Change in Collecting Focus

KurtisJoseph

Has anyone else changed their collecting focus due to the massive run up in prices the past 2 years. I used to only collect rack packs from the 70's. . .and have moved on for the most part since I don't want to pay going rates. I've been focusing on football for the 1st time in my life and have moved to some unopened wax. Am even eye balling Hockey now (wax). For baseball, I've been casually collecting more 1980 - 1981 since these years were significant to me when I was young.

kevsays

Interesting you asked because I did just change my focus. Getting back into the hobby I started with unopened wax boxes to fulfill my childhood a little. Now I could afford all the packs I couldn't when I was a kid. I ripped many 80's football and baseball with intention to grade the HOFers and hope to pull some Mint's…

..I realized that I would still get a rush from pulling certain rookies and cards of my favorite players but the odds of hitting some Gem/Mints were not in my favor or cost feasible. So, now I'm switching to buying graded cards of my favorite players. Why should I pay for all the work of ripping/grading when someone else did it for me?! I can spend a lot less out-right buying Walter Payton's and Dan Marinos then trying to pull a good one from a box.

Much happier now!

elsnorto

I suspect a lot of people did so at some point in their hobby life... at least once.

Player collectors had little choice but to change their goal of collecting EVERY card once there were so many manufacturers, each putting out multiple releases, with almost every product containing 1/1 cards. Some shifted to EVERY card numbered to 100, for example, or more... while others changed their focus all together.

I think a lot of people shifted from modern to vintage, at least in part, due to the same proliferation of product and escalating pack/box costs. Many got tired of spending $100+ on a box of cards, ripping them open, realizing they couldn't recoup even 25% of the box cost (unless they had great luck) if they sold the contents immediately... and likely even less if they tried to sell those contents a year later.

But it can work the other way as well.

There were insert sets I coveted in the 90's that were hard to find (pre-eBay) and, if you did find them, the business-to-consumer model meant you were going to pay dearly for the hot/rare stuff. Now, with few exceptions, they are comparatively way easier to find and way cheaper to own. So with my graded vintage sets stalled waiting for cards I still need to appear, I've been really enjoying building some of these iconic 90's sets raw.

Snorto~