Is 1980s now considered vintage?

Estil · August 18, 2006 10:48AM

I mean, they are now 16-26 years old. I know traditionally pre-1980 was vintage but I'm just curious if the 1980s are now considered vintage. I personally take great pride in my runs of Topps (1980-2004), Donruss & Fleer (1981-92), Score (1988-92), and Upper Deck (1989-93). I'd like to think they're now considered as "vintage" as 1960s and 1970s sets were not too long ago.

bri2327 · August 18, 2006 11:09AM

To some i suppose they are considered vintage. To me, not at all. Its all in who you ask. There are plenty of collectors who when asked will tell you 60's material is not vintage.

Estil · August 18, 2006 11:18AM

Perhaps it depends on which generation you grew up in? I was born in 1980, so my childhood is mainly mid-1980s to early 1990s.

chaz43 · August 18, 2006 12:55PM

1972 is the cut off for many. chaz

grote15 · August 18, 2006 1:05PM

For me, 1980 is the demarcation point as the value of unopened product takes a serious nosedive after 1980.

riccaboni · August 18, 2006 2:23PM

1960 is the vintage cutoff for me and I was born in 1987. Mom was born in '62.

To me, the '80s stuff will never be vintage, much like to older collectors, anything after WWII is modern.

-Ian

Griffins · August 18, 2006 3:47PM

WW2 is the cutoff for me. Go to Net 54 and many of those only consider pre WW1 vintage.

grote15 · August 18, 2006 4:32PM

For single cards, maybe yes, but try to find any unopened boxes pre-1970, good luck!

ToppsCo1lector · August 18, 2006 4:44PM

1980's cards will NEVER be considered vintage to me. I was born in 85, but I just don't see it ever happening.

2dueces · August 19, 2006 3:11AM

Most people will never consider any thing after 1973 as vintage. I consider Vintage pre WW1.

bishop · August 19, 2006 7:40AM

Two mentioned 1972....what makes that a cut off ?

bri2327 · August 19, 2006 9:03AM

<< <i>Two mentioned 1972....what makes that a cut off ? >>

1972 was the last year Topps released cards in series form. Starting in 73 all the cards were realeased at the same time.

downtown · August 19, 2006 3:28PM

Topps released 1973 in series also...that was last year it was done, not 1972 as before mentioned. Mike Schmidt Rookie was in last series in 1973.

bri2327 · August 19, 2006 4:35PM

<< <i>Topps released 1973 in series also...that was last year it was done, not 1972 as before mentioned. Mike Schmidt Rookie was in last series in 1973. >>

my bad, thanks for the correction.

grote15 · August 19, 2006 6:31PM

Topps released 1973 in series also...that was last year it was done, not 1972 as before mentioned. Mike Schmidt Rookie was in last series in 1973.

Though Topps did release 1973 packs in series, they also released "All Series" packs in that same year so 1973 was in fact the first year Topps relased all-series packs. A Schmidt RC was also possible in these all-series packs.

On a side note, all OPC packs were "All Series" packs in 1973, too.

bishop · August 20, 2006 6:20AM

Thanks for info.

gregmo32 · August 20, 2006 10:25AM

Yes, it is.

Wabittwax · August 21, 2006 10:04AM

On ebay, yes, 1988 Topps is definately highly sought after, hard to find vintage.

On here, probably not.

Honestly though, if 1980's cards were produced in much much less limited quantity, we might consider it semi vintage today. Problem is, there's still no shortage of the stuff so I doubt it will ever be considered truly vintage in people's minds.

I would consider 1975 and back as true vintage and 1976-1980 as semi vintage.

grote15 · August 21, 2006 12:07PM

I would consider 1975 and back as true vintage and 1976-1980 as semi vintage.

Agree 100%.

ToppsCo1lector · August 21, 2006 5:40PM

To me, like I said anything from the 1980's is not considered vintage to me. My cutoff for vintage is the late 60's. Seems to me, after that overproduction took over(no pun intended).

bishop · August 21, 2006 10:08PM

Why 1975 ? Not being argumentative, just trying to understand everyon's rationale. The SCD Catalog separates the Topps listings in 1980 for evident reasons. Someone else mentioned the end of series issues for 1972/73. What would argue for 1975 as a cutoff ?

grote15 · August 22, 2006 10:46AM

What would argue for 1975 as a cutoff ?

1975 Topps wax boxes are about 1.5K for a truly unsearched box and a 1973 wax box goes for about 3K, while the cost of a 1977 wax box would only set you back about $600, so the scarcity and value of full boxes from 1975 and earlier are a prime reason for the cutoff in terms of cost. The 1975 set is also one of the most famous and popular or all the Topps sets so many collectors view it as a significant set in that sense, too. In the end, it's purely subjective, but I strongly disagree with Toppscollector when he says that "overproduction" took place after the late 60s as the prices obviously indicate otherwise. Good luck if you think it's easy to find legitimate unopened wax boxes from the early 70s, because these boxes are very scarce and their value confirms that. In the late 70s a number of collectors began squirreling away sealed cases of boxes, so that's why you see many 78 boxes up for sale at any given time, but you may wait a year or more for a real 73 box to come up for auction.

Wabittwax · August 22, 2006 10:12PM

I do think 1975 might be considered a cut off due to popularity. After 1975, prices really start dropping off and demand is much less. If the 75 set sucked, I would say the cutoff would be 1973 or 1972 since the 1974 set really isn't that popular either.

I think though to my kids when they get older, I can see 1988 Topps being considered "vintage" to them because they were born in the 90's and don't remember them. Time will tell.

Is 1980s now considered vintage?

Comments