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Re: "The Hobby: The Rise and Fall of Upper Deck"
I couldn't help myself as I am somewhat addicted to Amazon's used books, so I picked up the copy for $6.
I just finished the book (Card Sharks) as I have been reading it while in the air. All I can say is, WOW. My initial takeaways are:
1. Upper D!ck is the appropriate name for Richard;
2. The basic economics of short supply and high demand fueled the bubble that began in 1989 and popped in 1994;
3. I never understood the revenue sharing of the MLB Players Association, but now I have a tiny bit of an understanding; and
4. Our good community friend, Ken Goldin, is a superstar in the book.
What I have been really interested in over the past year is how the same economics apply to the "game used" market. It is clearly obvious that the MLB teams are increasing the supply of the team supplied equipment (i.e., jerseys and baseballs) and selling directly into the marketplace, thus increasing the costs in the secondary market. I am not sure the economics of the secondary market can handle the increase in supply. Just like baseball cards in the 50's, there is clearly a delineation when the supply began to incrementally increase (1991, 1999, 2010). I would imagine at a certain point in the future, there will be a bubble popping. The biggest question is, how much longer do we have before the market softens?
This book was a great read, thanks for suggestion.
-Wes
Here is some of the original source material ---- A very well-researched book and an exceptional read , especially at around six dollars used on Amazon.
I just finished the book (Card Sharks) as I have been reading it while in the air. All I can say is, WOW. My initial takeaways are:
1. Upper D!ck is the appropriate name for Richard;
2. The basic economics of short supply and high demand fueled the bubble that began in 1989 and popped in 1994;
3. I never understood the revenue sharing of the MLB Players Association, but now I have a tiny bit of an understanding; and
4. Our good community friend, Ken Goldin, is a superstar in the book.
What I have been really interested in over the past year is how the same economics apply to the "game used" market. It is clearly obvious that the MLB teams are increasing the supply of the team supplied equipment (i.e., jerseys and baseballs) and selling directly into the marketplace, thus increasing the costs in the secondary market. I am not sure the economics of the secondary market can handle the increase in supply. Just like baseball cards in the 50's, there is clearly a delineation when the supply began to incrementally increase (1991, 1999, 2010). I would imagine at a certain point in the future, there will be a bubble popping. The biggest question is, how much longer do we have before the market softens?
This book was a great read, thanks for suggestion.
-Wes
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