Where's your line on Modern / Vintage ?

justanoldtimer

We all know where the Pre War collectors stand on this
So to the post war collectors where do you draw the line on Modern / Vintage and why ??
Mine is 1980, My reason is simple, Topps only below 80 with a fleer set here and there..

Onlypsahockey

Now 71/72

In 15 years 88/89

In 25 years 88/89

In 50 years 88/89

JMO, Bob

bowdowntome

My personal cutoff is 1970. Why? That is the first year I started collecting.

I've heard many collectors state that 1957 should be the cutoff because that was the first year of the standard sized card.

IJustLoveCards

1975 The last great set of topps cards...loaded with rookies and HOF's

IMO...

ajw

1976 is vintage, 1977 isn't.

I can remember having 1977 Topps cards, but not 1976. For me, and probably for most people, anything I can't personally remember is "a really long time ago" which is also my personal definition for "vintage."

koby

1972


When PSA has grading specials for modern cards, the cut-off is 1972.

Buccaneer

1973 - the last of the series releases.

By the way, what does personal collecting experience have to do with answering this question?

Knuckles

1969

CollectorChris

1969 is the last vintage year. Everything from the 1970's and after is garbage.

WinPitcher

I think that like comics, cards may need more then 2 categories. Vintage would be pre WW2, Then you would have the era from then until 1973. The next era could be from 1974 to 1991. The last era would be from 1992 to the present. that would be 4 eras of card collecting/production.

Golden age 1800's thru 1945
Silver age 1946 thru 1973 last yr of series
Bronze age 1974 thru 1991 last yr before shiny stuff
Modern age 1992 ===

I think I have too much time on my hands

Stone193

Hi Steve
Not too much time - I was watching American Idol tonite and CSI - your breakdown is interesting. I don't have a cut-off but I have been seeing dealers who don't want anything past 1969. My son thinks vintage is anything from the 80's!

Hope you have been doing well!
your friend
mike

bowdowntome

<< <i>1973 - the last of the series releases.

By the way, what does personal collecting experience have to do with answering this question? >>



It's just an arbitrary point in time. I'm sure you're liable to get as many different answers to this as "what is the definition of a star vs. a non-star"

But I guess if you wanna pick a "technical point" then you can point straight to 1980/81. 1980 and older being "vintage" and 1981 and later being modern. That's when all those other card companies came in and messed up a good thing, giving way to the convoluted mess we have today. And more than that, if I remember right, that is also when the rookie card craze started. So, 1981 was not only a turning point in card manufacturing, but it also started a modern revolution in collecting.

Buccaneer

I think it depends on how many categories you feel there are, just like what Steve did.

If you want 4, then this would work:
Pre-War
Vintage
Modern
Shiny Sh*t

For 3:
Pre-War
Vintage
Modern

For 2:
Vintage
Modern

For 1:
Cardboard.

Stone193

<< <i>1969 is the last vintage year. Everything from the 1970's and after is garbage. >>


Ouch Chris
I have a closet full of garbage?

your friend
mike

wolfbear

Did some extensive number crunching of football card data recently
and based on the number of high grade cards available for each year,
four general groups emerged.

1 - issues through 1949
2 - 1950 through 1958
3 - 1959 through 1972
4 - 1973 and later

So the cutoff for "vintage" in football could be considered 1949, 1958, or 1972.

Griffins

1947- so effectively pre ww2

pandrews

<< <i>

<< <i>1969 is the last vintage year. Everything from the 1970's and after is garbage. >>


Ouch Chris
I have a closet full of garbage?

your friend
mike >>



Mike, that is correct.. However, I salvage items such as that, and I will be happy to pay freight to Florida to take it all off your hands and free up alot of space for you.. LMK..

wolfbear

<< <i>1947- so effectively pre ww2 >>



I guess that's what I don't understand about the term 'prewar' as being vintage.
By 1947 World War II was pretty much over, so how can that be prewar ?

Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941 so wouldn't prewar be 1940 ?
Also, World War II started in the 1930's, the United States just wasn't involved yet.

So what year are people referring to when they use the term prewar ?

jrdolan

For a truly fascinating perspective, ask the same question on the Beckett boards. For some of them, 1989 is ancient (a lot of them weren't born yet). For others, anything before Pujols in 2001 is "old stuff." Heck, to some folks whose collecting consists of ripping the latest packs at Wal-Mart and selling the contents on eBay so they can buy more packs, some of the 2005 material just released will soon be old news.

schr1st

I'd go with 1973 as well, although I can certainly see the arguments for 1980.

denwd1

wolfbear--you asked "So what year are people referring to when they use the term prewar ?"
i think prewar is 1941 and under,since we entered ww2 in dec. 1941,baseball cards were produced that year(1941).and since baseball is an american game ,we consider the war starting point as 1941.between the years 1942 thru 1946 there were no major card releases.as paper products were scarce and needed for the war effort.beginning in 1947,the us was getting back to normal and the days of paper, food,gas,etc rationing was over. so i think its a good cutoff point to call vintage prewar 1941..but i think 1960 is good because baseball expanded in 1961 from the traditional 16 teams,so to me vintage is 1960 and under.

Knuckles

<< <i>Shiny Sh*t >>



You forgot smelly.. "Shiny Smelly Sh*t"

New glossed up cards smell gross.

larryallen73

Great thread. To me 1980 is "vintage" and '81 and after SUCKS because of breaking the Topps monopoly! I would prefer ONE set a year. In 1981 we got Donruss, Fleer and by '82 we had credit card sets, sticker sets, K-mart sets, etc.... Too much and thus an easy line for me to draw. My second cut off would be '73 as vintage since I started collecting in '74.

windcarver5

You can say that again Knuckles!

I remember the first time I broke a box of Stadium Club. I don't know what process was used to develop
those cards, maybe formaldehyde or some other such vile crap but I thought I was going to have an asthma
attack or something. Even to this day I feel like I have to wear my sandblasting mask just to open the stuff!

Ah, good times......

mercurynut

1975