What keeps you collecting?

[WillBBC]

It furthers my quest for knowledge.

I love baseball history and sports history in general and few things give you as much as a connection as a collectible from an era. Be it the 19th century, early 20th or even today.

Cards and collectibles also paint such an incredible picture of cultural periods. I love hitting up antique shops and just thumbing through early 20th century items. Be it cards, stamps, miniature flags, pictures, memos, you name it.

[joeadcock]

In relation to M's Fan comments that feels value of baseball cards(and other mem) will "go down in the long, long term as the collecting generation gets older and older each year". I had never thought of it that way.

Do most believe that the value of cards will go down in the long term? I thought(perhaps incorrectly) that they would go up in the long term as others began picking up the collecting desire. Especially, as new prewar collectors get interested the same way I did(and others).

I also assume as we get further from the 19th century that the value of these pre 1900 cards will rise further and further.

Any one feel similarly, or the opposite?

Frank

[iggyman]

Frank, I've never bought into the theory that once all the baby boomers retire or die, prewar card prices will plummet. As long as baseball is thriving and the population in the U.S. is growing (which is the case now and will continue to be the case into the future), new collectors will take the boomers place. I think it's as simple as that. The collecting gene is in all of us, it's what separates us from the aliens.

Lovely Day...

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by iggyman

Frank, I've never bought into the theory that once all the baby boomers retire or die, prewar card prices will plummet. As long as baseball is thriving and the population in the U.S. is growing (which is the case now and will continue to be the case into the future), new collectors will take the boomers place. I think it's as simple as that. The collecting gene is in all of us, it's what separates us from the aliens.

Lovely Day...

I concur with Iggy. Granted that some sectors will fall out of favor and some will experience unexpected growth.

Baseball has so much history going for it that Football and Basketball, no matter how good their TV ratings are, will never be in Baseball's league, so to speak.

Historically speaking, photography, film, written word, and good old fashioned folklore will keep Baseball at the top of every want list for generations to come.

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Jackie have transcended almost all walks of American life and history will ensure their legacies continue onward.

But perhaps most importantly, Baseball is no longer just an American game. Asia and Latin America are only going to continue to grow in popularity. And just as American collectors fancy Japanese pottery or samurai swords, I can see Japanese Baseball fans someday striving to collect memorabilia, cards, or autographs of America's greatest players and teams.

The sky is not falling... That's how I see it, anyway.