Just pondering...

[Enigma]

...remember when the sports card industry was more about collecting instead of selling. When you could go to the card shop and pick up your favorite players card(s) without worrying about all the various versions of it. When your group of collectors didnt care about the value of the card as wanting it was the most important...

...remember when Beckett was used as a source of industry information instead of the law in trading communities. When set collectors could simply work on three or four sets a year and be content. When GUs and Autos were not fathomable in card circles...

...but then, remember that first GU or Auto you ever pulled. I'm sure you can remember it as clear as day. Remember that first card you ever sold on or offline...wasn't it great...

...remember the first time you posted on a trading forum and then completing a trade and then receiving the card you thought you wouldn't ever be able to get...

It's amazing how far the industry has come. The true pondering is where is the industry headed...

Any concise thoughts? Wouldn't it be great if a card company got a hold of a Honus Wagner Tobacco card and inserted it into a random pack as a buyback? Imagine the hysteria for that company's card, especially if they dont reveal the set.

But reminiscing about my years collecting has left some thorns in my path that is going on nowadays. People trying to "rake" people over in trades. People trying to "sell" you on their cards which in turn causes you to be disappointed afterwards.

Why can't traders/buyers/sellers work on putting something together without the hassle? Is it so hard to put a deal together that will benefit both sides? Does it really matter about card value? True player/team collectors don't care about value. Beckett's values are all relative. They are not meant to be the gospel when it comes to buying and selling and trading cards. Just like BG's first CC post about a CC scale. It was meant a guide, not an exact scale to be used. Beckett is there as a source for the collectors to see where the market is. The basic rule of card collecting is "A card is only worth what a person is willing to pay for it."

I've seen some follow this idea as much as possible and others become totally oblivious to this mantra. I mean, if you can get a card of your fave player, regardless of monetary value, isn't that more valuable than the card you trade away? No, I'm not saying to trade a "$20 Beckett Value" card for a "$3 Beckett value card". But I am saying trade for the love of trading and don't be such sticklers to prices. Your best traders/sellers are the ones who understand this.

Thanks Rima for putting me back on my podium...lol

Let the bashing begin...

[billsfan2006]

yeah engima i agree wit u on the cc part... like i just bought those inserts from u... i ve been looking for htose forever... i cant wait to get em lol... well hopefully you'll be able to get yourself something nice wit your cc ... the cc now has turned into basically a three way deal... well with collecting i didnt even know gu existed till like this june... i guess when i heard about it thats what really got me back into collecting cards... but my first gu pull was about a month ago I was very excited it came from a pack in the mall... I was showing it off to my mom but she didnt care lol... but its always fun to see whats in side a pack of cards/./.. thats my repsonse and thanx again so much for those inserts

[insanefishpossay]

Agreed.

Lots of people seem to be worrying about how much cardcash is worth, they're taking what BGray originally posted, doing calculations and whatnot to find out how much they're $15 card is worth in cardcash. CC, as with baseball cards and almost everything else, is worth however much someone is willing to pay for it. However, I think after a few months of cardcash trading, people will start to figure out how much cardcash people will trade for a certain BV on a card.

[billsfan2006]

i just set myself with a standard rate ill go higher or lower depending on the card and how much i need it

[stkmtimo]

This site is all about having fun, and so is the hobby. I pulled an $800 McGwire redemption. Rather than selling it, I sent in a ball as UD instructed to be autograph. I collect autographed balls and having something like that just adds to my collection. I could not care less about the value of cards or my collection in general, I just love collecting and the thrill of opening boxes and packs in search for cut signatures or any other insert I am going after. Fun is what the hobby is about. Not money, not greed, not eBay, but fun, that's all there is to it.

Tim

[Chris]

Originally posted by enigma_shadow
It's amazing how far the industry has come. The true pondering is where is the industry headed...

Any concise thoughts? Wouldn't it be great if a card company got a hold of a Honus Wagner Tobacco card and inserted it into a random pack as a buyback? Imagine the hysteria for that company's card, especially if they dont reveal the set.

I think it's headed for trouble for a few reasons.

#1. Card companies have been left relying on gimmicks to sell cards, basically the insert gimmick. The problem with this is that, as any long time collector can attest, the majority of insert cards will continue to lose value over time as regular sets have done. Collectors who hold on to these cards will not be able to justify nor recoup the costs associated with trying to pull these inserts. You could have two identical inserts, one produced in 1998 and one produced in 2003 and the second one will likely be the more valuable card because it will have more demand for it. The 1998 card will simply be a mark in a price guide while the newer card will have much more focus on it because it's new. It's really an endless cycle until people wise up anyway.

#2. Inserts make rookie cards virtually meaningless. There used to be a day where the rookie card was always the most desirable card but with the way card companies now produce limited edition cards whenever they want, the rookie card really means nothing in terms of value. For example, in a player's rookie year I pull his card numbered 10 out of 100. The next year someone else pulls his card this time numbered 10 out of 50, then the next year someone else pulls his card numbered 10 out of 20, then the next year 5 out of 10, then 1 out of 5, and so on... this makes every single card before it diminish in value not only because it's as I established above an "older card" but because the card company can cut the value of your card by producing a more limited edition card. Since collectors can only spend X amount of money on cards, every time new cards come out that reduces the amount of money that will be spent per card available. So adding new cards to the hobby reduces the money left in the pool (which you'd call demand), since prices are set by demand then prices for the older cards must fall.

#3. I really think someone will find fraud involved with these card companies and the way they do the autographs and game used stuff which will really hurt the hobby. It's really kind of a scam anyway though, especially the GU stuff. A player can change his jersey in between innings every game to sell as "game used" jerseys. So 9 jerseys per game times 162 games is 1,458 game used jerseys. So take each jersey and cut it into 50 pieces to put on cards. That's 72,900 game used cards in one year for one player. One day every card will probably have something supposedly game used on it. Anyways... I'm rambling.

[bootydaddy]

Great post, enigma shadow! You echo many of my sentiments, especially the collecting should be fun, not business thoughts. And, how true about Beckett...too many people carry those around like they are Bibles now, and not just a guide or reference point.

[IggyWH]

Two great posts here... Enigma & Chris. I've awarded both of you 100 CC for your well thought out and written posts.

I remember when I started collecting and I was the happiest person alive when I pulled a Ryan Klesko rookie from '92 UD and it was worth $2. Now if I open a pack (like the box of Topps Retired Baseball SIgnature Edition I opened today) and didn't pull a $100 card, I'm very disappointed. Of course back then the packs sold for like 99 cents while that box set me back $100.

[meuandthelot]

Wow this is funny, I just posted my best cards before even reding this thread must be something in the air!!!!!!!!!!

I hear ya, I've offered all my cards of a particular team/player to some only to have them reply....List em', what are they worth(as if I'd be wasting my time or theirs even making the offer if I didn't think it was like 4x in their favor)!!! Sorry but all i'm asking for is 1 or 2 cards of someone I like, while giving(trading) away 50-75 cards of your FAVORITE team or player...I'm gonna stop

[Kmench1]

ES- I have collected for 15 years....and only sold 41 cards. 1 was a Hideki Matsui 40 where a Basketball lot. For me it is not about profit. I love the trill. I mean the excitment when you have a few packs or a box and opening them. Collecting to me is a lot like fishing. Each day you pull up a trap you never know what is in there....a pack of cards is the same way.
Today many people are just about "the american dream" In order to have that you need money. That is what the hobby has become. It is sad but true...of course there are a few collectors left who are in it for the fun. I can only hope that one day it returns to the pleasure it once was. (Not that it still isn't now)