What made the card collecting "bubble" of the 90s finally burst?

[Raysfan16]

And to those who were collecting then, when could you tell that the end of an era was approaching? Was it the Strike? Or did people just lose interest?

[711 Cards]

The internet exposed over production.

[BigDan502]

The bubble slowly burst over time in my opinion.
Stadium Club and Ultra hit in 1991. Slowly everyone started coming out with more and more products.
In 1992 shaq was drafted to the Magic and kids really started taking an interest in collecting basketball cards.
As each company and sport expanded their lines it slowly diluted the market and turned off a lot of people.
Nothing really held value either.
In 1997 the first game used cards hit and the hobby slowly evolved to where it is now.
The late 90s were pretty huge because you could sell an 85 topps card for close to 2 beans at one point.
I just think some people were priced out of collecting.
Today, to collect at all, you need to be able to flip a little bit because the average consumer doesn't have the wallet to purchase products at the prices we pay.

[DSizzle31]

Originally Posted by 711 Cards

The internet exposed over production.

This.

Stuff that was rare in your area turned out to be not rare at all.

[37Jetson]

The Baseball Strike had an enormous impact on collector's, get rich investors and the card companies. The overproduction of the 1980's really became evident in the 1990's when the get rich investors walked away.

[Brewer Andy]

Originally Posted by 711 Cards

The internet exposed over production.

Yep this. Maybe 1% a combination of other factors but none more so

[Raysfan16]

I thought the internet became mainstream in ~1997 or so. I imagine it would've been way more difficult looking up a card online in 1992 before smartphones, wifi, etc.

[Gmrson]

Production far outweighed demand. Around 1987, a lot of people got into the hobby for the money/investment aspect and by 1992-93 they were seeing their cards being worth almost nothing. The new companies like Hoops and Pro Set flooded the market. I've heard stories of Pro Set running the presses 24 hours. People who weren't really into cards for a hobby dropped out.

Originally Posted by Raysfan16

I thought the internet became mainstream in ~1997 or so. I imagine it would've been way more difficult looking up a card online in 1992 before smartphones, wifi, etc.

I agree, it had burst well before the internet. Joining Ebay in 1998, I found I got really good prices for my oddball stuff that I still had. I even found a floundering card shop who was more than happy to sell his dead stock of Tiffany sets and Gallery of Champions set at a nicely discounted price. I think the start of the internet was good for selling, until more and more people got into it. IMO card buyers have increased, again, with people who rip and flip than collectors. The pattern before the burst is repeating, but the companies are using a much different approach.

[Jopeal]

The internet made 99% of cards easily accessible, which killed the value of everything except the rarest, most in-demand cards.

[Raysfan16]

Originally Posted by Gmrson

The pattern before the burst is repeating, but the companies are using a much different approach.

That's partly why I was asking this question--with Super Jumbo boxes coming in this year's Draft, Panini, Leaf, and everybody hopping on the draft/prospecting train, it seems like we're reaching another trend of overproduction. That being said I was born in 1994 so I have no idea what it was like back then. Could you elaborate on the "much different approach"? All the new color cards and unlicensed draft garbage seems to be just as reckless as Donruss and Fleer back then.

[JeHHH]

Interesting thread, curious as well. I was born in 1993, and didn't start collecting until about the mid to late 2000s.

I think the internet has had a lot to do with it. And obviously overproduction in the late 80s to early 90s.

One contributing factor would be that topps and panini have been able to add a sense of scarcity that baseball cards once had by offering cards with very low print runs and numbering (superfractors).


Also on card autographs give collectors the idea that there is a finite amount, and that sports cards aren't just overproduced pieces of cardboard.

[JeHHH]

Companies found a way to make sports cards "rare" again while also maintaining appropriate production levels.

[hermanotarjeta]

people got sick of inserts and parallels.

yes, those same ones that are sort of valuable today since people are getting sick of jersey cards.

[patriots]

It was indeed the internet, more specifically eBay. It used to be that if you went to a card show and saw a Ken Griffey Insert that was #ed to 5000, you were going to pay good money for it because you wouldn't think you'd ever see one again. Now you get on eBay and you can find 20-30 of a card #ed to 100. There are advantages too, its not all bad. When I first got on eBay I was able to reach a larger base and quickly found out that Hideo Nomo had a much different market than what I struggled to find at the local card shows.

[corockies]

Originally Posted by patriots

It was indeed the internet, more specifically eBay. It used to be that if you went to a card show and saw a Ken Griffey Insert that was #ed to 5000, you were going to pay good money for it because you wouldn't think you'd ever see one again. Now you get on eBay and you can find 20-30 of a card #ed to 100. There are advantages too, its not all bad. When I first got on eBay I was able to reach a larger base and quickly found out that Hideo Nomo had a much different market than what I struggled to find at the local card shows.

Good luck trying to purchase any low serial #ed Nomos from the late '90s. You can't find any of it, and when the rare copy does pop up it sells for insane amounts.

[MW Connection]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

people got sick of inserts and parallels.

yes, those same ones that are sort of valuable today since people are getting sick of jersey cards.

pretty funny and definitely true. It seems 90's inserts have become hot again.

[callou2131]

I would say after 98. Remember in 97-98 Mcgwire, Bonds, Clemens, Ripken, Gwynn etc. were still very expensive cards for the time. As more and more people got on ebay after that and everyone got online it blew up. And I am talking raw as grading wasnt that important yet. 85 mcgwire was like $150-200, Bonds $100-$150, Ripken reg $60-80 etc. Now all can be had for the price of a modern pack.

[CharlieHustle]

All the answers listed here answer a different question. The internet absolutely did NOT cause the 90's bubble to burst. The 90's bubble was burst long before the internet, and ebay, came into great popularity. If anyone here remembers, 1995-1997 was freezing, ice cold in the collecting world. Shows died out, product was being released at an unmanageable pace and wax prices were through the roof (not in a good way). IMO, the bubble was burst when wax packs started to routinely cross the threshold of $5 a pack, timed perfectly with the baseball strike. It started with 1990 Leaf, then 1991 Stadium Club and 1991 OPC Premiere, then 1992 Ultra and 1992 Bowman, then Shaquille O'Neal came on to the scene and basketball products were $3-5 a pack for standard base cards. Everything started becoming more and more "premium", but the value wasn't being returned through the product (who remembers opening $60 boxes and the biggest "hit" being a $3 insert card). Then the real killers, 1993 SP and 1993 Finest. They created a temporary frenzy, but had a reverse effect in 1994 when everyone doubled down on the 1994 versions of the same sets and the baseball strike happened. The strike was like a door slamming shut on the collecting community. People just stopped buying cards cold.

Fast forward to 1998 and the homerun race between McGwire and Sosa. All of a sudden, old sealed product became popular again. The internet made cards more accessible and all of this gave way to the next "boom" in card collecting...graded cards.
So, IMO, you guys have it all wrong. The internet actually brought card collecting back, it didn't burst the bubble. The internet filled people's heads with dollar signs as they snatched up factory sets, massive surplus lots, and sealed product, looking for key superstar cards to send in for grading. Then in 2001, S/n rookies and autos really took off and became the new "must haves" for collectors, which kept things hot for a couple of years. The next cool down period was probably either 2002 or 2003 through 2006. In 2007, most collectors made their way back to collecting because of blaster boxes at Target/Walmart. So yes, it could be argued that the internet killed the card market in the early/mid 2000's, but as far as the 90's bubble goes, that was burst several years before people even had the internet in their homes.

[bowefan]

I think alot of was due to 2 factors, overproduction and ebay. It also seems everytime there was a new trend that hit the market, companies decided to flood the market with the trend.
Examples,
1. insert cards, it use be you get 1 insert or maybe 2 per box, then it became every 4 to 6 packs you would get an insert. I love the idea of pack odds of 1 out of 24 packs, 1 out of 48, 1 out of 72 , 1 out of 144 or 200 or something and 1 out of 700 and something. This kept the inserts rare to certain degree, but the card companies couldn't get the insert right. They made most inserts worthless.

2. Rookie cards. Back before 1989 there was rookies inserted a year or two after they were called up, a good thing. This way we could feel a rookie out and make a better estimate if we wanted to collect them. Also they usually only put in the top tier rookies making the card and the sets more expensive and sought after. From 89 or maybe 88 they put in prospects and alot of them. By around mid 90's they started inserting them 1 in every 6 packs or 4 packs then 2 packs then every packs. It flooded the market and made them worthless. There were exceptions, but for the most part they were not that expensive to have.

3.Jerysey cards. They used to inserted 1 out 10,000 packs or so, then 1 out 1,500 packs, then 1 out of 700+ packs, then 1 out 144 packs and so on and so on, till what it is today in certain products with 3 per box. Again, flooded the market. Now jersey cards are usually afterthoughts.

4. Numbered cards. Back in the day numbered cards were 1 in 2 cases hits or even a case hit depending on the product. I remember pulling a Terrell Davis legacy out of flair showcase in 98, it was numbered out of 100. I traded the card for 200 dollars and some Manning rcs. Now numbered cards are falling 2 to 6 times a box depending on the product. Again flooding the market and making the cards worthless, unless you get a great player and even then it is far less then it should be.

5. Autos. Again great idea made bad by the companies. Who wants to pull bench players and 27 year old rookies or prospects. Also is it really rare anymore to pull these cards. No. Yes it is nice to pull 3 autos out of Bowman jumbo, but back in the day it was special, you knew you hit something rare, something that most people wouldn't have, making the card more valuable. Even if it was a second tier guy.

The blame isn't all on the companies, I blame social media too. People going to the companies websites, blogs, twitter and facebook complaining they need more content, aka more bang for the buck, but in reality collectors complaints that were heard and complied too drove the market down. Now were there inserting massive amounts of color refractors to sets making refractors worth less. Were does it stop.. It stops when the companies go under or they get a clue and stop flooding the market. This last part will never happen.

[EJohnson]

Originally Posted by CharlieHustle

All the answers listed here answer a different question. The internet absolutely did NOT cause the 90's bubble to burst. The 90's bubble was burst long before the internet, and ebay, came into great popularity. If anyone here remembers, 1995-1997 was freezing, ice cold in the collecting world. Shows died out, product was being released at an unmanageable pace and wax prices were through the roof (not in a good way). IMO, the bubble was burst when wax packs started to routinely cross the threshold of $5 a pack, timed perfectly with the baseball strike. It started with 1990 Leaf, then 1991 Stadium Club and 1991 OPC Premiere, then 1992 Ultra and 1992 Bowman, then Shaquille O'Neal came on to the scene and basketball products were $3-5 a pack for standard base cards. Everything started becoming more and more "premium", but the value wasn't being returned through the product (who remembers opening $60 boxes and the biggest "hit" being a $3 insert card). Then the real killers, 1993 SP and 1993 Finest. They created a temporary frenzy, but had a reverse effect in 1994 when everyone doubled down on the 1994 versions of the same sets and the baseball strike happened. The strike was like a door slamming shut on the collecting community. People just stopped buying cards cold.

Fast forward to 1998 and the homerun race between McGwire and Sosa. All of a sudden, old sealed product became popular again. The internet made cards more accessible and all of this gave way to the next "boom" in card collecting...graded cards.
So, IMO, you guys have it all wrong. The internet actually brought card collecting back, it didn't burst the bubble. The internet filled people's heads with dollar signs as they snatched up factory sets, massive surplus lots, and sealed product, looking for key superstar cards to send in for grading. Then in 2001, S/n rookies and autos really took off and became the new "must haves" for collectors, which kept things hot for a couple of years. The next cool down period was probably either 2002 or 2003 through 2006. In 2007, most collectors made their way back to collecting because of blaster boxes at Target/Walmart. So yes, it could be argued that the internet killed the card market in the early/mid 2000's, but as far as the 90's bubble goes, that was burst several years before people even had the internet in their homes.

This guy right here gets it.

[Prospect Rush]

Originally Posted by CharlieHustle

All the answers listed here answer a different question. The internet absolutely did NOT cause the 90's bubble to burst. The 90's bubble was burst long before the internet, and ebay, came into great popularity. If anyone here remembers, 1995-1997 was freezing, ice cold in the collecting world. Shows died out, product was being released at an unmanageable pace and wax prices were through the roof (not in a good way). IMO, the bubble was burst when wax packs started to routinely cross the threshold of $5 a pack, timed perfectly with the baseball strike. It started with 1990 Leaf, then 1991 Stadium Club and 1991 OPC Premiere, then 1992 Ultra and 1992 Bowman, then Shaquille O'Neal came on to the scene and basketball products were $3-5 a pack for standard base cards. Everything started becoming more and more "premium", but the value wasn't being returned through the product (who remembers opening $60 boxes and the biggest "hit" being a $3 insert card). Then the real killers, 1993 SP and 1993 Finest. They created a temporary frenzy, but had a reverse effect in 1994 when everyone doubled down on the 1994 versions of the same sets and the baseball strike happened. The strike was like a door slamming shut on the collecting community. People just stopped buying cards cold.

Fast forward to 1998 and the homerun race between McGwire and Sosa. All of a sudden, old sealed product became popular again. The internet made cards more accessible and all of this gave way to the next "boom" in card collecting...graded cards.
So, IMO, you guys have it all wrong. The internet actually brought card collecting back, it didn't burst the bubble. The internet filled people's heads with dollar signs as they snatched up factory sets, massive surplus lots, and sealed product, looking for key superstar cards to send in for grading. Then in 2001, S/n rookies and autos really took off and became the new "must haves" for collectors, which kept things hot for a couple of years. The next cool down period was probably either 2002 or 2003 through 2006. In 2007, most collectors made their way back to collecting because of blaster boxes at Target/Walmart. So yes, it could be argued that the internet killed the card market in the early/mid 2000's, but as far as the 90's bubble goes, that was burst several years before people even had the internet in their homes.

Correct, bubble burst long before internet.

[shrevecity]

Yeah the bubble burst before the internet became mainstream. The internet did expose the fact that many rare items were not rare, but that happened in all collectible areas not just sportscards. The card bubble had already burst.

[smalltown]

Originally Posted by Raysfan16

it seems like we're reaching another trend of overproduction. That being said I was born in 1994 so I have no idea what it was like back then.

The prospecting of bowman reminds me a lot of what happened back in the day. I remember people hoarding Griffey rookies Frank Thomas rookies and others. I remember a guy who had 50+ of the Mcguire USA rookie - binder pages full. "It's going to be worth a bazillion(paraphrasing) dollars when he gets into the hall" he used to say. That was the first moment i realized the over production. I see the same thing now with the bowman sets.

[711 Cards]

Originally Posted by smalltown

The prospecting of bowman reminds me a lot of what happened back in the day. I remember people hoarding Griffey rookies Frank Thomas rookies and others. I remember a guy who had 50+ of the Mcguire USA rookie - binder pages full. "It's going to be worth a bazillion(paraphrasing) dollars when he gets into the hall" he used to say. That was the first moment i realized the over production. I see the same thing now with the bowman sets.

Except now we know the print run of every card.

[mainerunr]

eBay definitely was not the cause however, I do believe the internet contributed. Usenet newsgroups certainly existed in the early 90's and there were several regarding collecting cards. I think that was the beginning of exposing the sheer numbers of cards available.