FootballCardFreak
07-29-2009, 06:28 PM
Writing Team Trial 1/5
By Kyle Hymel aka FootballCardFreak
The days are now over when a plain jersey card will fetch you $20 unless it is a big name like Babe Ruth. Nowadays, a plain swatch of the average player will only fetch you about $1-2. Most plain swatches of "nobody" players will only fetch you $.50 at the most.*
The worst part of this, in my opinion, is that these cards are considered “hits”. This may have been the case a few years ago, but now you might as well call refractors and xfractors hits because some of them are worth more than a jersey card! Who wants to buy a $60 box with four hits and get four $2-3 jersey cards in their box as their “hits"?
However, patches are still going strong. It's just that it seems like the market is getting tired of plain old jersey swatches. Some of these aren't even game-used as they are only worn on photo shoots or other NFL events. Some collectors really care about this fact, but I am fine with it as long as it's stated on the card that it's not game-used.*
So, I thought about the hobby if regular swatch cards were taken out all together. Many collectors would be against it, but I would actually like to see how the hobby went without plain jersey cards. I assume that many collectors would be mad, some will quit the hobby, and a few will actually like it. Don't worry, you jersey card fanatics, this will never happen. It would be nearly impossible to get all of the major sports card producers on the same page. As soon as one would take out jersey cards, the others will advertise that they have more in their boxes.*
So then I thought about what would happen if jersey cards were scaled back a bit, which is something that the hobby as a whole needs. If jersey cards weren't mass produced anymore, it would drive prices back up because there aren't as many available. Although in today's world, people want it and they want it now. You know that whole saying “less is more”? Well in today's society, especially in card collecting, I think I can modify this statement by saying “more is less.” This in turn produces less value for your cards and less excitement when you do get a hit because you get them all of the time.
Think about buying a box with 2 hits, but the hits aren't jersey cards, just autos. Without advertising as many hits, the price of the box goes down. You pull two decent hits; nothing special, just decent players. You think all of your hits are finished with and then BAM! You get a bonus jersey card. The jersey cards are very rare, and have good value since they are rarely found in packs anymore. However, this will probably never happen. The more “hits” a company advertises in their box, the more money they can charge to buy their box.
So next time you buy a box with a lot of “hits,” what are you actually hitting? Is it a nice card that will give you somewhat of a return on your investment, or is it a hole in your wallet?
By Kyle Hymel aka FootballCardFreak
The days are now over when a plain jersey card will fetch you $20 unless it is a big name like Babe Ruth. Nowadays, a plain swatch of the average player will only fetch you about $1-2. Most plain swatches of "nobody" players will only fetch you $.50 at the most.*
The worst part of this, in my opinion, is that these cards are considered “hits”. This may have been the case a few years ago, but now you might as well call refractors and xfractors hits because some of them are worth more than a jersey card! Who wants to buy a $60 box with four hits and get four $2-3 jersey cards in their box as their “hits"?
However, patches are still going strong. It's just that it seems like the market is getting tired of plain old jersey swatches. Some of these aren't even game-used as they are only worn on photo shoots or other NFL events. Some collectors really care about this fact, but I am fine with it as long as it's stated on the card that it's not game-used.*
So, I thought about the hobby if regular swatch cards were taken out all together. Many collectors would be against it, but I would actually like to see how the hobby went without plain jersey cards. I assume that many collectors would be mad, some will quit the hobby, and a few will actually like it. Don't worry, you jersey card fanatics, this will never happen. It would be nearly impossible to get all of the major sports card producers on the same page. As soon as one would take out jersey cards, the others will advertise that they have more in their boxes.*
So then I thought about what would happen if jersey cards were scaled back a bit, which is something that the hobby as a whole needs. If jersey cards weren't mass produced anymore, it would drive prices back up because there aren't as many available. Although in today's world, people want it and they want it now. You know that whole saying “less is more”? Well in today's society, especially in card collecting, I think I can modify this statement by saying “more is less.” This in turn produces less value for your cards and less excitement when you do get a hit because you get them all of the time.
Think about buying a box with 2 hits, but the hits aren't jersey cards, just autos. Without advertising as many hits, the price of the box goes down. You pull two decent hits; nothing special, just decent players. You think all of your hits are finished with and then BAM! You get a bonus jersey card. The jersey cards are very rare, and have good value since they are rarely found in packs anymore. However, this will probably never happen. The more “hits” a company advertises in their box, the more money they can charge to buy their box.
So next time you buy a box with a lot of “hits,” what are you actually hitting? Is it a nice card that will give you somewhat of a return on your investment, or is it a hole in your wallet?