Two Quick Thoughts on the Hobby

shu4040

as background, i'm in my early 30s and relatively new to getting back into the hobby after leaving it in the mid 90s. with that said...

- there are so many people my age that were collecting in the exploded 80s and 90s. How can more of my peers be brought back in as that is the real growth likely? We are the first generation that grew up where having tens of thousands of cards as a kid was a very normal activity. As we are getting older and people have more money, there is a chance for incredible growth there.

-- Football cards -- am i crazy in finding it odd that considering the overwhleming facts that football is currently THE most popular sport in america these days, and considing the smaller production runs v. baseball, that football cards are overall undervalued and there is again a huge chain for increased interest there?

any thoughts?

1980scollector

shu4040-

I am 34 and I think the rub for our generation is

1)that our parents never threw out the cards making them more scarce

2) Companies seem to have really overproduced from 82-90's.

On a side note-

What year did you start collecting and what did you like best in the 80's?

Did you have a favorite brand or card you really liked?

I bought my first pack of cards and pulled a 1984 Fleer Yaz and was hooked. I still love Darryl Strawberry rookies, Dwight Gooden rookies and Eric Davis rookies.

I just bought a 1985 Donruss rack with Eric Davis on top.

I really love the 1984-1989 stuff. It just brings back a lot of good memories.

SidePocket

It seems like football cards have been projected to be undervalued for years.

Maybe this is a minor thing, but I've always felt that football doesn't lend itself to statistics the way baseball does and so the back of the card for a defensive player, or an offensive lineman, is meaningless. For me that drags down the appeal of football cards. But then again basketball is a tremendous statistical sport and those cards aren't nearly as popular as baseball either.

Dboneesq

One other thing about football cards. I agree about the statistics ... but I think there is also a recognition factor ... take the starting lineup, starting pitchers and closer on your favorite baseball team. You probably would recognize these guys if you met them in person. Now think about the starting offensive and defensive lineup of your favorite football team. Outside of the "STAR" positions, you probably would not recognize half the players if they were standing next to you.

shu4040

80s collector- i'm 31 so got into stuff in '85 or '86. like most people my age I have enough '87 - '90 topps to probably reforest a rainforest. I haven't really been buying much of that stuff recently, but did just pick up a '84 rack with strawberry on the top on ebay. That card was probably one of my prized possessions as a kid,. and couldn't pass it up now.

i agree that things won't be worth much from the 80s, but the fact that 90% of kids had tons of cards means they could re-enter and take an interest in either current or older products (for the most part i've been buying unopened 70s product).

-- as to the football point, that is a great point with not seeing the players and recognizing them by face. We all know the big qbs by face, but outside of the top rbs and linebackers, probably very few guys are known by face.

does anyone know approximately what the runs were in football and basketball compared to baseball? ie what % about?

jbox

I don't know how common my experience is, but it's almost exactly what you describe. I'm 36 years old and collected in the late 80's. I was ruined on the hobby in the early 90's and never imagined going back. Of course I spent my 20's interested in life events like getting educated, getting married, and having kids. There was no time for a hobby. I remember just kind of looking around at a lot of the cards that were on my wish list as a kid and seeing how cheap they were, thinking it would be cool to grab a few. I bought a few 80's rookies (Mattingly, Clemens, Puckett, Sandberg, McGwire) and actually sent a few to my buddy that collected with me as a kid. It was just a fun "here's a few memories, didn't we have some good times chasing this crap" kind of gift. Then I saw how cheap unopened material was from that era, so I went down that road. Of course my boys, ages 10 and 12 now, thought that was awesome. Each started having their own favorite players from the 80's. Then I start looking at graded cards, and seeing there is some relative scarcity for high end examples of some cards from that era (note I said relative, so don't flame me for that statement). So I'm 36, make a good living, have some disposable income, and have a hobby I share with my boys. I relive some of the best days of my life through collecting cards from the 80's. My expensive taste likes to buy things like a PSA 10 '83 OPC Gwynn/Sandberg, or an '85 Topps Tiffany McGwire, or my ultimate chase a 1980 PSA 10 Henderson, etc. That's where my memories are. I occasionally dip into the 70's a bit. I appreciate vintage stuff, but I have no neurons that fire off to give me that nostalgic experience like I do when I look at 80's baseball. I don't know if it will happen, but I think there is a chance as my generation gets to the age where they have some professional achievements, some income, children, etc they will start wanting to recapture those moments too. You won't find a 36 year old who saw Mantle play, or who remembers that feeling finding him in a pack. You will find hundreds of thousands that remember never having a chance to own an '84 Fleer Update Clemens/Puckett/Gooden and now they can! And in Gem Mint condition!! Anyway, I'm not making a case that this will or won't happen, and I don't really care. I love high-end 80's junk!!!

As for football, I think a similar thing applies. I absolutely love football. I love watching it immensely more than baseball. However, I didn't care about football cards when I was a kid, so while I genuinely appreciate a Montana rookie, it doesn't really have any ties to my experiences. I really feel that collecting (not dealing/investing) cards has everything to do with recapturing some moment, feeling, or experience that is pleasant. While almost all of us who collected in the 80's ended up getting burned by the hobby, that does not undo the moments that meant something to us. Maybe there is a whole army of former collectors that will forgive the early 90's and storm back to reclaim what collecting cards was before...fun.

jbox

sportscardtheory

I agree with you about football cards. It's crazy to me how undervalued football cards get when a player retires. It's such a now now now sport that great players are forgotten as soon as their careers are over. Look at guys like Steve Young, Kurt Warner, Tiki Barber, Fred Taylor, Ahman Green, Warrick Dunn, Torry Holt, Marvin Harrsion, Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens and even to a certain extent, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders. These are some of the greats of the game and can be found extremely cheap.

1980scollector

Was it a Topps rack with Strawberry on top?

shu4040

amen -> "I don't know if it will happen, but I think there is a chance as my generation gets to the age where they have some professional achievements, some income, children, etc they will start wanting to recapture those moments too. You won't find a 36 year old who saw Mantle play, or who remembers that feeling finding him in a pack. You will find hundreds of thousands that remember never having a chance to own an '84 Fleer Update Clemens/Puckett/Gooden and now they can! "

80scollector- yep it was a topp 84 rack. i would have give my pinky for that back in the day.

Dboneesq

<< 80scollector- yep it was a topp 84 rack. i would have give my pinky for that back in the day. >>

I guess this guy thinks the same way as you do!





<< <i>80scollector- yep it was a topp 84 rack. i would have give my pinky for that back in the day. >>

shu4040

lol awesome

Stone193

90s collectors became immensely jaded when they realized their cards were going to be worthless.

The collectors that got involved thinking they were gonna fund their retirement on the cases of 90 Donruss they stored in their garage - will most likely never return.

I like FB cards - don't collect them - the older FB (vintage) is under appreciated IMO - but without demand - perceived rarity is moot.

Collecting for investment has probably cleared more people out of the hobby than - perhaps - all the other problems combined?

I wouldn't be surprised if there's tons of collectors who have no idea this forum exists or have no compunction about participating - they collect because they enjoy the process.

TheCARDKid

I'm 33, I think there's still potential for growth for cards.

-For example, in the nintendo collecting world, that market isn't mature at all IMO. The most valuable game, stadium events, sold for $30 k or $40 k a year or two ago. That was kind of a watershed moment in the nes world.

Transformers, Nintendo, GI Joe from the 80's are pretty healthy. Some modern stuff became worthless (1990 pro set), but some of it is still pretty good. I wouldn't be suprised if 93 sp, 93/94 topps basketball refractors, etc hold their value or go up a little.

I wouldn't be suprised if collectors re-organize their thoughts, and sets like topps tiffany go up. Its hard to believe the 82-93/94 stuff is set in stone the way it is now.

-Football has a problem with history.

How many could name players from the 40's or 50's? It's not like rattling off...musial, mantle, mays. I think theres more of an emotional attachment to baseball. Thus mantle is always #1. But Fran Tarkenton, Sammy Baugh, not the same.

Also, the numbers haven't moved very much for the late 70's, early 80's stuff. I.e. 1976 Topps George Brett PSA 9 is still very low. PSA 10 Henderson rookie. Some are going to wish they bought these cards earlier.