Originally Posted by
Benihana
Im sure everyone on this board used to be a collector in their younger years. What you may or may not know is that the industry/hobby has completely gone down the tubes in the digital age. First there were too many brands that flooded the market as MLB gave out too many licenses and customers were confused, causing the value to plummet. While Topps used to have a monopoly in the 1960s ad 1970s, brands like Fleer and Donruss joined in the 80s and Upper Deck made a big splash with its debut season in 1989. Excess supply and confusion ensued, and as a result, baseball cards lost their value.
Then the Internet and the rise of the digital age happened. Sites like ESPN and Baseball Reference became the go-to source for a player's career stats. Kids spend more time on the Internet and playing video games and fantasy baseball, and less time collecting and trading physical cards. As a result, industry interest waned.
Recently something interesting happened. Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney, bought Topps. Topps then secured an exclusive license from MLB to be the only baseball card maker in the market. They are also attempting to have a digital presence. So my question to you is, can the industry come back? Will it? Where do you see the future of baseball cards going and what would you do if you were Topps?