What Happened to Card Collecting That I Knew?

[Jayworld]

I first got into the hobby of collecting baseball cards in 1975, buying a few packs here and there (mostly baseball) from the local 7-11 as a kid; back when you could get 10 cards for 25 cents and a (horrible) stick of Topps bubble gum. Here and there included some of the Donruss Freaks baseball and football card/stickers as well. By 1977, I was really into collecting, and I bought packs all summer to finally get my first complete set, and yes, I colored in the blocks on the checklists and team checklists to track my progress. I collected the 1978 Topps set as well, and ordered the few cards I was missing at the end of the year from (at that time) the best card order house; Richard Gelman's Card Collector's Company, and Santa was good to me that year through Gelman's company when I received near-mint lots of cards in quantities of 25, 50 or 100 from 1963-72 Topps.

1979 was the first year I purchased the complete set from a dealer at the first of the season ($9.99 from a Leon Rock) and also marked the first time I attended a local (Dallas) card show where I became hooked on vintage cards after buying a few 1951 Bowmans for $2 each (Bobby Thompson, Clint Hartung) and a 1933 Goudey Gus Mancuso. The year 1980 introduced me to Renata Galasso, a company I had become familiar with through their comic-book style full page ads in football and baseball digest magazines. I was thrilled at the announcement in 1981 that two other card companies were going to produce baseball cards, and I quickly pre-ordered the complete sets from Fleer, Donruss, and Topps from, you guessed it, Renata Galasso.

I began buying Baseball Card magazine at this time, and continued to pre-order sets from Topps and Donruss in 1982, and for the first time I purchased two Fleer wax boxes to try to put together a set (I was about 40 cards short) from a set, in retrospect, feel far short visually of the 1982 Donruss, which was the better looking set for 1982 to me. Going to bigger card shows each summer allowed me to finally finish putting together the 1974 and 1976 Topps sets I'd been working on since 1978, and I still admired the overall design for both these sets; the 1976 Topps is my favorite set to this day. Donn Jennings out of Alabama got my business for ENOR sheets, albums, and other cards, as I had "graduated" from shoeboxes and the company boxes that sets were shipped in at the time.

After purchasing the 1983 Topps and Donruss and 1984 Donruss sets, the hobby "bug" began to cool, and I did not collect another card through college, although I tried to fill in the gaps later by purchasing the 1985 Donruss/Leaf, 1986 and 1987 Topps, 1988 Score, and the 1989 Bowman, which I put together through two wax boxes after being so excited about the Bowman name coming back into collecting.

Fast forward to 2001, when I walked into a card hobby store and saw company names I did not recognize (some I did) and outlandish prices for packs of cards. I was also introduced to jersey swatch cards, memorabilia swatch cards, autograph cards, cards that were made to commemorate vintage sets, etc. It just did not feel the same. Over the last few years, I've purchased a handful of packs to try to get the bug back again, but the lack of the gum (yes, shudder, staining was a part of card collecting for me), much higher prices for packs, the realization that building a set would be next to impossible because of the sheer number of cards and the prices, and the overwhelming amount of card producing companies have left the hobby empty for me. Graded cards have been a turn-off as well, as I'm the kind of guy that buys a comic to read, not to slab and look at the cover as an investment - same with cards, as all of my cards were/are "raw" (another term I've learned in the past few years).

I've sold all my sets from the 1980s, as well as my 1951 Bowman cards and most of my T206 cards (purchased from Richard Gelman for 50 cents each back in the late 1970s), but I still have my 1970s cards, especially the 1974, 1976-79 sets. What's happened to the hobby that I knew and loved? The new cards don't interest me much at all; perhaps because I don't know the players anymore, nor do I care for the baggy pajama style uniforms where every team seems to wear navy or blue (even my beloved brown/gold Padres have worn blue for 20+ years). Does anyone else feel this way?

[Mark70Z]

It seems I go farther back in time then you, but it's just not the same anymore. I wasn't really interested to much in getting all of the cards in a set back in the day, but I did like to collect players that I liked, or basically anyone who played for the Orioles. I got back into collecting a number of years ago, but now I mainly collect vintage O's cards, but I do pick up some of the newer cards that I like... As an example I would pick up all of the Brooksie cards produced, but of course now it will be impossible to accomplish, but a good thing is there are "plenty" of his cards now to aquire.

I personally do like some of the slabbed cards because at least you know pretty much what you are getting, not just some person claiming it's in a certain shape. Personally I've never collected for the investment value, I just collect what I like at the time. I think if you did that...just pick up what you like it will be interesting again for you.

Hope you find your interest in the hobby again. If nothing else you meet some great people along the way...

[JasonL]

Thanks for that post, as it was a fun read. A sad one, and I can sympathize with much of it, although you pre-date me by about 10 years. I got my start cutting my teeth on trying to assemble the 1984 Fleer set, and I went through a similar cooling period during later high school and college years.

The developments came on through the 90s with all the new companies entering the field, and that is when I turned out the lights, because, like you, I couldn't find any satisfaction in trying to attempt any collecting goals with the incredibly high number of sets, variation cards, chase cards and the like. Then it only got worse into the 2000's with the additions of 1/1's and 1/50's etc...impossible. And who really enjoys "impossible?"

But that is what turned me back to vintage. Those card populations don't change! And I don't have to worry about what color variant of the 1962 Willie Mays Topps card I need!!!

Now, the grading thing for me - I took a different attitude about that. For me, the grading became a necessary evil to keep up with. The reason for it was the escalating costs of cards that you mentioned. My thinking since I got back into collecting in 2003, was this: If I am going to spend this much money on a card, I want to make sure that it's got a good chance of holding the value I am spending. Meaning, I want to make sure it's authentic, and I want to make sure my $x if going towards a card that everyone (not just the dealer or myself) think is actually the NM he says it is, and that it should be worth close to $x. I don't know if that makes sense, but I approach the grading from the perspective of protecting and ensuring value since I am spending money on a card. It is upsetting because here's the flipside of my thinking: I wouldn't even CONSIDER buying a raw card of any worth anymore. I mean, with all the doctoring going on, the uncertainty of online buying, etc...why on earth would I bother buying an ungraded Lou Brock rookie??? That makes no sense to me. I'll need to shell out the same (or maybe a little less) money for something that may not be as good as I deserve to get for the purchase.

And that is sad. Because there is definitely a part of me that longs to collect raw vintage sets, and make checklists and have fun readng the back of the cards....but much of that is long gone for me, and instead I have a group of good looking investments that are part of the game that I have loved since a child.

It is different.
No doubt.

[Exhibitman]

Some stuff I agree with; some not.

I liked the gum in packs.

I agree that the modern production of cards has gotten away from the principles that we all fell in love with as kids. Like commons that count for something. Breaks my heart at a show to see kids crack packs and leave the base cards behind with the wrappers. Some of my lack of interest in modern cards also has to do with my lack of interest in the present day game. The drug scandals, outrageous costs of attendance, spoiled brat douchebag owners, whiny child millionaire players, and for us Los Angeles residents the lack of an actual MLB team in our city, all contribute to my disinterest.

You can still collect just as you used to; just focus. I have started trading in my high grade slabbed cards for presentable midgrade cards and find that my enjoyment of owning the cards has returned. I store them in albums, don't fret over a dinged corner, and don't worry about my investment in them. I just enjoy sitting down with an album and getting lost for a while. In short, they have returned to their rightful place as a pleasant diversion for me.

[theseeker]

Jay sent me on a mixed emotions trip down memory lane. I happen to agree with everything he said. Those brown and yellow (and they were yellow, definately not gold) Padre's uniforms were ugly in a good way. Not unlike Rottweilers. And God do I hate the pants down to the soles of the spikes look. They look like pajama footies. What a generation.

With Arod and Puljos over 30, where is the next-in-line genuine superstar? Please note I didn't use uber instead of super and won't use sans in the place of without, another of my generation gap hot buttons. It's now somehow become chic to replace common, simple words with German and French equivalants to an established language already strongly influenced by both? Errrrrr.

As for the lack of a true superstar in his twenties, doesn't really matter on a card collecting website as there is clearly no longer any collector interest in new material. Anyone who takes issue with this can point me to a forum devoted to new card issues. A stark contrast to the card collecting bubble of 1988-1992, where greed dictated and cases of new cards and promising RC's sold in lots became investments in an industry where any card scarcity was a manufaturer's creation. The tail was waging the dog. MLB licencing was as much at fault as anyone. They're now down to only Topps, but it's way too late. The card collecting age of childhood innocence is lost for good and with it the future of the hobby.

While the reason for the increased interest in the hobby was all wrong back then, I do have to admit to missing the mainstream interest that came with it.

Ironically, it wouldn't take much for Jay to now fill in all those years with NrMt sets from ALL those manufacturers. Fittingly, they're practically giving them away. And still nobodies buying. When talking of the hobby's good-ole-day, you have to begin before this period, period.

[theseeker]

Oh, one last thing....as for slabbed cards, I probably wouldn't mind so much if the undeserving PSA didn't dominate and bring higher ROI. And for what? Their registry. Tells me the hobby's mindset still isn't where it should be.

Let me get this straight, you acquire a high grade card, with bright colors, sharp corners, and perfect centering. So the next step should be to sent it to PSA so they can carelessly slap it into a scratched up slab. If the fit isn't right, they'll fix it with wrinkled mylar. I don't get it and never will.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by theseeker

Oh, one last thing....as for slabbed cards, I probably wouldn't mind so much if the undeserving PSA didn't dominate and bring higher ROI. And for what? Their registry. Tells me the hobby's mindset still isn't where it should be.

Let me get this straight, you acquire a high grade card, with bright colors, sharp corners, and perfect centering. So the next step should be to sent it to PSA so they can carelessly slap it into a scratched up slab. If the fit isn't right, they'll fix it with wrinkled mylar. I don't get it and never will.

Well, you're just not the right sort of collector. Get with the program, man! Whilst you are skeptical about the Higher Power of PSA, we know it to be the One True Faith. We put our trust in the great whale collectors whom we idolize; hallowed be their bankrolls! Until you join us in the great group and feel the power of the farce, young jedi, you will not know the true meaning of life.

Or not.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Well, you're just not the right sort of collector. Get with the program, man! Whilst you are skeptical about the Higher Power of PSA, we know it to be the One True Faith. We put our trust in the great whale collectors whom we idolize; hallowed be their bankrolls! Until you join us in the great group and feel the power of the farce, young jedi, you will not know the true meaning of life.

Or not.

Very Nice...

[theseeker]

Seconded.

[Jayworld]

Great comments. Been fun reading the contributions.

I miss opening a pack and immediately knowing what team a player was from by the color of the cap and/or uniform. The tri-color cap and 1" red and blue stripes on the uni sides says Expos to me, as does the brown-gold (yellow, mustard yellow, etc.) of the Padres, with their distinctive "bell-shaped" front yellow panel, and the gold, white, or green jerseys of the Oakland A's. Nowadays, I open a pack, and the color is...navy. Of course, the Yankees stand out because they are the Yankees, but am I looking at the Cardinals, Twins, Padres, Brewers, etc.? And the team cards, too, were great. Do they even have them anymore?

Anyone besides me get excited to buy a box of Sugar Frosted Flakes and pull out the 3D baseball card? I never could get more than three cards before the prize in the box changed to something else; I did order the complete sets from Kelloggs in 1979 and 1981. Very, very cool, as was the cards I cut out of the bottoms of Ding Dongs or Cup Cakes by Hostess....

The last cards I bought were a box of the 2009 Topps Allen and Ginter, and I thought those pretty neat for various reasons: they did not look like the "typical" modern baseball card, they were thick, the artwork was eye-catching, and it was not just baseball players (video game players, track and field, pop stars, etc.).

Oh, I did buy several packs of 2009 O-Pee-Chee cards, as the cards LOOKED like baseball cards to me (from the 1970s). If I do buy a pack or two now, I always try to look for new issues featuring players from the 1970s-80s that I used to collect. Few and far between.

[cdn_collector]

Originally Posted by Jayworld

Anyone besides me get excited to buy a box of Sugar Frosted Flakes and pull out the 3D baseball card? I never could get more than three cards before the prize in the box changed to something else;

Hah. This makes me chuckle. I have 3 siblings, and thinking back -- even with four of us, plus my old man, we couldn't get through enough boxes of Alpha Bits and Honey Combs to complete the Post baseball sets of the early 90s.

Regards,

Richard.

[ncinin]

Originally Posted by cdn_collector

Hah. This makes me chuckle. I have 3 siblings, and thinking back -- even with four of us, plus my old man, we couldn't get through enough boxes of Alpha Bits and Honey Combs to complete the Post baseball sets of the early 90s.

Regards,

Richard.

How I got around this problem as a child in 1970 (Rold Gold Pretzel 3D ATG) was to take the bag of pretzels to the woods when my parents wasn't home and dumped a half bag at a time for animals & bugs to eat.

I was able to get most of the set that suimmer.

[laughlinfan]

Nice thread! I started in 1969 buying packs and always enjoyed the gum, the cards, the cartoons on the back, the inserts - loved the whole experience. Finally stopped buying new packs in 89 or 90, when it was apparent that they were taking down full forests for each of the countless sets that were being produced, and am not a fan of the manufactured scarcity in chase cards.

Since then I have moved over to collecting oddball issues, figural items, display items, orignial art - almost anything that I find interesting but probably not mass produced. I am now as I have always been, a minnow as opposed to a "whale" (and proud of it, although I guess I am supposed to feel inferior!) but I still enjoy collecting and finding the rare bargain for an item I would never be able to spend the big dollars on.

So I would suggest you try to find a way to reconnect with your old feelings of joy in collecting, even if opening packs and stuffing 5 pieces of gum in your mouth is sadly no longer an option!

P.S. And speaking of Kelloggs, one of my all time great days as a kid was pulling not one but THREE(!!!) 3-D cards out of a single box of Corn Flakes in 1970, including my hero Tom Seaver! As a 6 year old, I felt like I won the lottery!

[cdn_collector]

Originally Posted by laughlinfan

...even if opening packs and stuffing 5 pieces of gum in your mouth is sadly no longer an option!

Not entirely true! Although I haven't recently, I used to occasionally buy a box of 'something' just so I could tear open some packs of baseball cards like the old days. About 5 years ago, I ripped open a box of 1986 Topps. And I definitely tried the gum...


Regards,

Richard.

[ALR-bishop]

This Topps issue had a baseball subset within a set of 50 + comics involving all sports. I have a set and some unopened "packs", where the comic is wrapped around the gum. I know from opening the packs that the gum is still green and gooey....very chewable.

[Leon]

I moved this from the post war section to the main section because, well, I wanted to ....that and I think almost all of us, even though we might collect pre-war now, collected new cards when we were younger. These are some of the most interesting threads to me...and the front page does get more views. I hope the original poster doesn't mind this being moved.

And to be on topic... I collected as a kid in the late 60's and very early 70's. I remember all that gum and the smell of it like it was yesterday. Personally, I think the over saturation of the 80's and 90's killed it (and it's sort of obvious too). Happy collecting.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by cdn_collector

Not entirely true! Although I haven't recently, I used to occasionally buy a box of 'something' just so I could tear open some packs of baseball cards like the old days. About 5 years ago, I ripped open a box of 1986 Topps. And I definitely tried the gum...


Regards,

Richard.

At last year's National, I bought a 1984 Topps wax box, and my buddy bought a 1987 Donruss wax box. It was a great trip down memory lane to open those packs.

[vintagecpa]

Perhaps what really killed the hobby is it went from a kid's hobby to a hobby dominated by adults (at least in terms of money). Back in the 50's and 60's, most of the cards were bought by kids in very small increments. It was rare for a kid to have more than one Mantle or Mays. Although I wasn't around back then, I'm pretty sure very few adults spent thousands of dollars to accumulate cards for some future investment return.

Fast forward to the late 70's and 1980's, many of the baby-boomers started seeing what their Mantles and Mays would sell for at local card shows. All of a sudden, you have more money flowing into the hobby than just allowance and paper-route money and more companies wanted a piece of the pie.

[Fred]

Jay,

I've got to ask... what's up with RLJ as your avatar? That's brings back memories of his better 1975 and 1976 seasons. Any particular reason you use him in your avatar?

Yup, the hobby's changed a lot since the 70's. Enter the early 80's and things were still not so twisted. Around 1984 things started going nuts with the rookie card craze and the 1984 Mattingly rookie. It just got worse from there when Donrus, Fleer and Topps started to compete for everyone's hobby dollars - enter the "chase" and "SP" cards and the crazy people shoveling hout $$$ to get those cards.

Enter Upper Deck in 1989 and the other card companies had to conform to the nice glossy photo style/stock cards. Here was the start of the crazy rookie cards with everyone trying to get that Griffey Jr. 1989 UD rookie card.

Then came grading - now everyone was looking for the "10" and throwing huge amounts of cash at the cards. Then came those stupid OPC cards (I think it was about 1991) that were pre-selling for huge bucks for a case. Then came the greed and the big burns when people presold cases for lower amounts of $$$ and then refused to sell the presold cases because they could get 4x the presold price for them on the "new" inflated market. Greed, $$$, greed, $$$.

Then the crash.... ah, it was funny to watch all those crazy prices come tumbling down.

Anyone remember "Big Bob - the biggest in the business"? The 90's was a crazy time for the hobby. I never really got caught up in the rookie card or chase card craze. I always liked the "old stuff". I remember picking up some pretty neat stuff in those days because a lot of the hobbyist didn't care about the "old stuff". Unfortunately prices since the 90s have really escalated and the grading thing has helped the hobby (in some respects) but it has also turned it upside down. Give me numbers, give me high numbers, no, I don't want any qualifiers.

I figure if you stick to collecting what you like then you'll enjoy the hobby. If you're collecting to make a buck on the stuff then it may not be as enjoyable unless you can continually turn a buck and get enjoyment from that.

[HercDriver]

I distinctly remember going to the gorcery store and racing down the aisle of Hostess cakes with my two brothers. We would grab every box off that shelf looking for a Rick Monday, Jose Cardenal, Rick Reuschel, Bill Madlock, or Steve Swisher! We'd each get to throw a box in the cart, and when we got home, meticulously cut the Cubs off the panel and throw the extras into our baseball card drawer. The Cubs went in a rubber band on our dressers. The rest of the cards were ammunition for "leaners" against the wall at school...

Take Care,
Geno

[judsonhamlin]

Jay - Really good thread.
I started about the same time as you did, but I hit up Renata Galasso in '77 for 500 cards and even got the '76 traded set as a throw in. We lived just a couple of miles from the Hostess Factory Store, so every week I would convince my mom to take me and let me get some cards I needed for the set that year - Big Wheels, Twinkies, Chocodiles, etc...
Throw in trips to Burger King for Yankees cards and various and sundry Kellogg's cereals and I had all the basic food groups covered.

I think the moment that the hobby jumped the shark came a couple of years later when KMart issued their All Time Great set. From there on, the number of companies ballooned and the print runs must have skyrocketed at that point. I believe that the monthly price guides started (with the up and down arrows tracking card prices like futures) around then as well, which, as someone commented in (I think)the 'best and worst' thread, was a large part of the move from hobby to business.

[Big Ben]

Originally Posted by Fred

Jay,

I've got to ask... what's up with RLJ as your avatar? That's brings back memories of his better 1975 and 1976 seasons. Any particular reason you use him in your avatar?

Yup, the hobby's changed a lot since the 70's. Enter the early 80's and things were still not so twisted. Around 1984 things started going nuts with the rookie card craze and the 1984 Mattingly rookie. It just got worse from there when Donrus, Fleer and Topps started to compete for everyone's hobby dollars - enter the "chase" and "SP" cards and the crazy people shoveling hout $$$ to get those cards.

Enter Upper Deck in 1989 and the other card companies had to conform to the nice glossy photo style/stock cards. Here was the start of the crazy rookie cards with everyone trying to get that Griffey Jr. 1989 UD rookie card.

Then came grading - now everyone was looking for the "10" and throwing huge amounts of cash at the cards. Then came those stupid OPC cards (I think it was about 1991) that were pre-selling for huge bucks for a case. Then came the greed and the big burns when people presold cases for lower amounts of $$$ and then refused to sell the presold cases because they could get 4x the presold price for them on the "new" inflated market. Greed, $$$, greed, $$$.

Then the crash.... ah, it was funny to watch all those crazy prices come tumbling down.

Anyone remember "Big Bob - the biggest in the business"? The 90's was a crazy time for the hobby. I never really got caught up in the rookie card or chase card craze. I always liked the "old stuff". I remember picking up some pretty neat stuff in those days because a lot of the hobbyist didn't care about the "old stuff". Unfortunately prices since the 90s have really escalated and the grading thing has helped the hobby (in some respects) but it has also turned it upside down. Give me numbers, give me high numbers, no, I don't want any qualifiers.

I figure if you stick to collecting what you like then you'll enjoy the hobby. If you're collecting to make a buck on the stuff then it may not be as enjoyable unless you can continually turn a buck and get enjoyment from that.

I absolutely loved the times when a person could trade the newer rookie cards for the "old stuff" as the dealers could move the newer rookies much faster and were willing to unload the old cards via trade. 1998 was a great year for me. I was out of the hobby for the most part and sitting on 20+ Mcgwire rookies that I had got on the cheap. Unloaded all the Mcgwire rookies for 1950's hall of famers that were collecting dust at the local shop. The steroid era was very very good for me!

[Vintagedegu]

-

[rustywilly]

I can't step into a Target store and leave without buying a few packs - Topps Heritage - or, other vintage-looking modern cards. It brings back the memories of the good ole days.

[barrysloate]

For me the hobby was most fun when I was collecting all the really great vintage sets and memorabilia for the first time. I'll never forget my first vintage card purchases, the excitement of buying my first T206, and later T205 sets; my first CdV's and cabinet cards, etc. When it was new it was thrilling.

Then after seeing the same things again and again and again, it wasn't so much fun anymore. And it became far too much of a business over the years- there are too many dealers, too many auctions, too much of everything. The industry is in overload right now. Hey, what can you do? Things change, that's life.

[53Browns]

I was a member of probably the last generation that truly got to enjoy the wax packs. I was 12 in 1981 when Topps, Fleer and Donruss were pouring out cards to the public. It was awesome. 3 sets to collect! I remember I used to cut a neighbor's grass for about 12 bucks, go to the corner store and buy an entire box of Topps (still had enough left over for a bottle of Coke and a bag of penny candy), then go home and bust the packs. And yes, I used to color in the boxes on the back of the checklists as I obtained the cards. That's what they were made for! One of my most fond memories is when I managed to put the entire 792 card set of 1982 Topps together, all from wax packs and a few key trades from other kids on the block. Collecting new cards died for me when Upper Deck came out with the tamper proof packs and packs that were over $1 each. Thanks Upper Deck for ruining a great childhood hobby for kids everywhere!!

[quinnsryche]

Times change, products change, people change. Just because you can't get a Mantle rookie for a dollar anymore doesn't make the hobby evil or broken. Sure, cards cost more, what doesn't? My parents bought their first house for $20K in the early seventies, mine cost $110K in the early nineties. My dad's first new car was like $1500, mine was $10K. The walk down memory lane is always lined with gold but there was plenty of dog-doo stepped in along the way (we don't like to remember that though, do we?). My son (11 yrs. old) LOVES new cards and couldn't give a hoot about vintage. Does that make him a bad kid, ignorant etc? No, life is lived in the present and everyone has their time in the sun. Look back fondly to the past, but don't overlook the joys of the present or the infinite possiblities of the future. The hobby isn't ruined, it's just different, and just as much fun as it was 35 yrs. ago (at least for me it is).

[bbcard1]

The hobby is the same it ever was. It involves the accumulation of cards you enjoy. The way the hobby is conducted has changed a lot. Kids don't collect much of anything any more and those who do have no interest in a low priced pack. That said, when you think about it the sustainability of buying a 50cent pack and pulling two $1 cards out of it (circa 1987) wasn't going to last forever. It was the real estate crisis without the government bailout.

I am sure I am in the minority, but I think the accessiblity of cards and the ease of which good people can make relationships outstrips the ability to pull a $5 Gooden rookie from a 50 cent pack.

[Jayworld]

Fred: To answer your questions about my avatar of Randy Jones:

I've been a Padres fan since 1974-75 (go figure; I've lived in Texas all my life). What first attracted me to the Padres was the very unique brown and mustard gold uniforms - unlike any other and very cool (with the coolest cap, in my opinion). I began collecting Padres cards along with the regular cards, and it grew from there. I have the Sports Illustrated 1976 issue with Randy Jones on the cover, and I got to meet him in person in 1994 on my honeymoon in San Diego. He was working his barbecue behind the left field stands at the Murph and was in full (albeit orange/navy) uniform. I got some pictures, he posed with me, and signed a ball and my program. Greatness to finally meet your boyhood favorite. I've corresponded with him on and off through email since, and recently he signed a Spalding brand (circa 1975) NL baseball for me. Randy is awesome, and represents the best of the brown and gold era to me. I've tried to collect all his Hostess and Kelloggs 3D cards. The neat thing is, he'll still sign cards through the mail when you send them to him in care of the team....

From others' posts, it does seem that cards did change in 1989 with Upper Deck coming into the hobby; more for sets; hologram backs of cards, tamper proof packs, Griffey Jr. rookie. Didn't Upper Deck start the "memorabilia swatch" cards as well? Kind of funny now that Upper Deck no longer has a license to produce MLB cards, in a way.

[Bill Stone]

I enjoyed seeing the reference to Richard Gelman's company. Yesterday I found a binder in the closet of a complete mint set of 1953 Mother's Cookies pcl cards which I bought from him.

[vintagechris]

I miss being able to go to Antique shows or Flea Markets and finding 25 year old cards from the 50's in coke crates or just stacked o tables.

I still remember going to an outdoor antique show in the early 80's and seeing a seller there with stacks and stacks of football and baseball cards from the 50's that looked like they just came out of packs for a quarter each.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by quinnsryche

Times change, products change, people change. Just because you can't get a Mantle rookie for a dollar anymore doesn't make the hobby evil or broken. Sure, cards cost more, what doesn't? My parents bought their first house for $20K in the early seventies, mine cost $110K in the early nineties. My dad's first new car was like $1500, mine was $10K. The walk down memory lane is always lined with gold but there was plenty of dog-doo stepped in along the way (we don't like to remember that though, do we?). My son (11 yrs. old) LOVES new cards and couldn't give a hoot about vintage. Does that make him a bad kid, ignorant etc? No, life is lived in the present and everyone has their time in the sun. Look back fondly to the past, but don't overlook the joys of the present or the infinite possiblities of the future. The hobby isn't ruined, it's just different, and just as much fun as it was 35 yrs. ago (at least for me it is).

Bullseye Tony.

[David W]

I think one big difference between collecting in the 70's when I was a kid was about every grocery store, gas station, convenience store, and K Mart sold packs.

They were all the same - Topps - no confusion about multiple manufacturers.

Plus, cards were cards, we collected our favorite team, didn't care about other teams. If a buddy had Cardinal cards I didn't have, I'd trade him my Cub dupes. Steve Swisher for Lou Brock? No problem, even trade.

Now my son who is 9 doesn't even follow baseball much, he likes the NFL.

[leaflover]

The last game I went to was in Baltimore during the "National". Only one player in that game was wearing a proper(IMO)baseball uniform. Years ago, about 25, I used to go to Dodger Stadium every night. But no more, Never again! The only time I will go to a game now is when it is at a park that I have never seen before.

If I was the Baseball Commissioner, I would summon the umpires and order them to call the low strike on any player wearing long pants. And when the player turns around crying his eyes out simply tell him "Sorry sonny but I can't see your knees. Help me out." Then suggest that maybe they ought to start wearing a baseball uniform and forget about being a "Manny" look-alike!

Mike R

[Bigdaddy]

.....and he is us. Yes, the hobby has changed, and I can vouch that my kids don't hold their cards with the same esteem that I did. I'd buy cards in wax packs during the 1970's - seperate them into team sets - put a rubber band around them - insert the bound blocks of cards in to a shoe box - and go down the street and trade with my buddies. All without any regard for price, value, dinged corners, centering, gum stains, etc. All the things we look at (and even pay people to evaluate for us) closely now.

The hobby changed because of money. As long as kids (all of us at one time) were the lifeblood of the hobby, it was no more than pieces of cardboard with pictures of ballplayers. But then we became adults and remembered how much we liked those cards and created demand for them. And if anyone remembers anything from economics class, it's that as demand goes up, price will follow (with a fixed supply, such as previously issued cards). And if the demand goes up for future cards, supply will increase to match the demand - aka what happened in the 1980's. More companies entered the market (to grab a piece of the pie) and the companies produced record number of cards. All the while we kept thinking "Well if those cards of the 50's and 60's are worth so much now (25 years later), then the same will come of these cards" and we bought them as fast as the card companies could produce them. We now all know where that went. Same thing with Beanie Babies, the dot com stocks, and most recently real estate. Just a different number of zero's in the dollar signs for each of those markets.

We've come down from that unstainable growth, and the hobby has matured to a different level than it was in 'the good ol' days.' Better or worse, you make the call. I'm still in (though with a different outlook now). It's still a hobby for me, I don't have to make money or feed my family with proceeds from buying and selling cards. With apologies to Stephen Stills (Treetop Flyer): "I don't collect cards that don't make me smile"

[KenBoyerCollector]

My greatest memory is on Easter. My parents would buy a box for me and my brother and they would hide each pack around the house, easter-egg style. We would wake up and have to find all the packs. We would then open the packs and trade for the cards that we wanted. Thanks for stirring up this memory with this thread!

Andy