What to do with 80's and 90's cards?

ALR-bishop · #1 01-06-2015, 08:34 AM

I do not fit into any one category. I have collected all the Topps sets starting in 1948 and then 1951 forward to 2014....so far. For Fleer 1923 and 1959 to 2007. For Topps I also collected all test and insert sets up to 1994.

I have bought Fleer sets to 2007 and still buy the basic Topps sets and any update. Most of my post 1994 Topps set are still in boxes. But I actively collect the Heritage sets and do put them in binders.

I can never bring myself to throw cards away, no matter what their condition or worth. I give them away, even if it is likely the recipient may throw them away

I do not really get the part about being smart enough not to collect modern cards. Obviously if making money on the cards one buys is the goal, new cards should not be in your collecting parameter. But if you are a just hobby collector, monetary value is not a factor. For me it is fun to keep the run going and keep up with the new stuff, even though I do not collect beyond the basic sets. The hobby did not stop during the war or in 1981

Collect what you like, invest as you like

Leon · #2 01-06-2015, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

....

I do not really get the part about being smart enough not to collect modern cards. Obviously if making money on the cards one buys is the goal, new cards should not be in your collecting parameter. But if you are a just hobby collector, monetary value is not a factor. For me it is fun to keep the run going and keep up with the new stuff, even though I do not collect beyond the basic sets. The hobby did not stop during the war or in 1981

Collect what you like, invest as you like

I voted smart enough because I only collected as a kid until the early '70s.....then got back into it in about '96-'97, so I skipped over it. I wasn't smart

I just didn't collect in that time frame.

bcbgcbrcb · #3 01-06-2015, 09:47 AM

So you lucked out, Leon..........

curtis-cards · #4 01-06-2015, 11:22 AM

As I read through this thread, I started thinking to myself...It's time to throw them out, but now I'm thinking how to use them as "art".

I think I will toss most of the commons and keep the "stars".

Wasn't there a guy who cut these cards up and made larger versions of iconic cards?

Are people still interested in team lots still?

tonyo · #5 01-06-2015, 11:57 AM

I voted "still have them and actively collect" although that is only partially true.

I did consolidate all my 80's and 90's into two 3200 ct boxes about 4 years ago. Sold for practically nothing about eight 3200 ct boxes of cards that didn't make it into my two "keeper" boxes. I've been collecting almost exclusively in the 1900-1979 period since I returned from a 12 year hiatus 5 years ago, I figured I may not open those two keeper boxes until I had a grandson who showed some interest - that'll be a while since my 2 daughters are 18 and 15.

However, seeing Ben's thread mentioned above caused me to open those boxes early to see what was in there.

I've since decided to extend my topps/bowman 48-79 HOF base card run into the 80's and 90's. Topps, Fleer, Donruss, Score, Bowman, Upper Deck for the 80's and Topps and a variety of my favorite sets for the 90's. There are dozens of great looking sets in the 90's in my opinion.

Within the last month, I've added about 1500 80's and 90's hof/star cards to my collection and I sure have enjoyed doing it and having the cards.

bcbgcbrcb · #6 01-06-2015, 12:16 PM

I have accumulated quantities of select players from this era, primarily their rookie cards, over the past couple of years. Much to my dismay, when I started running out of storage space and decided to do a couple of local card shows to liquidate some inventory, I came to find out that even HOF rookies like Alomar, Larkin, Glavine, Thomas, etc. are not sellable at almost any price unless you give them away for pennies. Even worse, guys that were star players during this era but not at HOF levels, like Baines, Gibson, Chili Davis, Gary Gaetti, Ruben Sierra, Terry Pendleton, etc. could not be sold at any price either, they are basically worth the same as commons, even their rookie year cards.

While I really enjoyed collecting these cards, I would have never done so if I knew how "worthless" they would be when the time came to sell some. I wasn't in it to make a profit but can't really afford to just throw my money away for nothing either. It's really a shame that it seems a player is either HOF worthy or he's a "common" player.

BTW I voted actively collect as well.

Rich Klein · #7 01-06-2015, 12:50 PM

And we went through this discussion on the post-war board but...

Phil is correct, with the exception of those rookies who are going to be (or will be someday) HOFers -- the 1980's rookie cards who were popular are not basically unsellable

I looked at a recent donation lot of 1982 cards and saw cards such as the Marshall/Sax rookie or the Barfield rookie which were popular at one time but now are sellable for pennies on the dollar.

This has to do with many reasons including less interest for these cards and less collectors for those cards. Now in 1982 Cal Ripken Jr is always going to be sellable -- Kent Hrbek not so much.

Heck, Jose Canseco 1986 Donruss rookie was once way over $100. Today, not so much.

Rich

z28jd · #8 01-06-2015, 01:48 PM

I think the internet has helped make cards easier to get and sell, so the prices reflect that. Back in the mid-80's, you either had to get a card in a pack, pay dealer price at a card store/show or trade with a friend. Now you can just find the lowest price among 100's or thousands on Ebay and buy it.

I remember looking at a Steve Carlton rookie at my local card store every time I went there and wanting to get it, but didn't have the money. It was around 1990 before I had a job and the price was about $60, so that wasn't happening. No one I knew had it, so the card was basically unattainable.

Twenty-five years later, there are about 100 of them on Ebay and I can still get one for the same price, with a handful to choose from.

If you compare that card to a 1989 Topps Randy Johnson, the difference in copies that exist is staggering to say the least, so the price on those have dropped over time even though he just made the Hall of Fame. I'd bet not too many people are throwing that particular card away today, so it will likely never raise much in value.

I still holdout hope that the cards will have some value down the line, but the worst case scenario of having cards to look at from my youth isn't a bad scenario to me.

While a part of me appreciates the people throwing them out and cutting down the population, I think the better thing to do is bundle them and hand them out to kids, either at school or Halloween. Possibly get a future collector hooked and keep the hobby going. If they throw them out instead or ruin them, no big deal.

Mountaineer1999 · #9 01-06-2015, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I do not really get the part about being smart enough not to collect modern cards. Obviously if making money on the cards one buys is the goal, new cards should not be in your collecting parameter. But if you are a just hobby collector, monetary value is not a factor. For me it is fun to keep the run going and keep up with the new stuff, even though I do not collect beyond the basic sets. The hobby did not stop during the war or in 1981

Collect what you like, invest as you like

It wasn't an investment for me in the late 80's early 90s... I loved the cards. However, the cards became very expensive and I ended up spending a good deal of money. If I would have known they would be worthless later in life I wouldn't have bought so much at those dollar amounts. An earlier post mentioned their Frank Thomas collection going from high dollars to .75 each! That is a hard hit to take. I guess if I would have known the cards would be worthless in the future my approach would have been vastly different.
Today I am putting together some T206's... I love the cards and want the collection but if I believed they were going to be $1 each in the future I would not be a buyer regardless of how much I loved them.

View Poll Results: What have you done with your 80's,90's 2000's baseball, football, hockey cards?
Still have them but they stay stored away	119	53.13%
Still have them and actively collect	11	4.91%
Threw them out, kept a few star or rookie cards	32	14.29%
Donated or gave away	40	17.86%
Was smart enough to never buy	22	9.82%
Voters: 224. You may not vote on this poll

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