What Happened to the Hobby?

[1984Tigers]

I was hardcore into collecting cards from about 7yrs old until I was a teenager. Then high school, girls, military, getting married, losing interest in baseball after the strike, etc. happened and I left the hobby. This year it's been great, my two oldest sons have really taken to baseball cards (they've always played but until this year never collected cards or really watched games), so I'm getting back into it now.

I just cannot believe how much the hobby has changed over the last 10-14yrs.

Can anybody who's been in it since at least late 80's have any opinions on what happened to change the hobby so much? I know card values were kinda out of control for a while, but prices haven't just dropped, they've plummeted! Even HOF's, RC's, etc. EVERYTHING has plummeted! And how did packs go from $.50/per to $5-10 bucks per???

[Dizzy]

Cards in the late eighties and early nineties were over-produced. This is why they are worth nothing. Then in the mid-nineties every company and more than that came out with fifty different sets. However I stick to plain ole Topps, I don't give in to collecting all sorts different stuff. Also unless if you have a fat wallet it is impossible to collect sets from packs like you used to. Of coarse sets are not the goal anymore now people collect insert cards. I am sorry to say it just isn't as fun anymore.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Dizzy touched on it about the packs. It's all about the inserts. Pieces of uniforms, bats, gold, silver and bronze versions of the same card, refractors, little diamonds, autographs, vintage cards, those are things that have found their way into the packs of the various companies, and , since there is a demand to get these rare items, the companies will charge a premium.

I believe it is Upper Deck, but I could be wrong, who cut up a Babe Ruth jersey, one of a very few complete jerseys out there, to put in a few packs.

With so many versions of a players rookie card, with companies having four or five different sets, nothing is truly unique anymore. A rookie pull from a regular set is not so special anymore.

Back to the inserts, Donruss had a Pat Tillman jersey all ready to cut up. They held onto it for three years. In the aftermath of his death in Afghanistan, Donruss donated the jersey to Tillman's family. At least they have a perspective on things.

[McGwireFan67]

I couldn't agree more.

In the late '80s and '90s, so many different companies started mass-producing cards and it seems as though competition between WAY TOO MANY companies drove the price value of the cards down. That and players like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden (who were convicted of drug abuse and/or suspended by the league for it) who somewhat tarnished their names. I remember back in the late '80s a Darryl Strawberry 1983 Topps Update card was well over $20, whereas today it is no more than $2.50. And yes, I can never understand WHY packs run for so high...it's not worth the effort anymore of collecting.

I too collect Topps only but I managed to get a few of the error cards from Fleer and Donruss from the early '80s. Nothing beats the quality of a good Topps card, in my opinion.

Baseball card collecting...it's no longer a hobby, but more of a profit for the card company manufacturer. Sad to say that.

MF67

[MikeCameronFAN]

Originally posted by Captain Cold Nose
Dizzy touched on it about the packs. It's all about the inserts. Pieces of uniforms, bats, gold, silver and bronze versions of the same card, refractors, little diamonds, autographs, vintage cards, those are things that have found their way into the packs of the various companies, and , since there is a demand to get these rare items, the companies will charge a premium.

I believe it is Upper Deck, but I could be wrong, who cut up a Babe Ruth jersey, one of a very few complete jerseys out there, to put in a few packs.

With so many versions of a players rookie card, with companies having four or five different sets, nothing is truly unique anymore. A rookie pull from a regular set is not so special anymore.

Back to the inserts, Donruss had a Pat Tillman jersey all ready to cut up. They held onto it for three years. In the aftermath of his death in Afghanistan, Donruss donated the jersey to Tillman's family. At least they have a perspective on things.

That was nice of Donruss - but they're the ones who shredded the Babe's jersey too. They even had a whole ad campaign about it. At first I thought jersey and bat cards were cool, but now I think they're lame. Give me autographed cards and serial-numbered cards and I'm happy.

[1984Tigers]

Originally posted by McGwireFan67
I couldn't agree more.

In the late '80s and '90s, so many different companies started mass-producing cards and it seems as though competition between WAY TOO MANY companies drove the price value of the cards down. That and players like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden (who were convicted of drug abuse and/or suspended by the league for it) who somewhat tarnished their names. I remember back in the late '80s a Darryl Strawberry 1983 Topps Update card was well over $20, whereas today it is no more than $2.50. And yes, I can never understand WHY packs run for so high...it's not worth the effort anymore of collecting.

I too collect Topps only but I managed to get a few of the error cards from Fleer and Donruss from the early '80s. Nothing beats the quality of a good Topps card, in my opinion.

Baseball card collecting...it's no longer a hobby, but more of a profit for the card company manufacturer. Sad to say that.

MF67

I understand why late 80's/90's cards dropped from being overproduced. But even the older cards early 80's, 70's, 60's, 50's, and on, have plummetted in value.

Yeah like everything else, corporate greed has destroyed what was once a great thing to do. I hate those insert cards, that's like the stupidest thing imaginable to me. To pay all this money to own a card with a sliver of a tiny piece of a jersey or bat or whatever. I just don't get it.
Anyway I'm getting back into collecting with my kids, but we are only collecting older cards. About late 80's and before. Taking them to a card show this weekend, haven't been to one of those in ages

[Zito75]

Go on EBAY and get yourself some SEALED wax packs and boxes. I have been doing that for years. I have been getting cards I could never afford when I was a teenager (in the late 80's). It brings back memories and it's about collecting, not just the money.

That's thing... everybody looked to make a quick buck and that's what set the whole downward spiral into motion. When I was 16, I worked in a card shop and older guys would come in and buy cards to get the rookies, then turn around and sell them. Now it's all about the limited edition # inserts that are signed and with a piece of a jersey. The hobby just isn't what it used to be.

[insanefishpossay]

I'm a member over at sportscardforum.com, a site for trading sports cards with other collectors. I collect players who I like, and of course Twins... it's gotten REALLY frustrating though, trying to work out a trade when the majority of people will ONLY trade for Game Used/Autographs/High End RCs/High End Inserts.

[Zito75]

Insanefishpossay- IM me sometime and let me know if you are looking for anything.

[Utter Chaos]

Another reason the prices of older cards have plummetted is because of eBay. Dealers realize that the consumer can get the same card the dealer has for half the price on eBay so dealers have been forced to lower the prices.

[emstrem]

When the card companies started mass producing cards like mad I started collecting baseball memorabilia (pre-war gloves, etc), and starting collecting things of only 1 player (Al Kaline), and old Tiger cards and memorabilia. When I was growing up you could afford a pack of cards and a soda, the prices of cards now are geared for adults and not kids with the high price and the "rarity" of certain cards. When I was a kid you'd try to build sets but thanks to the card companies it's no longer possible with 1 of 1's and such, and they have the audacity (sp?) to cut up game used equipment. Kid's today dont even know what flipping cards is, let alone using your cards to play a game of baseball with friends.

I have since amassed almost everything with Kaline's mug on it except for a very few things. I have every card of his ever made except a 55 topps and a 71 topps greatest moment. I have anywhere from 1 to 20 of most of his cards. (only a few of the ones since 1975).I have about 40 of his autograph's on everything from paintings to baseballs (5).

Thanks to the card companies I started to just collect old stuff and hof auto'd baseballs of players I like and I find it's alot more rewarding.

I also dont like the shinyness of the new cards (what's wrong with cardboard ?).

I am now starting to build a 1954 Topps baseball set in any condition I can. It's challenging and I picked this set because it's Kaline's rookie card year and it contains a low number of cards.

And like insanefish says trading is almost non existant. I quit going to card shows a few years back because all you'd see are row's upon row's of shiny metallic cards (and they only want the auto'd, game-used, etc. cards) with a handfull of vintage booths.

Also now you cant just have a Mint, or NrMint card, but it has to have a number attached to it. PSA 8, SCG 88 , qualifiers and all that junk.

Sorry for ranting on my first post but the card companies have ruined new cards for me and for my children. Old is the way to go for me.

[insanefishpossay]

Originally posted by Utter Chaos
Another reason the prices of older cards have plummetted is because of eBay. Dealers realize that the consumer can get the same card the dealer has for half the price on eBay so dealers have been forced to lower the prices.

But Dealers are also part of the problem as well. Probibly the majority of card dealers are "pack-feelers", they know how to carefully feel unopened packs of cards and determine which packs have game used/autos/etc.

[1984Tigers]

Originally posted by emstrem
When the card companies started mass producing cards like mad I started collecting baseball memorabilia (pre-war gloves, etc), and starting collecting things of only 1 player (Al Kaline), and old Tiger cards and memorabilia. When I was growing up you could afford a pack of cards and a soda, the prices of cards now are geared for adults and not kids with the high price and the "rarity" of certain cards. When I was a kid you'd try to build sets but thanks to the card companies it's no longer possible with 1 of 1's and such, and they have the audacity (sp?) to cut up game used equipment. Kid's today dont even know what flipping cards is, let alone using your cards to play a game of baseball with friends.

I have since amassed almost everything with Kaline's mug on it except for a very few things. I have every card of his ever made except a 55 topps and a 71 topps greatest moment. I have anywhere from 1 to 20 of most of his cards. (only a few of the ones since 1975).I have about 40 of his autograph's on everything from paintings to baseballs (5).

Thanks to the card companies I started to just collect old stuff and hof auto'd baseballs of players I like and I find it's alot more rewarding.

I also dont like the shinyness of the new cards (what's wrong with cardboard ?).

I am now starting to build a 1954 Topps baseball set in any condition I can. It's challenging and I picked this set because it's Kaline's rookie card year and it contains a low number of cards.

And like insanefish says trading is almost non existant. I quit going to card shows a few years back because all you'd see are row's upon row's of shiny metallic cards (and they only want the auto'd, game-used, etc. cards) with a handfull of vintage booths.

Also now you cant just have a Mint, or NrMint card, but it has to have a number attached to it. PSA 8, SCG 88 , qualifiers and all that junk.

Sorry for ranting on my first post but the card companies have ruined new cards for me and for my children. Old is the way to go for me.

Sweet dude, I'm doing the same thing. Getting cards for my kids, older affordable ones. But I've started collecting memorabilia. Much more interesting and worth the money. Trying to get my hands on any and everything having to do with the 1984 Tigers.

Are you in the Detroit area?

[MikeCameronFAN]

Originally posted by Utter Chaos
Another reason the prices of older cards have plummetted is because of eBay. Dealers realize that the consumer can get the same card the dealer has for half the price on eBay so dealers have been forced to lower the prices.

Cancel your subscription to Beckett and just look on eBay, because isn't eBay a true reflection of the market? I always laugh when Beckett says a card is "worth" $80 when it's selling on eBay for $20.

[emstrem]

Are you in the Detroit area?

Yes, I live in Van Buren Township/Belleville, just east of Ypsilanti. How about yourself?