The new breed of collectors...

homerunhitter · #1 05-12-2022, 02:31 PM

Very awesome responses guys!!!

I have been collecting for over 40 years! So I�ll be a collector until the very end.

I collect vintage. I would much rather have a mays, mantle, koufax and bench instead of a tatis jr, Juan sori, Guerrero jr or acuna jr. I don�t knock what others s like or want. Vintage is my preference but the great thing about this hobby is that there is room for everyone to collect what they want.

I collect because it has been my passion for 40+ years! I asked the questions why do we collect or what is our end game because I see the set collecting threads where people have 50 year runs of topps complete sets and while I think that is very cool (and something I�m doing) my mind wanders and I think wow! What do we do with all of these binders if sets or boxes of cards one day!

JollyElm · #2 05-12-2022, 03:14 PM

Here's the only way to reply to this thread these days:

"When people are throwing shade at younger collectors, I take that very personally, because I identify as a 14-year-old female collector, so that's racist...and cardboard is responsible for global warming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Michael B · #3 05-12-2022, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Here's the only way to reply to this thread these days:

"When people are throwing shade at younger collectors, I take that very personally, because I identify as a 14-year-old female collector, so that's racist...and cardboard is responsible for global warming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Well then let's call BLM (Baseball collectors lives matter)!!!

Michael B · #4 05-12-2022, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Here's the only way to reply to this thread these days:

"When people are throwing shade at younger collectors, I take that very personally, because I identify as a 14-year-old female collector, so that's racist...and cardboard is responsible for global warming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Well then let's call BLM - Baseball (collectors) Lives Matter!!!

Tony Gordon · #5 05-12-2022, 03:33 PM

I have had a front-row seat to the recent hobby evolution as I have been setting up at local card shows just about every weekend for the past 25 years. I have been attending card shows since 1978.

I really have no issues with the new breed of sports card hobbyists. I find them very intelligent, extremely knowledgeable about modern cards, friendly, passionate and interesting.

Some of my observations: basketball is king. They want rookie cards, not necessarily slabbed cards. They all have a personal collection or "PC." Each PC seems to be unique to that collector. They vlog about everything and post regularly to Instagram. They have taken trading to new levels. They are masters at negotiating. They all have some sort of briefcase. Many have some of the worst hairdos I have ever seen... which is really saying something since I grew up in the 1970's.

Used to be that I could set up at any card show with my post-War commons and have flocks of set builders at my tables -- not anymore. I really have to pick and choose which shows I attend because the set builders only go to a handful of shows these days.

The new breed will stop and marvel at my stuff but they rarely purchase anything. I am starting to feel like an outcast, a relic. But I still enjoy it and regularly sell and buy enough cards to make it worth my while.

The thing I enjoy most about the new breed are their vlogs. I spend countless hours on YouTube watching vlogs from card shows. I just love it and can always spot my bald head in a few of the vlogs.

Many of these vloggers are great characters and have created their own culture around their vlogs. For example, there is a modern collector/dealer/vlogger out of Ohio, he looks to be in his late-20's. He goes to shows all over the country each weekend. At each show, in each vlog, he is met by other new-age collectors who give him cards and other memorabilia for his Ohio State PC. I mean, he can't go five minutes at a show, no matter where that show is located, without some random person walking up to him and giving him a card depicting an athlete who played college ball at Ohio State. It is remarkable to watch.

Yes, the hobby has evolved. I recommend you just go with it and enjoy it. I'm still having a lot of fun. I'm setting up at two shows this weekend!

Tabe · #6 05-12-2022, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Gordon

Many of these vloggers are great characters and have created their own culture around their vlogs. For example, there is a modern collector/dealer/vlogger out of Ohio, he looks to be in his late-20's. He goes to shows all over the country each weekend. At each show, in each vlog, he is met by other new-age collectors who give him cards and other memorabilia for his Ohio State PC. I mean, he can't go five minutes at a show, no matter where that show is located, without some random person walking up to him and giving him a card depicting an athlete who played college ball at Ohio State. It is remarkable to watch.

CardCollector2

I watch his videos all the time, too.

He seems to have a very successful store in Ohio besides all the online dealing he does.

chjh · #7 05-12-2022, 08:33 PM

I don't think the hobby/industry has really changed much over the years. What has changed is technology.

I was collecting as a kid in the 70's. Research had to be done at the library or buying price guides, shopping was done at card shows and the local card shop.

And trading was done with a handful of friends who also collected.

Collectors have always done research, shopping and trading. We've always collected cards because we liked them, or because they were rookies, or because they were rare. We have always tried to trade for, or buy, cards we felt were going to go up in value.

It's just that the internet has made all those things easier and more interesting. Instead of a few friends from school we have N54. Instead of the local card shop we have online auctions.

My prized card as a kid was a 1969 Jackson Rookie. I have kept that card for 40 years and protected it. Last year I sent it to PSA for grading just for fun. It came back as trimmed and they wouldn't grade it. I had no idea. But that trimming wasn't done by any of the people well known to be altering cards in recent years.

It was done by an 'old timer.' I acquired that card at a card shop around 1980.

So, there's always been people altering cards.

I think this is a great industry/hobby. If someone wants to invest in cards, great. If someone wants to collect raw, great. To each their own.

There have always been new people coming into the hobby with different interests. Some collect for fun, some for investment and some for nostalgia. Nothing new there.

Any changes to the hobby that bring in more people and allow for the sharing of info the better.

I also welcome grading, vault storage and more auctions. They are all optional services. If you don't like 'em, don't use 'em. Maybe those innovations don't last. But innovation and new ideas generally are positive.

I think the whole industry is moving in the right direction.

chjh · #8 05-12-2022, 09:02 PM

A few thoughts on prices for vintage cards: they will go up forever. I don't own modern but I would expect the scarce modern will go up in price forever, too.

Any asset that is scare and high quality and desirable will go up in price. Waterfront real estate, Art, high quality companies... scarce and desirable cards.

This has been happening far longer than 2 years.

It's been going on for 100 years and will go on for another 100 years

homerunhitter · #9 05-12-2022, 09:22 PM

One way to look at it for me is, the more young modern card collectors that enter the hobby the better my vintage collection grows! What I mean by that is I can sell modern shiny cards like wander Franco, Pete Alonso, mike trout, Vladimir Guerrero jr, Soto, acuna jr, tatis jr, ohtani and Buster Posey! And flip that money to buy more vintage. An example is I sold some ohtani, Guerrero jr, Juan Soto and tatis jr cards and took that money and bought some 1950�s and 1960�s topps cards! 2022 Modern cards are red hot sellers right now on eBay! The new generation are buying them up lightning fast. So, now is a perfect time to flip modern cards for vintage! I could not build my vintage collection as fast without the new generation of collectors buying modern cards from me!

John1941 · #10 05-12-2022, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chjh

A few thoughts on prices for vintage cards: they will go up forever. I don't own modern but I would expect the scarce modern will go up in price forever, too.

Any asset that is scare and high quality and desirable will go up in price. Waterfront real estate, Art, high quality companies... scarce and desirable cards.

This has been happening far longer than 2 years.

It's been going on for 100 years and will go on for another 100 years

The thing about the scarce modern stuff is that it's not actually scarce. Yeah, a 1/1 is cool, but there are thousands of other 1/1s. It's manufactured scarcity, and most of it will go down in value eventually.

VoodooChild · #11 05-12-2022, 11:26 PM

I collect all eras. There's actually cool ways to collect modern that are more similar to pre-war than you would think. Trying to complete a color run of a modern card is just like trying to complete a back run of a T206 card in my opinion. There's a lot of new collectors (not the investors) who actually do collect in interesting ways like that. I've seen guys who collect the first or last #'d in a print run like 1/25, 50/50, etc. or only cards #'d with the players uniform number so the only collect Trout cards #'d like 27/50, 27/200, etc. There's guys collecting cards where the color of the refractor has to match the color of team uniform so red refractors for Cardinals, blue for Cubs, etc. Not all of this "new breed" buys just the PSA 10's of flavor of the week rookie/prospect. There's a new crop of kids out there with the same collector's gene (or addiction or whatever you want to call it) that we all have and they'll keep the hobby going. Even after the next bubble bursts and the investors realize there's no difference between their shiny PSA 10 and the thousands of PSA 9's (or even 8's really) and find a new way to waste their money. Here's some card pics for this thread:

Lobo Aullando · #12 05-12-2022, 11:58 PM

Same thing happens with Old Judges. So many are rare that rarity is the norm. I'm trying to sell a 1/3 in the $300-range � I'd like to find something a little better, if more common, for my type set � and it seems to be shelf turd-ing away. AITA?

Quote:

Originally Posted by John1941

The thing about the scarce modern stuff is that it's not actually scarce. Yeah, a 1/1 is cool, but there are thousands of other 1/1s. It's manufactured scarcity, and most of it will go down in value eventually.

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