Collecting Hobby

[packman80]

How this article reads only thing young people now care about is the chase for a big money card. Not sure how people this young are even getting the money to buy these cards. Glad I moved into memorabilia it’s more enjoyable then cards were it’s just to find a big hit and flip it 5 minutes later.

https://frontofficesports.com/young-...trading-cards/

[ssbledsoe]

Originally Posted by packman80

How this article reads only thing young people now care about is the chase for a big money card. Not sure how people this young are even getting the money to buy these cards. Glad I moved into memorabilia it’s more enjoyable then cards were it’s just to find a big hit and flip it 5 minutes later.

https://frontofficesports.com/young-...trading-cards/

Pretty sure there's 2 groups:
Nepobabies
Wheeler and Dealers that walk the fine line of con artistry

[chris_ac]

While I'm a fossil and a purist in this trading card "niche" (term to combine all types), 2 things struck me from this. 1, a website called Front Office Sports. Good enough for government type of website name. 2ndly, 1 of the testimonials who has 10 LeBron's as a PC feels he's still one of the true collectors. Eh... Everyone has to believe something to traverse daily life. Name the avenue of society and there is a belief or cadre of accepted conventions.

Having said this, you read this newest iteration of our pastime (slant on it so to speak) and I preferred the old Beckett mag hobby notes/stories/super collectors. Some here hate those terms but there is still something even today to see an individual with a massive collection devoted to a sport/team/player/set. Yes, money will still always drive those endeavors but the effort/time/the fragmented dynamics of today make the person's initiative to do it and do it for the 10-20 years is the the part eluding the card public. Lots of players out there who make decent 15 year careers (old semistar label guys) that collectors could pursue even in today's market. Especially given these so called apps and markets complementing ebay to find cards. Mascot? Who knew...

But it's the euphoria of chasing (gambling). Cue the HBOMax series with young adult boys who have the trial, error, and triumph of finding trading cards lol

[hermanotarjeta]

A clear sign the end is near.

[Chrominator]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

A clear sign the end is near.

Or is it just the beginning?

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Chrominator

Or is it just the beginning?

The beginning of the end.

[CapMarvelous]

I certainly don't think it's only young people. A friend of mine, both same age early/mid 30's, was NEVER into cards. Pandemic hit and suddenly he was buying Pokemon and basketball and then football, watching videos of rips. He suddenly became obsessed.

But he's not a fan of any of those particular things. He became addicted to the high of opening and the chase of the big money cards. He's also a chronic FanDuel user. So, he's just addicted to gambling.

I don't know how "young" people do it. I go to shows and it is now 40-50% Pokemon kids (10-15 years old if I had to guess) with their bulletproof suitcase boxes. With the economy, I can't imagine how they afford the hobby.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by CapMarvelous

I certainly don't think it's only young people. A friend of mine, both same age early/mid 30's, was NEVER into cards. Pandemic hit and suddenly he was buying Pokemon and basketball and then football, watching videos of rips. He suddenly became obsessed.

But he's not a fan of any of those particular things. He became addicted to the high of opening and the chase of the big money cards. He's also a chronic FanDuel user. So, he's just addicted to gambling.

I don't know how "young" people do it. I go to shows and it is now 40-50% Pokemon kids (10-15 years old if I had to guess) with their bulletproof suitcase boxes. With the economy, I can't imagine how they afford the hobby.

They are all obviously backed by their parents who have been the main beneficiaries of the record long bull equity and real estate markets.

[Chrominator]

Originally Posted by CapMarvelous

I don't know how "young" people do it. I go to shows and it is now 40-50% Pokemon kids (10-15 years old if I had to guess) with their bulletproof suitcase boxes. With the economy, I can't imagine how they afford the hobby.

Allowance, grandmothers, and hawking unused PS5s, Alienware Laptops & other nice gifts on ebay.

[Chrominator]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

The beginning of the end.

[Ninotores]

Originally Posted by packman80

How this article reads only thing young people now care about is the chase for a big money card. Not sure how people this young are even getting the money to buy these cards. Glad I moved into memorabilia it’s more enjoyable then cards were it’s just to find a big hit and flip it 5 minutes later.

https://frontofficesports.com/young-...trading-cards/

This is such an odd complaint. Show me anyone buying a box to hit all base and be disappointed. Even before the "case hit" stuff, people bought for autos and game used chase cards. Before that, rookies.

And if people are flipping, other people are buying, which means people out there are still collecting.

[daveyc1]

This is nothing new. Has been going on for decades. I think it really started with Beckett priceguides. I vividly remember all of my middle school friends bringing the newest issue of beckett baseball to school and us pouring over it to see which card was up .35 cents from the previous month.

I also remember going to shows and reading the adds in the various card magazines for 100 count lots of 87 topps Mike Greenwell and Greg Swindell etc. being touted as "investments"

most of my friends from back then that i still know have long left the hobby. but for them, it was really gambling/flipping. just on a MUCH smaller scale back then compared to now.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by CapMarvelous

I certainly don't think it's only young people. A friend of mine, both same age early/mid 30's, was NEVER into cards. Pandemic hit and suddenly he was buying Pokemon and basketball and then football, watching videos of rips. He suddenly became obsessed.

But he's not a fan of any of those particular things. He became addicted to the high of opening and the chase of the big money cards.

So much this. The pandemic really did create much of that...the flipboi/breakboi thing.

A typical seller on ebay in ultra modern- stuff like WWE prizm, basketball prizm, FIFA, WNBA prism (specifically CC), F1 sapphire, Topps chrome baseball, and perhaps Disney chrome, Marvel chrome, Pokemon to tack on. This is the hallmark of someone just using whatever is "hot" as a pawn for money. And gambling. Unless...err...that person is really catching that WWE Raw airing weekly right after that WNBA game following the afternoon Formula 1 race with the NBA playoff game and Snow White on in the background. What's going on here is so obvious.

Generally prizm/Chrome/Sapphire/PMGs are the targets. There is a contingent that basically follows those shiny brands around no matter what the subject is. Im mostly a nonsports guy, and lately seeing it particularly with Topps Disney chrome and Marvel chrome- so much of that is sports people selling to each other, breaking, and playing the box price escalation game to flip. Many sports people in those threads, talking about Topps box drops, EQL, allocations, and prices. Sure as heck not much discussion on who's collecting Aurora, Donald Duck, or the Hulk.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by Ninotores

And if people are flipping, other people are buying, which means people out there are still collecting.

There are still collectors, but the flippers are buying the cards to use for gambling purposes. I would say the vast majority of people in the ultra modern hobby consider themselves investors, entrepreneurs, or flippers. A distant fourth would be collectors.

The mystery pack nonsense is keeping most things afloat in value. People that care about the value of their cards say how great mystery packs are, because it makes their cards more valuable. This utility of cards is not value based on what collectors want to pay, but value based on what gamblers will pay.

[RustyDawg37]

i set up at my first show ever a few weeks ago. None of the kids there were interested in collecting sports cards at all. thats not a good thing. Sports cards is what they flip to buy pokemon to collect in some cases.

[49erRCCollector]

if flipboi is a thing it will be curious if it can sustain whatever the market is right now or if it will run out of steam?

I honestly don't know.

[bojesphob]

Originally Posted by daveyc1

This is nothing new. Has been going on for decades. I think it really started with Beckett priceguides. I vividly remember all of my middle school friends bringing the newest issue of beckett baseball to school and us pouring over it to see which card was up .35 cents from the previous month.

I also remember going to shows and reading the adds in the various card magazines for 100 count lots of 87 topps Mike Greenwell and Greg Swindell etc. being touted as "investments"

most of my friends from back then that i still know have long left the hobby. but for them, it was really gambling/flipping. just on a MUCH smaller scale back then compared to now.

I was going to mention something along these lines. I also remember how many adults during the 90s were thinking they were going to be able to fund their kids' college tuition with Brett Favre, Barry Sanders, or John Elway rookie cards. At least now there is some value in the products - sure, it's the low numbered stuff or the things that are extremely small odds to find. At least it's not 1991 Wild Card where for well over a decade after the product released you could get an entire skid of cases for like 100 dollars.

[f2tornado]

Originally Posted by bojesphob

I also remember how many adults during the 90s were thinking they were going to be able to fund their kids' college tuition with Brett Favre, Barry Sanders, or John Elway rookie cards.

People who bought and held enough high grade examples of those at the time probably could knock out some tuition these days, at least at a state school. The Barry Sanders PSA 10 Score is around $1400. The Elway Topps rookie up to $7k and the Favre 1991 Stadium around $200.

[bojesphob]

Originally Posted by f2tornado

People who bought and held enough high grade examples of those at the time probably could knock out some tuition these days, at least at a state school. The Barry Sanders PSA 10 Score is around $1400. The Elway Topps rookie up to $7k and the Favre 1991 Stadium around $200.

Well, sure, now some of those are worth a lot, if graded high, but many of the cards from those days even graded are worth nothing. Even buying that stuff at steep discounts, you'd be lucky to break even with most of it even with prices the way they are now.

[GrailChase]

Originally Posted by packman80

How this article reads only thing young people now care about is the chase for a big money card. Not sure how people this young are even getting the money to buy these cards. Glad I moved into memorabilia it’s more enjoyable then cards were it’s just to find a big hit and flip it 5 minutes later.

https://frontofficesports.com/young-...trading-cards/

Kinda feels like the result of having 8 "1/1" cards from a single product. "Is that a 1/1?" "Yes! There's only 5 others with the exact pose of the player, with different backgrounds, and 3 with him in this other pose, using different backgrounds and design elements"

[MD202041]

If I could turn back time, I would’ve stocked up on 2018 Donruss Optic hobby boxes that my LCS priced at $95 per on release day. I bought 2 sealed cases. In hindsight should have bought 20. 2019 was similar price, much worse draft class. Then came 2020 Covid, and everything has been overpriced since then. Irrespective of draft class quality

[CorndogWasp]

You do that, I’ll set the Time Machine a year earlier and grab the 2017 stuff.

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by MD202041

If I could turn back time, I would’ve stocked up on 2018 Donruss Optic hobby boxes that my LCS priced at $95 per on release day. I bought 2 sealed cases. In hindsight should have bought 20. 2019 was similar price, much worse draft class. Then came 2020 Covid, and everything has been overpriced since then. Irrespective of draft class quality

2019 was the last year I bought any amount of Optic hobby. Yes, then it was stupid after that.