Vintage / Modern

packs · #1 11-11-2022, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skelly423

I think almost every collector starts as a modern collector, looking for cards of their favorite players. Kids collecting modern today are no different than I was collecting "modern" cards in the mid 90s, or others on the board collecting modern cards in the 1970s, 1950... Almost nobody here started out collecting t206s, it was a migration as we discovered the depths of the hobby, and figured out what really appealed to each of us.

The natural progression for nearly everyone in the hobby is to start modern and shift to vintage; it has been happening for generations, and will continue for generations more.

I actually don't think today's modern collecting was something anyone experienced before this generation. You might have collected contemporary cards, but you weren't chasing Bowman first autos, refractors, superfractors, products with costs in the 4 figures, or lottery tickets.

It's a totally different experience now.

raulus · #2 11-11-2022, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

I actually don't think today's modern collecting was something anyone experienced before this generation. You might have collected contemporary cards, but you weren't chasing Bowman first autos, refractors, superfractors, products with costs in the 4 figures, or lottery tickets.

It's a totally different experience now.

I feel like we had a little taste of that in the early 90s, but perhaps not quite as extreme.

packs · #3 11-11-2022, 11:17 AM

I don't know about that. Today, you've got to pay $300 for a box of 2022 Topps Chrome. I remember buying any box I wanted of any product I wanted for about $80 to $100. And that was right up until the 2010s really.

raulus · #4 11-11-2022, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

I don't know about that. Today, you've got to pay $300 for a box of 2022 Topps Chrome. I remember buying any box I wanted of any product I wanted for about $80 to $100. And that was right up until the 2010s really.

Fair enough.

Obviously the 90s weren't as extreme as today.

But it does seem like we were starting to move in this direction. Prices for packs were up, rare chase cards were up, values on those rare chase cards were high, and there was a lot of mania around the whole circus.

packs · #5 11-11-2022, 11:21 AM

Yes, but maybe people aren't aware of just how extreme the hobby is now. You can buy a box like Flawless for 10 grand and have the opportunity to pull a Lebron Logoman card that will sell for 2 million dollars.

raulus · #6 11-11-2022, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

Yes, but maybe people aren't aware of just how extreme the hobby is now. You can buy a box like Flawless for 10 grand and have the opportunity to pull a Lebron Logoman card that will sell for 2 million dollars.

I blame inflation. Even in its transitory state!

packs · #7 11-11-2022, 11:32 AM

Another thing I think about in terms of modern collecting today is the thrill of opening the packs. Like I said, there is a lottery or dream home opportunity attached to almost every product that gets released now.

You just aren't going to find that kind of excitement in pre-war. Potentially if you're one of the lucky ones who stumbles upon something at a flea market. But for most of us the thrill is buying cards we love for as low a price as we can find, but often accepting that we'll really pay whatever we have to. There isn't the same kind of magic in pre-war vis a vis the unknown.

When I was growing up and opening up packs I wasn't opening them in search of a lottery ticket. I just liked baseball and I liked the Yankees and I wanted Yankees cards. That led me down the path of vintage. I wanted cards of Yankees players my dad talked about. I wanted cards of Babe Ruth. I wanted cards of Lou Gehrig. But I never wanted them because they were valuable. And I think that is a major shift in today's modern collectors. There are probably still collectors who just like collecting sets. But I think there are far more modern collectors in the hobby that just want to chase.

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