Read this thread in it's entirety. Brought back many thoughts/memories. One memory came to mind from 1991. I sold a 1990 Leaf 1/2 Baseball set to a young couple with a 2 year old child in tow. 90 Leaf was very popular at the time. The plan for them was to have the sets future sale help them put their son through college. Yes,the investment in cards back then got that much extreme hope/reasoning. They asked me if I thought it would realize a high future $ return. I stated to them if I was that smart/knew the future I would keep the set myself and buy more. I urged caution and said I could offer no guarantees and that this was the going rate for that set at this time. They purchased it anyway. Always wondered what became of that set.
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
The monthly pickups threads has helped drum up nostalgia, but this thread takes the cake. I'm only 32, and started collecting very young with my older brother (probably around 89, thanks to the UD Griffey). I have vivid memories as a kid collecting what is now "junk".
Some of my favorite memories are running to the mailbox every month when the new Beckett arrived, to see those arrows showing that my recently acquired Todd Van Poppel rookies were soaring through the roof; walking to the local store, which happened to be owned by the guy who lived across the street, to buy the 1991 score "big head" all star cards; ripping open boxes of 1993 Studio looking for the elusive J.T. Snow rookie, then fighting with my brother about who's box held it when we found it.
My all time favorite memory is my brother, who was 13 years old and making money mowing lawns and helping the neighbors with chores, ripping box after box of 1993 Leaf Update looking for the Mike Piazza Gold Leaf Rookie. He never did pull it through 5 or 6 boxes, however, at a shop near our aunts house, I grabbed 2 packs and pulled it in the first one. My brother threw a hissy fit and stormed out of the shop, and the owner was hell bent on getting that card from me. The result: I walked out of there with 2 boxes of 1993 Triple Play in a straight trade, and have no recollection of what I pulled from it or what became of those cards.
Thanks for igniting that trip down memory lane!
Main collecting focus is Patrick Roy playing days 85/86-02/03, expect 1/1, National/All-Star stamped cards.PC Completion: 2,702/2,986; 90.49% My Patrick Roy PC Website:https://proy33collector.weebly.com
Up until 1994 my collecting parameters were anything and everything listed for Topps, Bowman or Fleer baseball in the SCD Standard Catalog, including base sets, inserts, and test issues.
When Topps dramtically increased the number of items in it's product line in 1995, I gave up and since then have just done the base sets, any updates and all the Heritage sets in master format. Also bought a few packs each year, a couple to open and a couple to put with each set to continue a pack run.
SCD quit listing post 1980 issues several years ago in an effort to save money and reduce the size of the Catalog which had become gigantic. Still a little sad about that. I think Bob Lemke was still the editor for the first two reduced versions. The first one was a mess for the Topps listing ( base sets and test and insert sets were listed separately rather than by year), but he had it mostly back in shape by the second before his retirement.
While I keep at least one pack with each set, the only "stash" I have are a few boxes of the 1991 Topps. It was the 40th anniversary and Topps went into the market and bought three full runs of their sets, 1951 to 1990. One set was a grand prize in their instant winner game card promotion. You could also win one of the sets from the second run. Finally , the third run was broken up and the post 56 cards up to a certain then value ( not sure what it was, once heard $50) were inserted in packs. For pre 1957 cards and more valuable cards you could redeem them with the winner insert cards
Presumably the packs could still include some older common cards ( from what I saw the insert cards were not anywhere near mint), but doubt any winner cards could still be redeemed. never saw any summary of whether all the sets were claimed or how many premium cards went unclaimed. Maybe unclaimed cards ended up in Christmas rack packs ( only kidding)
I find the 1991 Topps set fascinating as it has by far the most front and back variants of any Topps set
Here's a little addition to my thoughts on periodicals, magazine, catalogs....
I've seen impressive threads/posts on this topic at net54 and the late Chris Stufflestreet comes to mind also. I "don't" want to get lost in the weeds - just want to add a little of personal perspective.
Baseball Card Checklist - 1974 - Larry Fritsch and Dan Dischley
I'm sure you all will agree that we pretty much take for granted the ability to checklist something and acquire some kind of idea how much something is worth - validity notwithstanding.
It seems the "big wigs" in the hobby felt that card collecting would never be as "serious" as coins/stamp unless we had a comprehensive checklist "and" price guide.
I've been doing some reading from different sources to include SCD on the "growth" of our hobby which was predicated on the need for a comprehensive checklist and pricing.
It was Fritsch who published the first guide in 1974. I also picked up a brand new (old stock) 1978 copyright which lists up 1980.
The price guide - The Sports Collectors Bible which originally came out in 1975 by Bert Sugar also has Larry's "hand" in it.
I bought the original checklist for 99 cents and the bible for 4 bucks. Good buys if one is interested in this kind of stuff.
Also, I found this pic - I remember the event but was rather incredulous about whether the guy actually had a "real" Mantle in his hand. The "strike" of 1981. If real? If he only knew?
More to come.
It's kind of interesting how every thesis has its antithesis in that the "cry" for a comprehensive pricing of collectibles that would "legitimize" the hobby in the 60s or so - ended with collectors screaming how "the price guide was killing the hobby."
To illustrate:
It's summer 1950 something, and Joe card enthusiast rides his bike to the corner store - plunks down a dime and grabs 2 packs of Topps. Opens the first pack - stuffs the gum in his mouth - and rifles thru the pack in hopes to land one of his favorites.
Wow! He lands a Duke Snider - though a Yanks fan - and hates the Bums, he "knows" he can trade this with Johnny Smith who has a copy of "The Mick" in his pocket - just waiting for someone to hand him over the elusive Snider.
It's the summer of 1990 something and Justin (common names now gone) card enthusiast is driven by mom to the store where he plunks down 6 bucks for 2 packs of Topps Finest. Mom drives him home. Before he opens the packs, he grabs his copy of Beckett. Opens both packs - no gum - then starts the arduous task of running his index finger over the list of names in hopes of "hitting" a hot prospect or star or better yet a refractor!
I'm hoping there's a few who'd like to have a discussion about their experiences in our hobby.
Anything and everything goes - doesn't matter what or when. If there's no interest? I'll shut it down.
Our hobby is vast with "one" common theme: "We all love the hunt!". That's why I'm resurrecting this thread - what's your take on our hobby?
On "more to come" from that pic of a guy burning a Mantle!
I'm going back to 1981 MLB strike and it's response - and let's compare a bit with the 1994 strike - tough on the hobby but no one is burning their cardboard treasures?
Back in the 1981 strike, before everyone suddenly became a “vintage investor,” a Missouri dealer named David Cartier decided he’d make a grand statement on behalf of all of us long-suffering fans. His big idea?
Burn 64,000 baseball cards in a metal trash barrel.
And to really sell the drama, he held up a 1952 Topps Mantle — then valued at around $1,300 — and tossed it into the fire like it was a common. The Associated Press even snapped a photo of him looking proud, as if destroying a Mantle was going to bring the owners and players back to the table. Spoiler: it didn’t.
What it did do was give future collectors a good laugh and another example of why you should never mix baseball cards and grandstanding. It’s one of those moments that hasn’t aged well, like bell-bottoms or the Billy Ripken FF card panic.
Now, fast-forward to the 1994 strike, which actually did far more damage to the hobby — nobody had to burn a Mantle to prove anything that year. People just stopped caring. Attendance in MLB cratered, card shops saw walk-ins dry up, and the air went out of the market like someone stuck a pin in the junk wax balloon.
In ’94, the hobby didn’t have symbolic fires or angry stunts.
We had silence.
No buyers. No buzz. No rookies catching fire. The “fun” era of mass-produced everything collided with the worst possible timing. You could practically stack unsold Stadium Club boxes to the ceiling and no one wanted them.
So if ’81 was the year people literally burned cards to make a point, ’94 was the year people metaphorically burned them by not buying anything at all.
Two strikes, two different kinds of damage:
1981: A few publicity-seeking collectors played arsonist.
1994: The fans quietly left the building, and the hobby went into a long, sulking coma until Sosa/McGwire bailed it out.
Funny thing?
Cartier’s bonfire probably destroyed one of the few junk-era mistakes that actually helped future scarcity.
If anyone burned anything in ’94, it was stacks of shop owners lighting their ordering forms on fire. 🔥
PS: those pics are controlled by photo bucket These old threads - if you try to edit - since they're from the old forum version - they're hard to read - so I doubt I'll try to fix.
I was part of a partnership which opened a retail sports card and memorabilia store in June, 1994 at the same time baseball tanked. We did suffer the downturn of interest in the hobby, but the buying opportunities were pouring in with people looking to bail out of their collections. It wasn't all bad. Just lonely at times. But, eventually things got better, as mentioned, by the late 90s. And the collections were still being walked in. Briefly. Then, the internet came along and changed the hobby for good. The store moved locations a couple of times to smaller spaces, then shut down completely about 15 years ago. The partners semi-retired and moved out of state and out of the card business.
@ElMagoStrikeZone said:
I was part of a partnership which opened a retail sports card and memorabilia store in June, 1994 at the same time baseball tanked. We did suffer the downturn of interest in the hobby, but the buying opportunities were pouring in with people looking to bail out of their collections. It wasn't all bad. Just lonely at times. But, eventually things got better, as mentioned, by the late 90s. And the collections were still being walked in. Briefly. Then, the internet came along and changed the hobby for good. The store moved locations a couple of times to smaller spaces, then shut down completely about 15 years ago. The partners semi-retired and moved out of state and out of the card business.
That's too bad and unfortunately a common tale. I had a few buddies who had to close up shop but one continued on eBay and still makes a living doing it.
@ElMagoStrikeZone said:
I was part of a partnership which opened a retail sports card and memorabilia store in June, 1994 at the same time baseball tanked. We did suffer the downturn of interest in the hobby, but the buying opportunities were pouring in with people looking to bail out of their collections. It wasn't all bad. Just lonely at times. But, eventually things got better, as mentioned, by the late 90s. And the collections were still being walked in. Briefly. Then, the internet came along and changed the hobby for good. The store moved locations a couple of times to smaller spaces, then shut down completely about 15 years ago. The partners semi-retired and moved out of state and out of the card business.
That's too bad and unfortunately a common tale. I had a few buddies who had to close up shop but one continued on eBay and still makes a living doing it.
Not sure I know - do you still deal?
I've maintained an active role in collecting and buying/selling for most of the past 35 years. It's a passion that never goes away. Maybe sideways. But, never away. If I want to sell, I consign. I wouldn't consider it making a living, but it helps a lot. Not sure I want to sell on eBay again, but being pretty much retired it would give me something to keep busy.
I was too young to remember the 81 strike (I started collecting in 1987. wood bordered topps!) but I remember the 94 strike very well. In my little bubble of collecting up here in Maine at the time, I really did not notice much difference. all my friends still collected. the "main" baseball card shops stayed open, though the newer and poorly stocked ones closed. I think they probably wouldnt have made it even had there been no strike. I did, of course notice all the down arrows in Beckett, so I knew things were not good.
I remember somewhat of a small renaissance during the summer of 95 though, when Ripken was going for the record. his cards were on fire!
then, the home run chase of 98 seemed to bring the popularity back more. things were pretty hot around here. there were also so many super high end brands and manufactured scarcity and serial numbered cards. the game had changed.
@craig44 said:
I was too young to remember the 81 strike (I started collecting in 1987. wood bordered topps!) but I remember the 94 strike very well. In my little bubble of collecting up here in Maine at the time, I really did not notice much difference. all my friends still collected. the "main" baseball card shops stayed open, though the newer and poorly stocked ones closed. I think they probably wouldnt have made it even had there been no strike. I did, of course notice all the down arrows in Beckett, so I knew things were not good.
I remember somewhat of a small renaissance during the summer of 95 though, when Ripken was going for the record. his cards were on fire!
then, the home run chase of 98 seemed to bring the popularity back more. things were pretty hot around here. there were also so many super high end brands and manufactured scarcity and serial numbered cards. the game had changed.
I lived in MD but some of my favorite card collecting from my youth happened in Maine on our regular summer vacations. I think there was a shop off of Route 1 not too far from Portland. Then there was this place called Cliff's Flea Market that was closer to Saco and they had a fun selection to sift through. Also was a cool shop that was just a regular market/grill that had a nice oddball selection. That was where I was able to build up a huge collection of Donruss Action All-Stars and Fun Food Buttons.
Great thread Mike. I don’t probably have much to contribute as I started collecting after the boom of the late 80s. I started around 97-98, I was around 10 years old. Always football, no interest in baseball at that time. First I really remember opening packs were 1998 EX-2001 football (awesome cards). I quickly transitioned to vintage cards and that has always been what I collected. Stopped for basically age 20-30 as a lot of folks do. Now back finishing up some of those old sets but I find a lot of my pleasure in collecting is the chase/hunt of finding cards and collections in the wild, keeping what I’m interested in and selling the rest. With the advent of auction houses, consignment services, comc, etc having a flipping side business is easier than ever. Selling is the worst part so with that being taken care of, it’s much more appealing. Of course most of what I make goes right back in to the hobby, buying for the PC. But I have been able to tuck away some nice cards the last 5 years with no cost basis, as others from the same lot/collection covered their cost. Jordan rookie, t205 Cobb being notable ones. I enjoy finding and rooting collections out of storage units, attics, so on, going through them and moving some along to other collectors in the hobby. Turning a little profit here and there is fun too.
I remember waaaaaaay back in the day (early to mid 2000's) when I popped open my mailbox and sitting inside was an envelope with one raw 1978 Topps Roy White card sent from the one and only Stone193. We had been PM'ing about the set and my lifelong love affair with the first issue I ever opened from packs as a 9 year old child. That Roy White ended up grading a PSA 10 in one of the many submissions I put in at the OLD $5 bulk special! I mean who does that? Almost NOBODY. Anyway, thanks Mike for being part of the catalyst that helped light the GRADED 1978 Topps fire that lead to my complete PSA graded 1978 Topps set
For those who are newer here - this forum was IMO a "community" - we helped people. We shared both knowledge and of ourselves. I miss so many of those people who've moved on.
@softparade said:
I remember waaaaaaay back in the day (early to mid 2000's) when I popped open my mailbox and sitting inside was an envelope with one raw 1978 Topps Roy White card sent from the one and only Stone193. We had been PM'ing about the set and my lifelong love affair with the first issue I ever opened from packs as a 9 year old child. That Roy White ended up grading a PSA 10 in one of the many submissions I put in at the OLD $5 bulk special! I mean who does that? Almost NOBODY. Anyway, thanks Mike for being part of the catalyst that helped light the GRADED 1978 Topps fire that lead to my complete PSA graded 1978 Topps set
Enjoyed watching that 78 set evolve.. $5 grading days made something like that achievable. The days of graded sets may be long gone.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
I was just getting back into cards after what I can describe as mostly a break, but I never truly stopped collecting completely. I was no longer buying the annual sets and only added cards if they were freebies in something or on occasion my mom would buy something for me and set it aside for when i came home. I joined the Navy at the end of 1987 and wouldn't really reconnect with the way I collected prior until just before returning to civilian life in mid-late 1993. A shipmate of mine had gotten into collecting in Hawaii where I was stationed. They were clearly different than when I was last buying 87 Topps in quantity. Glossy, borderless, colorful. Better than before, or so I thought at least. I started buying cheap wax of stuff I had missed between 90-93. It was ALL new to me.
By the time the strike of 94 hit, I could care less if baseball was halted, I was still buying cards. I recall K-Mart had a massive display of marked down wax boxes in the front of their store. I want to say I was buying new boxes for $10 or less. I specifically remember getting a lot of the 94 Sportflics boxes (4-5 was probably a lot at the time, since I was in school again and mostly unemployed), looking for the Arod rookie. I was not stashing anything aside, I opened everything I bought.
It was a fun time, especially as the insert craze caught on, but nothing will hold a candle to my early hobby memories when it was pure innocence and fun, kids buying packs of cards and candy and soda with their allowance/odd job money and just enjoying the cards for what they were, not worrying about condition, what was worth more, etc. Studying each card instead of ripping through them looking for the foil or serial number, relic or autograph (although I do love pack inserted autographs and almost exclusively buy those now).
I collect Steve Garvey, Dodgers and signed cards. Collector since 1978.
@Stone193 said:
For those who are newer here - this forum was IMO a "community" - we helped people. We shared both knowledge and of ourselves. I miss so many of those people who've moved on.
There was a lot of generosity. So much to gain from the wisdom of those who had participated when grading really took off. Those were the halcyon days.
I have learned a lot in my many years here. I was a lurker for many years before i actually joined.
I think the thing I have learned most about is unopened. 15+ years ago, I just didnt appreciate it. I didnt get it at all.
I had a moment like Frank had in "its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" when he was watching Mac's dance. I finally "got it!"
to me, vintage unopened has nearly nothing to do with the actual cards contained inside. it is all about the packaging, rarity and most of all, nostalgia of it all. I LOVE looking at everyones hoards and remembering back to old card shop and grocery store displays of wax!! it is awesome.
@craig44 said:
I have learned a lot in my many years here. I was a lurker for many years before i actually joined.
I think the thing I have learned most about is unopened. 15+ years ago, I just didnt appreciate it. I didnt get it at all.
I had a moment like Frank had in "its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" when he was watching Mac's dance. I finally "got it!"
to me, vintage unopened has nearly nothing to do with the actual cards contained inside. it is all about the packaging, rarity and most of all, nostalgia of it all. I LOVE looking at everyones hoards and remembering back to old card shop and grocery store displays of wax!! it is awesome.
Right. to me, I'm not that keen on collecting baseball cards in general but I have some. It's all about nostalgia and going back in time to that first pack you broken open. 73' and 74' and Evel Kenivel, Kung-fu and Creature Feature cards along with the Chopper series got me going back every Saturday to the local drug store. I love the packaging and don't have to open everything. You have to have that attitude.
Thirty years of collecting distilled into a few thoughts.
Nothing absolute, nothing preachy — just what experience taught me.
Feel free to add to it. After all, that's why we're here?
It’s what I would tell my younger self… or anyone new to the hobby who asked.
Mike’s Collector Take-Homes (Hard-Earned, No BS)
Start with Focus and Budget:
Focus keeps you from trying to collect everything.
Budget keeps you from screaming into the night when the credit-card bill shows up.
There’s a thin line between a hobby and insanity.
Know where that line is — and don’t cross it pretending it’s “passion.”
Don’t go OCD — don’t let the objects own you.
If you hold too tightly onto things, you’ll find they’re actually holding onto you.
When that happens, collecting stops being a hobby and starts looking like a disease.
Don’t become the person who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Prices change.
Value comes from history, context, scarcity, survivability, and meaning.
If all you track is comps, you’re not collecting — you’re day-trading cardboard.
Buy what looks right, not what’s loud.
Eye appeal, centering, originality, and condition scarcity matter more than hype.
Clean dirt, never erase history
Surface grime is fair game.
Polishing, refinishing, “making it shine” destroys value — sometimes 90% of it.
Amass before you curate; IMO there's a difference between amassing and accumulating a collection.
Build mass intelligently, then select.
Accumulation is random. Amassing is deliberate.
Completion is optional — enjoyment is not
You don’t owe anyone a finished set.
Owning what you love beats chasing a checklist.
If something survived untouched, respect that
Patina, wear, and age are not flaws — they’re evidence.
@Stone193 said:
Thirty years of collecting distilled into a few thoughts.
Nothing absolute, nothing preachy — just what experience taught me.
Feel free to add to it. After all, that's why we're here?
It’s what I would tell my younger self… or anyone new to the hobby who asked.
Mike’s Collector Take-Homes (Hard-Earned, No BS)
Start with Focus and Budget:
Focus keeps you from trying to collect everything.
Budget keeps you from screaming into the night when the credit-card bill shows up.
There’s a thin line between a hobby and insanity.
Know where that line is — and don’t cross it pretending it’s “passion.”
Don’t go OCD — don’t let the objects own you.
If you hold too tightly onto things, you’ll find they’re actually holding onto you.
When that happens, collecting stops being a hobby and starts looking like a disease.
Don’t become the person who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Prices change.
Value comes from history, context, scarcity, survivability, and meaning.
If all you track is comps, you’re not collecting — you’re day-trading cardboard.
Buy what looks right, not what’s loud.
Eye appeal, centering, originality, and condition scarcity matter more than hype.
Clean dirt, never erase history
Surface grime is fair game.
Polishing, refinishing, “making it shine” destroys value — sometimes 90% of it.
Amass before you curate; IMO there's a difference between amassing and accumulating a collection.
Build mass intelligently, then select.
Accumulation is random. Amassing is deliberate.
Completion is optional — enjoyment is not
You don’t owe anyone a finished set.
Owning what you love beats chasing a checklist.
9. If something survived untouched, respect that
Patina, wear, and age are not flaws — they’re evidence.
If it stops being fun, stop.
The hobby will still be there tomorrow.
Your sanity matters more than the next upgrade.
Be wary of too many “deals.”
You can go broke saving money.
What a great read and pearls of wisdom, Focus and budget is such good advice - good point and I am sure there is a reason that is the first line!
Comments
Read this thread in it's entirety. Brought back many thoughts/memories. One memory came to mind from 1991. I sold a 1990 Leaf 1/2 Baseball set to a young couple with a 2 year old child in tow. 90 Leaf was very popular at the time. The plan for them was to have the sets future sale help them put their son through college. Yes,the investment in cards back then got that much extreme hope/reasoning. They asked me if I thought it would realize a high future $ return. I stated to them if I was that smart/knew the future I would keep the set myself and buy more. I urged caution and said I could offer no guarantees and that this was the going rate for that set at this time. They purchased it anyway. Always wondered what became of that set.
The monthly pickups threads has helped drum up nostalgia, but this thread takes the cake. I'm only 32, and started collecting very young with my older brother (probably around 89, thanks to the UD Griffey). I have vivid memories as a kid collecting what is now "junk".
Some of my favorite memories are running to the mailbox every month when the new Beckett arrived, to see those arrows showing that my recently acquired Todd Van Poppel rookies were soaring through the roof; walking to the local store, which happened to be owned by the guy who lived across the street, to buy the 1991 score "big head" all star cards; ripping open boxes of 1993 Studio looking for the elusive J.T. Snow rookie, then fighting with my brother about who's box held it when we found it.
My all time favorite memory is my brother, who was 13 years old and making money mowing lawns and helping the neighbors with chores, ripping box after box of 1993 Leaf Update looking for the Mike Piazza Gold Leaf Rookie. He never did pull it through 5 or 6 boxes, however, at a shop near our aunts house, I grabbed 2 packs and pulled it in the first one. My brother threw a hissy fit and stormed out of the shop, and the owner was hell bent on getting that card from me. The result: I walked out of there with 2 boxes of 1993 Triple Play in a straight trade, and have no recollection of what I pulled from it or what became of those cards.
Thanks for igniting that trip down memory lane!
Main collecting focus is Patrick Roy playing days 85/86-02/03, expect 1/1, National/All-Star stamped cards.PC Completion: 2,702/2,986; 90.49% My Patrick Roy PC Website:https://proy33collector.weebly.com
Up until 1994 my collecting parameters were anything and everything listed for Topps, Bowman or Fleer baseball in the SCD Standard Catalog, including base sets, inserts, and test issues.
When Topps dramtically increased the number of items in it's product line in 1995, I gave up and since then have just done the base sets, any updates and all the Heritage sets in master format. Also bought a few packs each year, a couple to open and a couple to put with each set to continue a pack run.
SCD quit listing post 1980 issues several years ago in an effort to save money and reduce the size of the Catalog which had become gigantic. Still a little sad about that. I think Bob Lemke was still the editor for the first two reduced versions. The first one was a mess for the Topps listing ( base sets and test and insert sets were listed separately rather than by year), but he had it mostly back in shape by the second before his retirement.
While I keep at least one pack with each set, the only "stash" I have are a few boxes of the 1991 Topps. It was the 40th anniversary and Topps went into the market and bought three full runs of their sets, 1951 to 1990. One set was a grand prize in their instant winner game card promotion. You could also win one of the sets from the second run. Finally , the third run was broken up and the post 56 cards up to a certain then value ( not sure what it was, once heard $50) were inserted in packs. For pre 1957 cards and more valuable cards you could redeem them with the winner insert cards
Presumably the packs could still include some older common cards ( from what I saw the insert cards were not anywhere near mint), but doubt any winner cards could still be redeemed. never saw any summary of whether all the sets were claimed or how many premium cards went unclaimed. Maybe unclaimed cards ended up in Christmas rack packs ( only kidding)
I find the 1991 Topps set fascinating as it has by far the most front and back variants of any Topps set
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
I enjoyed scrolling through this just checking out the old user names. I believe I started on this site in 2012. Brings back memories!
Here's a little addition to my thoughts on periodicals, magazine, catalogs....
I've seen impressive threads/posts on this topic at net54 and the late Chris Stufflestreet comes to mind also. I "don't" want to get lost in the weeds - just want to add a little of personal perspective.
Baseball Card Checklist - 1974 - Larry Fritsch and Dan Dischley
I'm sure you all will agree that we pretty much take for granted the ability to checklist something and acquire some kind of idea how much something is worth - validity notwithstanding.
It seems the "big wigs" in the hobby felt that card collecting would never be as "serious" as coins/stamp unless we had a comprehensive checklist "and" price guide.
I've been doing some reading from different sources to include SCD on the "growth" of our hobby which was predicated on the need for a comprehensive checklist and pricing.
It was Fritsch who published the first guide in 1974. I also picked up a brand new (old stock) 1978 copyright which lists up 1980.
The price guide - The Sports Collectors Bible which originally came out in 1975 by Bert Sugar also has Larry's "hand" in it.
I bought the original checklist for 99 cents and the bible for 4 bucks. Good buys if one is interested in this kind of stuff.
Also, I found this pic - I remember the event but was rather incredulous about whether the guy actually had a "real" Mantle in his hand. The "strike" of 1981. If real? If he only knew?
More to come.
It's kind of interesting how every thesis has its antithesis in that the "cry" for a comprehensive pricing of collectibles that would "legitimize" the hobby in the 60s or so - ended with collectors screaming how "the price guide was killing the hobby."
To illustrate:
It's summer 1950 something, and Joe card enthusiast rides his bike to the corner store - plunks down a dime and grabs 2 packs of Topps. Opens the first pack - stuffs the gum in his mouth - and rifles thru the pack in hopes to land one of his favorites.
Wow! He lands a Duke Snider - though a Yanks fan - and hates the Bums, he "knows" he can trade this with Johnny Smith who has a copy of "The Mick" in his pocket - just waiting for someone to hand him over the elusive Snider.
It's the summer of 1990 something and Justin (common names now gone) card enthusiast is driven by mom to the store where he plunks down 6 bucks for 2 packs of Topps Finest. Mom drives him home. Before he opens the packs, he grabs his copy of Beckett. Opens both packs - no gum - then starts the arduous task of running his index finger over the list of names in hopes of "hitting" a hot prospect or star or better yet a refractor!
Were both "enriched" by the moment?
Thanx guys for the kind words and really cool posts of your experiences.
I would like others to jump in - we've all had our experiences.
I'm hoping there's a few who'd like to have a discussion about their experiences in our hobby.
Anything and everything goes - doesn't matter what or when. If there's no interest? I'll shut it down.
Our hobby is vast with "one" common theme: "We all love the hunt!". That's why I'm resurrecting this thread - what's your take on our hobby?
On "more to come" from that pic of a guy burning a Mantle!
I'm going back to 1981 MLB strike and it's response - and let's compare a bit with the 1994 strike - tough on the hobby but no one is burning their cardboard treasures?
Back in the 1981 strike, before everyone suddenly became a “vintage investor,” a Missouri dealer named David Cartier decided he’d make a grand statement on behalf of all of us long-suffering fans. His big idea?
Burn 64,000 baseball cards in a metal trash barrel.
And to really sell the drama, he held up a 1952 Topps Mantle — then valued at around $1,300 — and tossed it into the fire like it was a common. The Associated Press even snapped a photo of him looking proud, as if destroying a Mantle was going to bring the owners and players back to the table. Spoiler: it didn’t.
What it did do was give future collectors a good laugh and another example of why you should never mix baseball cards and grandstanding. It’s one of those moments that hasn’t aged well, like bell-bottoms or the Billy Ripken FF card panic.
Now, fast-forward to the 1994 strike, which actually did far more damage to the hobby — nobody had to burn a Mantle to prove anything that year. People just stopped caring. Attendance in MLB cratered, card shops saw walk-ins dry up, and the air went out of the market like someone stuck a pin in the junk wax balloon.
In ’94, the hobby didn’t have symbolic fires or angry stunts.
We had silence.
No buyers. No buzz. No rookies catching fire. The “fun” era of mass-produced everything collided with the worst possible timing. You could practically stack unsold Stadium Club boxes to the ceiling and no one wanted them.
So if ’81 was the year people literally burned cards to make a point, ’94 was the year people metaphorically burned them by not buying anything at all.
Two strikes, two different kinds of damage:
1981: A few publicity-seeking collectors played arsonist.
1994: The fans quietly left the building, and the hobby went into a long, sulking coma until Sosa/McGwire bailed it out.
Funny thing?
Cartier’s bonfire probably destroyed one of the few junk-era mistakes that actually helped future scarcity.
If anyone burned anything in ’94, it was stacks of shop owners lighting their ordering forms on fire. 🔥
PS: those pics are controlled by photo bucket These old threads - if you try to edit - since they're from the old forum version - they're hard to read - so I doubt I'll try to fix.
I was part of a partnership which opened a retail sports card and memorabilia store in June, 1994 at the same time baseball tanked. We did suffer the downturn of interest in the hobby, but the buying opportunities were pouring in with people looking to bail out of their collections. It wasn't all bad. Just lonely at times. But, eventually things got better, as mentioned, by the late 90s. And the collections were still being walked in. Briefly. Then, the internet came along and changed the hobby for good. The store moved locations a couple of times to smaller spaces, then shut down completely about 15 years ago. The partners semi-retired and moved out of state and out of the card business.
That's too bad and unfortunately a common tale. I had a few buddies who had to close up shop but one continued on eBay and still makes a living doing it.
Not sure I know - do you still deal?
I've maintained an active role in collecting and buying/selling for most of the past 35 years. It's a passion that never goes away. Maybe sideways. But, never away. If I want to sell, I consign. I wouldn't consider it making a living, but it helps a lot. Not sure I want to sell on eBay again, but being pretty much retired it would give me something to keep busy.
I was too young to remember the 81 strike (I started collecting in 1987. wood bordered topps!) but I remember the 94 strike very well. In my little bubble of collecting up here in Maine at the time, I really did not notice much difference. all my friends still collected. the "main" baseball card shops stayed open, though the newer and poorly stocked ones closed. I think they probably wouldnt have made it even had there been no strike. I did, of course notice all the down arrows in Beckett, so I knew things were not good.
I remember somewhat of a small renaissance during the summer of 95 though, when Ripken was going for the record. his cards were on fire!
then, the home run chase of 98 seemed to bring the popularity back more. things were pretty hot around here. there were also so many super high end brands and manufactured scarcity and serial numbered cards. the game had changed.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Thanx for contributing David.
I remember a correction after the '94 strike in Beckett also. I did make a few good buys due to that. My biggest was a 3 box 79T case from Mr Mint.
I lived in MD but some of my favorite card collecting from my youth happened in Maine on our regular summer vacations. I think there was a shop off of Route 1 not too far from Portland. Then there was this place called Cliff's Flea Market that was closer to Saco and they had a fun selection to sift through. Also was a cool shop that was just a regular market/grill that had a nice oddball selection. That was where I was able to build up a huge collection of Donruss Action All-Stars and Fun Food Buttons.
Mike,
I’m still a buyer of any loose 79s you still have hanging around.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
Sure remember buddy. 👍
Great thread Mike. I don’t probably have much to contribute as I started collecting after the boom of the late 80s. I started around 97-98, I was around 10 years old. Always football, no interest in baseball at that time. First I really remember opening packs were 1998 EX-2001 football (awesome cards). I quickly transitioned to vintage cards and that has always been what I collected. Stopped for basically age 20-30 as a lot of folks do. Now back finishing up some of those old sets but I find a lot of my pleasure in collecting is the chase/hunt of finding cards and collections in the wild, keeping what I’m interested in and selling the rest. With the advent of auction houses, consignment services, comc, etc having a flipping side business is easier than ever. Selling is the worst part so with that being taken care of, it’s much more appealing. Of course most of what I make goes right back in to the hobby, buying for the PC. But I have been able to tuck away some nice cards the last 5 years with no cost basis, as others from the same lot/collection covered their cost. Jordan rookie, t205 Cobb being notable ones. I enjoy finding and rooting collections out of storage units, attics, so on, going through them and moving some along to other collectors in the hobby. Turning a little profit here and there is fun too.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
For me is was Nostalgia world in Memphis TN. I started in the late 70's. No longer open but spent many of dollars there.
I remember waaaaaaay back in the day (early to mid 2000's) when I popped open my mailbox and sitting inside was an envelope with one raw 1978 Topps Roy White card sent from the one and only Stone193. We had been PM'ing about the set and my lifelong love affair with the first issue I ever opened from packs as a 9 year old child. That Roy White ended up grading a PSA 10 in one of the many submissions I put in at the OLD $5 bulk special! I mean who does that? Almost NOBODY. Anyway, thanks Mike for being part of the catalyst that helped light the GRADED 1978 Topps fire that lead to my complete PSA graded 1978 Topps set
COPPER is gutter !
For those who are newer here - this forum was IMO a "community" - we helped people. We shared both knowledge and of ourselves. I miss so many of those people who've moved on.
Enjoyed watching that 78 set evolve.. $5 grading days made something like that achievable. The days of graded sets may be long gone.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
I was just getting back into cards after what I can describe as mostly a break, but I never truly stopped collecting completely. I was no longer buying the annual sets and only added cards if they were freebies in something or on occasion my mom would buy something for me and set it aside for when i came home. I joined the Navy at the end of 1987 and wouldn't really reconnect with the way I collected prior until just before returning to civilian life in mid-late 1993. A shipmate of mine had gotten into collecting in Hawaii where I was stationed. They were clearly different than when I was last buying 87 Topps in quantity. Glossy, borderless, colorful. Better than before, or so I thought at least. I started buying cheap wax of stuff I had missed between 90-93. It was ALL new to me.
By the time the strike of 94 hit, I could care less if baseball was halted, I was still buying cards. I recall K-Mart had a massive display of marked down wax boxes in the front of their store. I want to say I was buying new boxes for $10 or less. I specifically remember getting a lot of the 94 Sportflics boxes (4-5 was probably a lot at the time, since I was in school again and mostly unemployed), looking for the Arod rookie. I was not stashing anything aside, I opened everything I bought.
It was a fun time, especially as the insert craze caught on, but nothing will hold a candle to my early hobby memories when it was pure innocence and fun, kids buying packs of cards and candy and soda with their allowance/odd job money and just enjoying the cards for what they were, not worrying about condition, what was worth more, etc. Studying each card instead of ripping through them looking for the foil or serial number, relic or autograph (although I do love pack inserted autographs and almost exclusively buy those now).
There was a lot of generosity. So much to gain from the wisdom of those who had participated when grading really took off. Those were the halcyon days.
I have learned a lot in my many years here. I was a lurker for many years before i actually joined.
I think the thing I have learned most about is unopened. 15+ years ago, I just didnt appreciate it. I didnt get it at all.
I had a moment like Frank had in "its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" when he was watching Mac's dance. I finally "got it!"
to me, vintage unopened has nearly nothing to do with the actual cards contained inside. it is all about the packaging, rarity and most of all, nostalgia of it all. I LOVE looking at everyones hoards and remembering back to old card shop and grocery store displays of wax!! it is awesome.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Right. to me, I'm not that keen on collecting baseball cards in general but I have some. It's all about nostalgia and going back in time to that first pack you broken open. 73' and 74' and Evel Kenivel, Kung-fu and Creature Feature cards along with the Chopper series got me going back every Saturday to the local drug store. I love the packaging and don't have to open everything. You have to have that attitude.
Thirty years of collecting distilled into a few thoughts.
Nothing absolute, nothing preachy — just what experience taught me.
Feel free to add to it. After all, that's why we're here?
It’s what I would tell my younger self… or anyone new to the hobby who asked.
Mike’s Collector Take-Homes (Hard-Earned, No BS)
Focus keeps you from trying to collect everything.
Budget keeps you from screaming into the night when the credit-card bill shows up.
Know where that line is — and don’t cross it pretending it’s “passion.”
If you hold too tightly onto things, you’ll find they’re actually holding onto you.
When that happens, collecting stops being a hobby and starts looking like a disease.
Prices change.
Value comes from history, context, scarcity, survivability, and meaning.
If all you track is comps, you’re not collecting — you’re day-trading cardboard.
Eye appeal, centering, originality, and condition scarcity matter more than hype.
Surface grime is fair game.
Polishing, refinishing, “making it shine” destroys value — sometimes 90% of it.
Build mass intelligently, then select.
Accumulation is random. Amassing is deliberate.
You don’t owe anyone a finished set.
Owning what you love beats chasing a checklist.
Patina, wear, and age are not flaws — they’re evidence.
The hobby will still be there tomorrow.
Your sanity matters more than the next upgrade.
You can go broke saving money.
What a great read and pearls of wisdom, Focus and budget is such good advice - good point and I am sure there is a reason that is the first line!
Being a hobbyist means never having to say you're sorry.
There's a lot to appreciate about commitment. It takes a lifetime.