A Quick Note on the Decline of Baseball Cards

[Moustache Gang]

Members,

I have not collected a baseball card since the early 70's and my sons just never got into them favoring Pokemon cards instead. I just saw a video news story on www.foxnews.com showing the sports card industry has fallen from $1B a year in sales to $200M or an 80% drop. What was also interesting is that the MLB gave exclusivity rights to Topps for all baseball cards. Other companies like Upper Deck must airbrush off the names and logos from the jerseys and batting helmets.

Mark

Always collecting Oakland A's game used jerseys from 1968 to 1980.

[godwulf]

Too many other things for kids to be distracted and entertained by, I guess.

I collected cards when I was in grade school, in the early '60s, and a lot of kids I knew were into it even in junior high...but even younger kids today have access to so much more stuff than even the well-off kids 40-50 years ago did.

Heck, why collect cards so you can look at the players' photos and read their stats, when you can do a Google image search and get all the stats at the Baseball Cube? Then print out a hard copy, anytime you want one.

The card companies have to bear some of the responsibility, too. They saw their major revenue source - kids, and their nickels - disappearing, and made a conscious decision to gear everything toward the adult collector. I remember five-cent Baseball card packs; even with inflation and higher allowances, what kid is going to want to shell out between three and fifteen dollars for a few baseball cards? Why would an adult?

Enter the "memorabilia card" - a gimmick to keep people buying those single packs, instead of just waiting for the factory set to come out...and now, I believe, more and more folks are losing interest in those monstrosities and frauds - those manufactured and artificial rarities.

[cohibasmoker]

Too many other things for kids to be distracted and entertained by, I guess.

I collected cards when I was in grade school, in the early '60s, and a lot of kids I knew were into it even in junior high...but even younger kids today have access to so much more stuff than even the well-off kids 40-50 years ago did.

Heck, why collect cards so you can look at the players' photos and read their stats, when you can do a Google image search and get all the stats at the Baseball Cube? Then print out a hard copy, anytime you want one.

The card companies have to bear some of the responsibility, too. They saw their major revenue source - kids, and their nickels - disappearing, and made a conscious decision to gear everything toward the adult collector. I remember five-cent Baseball card packs; even with inflation and higher allowances, what kid is going to want to shell out between three and fifteen dollars for a few baseball cards? Why would an adult?

Enter the "memorabilia card" - a gimmick to keep people buying those single packs, instead of just waiting for the factory set to come out...and now, I believe, more and more folks are losing interest in those monstrosities and frauds - those manufactured and artificial rarities.

This past weekend I went to my first show in years. As I walked around, I noticed a few things:

1) Almost every major auction house was present looking for "consignments";
2) Some dealers were asking way too much for their items but offering way too little to buy stuff; and,
3) the ONLY people I saw looking for cards were collector's looking to complete their team sets and those collectors looked to be in the 40+ age group;
4) The majority of dealers all had "modern" insert cards displayed in display cases and none of those dealers seemed to be doing any business at all.

Of course all of the dealers were complaining about how bad business was but even when they are making money, they complain Right?

Here's a show tip: The best way to enjoy the show is to walk around and see what the dealers are offering. After that, just stand back and look for a collector carrying any sort of large bag. Follow that person around until he stops at a dealer's table and the dealer says, "let's see what you have". Walk beside them and pretend you're examining the dealer's table but pay attention to their conversations. If the collector has something you want but a deal isn't made, follow the collector until he/she goes down the next isle, stop them and make them a offer. Works for me.

Jim

[godwulf]

There will probably always be a strong, secondary collector's market for cards, especially older ones - but the card companies will not benefit in any way, because they sold those cards many years ago and are out of the loop.

[OaklandAsFan]

I used to be heavily involved in collecting cards. My mother still collect pre war stuff and has almost 2 full T206 sets, myself I really stick to only buying Bowman at this point so I get the draft guys and get them autographed during Arizona Fall League and spring training.

[schubert1970]

Card collecting = scratching off a lottery ticket.

It's all about the big $ insert.

I bought a few packs when I was at Target and received a signed card......actually the card wasn't signed, but this transparent sticker was signed, then placed on the card. Why would anyone want one of these is beyond my me.

[bigtruck260]

Card collecting = scratching off a lottery ticket.

It's all about the big $ insert.

I bought a few packs when I was at Target and received a signed card......actually the card wasn't signed, but this transparent sticker was signed, then placed on the card. Why would anyone want one of these is beyond my me.

Very true. And ESPECIALLY at my local Target, I still see these losers leafing through each and every retail back, bending them, and in one case WEIGHING packs to find the "super secret" crap card.

I still collect the Allen and Ginter (Topps) set every year because it's actually fun to complete. No relics, No autographs, just the regular set and short prints. It's a great item if you buy the sealed hobby box and still enjoy putting the set together. Plus the cards are designed after a set from the 1880's, so it's kinda throwback.

None of this hologrammed, numbered, jersey/autograph, smothered, covered and chunked garbage. That stuff created more problems than anything for collectors because it drove the price of the packs up to ridiculous amounts.

I was in a local store last year and noticed that some packs (yes, packs) of 3-5 cards were going for hundreds of dollars. Lottery tickets indeed. Most of those cards are not kept in collections. They are immediately sold on eBay for a profit (if they make a profit from a $500 pack of cards).

Vent over.

[David]

I think you can differentiate between current cards and vintage cards. T206s and Old Judges are essentially antiques with eternally limited populations.

[David]

Except for prospect and rookie card prospecting, the modern card hobby and it's spending $$ is always focused on the current, the now, this year's issue. The problem with this is that in a year this year's cards are last year's cards, and priced accordingly (lower). Anyone who collects modern cards will soon realize this is the way it works.

Compare that to a 1933 Goudey which you bought specifically because it's out old fashioned and out of date.

[joelsabi]

This past weekend I went to my first show in years. As I walked around, I noticed a few things:

1) Almost every major auction house was present looking for "consignments";
2) Some dealers were asking way too much for their items but offering way too little to buy stuff; and,
3) the ONLY people I saw looking for cards were collector's looking to complete their team sets and those collectors looked to be in the 40+ age group;
4) The majority of dealers all had "modern" insert cards displayed in display cases and none of those dealers seemed to be doing any business at all.

Of course all of the dealers were complaining about how bad business was but even when they are making money, they complain Right?

Here's a show tip: The best way to enjoy the show is to walk around and see what the dealers are offering. After that, just stand back and look for a collector carrying any sort of large bag. Follow that person around until he stops at a dealer's table and the dealer says, "let's see what you have". Walk beside them and pretend you're examining the dealer's table but pay attention to their conversations. If the collector has something you want but a deal isn't made, follow the collector until he/she goes down the next isle, stop them and make them a offer. Works for me.

Jim

you described to the T on how it was when i went to cards shows in the early 90s. i guess nothing has changed.

i too noticed collectors trying to sell stuff to dealers. just be discreet because at most shows i think its prohibited for collectors to try to sell to nondealers.