What do you blame MOST for the demise of cardboard (esp. commons).

[pwaldo]

Originally posted by j.e.lew
I remember a kid in my store w/ his father,

His dad bought him a 1996 Topps football factory set and told him he could get 2 packs.
He picked out 2 packs of Topps basketball, opened them there in the store and was almost in tears because he did'nt get any inserts! THIS KID WAS 6 OR 7 YEARS OLD! I knew then the hobby was never the same. When I was 7 I would ride my bike to the corner store, buy 2-3 packs with my allowance and was happy if I got Joe Shmo , as long as he was a Cub.

That is a very sad story and really if you cannot have fun doing a hobby like collecting cards then what is the point.

For me I think there are tons of reasons why the hobby is where it is at today.

Some things have led to problems while others have tried to solve it and have just caused more problems. But you cannot say that only 1 thing did it.

BUT if I did have to say the biggest problem has been the "chase cards".

Once everyone collected cards to get the cards in the set. Yes there have been "insert" cards for many years but nobody cared about them and the REGULAR SET was what people wanted to collect.

Then during the late 80s and early 90s. Inserts cards AND error cards were what people wanted. Cases were opened by the dozens with people looking for these cards. Companies MADE error cards so more people would by their products.

Once the public got hooked on inserts cards the companies needed something new.

Topps Finest came up with the Refractor. It started in 1993 and continues today. But back then refractors sold in the thousands and now today the rarest one won't get you $1000.

Next came #D cards which lasted even less because it eventuall got down to cards being 1/1 and companies couldn't go any lower.

Autograph cards were the next big thing to hit the hobby and these are my personal favorite. But there were some problems with autographs like some people didn't like signing them, they were expensive to make, and dead people couldn't sign cards.

So "Game Used" cards hit the scene. Nobody really cared for them when they first came out but years later they became all the rage.

Once game used cards of Babe Ruth couldn't be had for under $1000 now you can pick them up for $100.

All people want now is game used cards and autograph cards. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that but what's next. Game used collector's are dying out as prices plummet and card companies need to find the next big thing or many people will leave.

Why has this become bad you say?

Its bad because NOBODY cares about the actually sets or cards. Its like you buy a box or a pack to get a game used card or autograph card and if you don't get it then it was a waste of money.

The fun of opening boxes to complete sets or to collect your favorite player is gone. Now its replaced by "let's feel packs to get a $2 lance johnson bat card".

By having these insert cards and everything else it made the regular cards "worthless".

You were no longer buying the pack to get 12 cards as it lists on the front but rather people were buying packs and boxes for a chance at "rare" cards that you had better chances of winning the lottery than pulling.

And as sad as it is for me to say I really think card collecting has become playing the lottery.

People buy boxes for hundreds of dollars looking for something that will make them rich.

1 person pulls a rare card and makes a huge profit while everyone else pulls nothing and in turn loses hundreds of dollars on it.

That's just my 2 cents.

[stkmtimo]

I just collect for fun. If you can't collect for fun, why are you in the hobby? I can't stand big time dealers who are concerned about money, money, money. Lighten up, enjoy the cards you have (whether their GU, auto or base cards of your favorite team or player) and enjoy collecting. I know I do.

Tim

[Kmench1]

I have never sold a card in my entire life. Every card that I have bought I still own. I collect to collect. When I get older my collection may one day become my retirement but that is in the future...i am just trying to enjoy what I have now.

[Qball76]

Originally posted by stkmtimo
I just collect for fun. If you can't collect for fun, why are you in the hobby? I can't stand big time dealers who are concerned about money, money, money. Lighten up, enjoy the cards you have (whether their GU, auto or base cards of your favorite team or player) and enjoy collecting. I know I do.

Tim

I do collect for fun but unfortunately after returning to the hobby I have found that cardboard has really been hurt by inserts and gu's...I spend a few hundred dollars each month on my hobby but with my current choice etopps I can resell those cards for the same or more or less if I make bad decisions...I use to enjoy opening packs to see what is inside, but when you lose over half your investment in unopened boxes unless you pull a great card it can begin to get tiresome IMO...Etopps provides me with a different aspect of collecting and I have just as much fun as I did with cardboard and I know what I am collecting will hold it's value...I am not knocking cardboard but for me and the money I spend on cards I would rather have something that will bring it's full market value should I decide to sell it rather than settle for less than half of BV...

[podstock]

Kmench1..wow, never sold 1 card?

Now there's a true collector!

Where do you get the money to buy more cards?

[Kmench1]

Well there was this one time in fifth grade that I sold a Troy Aikman card for $5 bucks but I got in trouble at school and had to buy it back so that doesn't count.

I haven't always been about to buy cards like I do now. But I have busted a decent job on a fish boat and make enough to cover all my expenses...plus cards, movies, girls, etc.

[stkmtimo]

Originally posted by Qball76
I do collect for fun but unfortunately after returning to the hobby I have found that cardboard has really been hurt by inserts and gu's...I spend a few hundred dollars each month on my hobby but with my current choice etopps I can resell those cards for the same or more or less if I make bad decisions...I use to enjoy opening packs to see what is inside, but when you lose over half your investment in unopened boxes unless you pull a great card it can begin to get tiresome IMO...Etopps provides me with a different aspect of collecting and I have just as much fun as I did with cardboard and I know what I am collecting will hold it's value...I am not knocking cardboard but for me and the money I spend on cards I would rather have something that will bring it's full market value should I decide to sell it rather than settle for less than half of BV...

I agree with you. I just wish many people wouldn't take the hobby so seriously, you know what I mean.

Tim

[Molina00]

Looks like I am the only one so far who thinks etopps had something to do with cardboard demise.
I think when etopps came out people sort of lost interest in cardboard a little and started spending there money on etopps.

[pwaldo]

Originally posted by Molina00
Looks like I am the only one so far who thinks etopps had something to do with cardboard demise.
I think when etopps came out people sort of lost interest in cardboard a little and started spending there money on etopps.

I think etopps is good for the hobby.

It might be the future of it or it could be the next big thing in the hobby.

Yesterday I saw a commercial during the Yankees Cubs game and they NEVER have commericals for trading cards but they always have Etopps ones and if you go to ESPN.com and look hard enough you'll find ads for Etopps.

[tigersfan12]

i love commons because they are affordable that's why i like topps total. You can get affordable commons and i still enjoy getting them. i prefer getting auto's in person than pulling any stupid autograph card that may be completely fake.