When the Bottom Falls Out
melvin289
Posts: 3,019 ✭
Before I quit collecting cards in 90-91, I was working on finishing a set of 81 Fleer. I had bought the set almost complete that someone had taken all the money cards out. (there were money cards in that set back then) I was just looking on BBCE and can buy the entire set for less than what one of the cards I needed would have cost me then.
Sigh
Ron
Sigh
Ron
Collect for the love of the hobby, the beauty of the coins, and enjoy the ride.
0
Comments
It is a real shame what has happened to the 80's baseball cards. There are just too many of them and the public knows that almost all of them cheated.
The other key factor is now that the grading boom has lasted over 10 years, the scarcity factor no longer exists and you can find any of the cards at almost any given time for sale in high grade.
Why lump Griffey into the list of those who are known users?
They are stored in the basement in an air-tight container to keep them fresh, along side my daughter's beanie baby collection.
<< <i>I have a fine collection of Jose Canseco cards - just waiting for the values to rise before I make a killing on eBay.
They are stored in the basement in an air-tight container to keep them fresh, along side my daughter's beanie baby collection. >>
You should have invested in POGS....
<< <i>But on the positive side, now you can easily buy all the cards that you wanted so badly when you were younger. >>
Very refreshing way of looking at things. Isn't that why we should be collecting...getting to relive our past and with 80s cards on the cheap!
<< <i>But on the positive side, now you can easily buy all the cards that you wanted so badly when you were younger. >>
I've done that a few times. I recently was delighted to purchase 3 Minty fresh 86 Donruss Cansecos from a CU member for under $10 total.
<< <i>But on the positive side, now you can easily buy all the cards that you wanted so badly when you were younger. >>
Darn straight. I really wanted a 1994 Flair Hot Gloves Griffey when I was a kid. It was $100+ at my local shop back when they were the hot thing, which would have taken me most of a summer to save up for. I picked up a psa 9 a while back for $7 shipped. May have even overpaid.
Stupid me traded a bunch of 1962 Topps I was given by a neighbor for modern crap, because "nobody wants the old stuff anymore." I kick myself for that one every time I think about it. :-(
<< <i>But on the positive side, now you can easily buy all the cards that you wanted so badly when you were younger. >>
This is pretty true and it is why I purchased a membership and am grading cards again. Expect it really only applies to cards that were major "Hot List" items back then of players who continued to have good careers all the way through the grading explosion. But many of my fondest memories of collecting were centered around stuff that didn't last:
Try finding a PSA 10 1990 Upper Deck Kevin Maas RC or a PSA 10 1991 Upper Deck Phil Plantier RC or an 1988 Fleer/Donruss Gregg Jefferies RC. Each would likely cost $20 or more. And you can all but forget about locating PSA 9 or better copies of any of the now-forgotten 1989-1991 error cards, since no one cares to grade them unless they feature a heavily-collected-for-registry player.
Couple examples of cards that I would like to own "prefect" copies of:
1990 Score Jeff George PSA 10
1992 TSC Brien Taylor PSA 10 (These were $15 raw when I was a kid!)
I search often and it seems that almost any "iconic" RC, even one that had much less than '15 minutes of fame,' still gets some attention from collectors. Maybe there's just a lot more of us out there, who want MINT copies of this junk than I had originally thought.
Collecting Robin Ventura and Matt Luke.
I was fortunate enough to have been in college during the "Let the presses run" era
And I always had a feeling Pre-war cards, and vintage material related to sports you didn't see every week/Month
should have been in greater demand..looking back, the it's junk "Non-Licensed" naysayer dealers were the ones buying-hoarding it
PS:
Quote
"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society"
I don't know Hefner and the porn industry are a multi-billion dollar a year area..no clothes needed. Just sayin
-Ticket Stubs
-Magazines
Just last month bought a 1986D factory set case for $15 per set delivered.
<< <i>Thank God there are 80s Wrestling cards!! >>
That made me laugh.........................wooooooo
Lou Gehrig Master Set
Non-Registry Collection
Game Used Cards Collection
Ron
<< <i>this thread title makes me think of that horrible, mind-numbing photo of that pack searcher in People of Walmart.
This guy...
Bob
Looking for Bob Uecker cards
My Ebay Auctions
<< <i>I have four giant plastic tubs full of late 80s early 90s crap sitting in the basement!! Somewhere in there is a John Elway autograph card that I pulled from a pack of 92 or 93 football (what was that set made from plastic stock??). >>
Collector's Edge
<< <i> I hope the same excitement and fun await me in the sports cards.
Ron >>
It doesn't.
I speak from experience when I say you'll feel much better if you just take everything printed from '86-'93 down the recycling center and drop it off. I did that about five years ago and I've never looked back. The people who DO take the time to look through all that stuff end up spending an additional three weeks agonizing over whether or not to try to sell their six EX-MT '87 McGwire RC's for $1 on Ebay, etc. etc., and before they know it they've lost nearly a month of their lives screwing around with what is, for all practical purposes, a worthless card collection.
<< <i>
<< <i>But on the positive side, now you can easily buy all the cards that you wanted so badly when you were younger. >>
I've done that a few times. I recently was delighted to purchase 3 Minty fresh 86 Donruss Cansecos from a CU member for under $10 total. >>
Agreed on all fronts. It's fun buying a 1986 Donruss Set (factory) for $8 when I sold mine for $120 in 1990 to buy Z-Cavarricci Jean Shorts.
I just bought an EX-MT Dale Murphy RC (1977, not 1978) for $1 at a show. It's bargain shopper time.
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
Friday I got a box from the BBCE (85 Donruss) and some other years/packs. An 85 Donruss box at $65 has never been cheaper I don't think. Pulled a pretty nice Clemens, maybe an 8, 8.5, 2 pucketts, and some other stars like Mattingly.
I blew a ridiculous amount of money as a kid on sets. Like 1991 gold leaf rookies, lol. I probably put $140-160 into that, and still didn't finish it. Very difficult to complete that raw, back in the day, pre internet. I think everyone thought 91 Leaf would end up like 1990 leaf. Not quite. Same with 1991 OPC Premier baseball, lol. I dont remember what those peaked at. But everyone thought they'd be like the 90 OPC Premier hockey cards.
One card I might like get is a 1990 Topps Frank Thomas nnof. I've never been big into error cards, but that card seems like a centerpiece for a modern collection.
The problem I see is that most were not card collectors, but "What's it worth collectors"
Im primarily a Vintage Football collector. But I do own a 1991 Upperdeck Football set, Not for "Whats it worth"(Nothing)
But because it is a beautiful set of cards with Great Inovative Photography and card design that I love to look at.
To many people become involved in the hobby purely for Speculative profit reasons. They never really had any true favorite team, players or heroes that meant anything more than a chance to turn a profit on some speculative cards. Once the Pipe dream of money and profit bursts, the hobby has no other meaning to them.
John
<< <i>80's and 90's had great stuff if you were a card collector.
The problem I see is that most were not card collectors, but "What's it worth collectors"
Im primarily a Vintage Football collector. But I do own a 1991 Upperdeck Football set, Not for "Whats it worth"(Nothing)
But because it is a beautiful set of cards with Great Inovative Photography and card design that I love to look at.
To many people become involved in the hobby purely for Speculative profit reasons. They never really had any true favorite team, players or heroes that meant anything more than a chance to turn a profit on some speculative cards. Once the Pipe dream of money and profit bursts, the hobby has no other meaning to them.
John >>
It was never the money with me. Yes, I liked to get my hands on a card that was worth something, but in my case I never sell or trade anything. Once I get it, it is mine forever. I am the same way with coins. I love when the cards or coins go up in value but I never sell.
Once I traded some Mark Mcqwire (spelling) extras and cash for an 1985 Topps sealed factory set that some guy had just traded along with some cash for for a Jose Conseco rookie card. How times and fortunes have changed. As far as I know that was the only time I ever parted with cards I owned.
Ron
At some point we all need to "buy, sell and Trade" and I realize that its nice to know(think) one's collection holds some type of monetary value. But my point was, that for many who got stung on the 80's and 90's stuff and continue to do the same today, are people who really have no passion or syntimental feeling for the hobby or cards other than the price guide quote or graded label on the card. It might as well be a blank index card.
The reason this hobby has survived and grown is because of the Non-Speculative collector. 50's, 60' and 70's card collectors have a passion for the cards themselves and what they meant to them as kids. Their drive to aquire the cards from their youth is based on their fond memories of collecting their sports heroes as kids. Its not about money to most older collectors. It about the cards.
By time the late 80's and 90's came along the hobby and its true meaning was all but dead to american youth. Sports Stars no longer held the same status in the Fabric of America. No longer were they role models and household names to the American youth.
The Hobby had been taken over by businessman and adult speculators/Investors. Card companies served up a heaping helping of hype and smooth marketing to the "whats it Worth" collectors.
When the 80's and 90's bubble burst. Most "What's it Worth" collectors were left with little incentive to stay in the hobby. They had no real passion or love for the cards and once the money went away so did they.
Now the card companies needed to come up with a NEW Marketing Ploy to try and keep the "Whats it Worth" collector in the game.
Thus they decided to create and Manufacter rarity into the cards themselves. One of One gimmick cards and such with great succsess.
The "whats it Worth" collectors one again could not resist the lure of the lottery cards had become. The smart dealers will make the money and they vast majority of foolish "Speculators" will be left empty handed having never learned the error of their ways.
They will be left standing with a bunch of worthless over hyped, grossly overpriced Albert Pulois cards and such. Just because there is only one of something, two people or more have to want it in the future. If the History of Modern Sports cards has taught us anything, Its that pretty much all New/Modern cards will never sustain their Over hyped value. Yet people still refuse to see that.
Heres the bottom line: If your entire collection was not worth one red cent or held no Money value at all. Would you still be in this hobby?
John
Nice well thought out post.
<< <i>
Heres the bottom line: If your entire collection was not worth one red cent or held no Money value at all. Would you still be in this hobby?
John >>
Since the majority of my PC is John Smoltz cards I can say that I lose money every time I send a sub in for grading or buy an already graded card.
<< <i>They will be left standing with a bunch of worthless over hyped, grossly overpriced Albert Pulois cards and such. Just because there is only one of something, two people or more have to want it in the future. If the History of Modern Sports cards has taught us anything, Its that pretty much all New/Modern cards will never sustain their Over hyped value. Yet people still refuse to see that.
Heres the bottom line: If your entire collection was not worth one red cent or held no Money value at all. Would you still be in this hobby?
John >>
I have almost a photographic memory for cards. They were basically my *life* from about 86 to 92/93. True for many young kids born in the late 70's or early 80's.
Sports stars weren't the hero's they once were in the late 80's, early 90's, but kids still had significant emotional attachment to them. The fact that so many cards have gone down in value by 80 or 90%, or more, yet people still talk about them, blog about them, reminisce, shows that strong attachment.
Would people blog about enron stock after it fell 95%? Or a savings bond that fell by 75%? Probably not. Dead cards aren't as dormant as a dead stock or bond.
In this time period, they literally were making millions of the same card. Production was maybe 10-20 times actual demand. This is not true with today's cards.
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
Very true, but do you really question if it will be hard to find two collectors tomorrow? There are more then two collectors for every team or college.
If 10 years from now, you have a stack of 1/1's and can only find one person in the whole world interested in them...it will have very little to do with the cards themselves.
Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
<< <i>Hi Ron,
At some point we all need to "buy, sell and Trade" and I realize that its nice to know(think) one's collection holds some type of monetary value. But my point was, that for many who got stung on the 80's and 90's stuff and continue to do the same today, are people who really have no passion or syntimental feeling for the hobby or cards other than the price guide quote or graded label on the card. It might as well be a blank index card.
The reason this hobby has survived and grown is because of the Non-Speculative collector. 50's, 60' and 70's card collectors have a passion for the cards themselves and what they meant to them as kids. Their drive to aquire the cards from their youth is based on their fond memories of collecting their sports heroes as kids. Its not about money to most older collectors. It about the cards.
By time the late 80's and 90's came along the hobby and its true meaning was all but dead to american youth. Sports Stars no longer held the same status in the Fabric of America. No longer were they role models and household names to the American youth.
The Hobby had been taken over by businessman and adult speculators/Investors. Card companies served up a heaping helping of hype and smooth marketing to the "whats it Worth" collectors.
When the 80's and 90's bubble burst. Most "What's it Worth" collectors were left with little incentive to stay in the hobby. They had no real passion or love for the cards and once the money went away so did they.
Now the card companies needed to come up with a NEW Marketing Ploy to try and keep the "Whats it Worth" collector in the game.
Thus they decided to create and Manufacter rarity into the cards themselves. One of One gimmick cards and such with great succsess.
The "whats it Worth" collectors one again could not resist the lure of the lottery cards had become. The smart dealers will make the money and they vast majority of foolish "Speculators" will be left empty handed having never learned the error of their ways.
They will be left standing with a bunch of worthless over hyped, grossly overpriced Albert Pulois cards and such. Just because there is only one of something, two people or more have to want it in the future. If the History of Modern Sports cards has taught us anything, Its that pretty much all New/Modern cards will never sustain their Over hyped value. Yet people still refuse to see that.
Heres the bottom line: If your entire collection was not worth one red cent or held no Money value at all. Would you still be in this hobby?
John >>
first, try spelling his name right...you can spell Ruth cant you? you should be able to spell PUJOLS then......
secondly, have you seen ebay lately? a BGS 9 pujols bowman chrome just went for over $4100.....thats real money in this economy...you can buy ALL the 80's cards left in existence with 4 grand...lol
only people who hate on pujols are "those without his rookies"
And Died when they took the gum from the pack a couple years later.
As Jefferson Burdick said, "a true collector card was always issued FREE with a product or service of some kind"
Not too many of those made since 1981...
PS. Now they have intentionally pseudo-rare cards (ie 1/1's), and they think it will keep the modern hobby going... These are not naturally rare items (becoming rare over time because they were used and abused and trashed), they are ALL intentional "limited editions" like many other modern collectibles ( ie. Beanie Babies, Franklin Mint, Collector Plates, Starting Lineups, etc.). There is a big difference.