OT - Example of why card collecting is dying re: Topps

[Laxcat]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Leon and Matt can verify this since they were at my show last Saturday but we had a nice grouping of kids (in part because every outdoor event they could have been involved with was rained out) and I would say we had perhaps 25-30 kids who attended our show last Saturday.

Now same came with mom and or dad but others were with mom and dad but they were the collectors In either case, we were all encouraged to see so many kids

Rich

Correct. Here's a little story.

8 year old kid asks if I have any vintage Miami Dolphins cards. I point him to the boxes that have 60's and 70's singles. Kid is decked out in Dolphins gear he probably knew more about the Dolphins than the rest of this board combined. He spends about 10 minutes going through the boxes. All the time rattling off what he knows about the team. He bought about $5 or $6 dollars worth of stuff. With his money. Not the biggest sale, but that is not what matters. I ended up giving him a Mercury Morris Rookie. I told him he earned it with his knowledge.
It made me smile to see someone his age actually interested in sports history. I think that is why most of us are in the hobby. I know it's the reason I still collect pictures of guys I never saw play.

I think if we take the time, when the opportunity presents, to talk to the younger collectors and get them excited about not just the monetary value of these cards but the about the people and events that these pieces of cardboard depict then we will have a good hobby in the future filled witty people that are there for the right reason.

He reminded me of myself. In the heyday of the shows I was the little imp running around wanting to look through your vintage stuff slowly building my little collection that meant the world to me.