Shiny cards, Wilson Franks, Goudey and Refractors

1420sports

I was just curious to see if any collectors of VINTAGE cards are still buying packs made today. I am not, but was thinking I should. There is way too much out there so I would need to focus on one issue.

These cards give me a headache when I look at them too long during a card show, but they are cards and I do collect cards.

Just curious ...

pinhigh

I don't buy any new packs of cards but I do know that the 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams card is gorgeous.

Griffins

I did this year, for the first time since Gerald Ford was president. Upper Deck came out with a set that looks pretty close to the '71 Topps that I loved so much as a kid. Not having any luck finding unopened packs of '71's I bought a few, then a few more, then....well, you know how these things go. Just like the spring of '71 I opened pack after pack, building my set. No worries about centering, getting them graded, corner dings. They're not worth anything and probably never will be, except to me. After a few months I put a set in pages, and then put together a couple more sets for my sons school silent auction. All in all it was fun and cheap (this stuff is flooding the market, and gets blown out pretty cheaply).
The best part was I didn't care what my son did to them- we flipped 'em, tossed 'em, even put Barry Bonds in the spokes of the two wheeler he was just learning to ride (think I liked that better than him).
Sometimes its nice to just have things simple, and remember what it was that got you here in the first place.

jaxxr

Tough to write this while watching the mighty Bears and Lions on the small TV,

Anyway I started getting new stuff in 1999 after a seven year layoff. A younger co-worker convinced me that there is great fun with the new product. I put together about ten sets that year ( still think complete sets are the way to go) about five the next year, did three complete 2002 Topps regular and two of their corresponding insert sets for this year. Somehow I am not really looking forward to the 2003 coming out in about four weeks. The new stuff is nice, high quality stock, top photgraphy, better color/gloss and so on, but so what ? There is hardly any demand for a full set, and anything can be found fairly easy if you have the money. I do like the 99 Bowman Chrome international parallel set, and am casually working on it, as guys like Furcal and Sabiath diminish in value, cards are more economical. I also enjoy getting some current cards of retired guys like Maris, Williams, Etc.

Back in 1980 and the years before there was one major card set available, now counting insert sets I bet there might be 407 sets available, same number as individual cards in 1957 set which was the first in today's "standard" size.

If I was going to blow a hundred or so bucks on some cards, it's quite hard to decide ; get almost all the remaining 99 internats. i need, get several boxes of 2003 Topps, or pay a small premium and get some more vintage singles.

Lions win in OT by FG.

1954

I actually just bought some packs a couple of days ago. It is sad when a pack is $9.00 each. Once you open them up, all it is is $1.35 worth of cards. It won't be long before the new cards will become worthless forever. If you started collecting in 1982, and put together every Topps set until let's say 2017. What real value is there? Yes, I know the value of maybe playing with them, or maybe the father/son bonding. But what is the financial value of all of this? Many people maybe thinking that I am wrong to associate cards with money. However, it is very difficult not to when the card shops are asking $9.00 each for a pack and it take 332 packs to complete the set. Now you see where I am coming from?
I only collect the old stuff, however I will go into the card shops from time to time just to spend money to help out their business. I don't want to see them leave the market. It only hurts all of us.
1954

joker73

Neal,

I do buy boxes for select releases, but buying newer cards these days seems to come down to two things:

1. You really like a certain sport/team/card manufacturer, and like putting sets together.
2. You really like to gamble, so you open boxes to try and get a rare insert/rookie card.

When I first started buying the "new" stuff in 1998, I was squarely in group 1. However, I now fear that my gambler's nature has made me part of group 2. Why on earth I would spend $100 (or more) on a box of cards when I could get another nice PSA Rose for the collection is beyond me .

My recommendation would be to decide what you really want to collect among the new sets (i.e., Phillies team sets or autographs, or sets that feature more HOFers and less no-name 18-year-old rookies), and just buy the singles as they come up on eBay. This is *way* cheaper than buying boxes and hoping for a good card to come out of it. Not that I'm smart enough to take my own advice ...

Robert

anjcollection

i pretty much agree with the others on this board. i started buying new stuff in 97. made a decent amount buying boxes of bowman chrome (at shows in LA) and then waiting a season for them to appreciate a ton (usually takes a few years for bowman rc's to actually start playing in the bigs).

of course, now, i'd rather spend the money on vintage stuff anyways. i almost gave in last month- but like many others, the new stuff starts to hurt my head after a while... i like sticking to "topps" and "bowman"

by the way, jaxxr, i've got some 99bc internationals tucked away in a box somewhere... lemme know which ones you need...

LuxuryWines

Every now and then I will dabble in New cards.....But lately I have lost interest... I put together the 73 VAriation Bonds HR Cards in 02 Topps, 2001 Fleer Red Sox (all the Bats, AUtos, SIgs and inserts.), and I have also put together the 2001 Topps Gold foil insert set all 791 cards #'d to 2001. and then did the traded set (for my son who was born in 2001.) But for some reason I can not get excited about new product (I did not even finnish my base 02 Topps set I just did the Bonds and Series 1). Even though this may sound like a lot I used to spend $300-$500 a month on newer cards for my collection. I have not spent a dime in the last 6 months.

Declining values are part of the equation, but for the most part there are just way too many cards to buy. And I look at my Topps sets (which are complete back to 1971.) and begin to think how many cards do I need? How can I display them to enjoy them... MOst of these sets sit on a shelf in a binder and I hardly EVER look AT THEM... I will probably continue to fill out my 70 , 68 and 67 sets which are all NM and not graded... And continue to work on some PSA sets... But I am now interested in smaller sets that I can display and enjoy.....

1420sports

Why on earth I would spend $100 (or more) on a box of cards when I could get another nice PSA Rose for the collection is beyond me

Robert, I could not agree more, but I have the craving from time to time to open up some packs .... that is something I used to do a lot of 15 years ago, and now for $9.00 per pack (sometimes 4 cards) I just cannot justify it.

Luxury Wines put it well, I will probably just focus on Rose, Schmidt and now the 70 Kelloggs set - those guys got me hooked, seem like good fellas.

Maybe I will buy a rack box from the 80's and open em up .... every now and then of course to keep the cravings to a minimum