Help! The Hobby is DYYYINNGGGGG!!!!

[Sierra79]

As a 35 year old, my first memories of cards included going to the corner store and buying 87 topps wax packs of baseball and football (I remember being excited after finding a Bo Jackson 'Future Stars' card of which I still have today - although a little roughed up). As a young kid I didn't care, or even understand, about equating a card with a monetary value. I simply loved the designs and photos of my favorite players (dale murphy at the time). By the early 90's when I was in middle school, kids were trading and buying inserts, scouring the becket price guides like wall street investors. It slowly evolved into valuing the cards because of their...um...value. I remember the 1989 upper deck set that I got for Xmas and watching the Griffey climb in value each month in my becket magazines.

I stopped collecting around 1998. Years later when I got back into the hobby I was amazed at the amount of 'products' that were available, but It just wasn't the same. Kids just don't collect cards as we used to. I recall walking through any major retail store and seeing rack packs and boxes lining the toy section. Now they are put aside next to the cash registers just about anywhere you go. Baseball card promotions could be found everywhere (gas stations, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, cereal boxes, etc.).

These days packs retail packs are priced beyond belief base cards are, for the most part, thrown aside like the wrapper itself as collectors desperately look for a hit.

I believe kids will always collect tangible stuff. But these days with video games, electronics, smart phones, I can understand why cardboard doesn't look as appealing, especially since it cost so much. Also, as scary as it is, more and more kids don't even know who Mickey Mantle was, let alone guys like Mays and Koufax. I am a teacher so I see it first hand every day.

As for me, I collect what I like and treat it only as a hobby. Should that hobby die off (much like stamp collecting) then the silver lining will be cheaper cards that I am looking for.

[HasselhoffsCheeseburger]

Originally Posted by Sierra79

These days packs retail packs are priced beyond belief base cards are, for the most part, thrown aside like the wrapper itself as collectors desperately look for a hit.

I've noticed this as well. It makes me wonder.... in 30 years when the natural cycle of collecting comes back around for this generation, will base cards hold more appeal and value simply because everyone just threw them out when they ripped the packs as a kid?

Sounds bizarre, I know. But it's always the things that no one saw coming that cause such a stir.

And I say this as someone who just threw out two 5,000 ct. boxes of 2010-2014 Bowman/Bowman Chrome base cards about a month ago.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Sierra79

As a 35 year old, my first memories of cards included going to the corner store and buying 87 topps wax packs of baseball and football (I remember being excited after finding a Bo Jackson 'Future Stars' card of which I still have today - although a little roughed up). As a young kid I didn't care, or even understand, about equating a card with a monetary value. I simply loved the designs and photos of my favorite players (dale murphy at the time). By the early 90's when I was in middle school, kids were trading and buying inserts, scouring the becket price guides like wall street investors. It slowly evolved into valuing the cards because of their...um...value. I remember the 1989 upper deck set that I got for Xmas and watching the Griffey climb in value each month in my becket magazines.

I stopped collecting around 1998. Years later when I got back into the hobby I was amazed at the amount of 'products' that were available, but It just wasn't the same. Kids just don't collect cards as we used to. I recall walking through any major retail store and seeing rack packs and boxes lining the toy section. Now they are put aside next to the cash registers just about anywhere you go. Baseball card promotions could be found everywhere (gas stations, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, cereal boxes, etc.).

These days packs retail packs are priced beyond belief base cards are, for the most part, thrown aside like the wrapper itself as collectors desperately look for a hit.

I believe kids will always collect tangible stuff. But these days with video games, electronics, smart phones, I can understand why cardboard doesn't look as appealing, especially since it cost so much. Also, as scary as it is, more and more kids don't even know who Mickey Mantle was, let alone guys like Mays and Koufax. I am a teacher so I see it first hand every day.

As for me, I collect what I like and treat it only as a hobby. Should that hobby die off (much like stamp collecting) then the silver lining will be cheaper cards that I am looking for.

Time to collect graded Atari videogame cartridges.


(When make the last post for days that ends the thread.., i try to be the closer, so going for the save)

[Jayworld]

I collected "new" product from 1975 to 1983, with the "apex" of my collection in the 1977-79 range; i.e. collecting and building sets from packs. I remember attending my first local baseball card show in 1979 at the Twin 60s Inn in Dallas and was introduced to 1933 Goudey cards and 1951 Bowman cards. I remember being fascinated with the artwork of those cards and have slowly over time started to collect those (especially the Bowman "art" cards of 1950, 1951, 1952) over the years. By 1984, I was essentially "out" of the hobby, and did not start back until 1989-90, in which I tried to buy one set for each year for the years I had missed (1985-90). I have since sold those sets.

Regarding adult vs. kids hobby, I think it is mostly for adults now. I don't see a lot of kids into the hobby. Heaven knows I can't really get my sons interested in baseball cards (the Pokemon and Star Wars craze is still big for them) other than a pack here or there. In fact, I was in the local baseball card shop this week on a Wednesday, which happens to be "trade" day at the shop. It was the first time I had been there on a Wednesday, and there were four gentlemen crowded around a table trading and talking. They were older than me (I'm 48), and as I perused the shop, I listened in on the conversation. They were busy trading/buying new product, with an emphasis on Topps Allen & Ginter cards. They were also buying cases/boxes of product, and the emphasis was on the "pulls." My mind went back to the early days of Baseball Card magazine in 1981 which contained the first articles of baseball cards as an investment, and each issue devoted a section to "what's hot, what's not" in terms of rookie cards and investments. I think that may have been the point (early-to-mid 1980s) that baseball cards became an adult hobby rather than geared towards kids, at least in my mind.

I don't buy modern product anymore. I tried it on and off for a few years in an effort to get back into the hobby. I come from the old way of collecting by building sets, but I found that set building is cost prohibitive now, what with inserts, parallels, etc., etc. And now I just collect vintage, and if I want the thrill of opening up packs or a box of cards, I collect new Japanese baseball cards. It's all about the hobby to me. With few exceptions (counted on one hand), every card or set I've sold from my collection over the years has been at a loss, so to me, it's a hobby.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Jayworld

I collected "new" product from 1975 to 1983, with the "apex" of my collection in the 1977-79 range; i.e. collecting and building sets from packs. I remember attending my first local baseball card show in 1979 at the Twin 60s Inn in Dallas and was introduced to 1933 Goudey cards and 1951 Bowman cards. I remember being fascinated with the artwork of those cards and have slowly over time started to collect those (especially the Bowman "art" cards of 1950, 1951, 1952) over the years. By 1984, I was essentially "out" of the hobby, and did not start back until 1989-90, in which I tried to buy one set for each year for the years I had missed (1985-90). I have since sold those sets.

Regarding adult vs. kids hobby, I think it is mostly for adults now. I don't see a lot of kids into the hobby. Heaven knows I can't really get my sons interested in baseball cards (the Pokemon and Star Wars craze is still big for them) other than a pack here or there. In fact, I was in the local baseball card shop this week on a Wednesday, which happens to be "trade" day at the shop. It was the first time I had been there on a Wednesday, and there were four gentlemen crowded around a table trading and talking. They were older than me (I'm 48), and as I perused the shop, I listened in on the conversation. They were busy trading/buying new product, with an emphasis on Topps Allen & Ginter cards. They were also buying cases/boxes of product, and the emphasis was on the "pulls." My mind went back to the early days of Baseball Card magazine in 1981 which contained the first articles of baseball cards as an investment, and each issue devoted a section to "what's hot, what's not" in terms of rookie cards and investments. I think that may have been the point (early-to-mid 1980s) that baseball cards became an adult hobby rather than geared towards kids, at least in my mind.

I don't buy modern product anymore. I tried it on and off for a few years in an effort to get back into the hobby. I come from the old way of collecting by building sets, but I found that set building is cost prohibitive now, what with inserts, parallels, etc., etc. And now I just collect vintage, and if I want the thrill of opening up packs or a box of cards, I collect new Japanese baseball cards. It's all about the hobby to me. With few exceptions (counted on one hand), every card or set I've sold from my collection over the years has been at a loss, so to me, it's a hobby.

I agree.....hits a hobby.....can also buy lottery tickets and lose a dollar for nothing instead of paying 8 dollars for pack trying to get a 200 dollar card.......at least you get some cards......lots of hobbys involve buying things that you can only resale and a small fraction of the cost .....not sure why everyone is arguing about younger kids being interested....all in all its an aging hobby for sure.......what the true problem is about most of the cards is problems with cards in general.. though baseball is becoming less and less popular..even the real popular sports like football and basketball do not have kids interested in cards so its not just baseball....its the hobby in general


-sucks that now get a blown save...(no longer the last post but maybe can get the 'w')

[ALR-bishop]

Arthur-- coming from you, that is no more bizarre than the other stuff you say

[mrmopar]

it seems like every couple of days or weeks, I see someone proclaim that they collect new but have recently discovered the joy of vintage and will start to collect it as well. I don't think the hobby ever dies. I was oblivious to the sport and collecting in general when I started, but it got me interested in baseball and the history as well. I was buying packs of 1978 Topps, but i was also learning about the 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond as well. It didn't hurt that there were an abundance of collector sets from TCMA, Renata Galasso, CCC and others to open my young eyes to players who had long since retired.

Now days, you got younger collectors pulling long retired players out of their packs of retro-type issues and those names become familiar to them, but they are usually the best of the best players in these sets and the new collectors may not know the middle and lower tier players from the same era, but eventually they may take that leap and start to learn.

To me it is funny to see someone say they collect cards and maybe have never heard of a player like Herb Pennock or Bill Mazeroski, but then I have to remember that maybe they have not made that step yet to learn about players who came before Ripken, Griffey, Jeter, Pujols and Trout. Of course, i am the opposite now. I know the older players, but you can read a thread about some new touted prospect and I'll say"WHO?".

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by mrmopar

it seems like every couple of days or weeks, I see someone proclaim that they collect new but have recently discovered the joy of vintage and will start to collect it as well. I don't think the hobby ever dies. I was oblivious to the sport and collecting in general when I started, but it got me interested in baseball and the history as well. I was buying packs of 1978 Topps, but i was also learning about the 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond as well. It didn't hurt that there were an abundance of collector sets from TCMA, Renata Galasso, CCC and others to open my young eyes to players who had long since retired.

Now days, you got younger collectors pulling long retired players out of their packs of retro-type issues and those names become familiar to them, but they are usually the best of the best players in these sets and the new collectors may not know the middle and lower tier players from the same era, but eventually they may take that leap and start to learn.



To me it is funny to see someone say they collect cards and maybe have never heard of a player like Herb Pennock or Bill Mazeroski, but then I have to remember that maybe they have not made that step yet to learn about players who came before Ripken, Griffey, Jeter, Pujols and Trout. Of course, i am the opposite now. I know the older players, but you can read a thread about some new touted prospect and I'll say"WHO?".

right those middle guys none HOFs ...as the generations that collect them don't know who they are..the names don't really matter much anymore..its the POP.....I bought a bunch fo 1952s and once in awhile there would be a high pop for the grade with more bidding then I expected...id look up the player and see that player was a real good popular player (like Smoky Burgess), but know full well that the high bidders grew up watching that player......other popular players in the 70s are already commons like George Foster....its all about POP...doesnt matter if it was George Foster or John Jones (just made up a name) you will see the bidding on ebay reflect POP count more than popularity of that player who was an all star in their day but since they aren't an upper tier player/HOF nobody will pay the preimium as the years go by...learning about that type of player 30 years later isn't going to make those buyers pay a premium..

..