The new breed of collectors...

[ullmandds]

I thought it'd be fun to discuss the "new collector/investor" in the hobby and how their thoughts/preferences/expectations differ from older collectors such as myself.

In my opinion some of these "preferences" will either contribute to the demise of the hobby...OR...will become the new norms for the future.

I'll start!

Finish the phrase.

The new breed of collectors...worship the slab...not the card.

[Snapolit1]

The new breed of collector grew up in a world of the Internet. You will see far few posts about putting cards in the spokes of a bike, trading with your friends in third grade, and flipping cards against a wall. Like everything else in the universe, time marches on and things become something else.

[Johnny630]

The new Collectors doesn't care about commons or set building.

[butchie_t]

The new collector has no concept of the history of card collecting and does not want to deal with the minutiae of the historical significance.

And they are more interested in pump and dump then the actual collecting of cards.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

The new Collectors doesn't care about commons or set building.

Agree...I think collecting sets will likely decline - particularly as the prices of vintage increase. And probably those that appreciate collecting master sets and all the variations, as well.

[FrankWakefield]

With apologies to George Phair...



How dear to my heart is the old-fashioned collector,
Who wrote to fellow collectors to see what they had.

They do not resemble today's collector/investor who puts cards
In plastic and never touches a card.

The new breed of collectors worship the slab, not the card.
Would letting go of pop reports and slabs be so hard?

The old fashioned collectors knew the players, their stories, and life,
They did not consider the cards as investments in such.

And those are the reasons I hanker and long for,
The old fashioned collector who would mentor the novices,
Who loved and knew the history of the game,
Who thought of a card as an historical connection to a player.



Who was George Phair, the fellow that wrote two of my favorite poems.

Where did I encounter his poetry, by reading The Glory Of Their Times.

What is The Glory Of Their Times, just about the best baseball book ever.


The new collectors are good for the old collectors who are selling their collections. And that's about the end of the 'good'. A fellow can invest in a stock, and depending on the stock he can maybe collect dividends while owning the stock. A ball card doesn't pay dividends. It might appreciate in value... but it isn't ever going to pay dividends.

Anyone ever lose a ball card, misplace one, have one stolen, or damaged from a spill, or from opening an envelope? Anyone ever lose ownership of a stock because it was stolen from them, or misplaced, or you spilled coffee on it? Some guys buy insurance for their collection... a brokerage account is covered by SIPC insurance, and if your holdings approach the $500k limit, then open another account, it'll have the same insurance and limit. Golly, stocks, bonds, mutual funds are better investments than ball cards.

[ullmandds]

Many new collectors don't seem to care about card altering as long as the card ends up in a slab...this is the most disconcerting to me!

[LEHR]

My take:

New collectors will continue to drive the hobby even after we are all gone. Everything evolves or it dies. No one can expect a new collector in 2022 to act the same as a new collector in 1962, or even 1982. Old time collectors do not have to condone, respect, or appreciate the changes in the hobby, but change is inevitable.

[rjackson44]

was at a show recently everyone with cameras videos .thought i was at a hollywood premiere .omg lol

[parkplace33]

The new collector knows all comps.... and isn't afraid to say your prices are too high.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Many new collectors don't seem to care about card altering as long as the card ends up in a slab...this is the most disconcerting to me!

From what I've seen that applies to many old collectors too. Sure, some may pay lip service to it, but they go right on buying with the same minimal or nonexistent due diligence.