When did you quit actively buying packs of cards?

[rats60]

I bought packs from 1965-2015. After that I decided to sell off almost all of my modern and most of post-war vintage to concentrate of pre-war. The newest "base" card I have is a 1975 Topps Brett. I have a few newer cards that are autographed and some Clemente stuff.

[jamest206]

Baseball strike. Once that happened, as a kid, I had to find a different interest. Started working as well, so my dad wasn’t taking us to the card shop to buy boxes & boxes of packs to open all weekend anymore. Once complete Bowman sets were started again, and available at Big Lots, realized as well things were getting watered down. Probably 1995 was last time, when I was 15.

[obcbobd]

I started in 1967 age 5 (very few packs). By 6 I bought a few more and my 7 I was down to the corner store (4 houses away) every Wednesday with my allowance.

1974 was the last year I bought packs. I had 100's if not a 1000 dups but not a complete set. Starting in 1975 I bought complete sets. Stopping in 1978, just concentrating on older cards from the pint forward.

[steve B]

I guess it depends on what you think of as actively buying packs.

I rarely bought more than one box at a time, and then mostly buying 2-3 from one of the old stock of junk liquidators at a show.

But I still buy packs now and then.

[glynparson]

1991

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by glynparson

1991

+1

[Cmvorce]

From 1987 until 1991 (ages 8-12) I spent every cent I had on packs. Dabbled in 92, skipped 93, bought a box in 94 and then didn't buy another pack until 2008. Then stopped with packs again until this year, when I built a complete 2022 Topps set through packs. I don't think I'll be doing that again though - back to factory sets for me.

[BCauley]

I'd say I went through a few rounds of stopping. I started actively collecting back in 1986 and this carried through until 1994. Started up again in ~1998 and stopped in 2004. This was the period I'd snag a few packs here and there and buy boxes occasionally at the card shops. Started again in about 2010 where I'd buy packs/boxes and stopped in 2013.

Once I started again in 2019, I just buy singles that I want but I'd say about 2-3 times a year will pick up a retail box of cards when I'm at Target just to scratch the itch of opening some packs.

[parkplace33]

2000

[G1911]

Never.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by rats60

I bought packs from 1965-2015. After that I decided to sell off almost all of my modern and most of post-war vintage to concentrate of pre-war. The newest "base" card I have is a 1975 Topps Brett. I have a few newer cards that are autographed and some Clemente stuff.

For the longest time 1975 and Brett were my cutoff too, although I eventually decided to go up to the present for HOFers. I can't recall my rationale, it just felt like the right place to stop, maybe because there were no really compelling players until Henderson and he felt too new.

[JackR]

I quit buying packs in 1962, when Topps came out with the wood-grained simulated poster format, which I thought then and still think sorta stunk.

[DHogan]

I stopped buying packs in about 2002. I still have about 150 un-opened packs in all brands and sports from the 90's to 2002. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them.