Is anyone excited about eTopps T206 cards?

[Tim Kindler]

I have no idea what eTopps is? Are they something you buy in a pack or something you have to buy and print off only on line??? Either way, I have no interest personally, but if it is something like that will get people back into collecting or the next generation interested in baseball cards again, then I'm all for it. That being said , I'm only for it if it is affordable to kids. My personal feeling is that kids can't collect cards these days because the companies sell their packs for 3-10 dollars each just so you have a chance at some limited edition card that is autographed, or a piece of flannel or bat. These special cards have about 10% of their value about 3 years later...whoopy-do da-day! I'm only 38 and I remember buying packs at 10,25, and 50 cents a piece. A kid can afford to blow money on collecting when were talking less than $1. Now a days it stinks because the kids can't afford it. (And Adults for that matter) I think another reason besides those "Special Cards", why Topps and others who are "allowed" by Major League Baseball to produce cards, have their prices so high is because MLB charges the companies so much for their rights to produce them.
Tim Kindler

[novakjr]

I believe eTopps are only sold online...What happens is that Topps basically has a pre-printed amount of these cards(I think they're all encapsulated), and then sells them on the eTopps site. You don't really get the card though, you are legally the owner of a card that they keep for you, and then they run their silly stock market type crap, where the card is traded and sold without ever really physically trading hands. It was originally supposed to fluctuate based on how well a player did in any given year...Basically, their original thought was that a rookie card wasn't always gonna be the most expensive, rather the player's most productive season would be.. They started doing it in 2000, and things had originally gone as planned. You'll also notice the spike in that chart at around '02. Basically there were 2 main cards carrying that market, and it slipped once people started removing the cards from the eTopps marketplace. Hmmm! Who could've that been from? Yep, Pujols and Ichiro pretty much killed it, thus leading once again to the rookie card proving most valuable among modern collectors, and they've been struggling ever since to get it back on track.

You could opt to physically receive the card too. Which alot of people started doing. I picked up a psa 9 of the '01 Ichiro for about $5 on the bay a few years ago....Pretty nice looking rookie card of the future hall of famer. I wouldn't mind landing an '01 Pujols either, but am not really concerned with it. Other than that, it was just another failed fad, in the lackluster modern industry.

[michael3322]

Excellent posting David. Very helpful information.

[Tim Kindler]

David, thanks for the education. I certainly am a dinosaur when it comes to modern collecting and technology, but what a STUPID idea imho! Who was the idiot who actually thought of this and that it would catch on with collectors. Like I said in my earlier post, these companies are trying to come up with all of these expensive and technological types of cards that cost outrageous money thinking that kids and the next generation will get hooked on them. IMHO if you keep it simple and INEXPENSIVE like when we were kids (and I'm talking late 70s and early 80s, let alone 50s and 60s) then people, specifically kids, WILL collect again!
Just my two cents.
Tim Kindler

[novakjr]

Thanks. I never really did the whole eTopps thing myself. It was just something that I looked into a few years ago, when I was watching that '01 Ichiro on ebay. It never hurts to do a little homework before you buy something. The whole idea seemed silly to me, but I kinda liked the Ichiro card and bought it anyway. Print runs are available on the eTopps website. There were 10,000 Ichiro's and 5,000 of the Pujols. I imagine more Ichiro's in an attempt to suck in the Japanese market.

BTW this weeks new cards are Saints, Colts, Seahawks and Packers team cards, limited to 499 at a price of $4.00.

[HOF Yankees]

I dislike all modern cards and the modern companies so I won't buy any., I started off buying vintage and I have to agree its a waste and looks bad to put modern players on vintage styles, ehh to topps on this one.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by HOF Yankees

I dislike all modern cards and the modern companies so I won't buy any., I started off buying vintage and I have to agree its a waste and looks bad to put modern players on vintage styles, ehh to topps on this one.

I'm mostly a pre-war guy myself, but modern-wise I'll still pick up Auto's, HOF rookies, and Topps Complete sets(or build 'em myself). The sets mostly because the ultimate goal is to work my way up to the full standard Topps run from '51-current, and possibly the '48 Magic Photos.

I definitely have to agree with you though, Modern players on vintage styles, or even vintage players on modern styles is just bad in my book. Almost sickening.

[painthistorian]

I am sure one day someone will eventually come out and make E-Topps reprints, maybe a new grading service will grade those! Not excited about any E-cards that were not made 100 years ago personally....

[fkw]

eTopps are not baseball cards

"A true collector card will always be issued FREE with a product or service of some kind."

The day they took the gum out of the packs is the day true collector cards changed to a limited edition collector issue. ie TCMA, etc.