A great New York Times piece on card collecting

Baez578

Ny times

giantsfan20

Interesting anybody in the GA area been to the shop. Surprised it lasted this long in such a small town Cornelia is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,834 at the 2010 census.

addicted2ebay

Well god bless her for loving the hobby. I hope if any of us are around there then maybe they could give her some business or tell her about eBay to help boost sales.

Hallco

<< <i>Interesting anybody in the GA area been to the shop. Surprised it lasted this long in such a small town Cornelia is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,834 at the 2010 census. >>



I live in Habersham County and have been to the store. The last time I spoke with her she said that the kids buying the "gaming" type of cards were the most popular thing she sells these days. She knows her stuff though!

MattyC

That is one of the laziest, most myopic pieces of "journalism" I've ever seen (and I am an employed writer since college and member of the WGA). The author makes no attempt whatsoever to offer a broader picture of the hobby, and barely mentions in passing the strength of sales when it comes to high-end cards. I'd also like to know how that 15% that is bandied about with respect to baseball cards at the national was determined.

Bottom line, to take the case of a brick and mortar card store and use it to gauge the card market is asinine and specious. It's like saying Blockbuster is dead, so the film industry is dying and no one is watching old content.

Matter of fact, I have half a mind to write a counterpoint piece and take that article to task. For crying out loud, look at the cards pictured; so because 91 Fleer is worthless that colors the whole market? That's like saying John Carter Of Mars bombed at theaters, so the film business is tanking. You've got BBCE that can't keep boxes on shelves. REA getting ten million in one auction. New records set this year for several key cards, most recently the Carew 10, not to mention historic spikes in key 70s RCs to 80s non-HOFers like an 84 Donruss Mattingly.

zurbs17

MattyC is getting upset!

Baez578

<< <i>That is one of the laziest, most myopic pieces of "journalism" I've ever seen (and I am an employed writer since college and member of the WGA). The author makes no attempt whatsoever to offer a broader picture of the hobby, and barely mentions in passing the strength of sales when it comes to high-end cards. I'd also like to know how that 15% that is bandied about with respect to baseball cards at the national was determined.

Bottom line, to take the case of a brick and mortar card store and use it to gauge the card market is asinine and specious. It's like saying Blockbuster is dead, so the film industry is dying and no one is watching old content.

Matter of fact, I have half a mind to write a counterpoint piece and take that article to task. For crying out loud, look at the cards pictured; so because 91 Fleer is worthless that colors the whole market? That's like saying John Carter Of Mars bombed at theaters, so the film business is tanking. You've got BBCE that can't keep boxes on shelves. REA getting ten million in one auction. New records set this year for several key cards, most recently the Carew 10, not to mention historic spikes in key 70s RCs to 80s non-HOFers like an 84 Donruss Mattingly. >>




You should write a counterpoint piece. I think many of us would love to read it.

The article has less to do with the hobby dying and more to do with the fact that brick and mortar card stores are dying.

The copy editor blew it with that headline though.

I was little bit shocked to read the statistics and comments from the founder of the national. Can that be accurate? 15%?

KbKards

The 15% figure probably was arrived at based on his expert knowledge of who's buying the booth space at the National. Years ago there was a much larger percentage of baseball card collecting seen at the show. The title of the article is "Fewer Are Investing Hearts and Money Into Baseball Cards", and since based on the past, fewer are investing hearts and money into baseball cards, the space once filled with selling baseball cards has been replaced by other types of collectibles.

MintMoondog

<< <i>That is one of the laziest, most myopic pieces of "journalism" I've ever seen (and I am an employed writer since college and member of the WGA). The author makes no attempt whatsoever to offer a broader picture of the hobby, and barely mentions in passing the strength of sales when it comes to high-end cards. I'd also like to know how that 15% that is bandied about with respect to baseball cards at the national was determined.

Bottom line, to take the case of a brick and mortar card store and use it to gauge the card market is asinine and specious. It's like saying Blockbuster is dead, so the film industry is dying and no one is watching old content.

Matter of fact, I have half a mind to write a counterpoint piece and take that article to task. For crying out loud, look at the cards pictured; so because 91 Fleer is worthless that colors the whole market? That's like saying John Carter Of Mars bombed at theaters, so the film business is tanking. You've got BBCE that can't keep boxes on shelves. REA getting ten million in one auction. New records set this year for several key cards, most recently the Carew 10, not to mention historic spikes in key 70s RCs to 80s non-HOFers like an 84 Donruss Mattingly. >>



LOL Matt's on fire! YOU should write this counterpoint piece Matt - Think Blues Brothers - its a mission from God

Baez578

I think that the concept of fewer people investing money and heart into baseball cards is seriously up for debate.

I don't have the numbers of course but how many dollars filter through eBay just on baseball cards alone throughout the course of the year? How many auction houses are open now online that weren't open just a few years ago? And how much do they generate in dollars per auction?

Better yet, on eBay, is there a bigger collectibles category than baseball cards?

I think the only change in the hobby is that people don't go to the brick-and-mortar shops anymore like when I was a kid. The most fascinating part of the article was following the history of this woman and her hobby shop and perhaps how it reminded me of my youth.

However, I didn't agree with some of the quotes... And the headline.

I really think that the hobby is just as strong now as it ever was. The dollars still seem to be flowing and people are still paying top dollar for the cards they want-both new and old.

Regarding the dwindling number of baseball card booths at the shows, I'm starting to think that has everything to do with the fact that eBay and other online auction houses are a modern-day year-round trade-show. This might take away some of the appeal of spending money on a flight, hotel, and other accommodations just to spend money on baseball cards once a year.

It might be one of the reasons that companies like BBCE hold on to merchandise just for the show. It's just their way of enticing people from far away to come to the show and not just attract a local crowd which no "national" trade show ever wants.

In bbce's case, the product they're holding onto would've sold on the website anyway.

Just my 1 1/2 cents

Dboneesq

<< <i>MattyC is getting upset! >>

digicat

Of all the money I've spent on my hobby, I'd guess that 0.2% was spent at the local card shop (mostly supplies) while 99.8% was spent online.

MattyC

I love that NETWORK clip above! That is one of the best-- and perhaps the most prescient-- films of all time. They just don't write movies like that anymore. Unless we count Fast and Furious 9...

Seriously though, it really grinds my gears when media slants a headline like that just to give the story "bite." Baez nailed it: the story was about brick-and-mortar stores dying off. That is undeniable-- but the advent of the internet has dealt the same fate to other such stores, i.e., the video rental store. (I remember the thrill of getting that one copy of Predator when it came out at my local video store-- now it's all on demand a few weeks after release.) The headline is grossly slanted and the article itself makes barely an attempt to paint a portrait of where the hobby has gone-- or the prices realized for premium cards. Try finding a PSA 10 Ripken Traded from 1982 for under 1k, or for that matter the 1983 rookie class in PSA 10 still fetches a few hundred each. In many ways those are prices that eclipse what they were back when.

It just reminds me of how the news tries to get you to watch... "What household item in your kitchen RIGHT NOW can KILL YOUR FAMILY??? Tune in at 11?" It's just such hucksterism, and makes for lazy journalism. I mean that writer was writing an article about a topic, a market, a hobby, and had no desire to get a 360-degree perspective on his topic. They instead put a headline and weak article out there that not only failed to give an accurate, full picture, but rather put forth a false picture.

It's funny, because newspapers and magazines are being killed off by the internet just like the brick and mortar card store. When that writer is out of a job we can all send him our 1991 Fleer sets-- he can build a house out of them under a highway somewhere

Dougnddeb

My 2 cents: I collected cards as a kid (1960's, 1970's & 1980's). I stopped collecting in 1990 when the market got flooded with cards. I started collecting Starting Lineups, and when they stopped in 2000, I started collecting McFarlane's. When McFarlanes started flodding the market, I stopped collecting them. I sold all of my SLU's and McFarlanes.

I then went back to my first love, football cards! I only collect pre 1990's (1965-1989)f my favorite players and sets. I then discovered PSA cards and I am hooked. I started in March of 2013 and I am building quite a nice collection of PSA football cards.

I have never collected as an "investment" and I don't now either. If something becomes more valuable, then thats fine. I guess my point is that there are new collectors out there but it will never be like it was in the past. I buy 100% online because we don't have a card shop. If we did have a card shop, I would visit it once a week and let them know what I am looking for. God bless that lady and I hope the shop stays open!

Sorry if I went on and on, but like I said, just my 2 cents.

Doug

PSASAP

That article was analogous to a guy stepping outside and noticing, "Boy, it's cold today. Must be that way everywhere."