Future of the Hobby/ Responses needed

[ullmandds]

Those with a vested interest in the hobby are optimistic about it's future...those that are realists and are not heavily vested/invested in the hobby know it's in trouble and the future looks grim.

[ScottFandango]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Those with a vested interest in the hobby are optimistic about it's future...those that are realists and are not heavily vested/invested in the hobby know it's in trouble and the future looks grim.

then why are there more and more Auction Houses Popping up and why are the established AHs setting record realized prices....and don't say because of shill bidding!

the ease of collecting and looking for cards via the internet has made it easier for people to join the hobby, making up for those that pass....

[glynparson]

ever since i started selling in 1990, began collecting at age 7 in 1979. good stuff just keeps getting more expensive. It (the hobby) will always be here but never as hot as the late 1980's early 1990's but its solid.Or the massive price upticks grading brought. For the record I am 41 and know a lot of people my age and younger that are collectors.

[hammer]

Went to the shriners show this weekend and then went to a coin show same weekend. The coin show had more people in 1 isle then the whole total of the card show.

[JimStinson]

In five years (or less) you MIGHT ....be able to trade the best card or autograph collection in the World for a bowl of hot soup a cup of coffee and a loaf of bread
___________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Vintage autographs for sale on my web site
stinsonsports.com

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

In five years (or less) you MIGHT ....be able to trade the best card or autograph collection in the World for a bowl of hot soup a cup of coffee and a loaf of bread
___________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Vintage autographs for sale on my web site
stinsonsports.com

I take it you're not buying

[JimStinson]

Originally Posted by Stonepony

I take it you're not buying

I'm buying stronger than I've ever bought (which tells me something) and selling too , but I'm also a realist. When I started collecting NO ONE speculated as to value and future. Ty Cobb checks were $35.00 , Babe Ruth Autographs were $50.00 (if you were lucky) then it grew from there and the "investors" entered the hobby ....I'm an autograph dealer and in the last few years for the first time EVER I have seen some prices come DOWN. Some have gone up yes but overall stable , the question was ...for the future , and since most of the hard core baseball fans that breathed the sport are approaching the autumn of their years (including me) and most new sports fans could care less unless its to buy something and "flip it" for a profit the eventual crash seems inevitable ...combine that with the fact that most American's are struggling to pay their bills .......tells me the first major downturn WHICH WILL happen , we'll see most of the major players invent a new investment strategy.

Or worst case ...if you listen to the news and look at the National debt might force most collectors to trade those precious collectibles for a roof over their heads and a warm place to sleep. Its reality
____________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Selling vintage autographs
stinsonsports.com

[ScottFandango]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

In five years (or less) you MIGHT ....be able to trade the best card or autograph collection in the World for a bowl of hot soup a cup of coffee and a loaf of bread
___________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Vintage autographs for sale on my web site
.com

so you are gonna dump your collection soon?

[JimStinson]

Originally Posted by ScottFandango

so you are gonna dump your collection soon?

I sold the majority of my personal collection , which was probably one of the best 19th century and dead ball era autograph collections in the country over 20 years ago
___________________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Selling vintage autographs
stinsonsports.com

[mark evans]

I think the hobby will suffer in the long term due to a combination of general economic conditions and the passing of us baby boomers, who are not being sufficiently replaced by youngsters due to other competing interests.

I think the internet gave the hobby a shot in the arm but its effects are now stabilized.

By the way, this prediction certainly does not serve my interests as I am purely and collector with no intentions of selling.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

In five years (or less) you MIGHT ....be able to trade the best card or autograph collection in the World for a bowl of hot soup a cup of coffee and a loaf of bread
___________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Vintage autographs for sale on my web site
stinsonsports.com

Jesus, Jim, I guess I'd better start watching Doomsday Preppers! There's actually a report practically every day on the state of the hobby, and that's the prices realized in auctions and on eBay. I haven't noticed much softening, even during the economic disruptions of the past several years, but perhaps the generational turnover/bailout everybody's been predicting for the last 15 years is just around the corner. I do remember in the early 80s when there was a lot of talk about the "bubble" in hobby prices, but those who stayed in did very well, indeed. For those who "collect what you like," a downturn would be a welcome respite from the constant inflation of the past and would provide a floor. Under Jim's scenario, however, all bets are off, but then we'd all have much more to worry about than our collections. My advice would be, "steady on the tiller."

[barrysloate]

Kids don't really buy baseball cards anymore, and few attend games or play on a regular basis. Baseball as the national sport is dying, and that does not bode well for the future of the hobby.

There will always be people collecting baseball cards, and vintage cards should certainly remain popular. But the collecting community is shrinking, and the rapid growth we witnessed in the 1980's and 90's was a one time phenomenon. We won't ever see that again. The hobby will survive despite it, but it will be smaller. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Many collectors were turned off by the frenetic pace and rapidly escalating prices, and would much prefer a more relaxed environment. It is what it is.

[Jayworld]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Kids don't really buy baseball cards anymore, and few attend games or play on a regular basis. Baseball as the national sport is dying, and that does not bode well for the future of the hobby.

There will always be people collecting baseball cards, and vintage cards should certainly remain popular. But the collecting community is shrinking, and the rapid growth we witnessed in the 1980's and 90's was a one time phenomenon. We won't ever see that again. The hobby will survive despite it, but it will be smaller. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Many collectors were turned off by the frenetic pace and rapidly escalating prices, and would much prefer a more relaxed environment. It is what it is.

I really like this statement by Barry. My two sons could care less about baseball cards, and every time I take them with me to the local card shop (1 of 2 in the Dallas area), I offer to buy them each a pack or so of baseball cards. They always politely refuse and opt for a pack of Pokemon.

I miss the local Dallas shows, such as the ones in Garland and at the Twin 60s hotel in Dallas, and combing through boxes of cards to complete sets. I purchased my first pre-war card at a local show back in 1979. Now, as another poster stated, the internet is the "local card shop" in that you can go to our B/S/T section or eBay and find just about whatever you are looking for to complete your set (my, isn't that a relic term for today's "modern" collectors who don't collect sets but instead collect "best pulls"). I've tried the modern cards on-and-off the past 4-5 years, and mostly they leave me cold. The best of the new for me is the Panini 2013 Cooperstown cards; they are modern, yet depict pre-war and post-war subjects in glorious black-and-white.

I'll stick with my vintage "art" (non-photo) cards, such as the T205s, T206s, T201s, 1933 Goudey, and the 1950-51-52 Bowmans....

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Jayworld

...... I offer to buy them each a pack or so of baseball cards. They always politely refuse and opt for a pack of Pokemon.
............

Frankly I'm not worried about a 200 year old Cobb card being worth less than a 100 year old Pokemon card.

I'm also not worried about "rock & roll oldies" radio stations being replaced by "rap oldies" stations in 50 years.

Our type of card collecting is more akin to antique collecting than to anything related to Panini or Pokemon.

When there are no more art museums, archaeologists, wine collectors, historians, etc,,,,,,,,,, there will be no more card collectors.

Until then, the hobby may morph as it has in the past, but it will be around, unless of course we run out of money.

[Gmrson]

Originally Posted by glynparson

ever since i started selling in 1990, began collecting at age 7 in 1979. good stuff just keeps getting more expensive. It (the hobby) will always be here but never as hot as the late 1980's early 1990's but its solid.Or the massive price upticks grading brought. For the record I am 41 and know a lot of people my age and younger that are collectors.

I actually feel it's "foundation" is more solid than in the early 1990's. What happened then was a lot of non-collectors who got into what was the hype. I worked two LCS from 1983-1990 and saw many jump into the hype more as hoarders than collectors. Much of the throng at the '91 National was not roaming the floors filling holes in their collection but standing in promo lines. As I see it, some of that has morphed into the current "prospectors" and "flippers" who don't really have collections but just casually buy, sell, and hold and often can't really talk sports other than who's hot in cards and might be the next _______ (Strasburg/Trout/Harper/Puig/Abreau). I don't see this as bad for the hobby, just another part of it, and actually good as some will turn into long term collectors. It also seems that many who left when the hobby in the 90's are re-discovering what they enjoyed about then, myself included.

[JoeyF1981]

Being in my 30's I see alot of younger people fixated on the newer cards. The industry is flooded with these so-called 1/1's that people are paying thousands for. Most of these cards are players who arent even hof'ers but because they have a few good games people go crazy. Its hard to get younger people into vintage because they dont have a personal connection with the players. They never watched them play or took the time out to find out more about them. The industry in my opinion is going to continue to grow and the newer generation will still be collecting but primarily modern cards. Me personally I love vintage even if I never saw that specific person play. its the history and knowledge of knowing that that particular player helped pave the way for newer generations. The hobby of collecting will always be there and prices will remain ridiculous.