Why I Don't Collect Modern Cards

mudflap02

A mention of a Lebron James master set on another thread reminded me of seeing this the other day. It's the inserts from the new Upper Deck Exquisite basketball set:

Each sealed case contains 3 wooden boxes. Each box is a beautiful wooden (Maple) box with an etched plexiglass top. Each of the 3 boxes contains 1 pack of 5 cards each in a 78-card base set including 42 Veterans (#'d to 225) and 36 Jersey Patch Rookies (31 Level 2 #'d to 225 and 5 Level 1 #'d to 99: James, Milicic, Anthony, Bosh, and Wade).

Each box will contain one Autograph Jersey Patch card (#'d to 100 or less) and one Autograph Rookie Jersey Patch card. Parallel sets: Gold (#'d to 25) and Rainbow (#'d to 1). Inserts: Autograph Jersey Patch 1:1 (Exquisite #'d to 100, Exquisite parallel #'d to 1, Limited Logos #'d to 75, Noble Nameplates #'d to 25, Scripted Swatches #'d to 25, Emblems of Endorsement #'d to 15, and Number Pieces #'d to jersey number), Autograph Rookie Memorabilia 1:1 (Exquisite #'d to 225, Exquisite parallel #'d to 1, Jersey Patch #'d to 99, and Jersey Patch parallel #'d to jersey number), and Memorabilia (Extra Exquisite #'d to 75: oversized swatches, Extra Exquisite Duals #'d to 25, Veteran Jersey parallel #'d to 25, Veteran Jersey Patch parallel #'d to 10, Triple Jersey Patch #'d to 10, Foursomes Quadruple Jersey Patch #'d to 10, Quadruple Jersey Patch #'d to 3, and All-NBA Access #'d to 1: Dual Logoman Jersey Patch cards).


Phew - - --

Each pack costs $500 (that's right each pack, not box or case). This is only one of the many sets Upper deck will be offering. Other companies will be offering countless more. It would be impossible and the opposite of fun to collate a complete set of these. Keep in mind that the set is coming out in June, right as the season is ending. I hope this set goes over like a fart in church.

goodriddance189

i remember reading a card magazine article in '94 about how manufacturers were destroying the player collector market by producing too many inserts/parallels/etc. it proclaimed "if i wanted to buy all the '94 Gretzkys, it'd cost me almost $1500!" $1500 MIGHT buy you a few of the most expensive Gretzkys produced this year, if you're lucky. it's absolutely ridiculous. at one point, i had 95% of the Brett Favre cards produced from 91-97. i was actually runner-up for SuperCollector of the year in Beckett one month. but it all changed in 98. too many parallels, inserts, serial numbered crap, too much everything. i got pissed and gave up. i didn't really want to sell my truck just so i could afford the latest batch of overhyped, overproduced Favre cards.

$500 for ONE pack of cards? are you F-ing kidding me? its always fun to get the modern collectors riled up when i ask em how many times they've actually made their money back buying new boxes. they always go in to some rant about how vintage cards are a ripoff. yeah, sure. at least i know that if i have to sell my collection, i'll be able to make my money back and maybe even turn a profit.

speaking of LeBron, i followed his first card (03 Finest Redemption) when it was released last year. regular cards were selling for $300, and the Gold Refractors were selling for a whopping $1200+. values now? the regular card, graded BGS 9.5, recently sold for $125. i haven't seen a Gold sell recently, but i doubt they'd pull more than half of their original price. in a microcosm, that's what the new market is about. here today, gone today.

ZodiacMindwarp

I think that modern cards are similar to the stock market while vintage cards are like the bond market. With modern cards, there is heavy volatility but if you are educated about the product, you can make some money. If you aren't you stand to lose quite a bit. With vintage cards, there is less risk and, therefore, less return. As always, buy what you like but if you are buying for investment purposes, beware.

bill7549

Yeah, vintage stuff rocks. The most modern card I own is a 1990 Topps traded Emmitt Smith, and beyond that the 1986 Topps baseball set is it. But I doubt I collect any other sets post-1970 from here on out.

sloanjr

i have to agree with mudflap on modern cards. even if i was a multi zillionare you couldn't get me to buy the first modern pack if the babe himself delivered it to my door.let alone pay $500 bucks for a pack of cards.i'm lucky to scrap up $20 bucks to buy a few ryan and perry cards.at least i know i could get some of my cash back with these cards.i have found a new use for modern cards,they make great fire logs!

DirtyHarry

Sloanjr - duck!! I must say I admire your pelotas for listing such an incendiary post #2 - fire logs!!

Seriously though, I have very few modern cards largely because I find it overwhelming to keep track of the fast and furious number of releases. I find it hard to decide. But kudos to modern collectors for keeping up with the pace and the chase.

sloanjr

sorry if i offended any modern card collectors and yes i do have modern cards in my collection.they are the u.d 2000 yankee bat cards and i have been buying the u.d. yankee signature series cards.they do make some nice sub sets to collect.i guess you need deep pockets to play in the modern card market.i kind of compare it to lottery tickets.you just take a chance and hope you hit it big.i guess its like dirty harry said it is hard to keep up with all the new releases.so just pick and choose the ones you like and hope for the best.

helionaut

I collect mostly modern. Yeah, collecting modern players is a drag as it's really not possible to ever be completely done, what with 1/1s and other artificially rare cards. But it's been like that for about 7 years now, so I'm used to it. It's really not much different from collecting vintage. Want to build a T206 set? Good luck with that. Want to build a nice 52 Topps? Save your pennies. There are dozens of sets and players for whom completion is prohibited either by expense and/or rarity. So you pick what fits your predilection and budget.

I draw the line at opening packs with less than 4 cards and costing more than $1 per card, and I rarely open packs anymore at all. The lottery/gambling mentality of the high end of new product doesn't appeal to me. That said, UD puts out these three-digit packs and "Master Sets" because they can. There are lots of people who will break up these Lebron sets (how can it be a "Master" set in his first year?). If they come out with an Exquisite baseball set, it will probably be even higher. On the bright side, I do like building the base sets from the ultra high-end product. What is on paper a $10,000 set by the pack can be had for a couple hundred.

pandrews

<< <i>i have to agree with mudflap on modern cards. even if i was a multi zillionare you couldn't get me to buy the first modern pack if the babe himself delivered it to my door.let alone pay $500 bucks for a pack of cards.i'm lucky to scrap up $20 bucks to buy a few ryan and perry cards.at least i know i could get some of my cash back with these cards.i have found a new use for modern cards,they make great fire logs! >>



you're bad decisions will prohibit you from ever reaching "multi zillionare" status.. you should quit with the exaggerations.. i'm sure you would pay for a Babe Ruth autograph, yet you wont "buy the first modern pack if the babe himself delivered it".. thats an ignorant statement.. is that at any price? you failed to mention a dollar amount. Would you pay 45 cents for a pack? Also, I'm sure you could find better firestarters than modern cards, hence saving you some cash to help you achieve "multi zillionare" status. Then you wouldnt have to be "lucky" to "scrap up $20 bucks" to buy Ryan and Perry cards.

marz

<< <i>i have to agree with mudflap on modern cards. even if i was a multi zillionare you couldn't get me to buy the first modern pack if the babe himself delivered it to my door.let alone pay $500 bucks for a pack of cards.i'm lucky to scrap up $20 bucks to buy a few ryan and perry cards.at least i know i could get some of my cash back with these cards.i have found a new use for modern cards,they make great fire logs! >>



Did someone say Vintage!!!!

koby

Forget Ruth autographs. It's all about Gaylord Perry cards from the 70s.

mudflap02

That's a vintage 404 my friend.

Scumbi

I've watched kids open modern packs and it's kind of like teeny-gambling. Half the time, they toss the cards out. They are all trying to get the gold ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Even when the teenagers pull a decent card, they'll sell it back to the vendor so they can tear open more packs. It's legalized lottery for the acne crowd. I have nothing against modern cards. All cards started as modern cards at one point. However, my brain is slowing down and I cannot keep track of the seven thousand brands and sets available. When I was a kid, you had one choice. It was easy. It was easy to trade with friends too because you gave a card you had doubles of and got one in return. It must be tough to trade because there's literally a brand for each person collecting.

S.