What If............?

[Fred Bear]

What if... there was no more high end (ie..Cup,Black,OPCP) produced?
If more than one set is produced, someone will suggest that one of them is 'high-end'. Where I grew up, Topps was more common than OPC, so OPC had a higher cost and was considered 'higher' end and rarer. Then in 90-91, Upper Deck was considered high-end, until OPC Premier came out... You can take away $350 boxes and auto'd patches, but the perception you speak of will always exist.

What if... card company's only inserted 1 game used or auto per case?
Are they going to buy back all the ones that they already flooded the market with? Insert them at low rates now and all you do is make it harder for set collectors. I'm not suggesting that it would hurt the hobby, but things would change - I'm questioning whether it would be 'better' or just 'different'. Put a super 'rare' Orr or Gretzky in cases and you'll get the argument that there are already 1000s of them out there - your rare case hit is 'nothing special'.

What if...collecting went back to the way it was 10+ years ago?
It wouldn't be nearly as much fun. Think of everything else that's developed our hobby in the last 10+ years (internet, etc.). If we had all these 'tools' back then, we either (a) wouldn't buy as much or (b) would buy way, way too much. Go down road (a) and there are probably more products with lower volume. Go down road (b) and there are probably less products of much higher volume.

What if...all boxes cost less then $75 us?
People who spend $350 on The Cup would buy 7+ boxes... People who spend $2000 on a case of The Cup would buy 25+ boxes... There are already boxes that cost less than $75/box. The 'box' breaks section turns into the 'case' breaks section... (I'm not going to ask for a pay cut at work to give me less to spend on my hobby)

What if...there were no short printed rookies?
People would return to buying them in lots. I began collecting in the days of mail order. Lot size was defined by value... You'd buy 1, 5, 10, 25, 100 card lots of X for so much money. Now you get 1 Tavares YG for $40, back then you'd get a lot of 5 (or less at one point) Bure YGs for $40...

Just wondering how many less collectors there would be if these things were true.
None...

I understand what the OP is going for and I'm really not trying to be argumentative... It's called nostalgia. It's not a bad thing, it's also not necessarily a good thing... It's definitely fun to think about it... Just think if you had the knowledge and money you have now in 1979 - what would you have done... What about the mid-80s? How much sealed product would you be sitting on...

A lot has changed in the last 10, 20 or 30 years that I have been collecting... I no longer ride my bike to the card shop... I no longer pay for packs in change... I protect my cards better... I trade with collectors overseas instead of just up the street. I collected when there was 1 company producing 1 set of baseball cards (2 for hockey). I collected when there were 5+ companies producing 30+ sets. I've changed my collecting habits several different times and I've learned one thing... What's fun for me might not be for someone else and what's fun for them might not necessarily be fun for me - one's not 'better' than another, it's the same fun hobby just a different perspective on it. If everything the OP suggested would happen, the hobby would continue to evolve with it and it would be the same fun hobby - just different...

[mr ozzie]

What if... there was no more high end (ie..Cup,Black,OPCP) produced?
If more than one set is produced, someone will suggest that one of them is 'high-end'. Where I grew up, Topps was more common than OPC, so OPC had a higher cost and was considered 'higher' end and rarer. Then in 90-91, Upper Deck was considered high-end, until OPC Premier came out... You can take away $350 boxes and auto'd patches, but the perception you speak of will always exist.

What if... card company's only inserted 1 game used or auto per case?
Are they going to buy back all the ones that they already flooded the market with? Insert them at low rates now and all you do is make it harder for set collectors. I'm not suggesting that it would hurt the hobby, but things would change - I'm questioning whether it would be 'better' or just 'different'. Put a super 'rare' Orr or Gretzky in cases and you'll get the argument that there are already 1000s of them out there - your rare case hit is 'nothing special'.

What if...collecting went back to the way it was 10+ years ago?
It wouldn't be nearly as much fun. Think of everything else that's developed our hobby in the last 10+ years (internet, etc.). If we had all these 'tools' back then, we either (a) wouldn't buy as much or (b) would buy way, way too much. Go down road (a) and there are probably more products with lower volume. Go down road (b) and there are probably less products of much higher volume.

What if...all boxes cost less then $75 us?
People who spend $350 on The Cup would buy 7+ boxes... People who spend $2000 on a case of The Cup would buy 25+ boxes... There are already boxes that cost less than $75/box. The 'box' breaks section turns into the 'case' breaks section... (I'm not going to ask for a pay cut at work to give me less to spend on my hobby)

What if...there were no short printed rookies?
People would return to buying them in lots. I began collecting in the days of mail order. Lot size was defined by value... You'd buy 1, 5, 10, 25, 100 card lots of X for so much money. Now you get 1 Tavares YG for $40, back then you'd get a lot of 5 (or less at one point) Bure YGs for $40...

Just wondering how many less collectors there would be if these things were true.
None...

I understand what the OP is going for and I'm really not trying to be argumentative... It's called nostalgia. It's not a bad thing, it's also not necessarily a good thing... It's definitely fun to think about it... Just think if you had the knowledge and money you have now in 1979 - what would you have done... What about the mid-80s? How much sealed product would you be sitting on...

A lot has changed in the last 10, 20 or 30 years that I have been collecting... I no longer ride my bike to the card shop... I no longer pay for packs in change... I protect my cards better... I trade with collectors overseas instead of just up the street. I collected when there was 1 company producing 1 set of baseball cards (2 for hockey). I collected when there were 5+ companies producing 30+ sets. I've changed my collecting habits several different times and I've learned one thing... What's fun for me might not be for someone else and what's fun for them might not necessarily be fun for me - one's not 'better' than another, it's the same fun hobby just a different perspective on it. If everything the OP suggested would happen, the hobby would continue to evolve with it and it would be the same fun hobby - just different...

Well said, especially the last 2 paragraphs.

[Ray33]

for $5.00? no you cant.

i for one..would love to see those days come back!!!! i remember walking into a card shop in RI and i just started collecting cards..so i asked the owner who would be a good football player to start collecting?? he said how about curtis martin?? i said sure.i didn't even care how much he was worth..although the owner did say..this card is $1.50 it just went up...i was like wow!!! now i wouldn't even give those cards a second look..i guess we can thank good old supply and demand...we wanted more they gave it to us..now hardly nothing is scarce anymore..auto's, jersey's,, cut's,, you name it,,remember when the flair showcase baseball in 1997 hit the market?? and there were talk of 1/1's being inserted?? and people were like wow!! one card of each player?? a masterpiece?? and then some young teenager pulled the ken griffey jr, 1/1 and was offered $10,000 for it??? now you could get that card for $5.00..i know this is a hockey section i just thought it was kind of funny..but i honestly think that card started a out of control no holds barred limit to how card company's could increase there revenue!!!

[Prime B]

i like to sorta think im like that lol. I collect Cam Barker and was very mad when he got traded to the wild but im still sticking with him.

I just dont have the money to buy so much high end barker cards like u have of Blake lol.

Barker is a solid young dman, stick with him. And with all those sweet Hawks patches you're gonna acquire in this era of hockey cards? Awesome PC forthcoming!

[centrehice]

What if... there was no more high end (ie..Cup,Black,OPCP) produced?

What if... card company's only inserted 1 game used or auto per case? GOOD

What if...collecting went back to the way it was 10+ years ago? GOOD-1997 was the last great year.

What if...all boxes cost less then $75 us? FANTASTIC

What if...there were no short printed rookies? No Problem with me


Just wondering how many less collectors there would be if these things were true.

Thoughts?

Read the bold print above

[mugmasher]

i think change is a great thing !!!! we all need it to move forward..even in the hobby we all love..there are all types of collectors out there..people who focus on one player..sets..high end..teams..ect..ect..i for one?? i love to open wax..( who dosen't ) and try to pull that next big card of a player i can add to my collection..doe's not have to be crosby, ovechkin, or gretzky!!!! personally i don't see how there cards can be so valuable anymore there is 100's of them out there to be had!!! but no madder who we collect or how we collect..we are what,,yes we!!! are what keeps the hobby alive...and i do miss the year 1997!!! when i opened my first pack of cards and was hooked ever since.. but it was so much fun when i pulled an insert..just an insert and said wow!!! but we can still be that collector if we wanted to be..there are still products out there with plenty of normal inserts and normal rookies..and normal base cards..will i ever go back to it?? no..because i too like the hobby have evolved and love everything about this hobby...and i collect hockey..just hockey ..and love it..it took all of these years to find my niche!!! but i did..rite back to the first sport i ever watched...hockey!!!

[stop__dreaming]

i collect hockey..just hockey ..and love it..it took all of these years to find my niche!!! but i did..rite back to the first sport i ever watched...hockey!!!

Same here! I have been following hockey avidly for about 12/13 years now and been 'following' card collecting for about a year and I can honestly say that this hobby has brought me even closer to the sport.

I appreciate the base cards. Some of them do still look fantastic and massively overlooked.

I am still to break a box, but am going to wait for this season, weigh up my options/pricing and go for it. Am excited.

[TheIronHorse4]

I guess I'm in the minority who kind of prefers it the way it is. I enjoy opening high end products and the patches/auto's are what draw me to products. I understand the OP's point and the nostalgia aspect of it, but it's personally not what draws me. However, that said. It would make me happier to have them eliminate some products. UD doesn't need 15 releases a year. How about more like 6. 2 High end, 2 low end, 2 mid...or something like that. Would anyone really miss Ice? or Artifacts? Probably not many.

[stop__dreaming]

I guess I'm in the minority who kind of prefers it the way it is. I enjoy opening high end products and the patches/auto's are what draw me to products. I understand the OP's point and the nostalgia aspect of it, but it's personally not what draws me. However, that said. It would make me happier to have them eliminate some products. UD doesn't need 15 releases a year. How about more like 6. 2 High end, 2 low end, 2 mid...or something like that. Would anyone really miss Ice? or Artifacts? Probably not many.

They make them because they know people would buy them.