Game Used Hobby better Now or Pre Internet

[Swoboda4]

I like the access the internet gives today but was the game used hobby better before the internet(e-bay)came into being?
Robert

[kylehess10]

If no internet, then no Game Used Universe

[Utopian2630]

I think its kind of a double-edged sword. I think pre-internet we were sort of stuck with finding game-worn items at card shows, flea markets and publications. In one instance, there are more resources to find game-worn items. However, there are also more resources for less-than-ethical sellers who doctor up team-issed blanks, commons and such.

I think the internet has given us as consumers many great resources for research, (i.e. GUU, Getty's Images etc. ) so now we're much more knowledgable about the hobby and hopefully are less likely to become fraud victims. Honestly, before GUU, a lot of collectors, myself included might have been more inclined to take the word of some authenticators at face-value without knowing their prior track record.

Bottom line, the internet is a great resource for the hobby...but just that another resource, not the end all and be all of game-used collecting.

[kb-holdings]

I think Utopian summed that up very well. I couldn't agree more.

[staindsox]

To build on Utopian's statement, the internet gives us access to more items. Before, it was hit or miss at a card show. You could look forever for an item and never find it. Now the things we search for are easier to find. The trade off is that the items reach a larger audience. Instead of buying a card at a show and the dealers may have a few 100 potential customers, now you have eBay with millions of potential customers. The result is that you may be able to find what you're looking for, but it will often cost a lot more. For example, my father and I completed a set of 1916 BF2 pennants. Twenty years ago, there was only one known complete set...Barry Halper's. We were second to do it, but I'm sure there are others now. Larry Fritsch was only one or two away. Here is the trade off. We bought many of these at $40-60, but I have seen them on eBay for $200-300!!! When an item reaches such a huge audience, more people find them and can collect them...to the highest bidder. I think the interest has helped the hobby, but we sometimes have to reach deeper into our pockets.