Collectors of baseball cards striking out

[ComicConnoisseur]

they could have held the card show in that video in someone's basement....scary.

 

At least there was no middle aged men dressed up in cosplay.

[bill977]

i wish to publicly thank you jeffro for posting some sweet atlas war,and expanding my war wantlist. now i will never finish these war books!! (thumbs u tho i did pick up a sweet combat number 5 this weekend. great heath art

[Jeffro.]

i wish to publicly thank you jeffro for posting some sweet atlas war,and expanding my war wantlist. now i will never finish these war books!! (thumbs u tho i did pick up a sweet combat number 5 this weekend. great heath art

 

I hear the Atlas war comic market is red hot in NC right now, just like sports cards, but what the f do I know? I'm just a tired old cracker spewing hip hop jargon in an attempt to look cool. Let's hear what the "expert" has to say.

[krighton]

they could have held the card show in that video in someone's basement....scary.

 

At least there was no middle aged men dressed up in cosplay.

 

+1

[bill977]

i wish to publicly thank you jeffro for posting some sweet atlas war,and expanding my war wantlist. now i will never finish these war books!! (thumbs u tho i did pick up a sweet combat number 5 this weekend. great heath art

 

I hear the Atlas war comic market is red hot in NC right now, just like sports cards, but what the f do I know? I'm just a tired old cracker spewing hip hop jargon in an attempt to look cool. Let's hear what the "expert" has to say.

pray tell,where does the cracker border start? i am above the ritz-keebler line by about 150 miles. so does that make me a cracker??

[VintageComics]

Sorry if this has been said before. I watched the OP's video and my thoughts on this are that comic characters are more eternal.

 

There is only 1 spider-man, and he has been in comics for the last 50 years. The average athlete's career isn't more than 10 years.

 

Sports is a business of "what have you done for me lately." Players are VERY easily forgotten. Unless you have vintage rookies of legends expect the market to fall through very soon.

 

I was collecting a lot of Broncos and Spurs players autographed card and recently sold my entire collection on the bay because once those players retire or get traded the market for them will be gone.

 

I think the vintage comic market is much stronger, and the sports fad is much more comparable to the modern comic/ variant market.

Babe Ruth is eternal. Mickey Mantle is eternal, Sandy Koufax is eternal, Roberto Clemente is eternal. There are just as many immortals in baseball, probably more, as in comics.

I assure you, people have not forgotten about Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins, Christy Matthewson, etc.

Yes, cards do tend to take a hit after the shiny and new wear off. But what collectible in todays market doesnt?

The maxim is the same: Collect what you love, love what you collect, and if there is any money left in them then that is a bonus.

But how many baseball cards have sold over $10k vs comic books...lets say after 1950

I dunno. But I would say that there are cards that trade in that range.

But, sorry to be obtuse, the point of your post is?

My point is I agree with the OP that Collectors are striking out with baseball cards. They, compared to comic books.....S....U....C...K. Thats my point

Ah, the always popular "what i collect is awesome and what you collect su cks" argument. Always trotted out by the small minded and those who take someone else collecting something else as a personal affront.

Cards are not striking out. There are shows all over, about 4 this month just in my state of NC, shops that are still open (my local card shop does a booming business and you should see the nights they have pack wars and trade night, and they are geared to kids as well) and a thriving community on eBay. Oh, and there are about 5 major message boards as well that are always active.

But, lets not let facts stand in the way of a good argument doucher.

 

So what goes on in NC is indicative of the overall hobby? Can you say that the hobby is as strong across the country?

 

There are other facts in play here. Those facts are that in general the collectible sports card market is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago. Cards were massively overproduced, values plummeted. Here in CT, I watched at least 5 local stores go out of business when sports cards collapsed in the 90s. In the late 80s/early 90's I used to be able to go to to at least one to two card shows every month. That just isn't the case here anymore and I do not believe your example in NC is the norm. The hobby is depressed right now. I wish it weren't

So what goes on in your neck of the wood is indicitive of the hobby? You dont get to play it both ways.

So, my anecdotal evidence is not acceptable but yours is. Nice.

There are shows all over the US, large an small, on a very regular basis. There is the National, in Baltimore this year, that is every bit as large as SD, NY, Chicago-Con. The hobby isnt depressed as bad as you think it is.

 

Allow me to join the discussion.

 

Arex, your sweeping statement that "the hobby isn't depressed as bad as you think it is" implies that you are talking about the hobby in general. Seeing as baseball was known as the "great American pastime", if anyone said that, I'd assume they were talking about the entire nation and the state of the hobby across it.

 

Jeffro even qualified it by asking if you were speaking for the state of the hobby across the entire country.

 

He simply offered a rebuttal that it was not so where he is from.

 

I see Jeffro's qualified argument as valid in the sense that he rebutted your point directly and you dismissed it outright.

 

I'm not saying collecting baseball cards sucks at all though. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. I love old things and even though I know nothing about baseball except for the times I played it as a kid, I'd still think it was cool to collect old cards for the sake of nostalgia.

 

 

[jonjesper]

My LCS is both a card shop and a comic shop. I have been going there or working there and back to buying there for years.

The trend that you saw as late as a decade ago were the people coming in and maxing out CCs in order to buy a case of SP or whatever was hot that week. They would open every box right there and leave everything behind beyond the 'valueable' cards. Not very often did I see anyone break even.

These people would be into cards for about 3 months and then never to be seen again. It was a lottery plain and simple.

As someone who bought cards in the early 80s and set up at shows in the late 80s while I was a teenager, it was fun then. Prices were crazy but everyone could afford something. Ken Griffey Jr UD RC changed everything. I mean everything...

 

The comparison to comics is valid, but most people right now are buying comics to read and collect. Most people buying cards were only there to buy and resell, virtually 90% of the people buying were ready to let go of the card immediately.

This is the opposite of comics IMO at my LCS where far less then 10% are reselling comics.

Heck...

The NBA product this year doesn't even have rookie card because of the NBA lockout. Companies like Topps lose rights to sports and someone else picks it up. When the biggest company out there loses the rights to a sport, there are going to be issues.

And lastly...

When you can buy the card for far less on ebay then the price of a pack in many cases, why even bother buying packs?

[oakman29]

i wish to publicly thank you jeffro for posting some sweet atlas war,and expanding my war wantlist. now i will never finish these war books!! (thumbs u tho i did pick up a sweet combat number 5 this weekend. great heath art

 

I hear the Atlas war comic market is red hot in NC right now, just like sports cards, but what the f do I know? I'm just a tired old cracker spewing hip hop jargon in an attempt to look cool. Let's hear what the "expert" has to say.

pray tell,where does the cracker border start? i am above the ritz-keebler line by about 150 miles. so does that make me a cracker??

I'm a cracker! I can't believe this has become such a big deal.O.K. Arex I get your point,relax.Maybe cards are great in your area of the world,they certainly are not in Southern Calif. That's just here,not there.I really don't give a rats about cards anyway,I'm here for the comic books.You are a very wise man indeed,but don't get hot and bothered over something so trivial.

[krighton]

Newest Cracker

[bill977]

Newest Cracker

oh my,the mind boogles. can you imagine the fall-out from a wasp doing this?

[oakman29]

Newest Cracker

oh my,the mind boogles. can you imagine the fall-out from a wasp doing this?

If white people did this we would be hung out to dry.

[bill977]

Newest Cracker

oh my,the mind boogles. can you imagine the fall-out from a wasp doing this?

If white people did this we would be hung out to dry,so much reverse racism going on these days.

you are so right. i was called a racist in 08 cos i didnt buy into hope and change

[oakman29]

[jools&jim]

 

...I'd still think it was cool to collect old cards for the sake of nostalgia.

 

And this gets us very close to the crux of the entire issue, if we're still talking about the future health of the comics hobby, relative to observations drawn from card collecting: it is impossible for ANYONE to be nostalgic for something which they never owned or loved, as a child, in the first place.

 

Are statistically significant numbers of 7-to-12 year-olds out there right now buying new comic books or baseball cards? If not, then what is the likelihood that those same kids will want these items--and pay a "collectible" premium for them--25 years from now as adults? Time will tell, but it seems to me that the inevitable endgame of both hobbies is not extinction necessarily, but a steady decline, with fewer and fewer new, dedicated, passionate, long-term collectors replacing the dead and dying old breed.

 

Whether or not the comics or baseball card hobbies are going great guns right now with $10k items transacting amongst adult cognoscenti is irrelevant to long-term future performance: as in all things, the future belongs to those who show up for it.

 

 

[bill977]

i wish to publicly thank you jeffro for posting some sweet atlas war,and expanding my war wantlist. now i will never finish these war books!! (thumbs u tho i did pick up a sweet combat number 5 this weekend. great heath art

 

I hear the Atlas war comic market is red hot in NC right now, just like sports cards, but what the f do I know? I'm just a tired old cracker spewing hip hop jargon in an attempt to look cool. Let's hear what the "expert" has to say.

pray tell,where does the cracker border start? i am above the ritz-keebler line by about 150 miles. so does that make me a cracker??

I'm a cracker! I can't believe this has become such a big deal.O.K. Arex I get your point,relax.Maybe cards are great in your area of the world,they certainly are not in Southern Calif. That's just here,not there.I really don't give a rats about cards anyway,I'm here for the comic books.You are a very wise man indeed,but don't get hot and bothered over something so trivial.

i have always liked old comics and old sports cards,and both hobbies are riddled with their own issues of greed and such

[Solar]

Back in '99, I went to a card show in center city Philly and on my way out saw that a dealer had the only (at the time) PSA 10 Mike Schmidt Topps AND OPC rookies in his showcase. I bought the Topps for $4K, which was probably 80% of my net worth as a college sophomore.

 

It was my prized posession for about 2 weeks before I realized that I was 19 and needed beer money. I put him up on eBay with no reserve and pulled in approx $9K. Still one of my better short term flips.

 

I'm guessing that card is actually worth more now since it's damn tough to get in a 10. Anyone know if another has sold since?

[ComicConnoisseur]

...I'd still think it was cool to collect old cards for the sake of nostalgia.

 

And this gets us very close to the crux of the entire issue, if we're still talking about the future health of the comics hobby, relative to observations drawn from card collecting: it is impossible for ANYONE to be nostalgic for something which they never owned or loved, as a child, in the first place.

 

Are statistically significant numbers of 7-to-12 year-olds out there right now buying new comic books or baseball cards? If not, then what is the likelihood that those same kids will want these items--and pay a "collectible" premium for them--25 years from now as adults? Time will tell, but it seems to me that the inevitable endgame of both hobbies is not extinction necessarily, but a steady decline, with fewer and fewer new, dedicated, passionate, long-term collectors replacing the dead and dying old breed.

 

Whether or not the comics or baseball card hobbies are going great guns right now with $10k items transacting amongst adult cognoscenti is irrelevant to long-term future performance: as in all things, the future belongs to those who show up for it.

 

Coins,Cards and comic books are all each fun and interesting nostaligic hobbies that I loved,but the new generations will be collecting video games,action figures and Lego Star Wars when they grow up and have disposable income. My nephew is 25, just graduated college and got a good paying profession. With the extra money he has now I suggested he buy an AF#15 or Spider-man #1. He said that was cool,but went out and bought all those 1980s Nintendo,Atari and Sega original systems and games instead. I asked him why those video games instead of Spider-man? He said since he was born in 1987 and had never read Spider-man comics,that they had no special nostalgic memories for him like the video games he played hundreds of hours as a kid. This will get even worse for coins,cards and comics because if we think somebody born in 1987 cannot relate to comics,then the odds of his children or grandchildren who will be born 25 to 40 years later are slim or none for them collecting coins,cards and comics.

[Solar]

...I'd still think it was cool to collect old cards for the sake of nostalgia.

 

And this gets us very close to the crux of the entire issue, if we're still talking about the future health of the comics hobby, relative to observations drawn from card collecting: it is impossible for ANYONE to be nostalgic for something which they never owned or loved, as a child, in the first place.

 

Are statistically significant numbers of 7-to-12 year-olds out there right now buying new comic books or baseball cards? If not, then what is the likelihood that those same kids will want these items--and pay a "collectible" premium for them--25 years from now as adults? Time will tell, but it seems to me that the inevitable endgame of both hobbies is not extinction necessarily, but a steady decline, with fewer and fewer new, dedicated, passionate, long-term collectors replacing the dead and dying old breed.

 

Whether or not the comics or baseball card hobbies are going great guns right now with $10k items transacting amongst adult cognoscenti is irrelevant to long-term future performance: as in all things, the future belongs to those who show up for it.

 

 

I agree to a certain extent, but I think the longevity of the subject is more important than the specific media, at least when it comes to 'key' collectibles.

 

For example, a copy of the 1887 edition of 'Beeton's Christmas Annual' sold for $450K in 2010. I doubt there's more than a handful of people who collect this specific type of publication, but because it's the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes, who is still extremely relevant in pop culture, it still pulls in half a million.

 

IMO, the right questions to ask when dealing with this 'rule of 25' line of thinking are:

 

- Will anyone give a damn about this character/baseball player/whatever in 25 years?

- Is this specific collectible an important/representative piece for its subject?

 

My point is that in 50 years, if and when traditional floppy comics are extinct, a run of pre-Robin 'Tecs will be worth more than it is today, because Batman will still be relevant and those books are integral to Batman's history. That said, I wouldn't make the same bet on something like a CGC 9.8 Batman 608 RRP.

[kidcolt]

I see the modern athletes on the cards play on tv all the time and vintage guys on espn classic. Actually see them more than super heroes.

 

There is still huge money in cards just like comics. Hot players and great old vintage especially company high graded stuff (PSA, BGS, BVG, KSA). I still collect vintage and my sone loves to buy new stuff with his favorite players on them.

 

Like comics the over produced cards of the early-mid 90's go for little as they were over produced and everyone seemed to collect them.

 

When was the last time you saw a sports card movie? I think the hobbies are completely different and they have different drivers. I would consider pop culture of comics to be more relevant to books that are also pop culture/cult classics.

[Brian48]

 

Back in '99, I went to a card show in center city Philly and on my way out saw that a dealer had the only (at the time) PSA 10 Mike Schmidt Topps AND OPC rookies in his showcase. I bought the Topps for $4K, which was probably 80% of my net worth as a college sophomore.

 

It was my prized posession for about 2 weeks before I realized that I was 19 and needed beer money. I put him up on eBay with no reserve and pulled in approx $9K. Still one of my better short term flips.

 

I'm guessing that card is actually worth more now since it's damn tough to get in a 10. Anyone know if another has sold since?

 

The OPC version has gone for about $4000+/- over the last couple of years. The Topps version has been in higher demand, but I haven't seen any PSA 10s in years.