Baseball Cards

[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?

[mth123]

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?

Market was flooded. I'd go back to one set of cards per season with no special cards for certain guys and I'd keep it to buying them in packs with bubble gum. Buying sets at a time took all the fun out of it that made it so popular in the first place.

No cards for minor leaguers or draftees either.

[reds1869]

There are several excellent sets produced for those who like to build them the old fashioned way, most notably Topps Heritage. I gave up on modern cards completely a few years ago because of the factors already mentioned. I rarely buy cards nay more, but when I do I buy Deadball era or other vintage issues.

[Tony Cloninger]

I liked the Fleer cards. I have 1988-1990 and Score 1988-89. I have the full boxed sets, along with Topps from 1987-1992, except 1990. By the time I had enough money to frivolously spend on this stuff.....the 70's cards shot through the roof.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

I liked the Fleer cards. I have 1988-1990 and Score 1988-89. I have the full boxed sets, along with Topps from 1987-1992, except 1990. By the time I had enough money to frivolously spend on this stuff.....the 70's cards shot through the roof.

Yep, 1986-1990 was the pinnacle of my card collecting career.

[Benihana]

Does anyone believe Topps and baseball cards in general can make a comeback in some form? If so, what form should it take? I agree with mth's thoughts to simplify, but I think they have to do something involving digital (not sure what though).

[kaldaniels]

Originally Posted by Benihana

Does anyone believe Topps and baseball cards in general can make a comeback in some form? If so, what form should it take? I agree with mth's thoughts to simplify, but I think they have to do something involving digital (not sure what though).

I messed around with the eTopps thing a decade ago...I thought that was gonna be the future of "sports cards", almost a stock market to some degree, but it seems to have fizzled out.

Still have a 2002 Austin Kearns worth 0.20 cents.

[RedsfaninMT]

Throw up in mouth...really painful memories.

I was an avid collector as a kid. How I didn't rot out my teeth with the amount of bubble gum I chewed on is still a great mystery to me. At any rate, I had thousands and thousands of cards. My dad had a graduate student who gave me his collection from the early 50's. Another gave me his set from the early 60's.

Then, as a 17-year-old in 1979, my mom insisted I get rid of them.

She thought they took up far too much room in box upon box in my bedroom. So she offered a younger friend of mine my entire set for $50. Bye bye Mickey Mantle rookie card. Bye bye Pete Rose rookie card. I even had a card of Gene Packard, Cincinnati Red, from 1914 or thereabouts. By far my oldest card, and a cherished one. Gone.

I ran into the guy who got those cards many years ago. He told me he had sold them at the peak of the market, paying entirely for two houses, a car and putting away a significant chunk of change into savings.

No, I will never again collect cards. Far too painful memories.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by mth123

Market was flooded. I'd go back to one set of cards per season with no special cards for certain guys and I'd keep it to buying them in packs with bubble gum. Buying sets at a time took all the fun out of it that made it so popular in the first place.

No cards for minor leaguers or draftees either.

This. I've still got all my cards, probably around 40,000 or so. But I lost interest shortly after Fleer and Donruss showed up. That's about the same time it became a business instead of a kids hobby too.

[Vottomatic]

Originally Posted by _Sir_Charles_

This. I've still got all my cards, probably around 40,000 or so. But I lost interest shortly after Fleer and Donruss showed up. That's about the same time it became a business instead of a kids hobby too.

I collected all through the 70's the hard way by buying the bubble gum packs. In the early 80's I simply starting buying the sets. I probably have 20,000 or more cards. I quit in the mid-80's.

I also would go to shows and buy older cards. I have a '63 Koufax and a '63 Hank Aaron. I believe that's the right year. Might be '62. Probably my best cards other than the superstars of the 70's.

[RANDY IN INDY]

Still have my collection. One of the things that I hold near and dear to my heart. Brings back so many memories of carefree days spent in the late 60's and early 70's.

[GADawg]

i agree with the idea of simplifying the market as a means to building it back up. It did get too flooded. I collect alot of different things to the point of being obsessive at times and for me it got too difficult, confusing, and expensive to keep up. I doubt the market for cards will come back all at once or anything but I'm guessing over time they'll make a nice comeback.

btw my ultimate card collecting goal is to get every topps set from by birth year on...1966. I'm missing several sets from recent years but I'm closing in on the rest.

[PuffyPig]

I bought cards as a kid, but no restrict by buying to the Topps set each year, and any reds cards especially older ones.

I have the complete set of the 1955 Cincinnati Reds, the year I was born.

[CySeymour]

I also think the price of packs have gotten out of hand. It was an after thought for mom or dad to buy me a couple of packs of cards for 50 cents back in the 80's. Now you can pay as much as $5 or $6 for a pack.

[757690]

Originally Posted by RedsfaninMT

Throw up in mouth...really painful memories.

I was an avid collector as a kid. How I didn't rot out my teeth with the amount of bubble gum I chewed on is still a great mystery to me. At any rate, I had thousands and thousands of cards. My dad had a graduate student who gave me his collection from the early 50's. Another gave me his set from the early 60's.

Then, as a 17-year-old in 1979, my mom insisted I get rid of them.

She thought they took up far too much room in box upon box in my bedroom. So she offered a younger friend of mine my entire set for $50. Bye bye Mickey Mantle rookie card. Bye bye Pete Rose rookie card. I even had a card of Gene Packard, Cincinnati Red, from 1914 or thereabouts. By far my oldest card, and a cherished one. Gone.

I ran into the guy who got those cards many years ago. He told me he had sold them at the peak of the market, paying entirely for two houses, a car and putting away a significant chunk of change into savings.

No, I will never again collect cards. Far too painful memories.

That's a heartbreaking story, I feel for you.

However, the main reason why those cards are worth so much is because no one ever thought they'd be worth anything, an everyone's mom threw them out or gave them away. I worked in the Card business in the 90's and I heard stories like that every day. If everyone's mom had held on to them, they wouldn't be worth much. Not that it makes you feel any better.

This is exactly why modern Baseball Cards will never be worth much. Everyone knows to hold on to them. I actually like this, kids and fans will collect cards because they like and enjoy them, not because they can make money on them.