Tiger? A lunch with Mahomes? Etc., etc., etc.
Most of the player cards I collect, the players are deceased. The likely hood of them being arrested for domestic abuse, gambling, drug use and so on are over. Rarely, has the market value of their card decreased over time. Unless you drastically overpaid for a card (which I'm guilty of), the value of the card has not decreased.
If your buying a current players card today because you enjoy the card, player, etc., that's a good thing as money isn't the issue. If your investing and spend $1,000+ for a 1/1 prospect hoping to make an easy fortune - good luck with that.
For all the reason's stated in this thread, 1/1's are spiraling down and soon will loose their allure. Then it's on to the next "Great Thing".
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