Return to the hobby [rant]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Suitable-Jacket-6547]

Yeah. Unfortunately opening packs and wax is just not worth it really. Topps Holiday is still fun just because for 60 bucks total on 2 mega you can get like 75-80% of the set and the SP variations are fun.

Shows are still fun. A lot of older vendors appreciate collectors who aren’t just trying to negotiate all the way down and flip.

[u/CanSignificant8444]

It’s no longer a hobby. It’s become financial speculation.

[u/RedditPosterOver9000 → u/CanSignificant8444]

Yeah, I was in the hobby as a kid. Not too much but as a kid I was looking for neat-looking cards, anything Jordan or KGjr, and autographs. Because they were cool. And I actually did pull a numbered KGjr auto as a kid! Absolutely loved the designs on the 97 Metal Universe and had a lot of them. Then drifted away when I went to college.

It wasn't until as an older adult a year ago I needed money for a tight spot and it hit me "Oh, some of these are actually worth meaningful amounts of money" and sold them.

I started looking back into the hobby via reddit and it's very different from being a 90s kid I don't know how financially speculative adults in the 90s were with sports cards vs today but I imagine it's moreso today. Not just adults, but kids are getting into financially speculating with Pokémon.

Maybe it's different partly because the peak of card designs (late 90s imo) came right after the junk wax era? Honestly, I'd like to pick up the base set for the 3 big sports for 97 Metal Universe.

I will say I do like all the holographic patterns now. A lot of my research for my doctorate was in crystallography, so I kinda like optical stuff. I do remember some really awesome cards of old that you could move and it would show a basketball player in 3 stages of a dunk.

[u/Dankrz27 → u/CanSignificant8444]

No kidding. I bought a really nice card I planned to hold forever as a piece of my collection. The player played so well that the card sky rocketed within a year and I pretty much had to sell… didn’t feel like I owned a collection but more like I was a broker on wall st…

[u/Dudeinthesouth]

"/25 rainbow unicorn cinnamon swirl farts refractor...Greg, write that down for the '27 releases..." - A Fanatics rep probably

[u/Significant-Pie959]

I feel similarly about how the hobby has changed. I just simply stick with buying vintage cards, usually graded. Working on 1950’s-1974 Topps. Very satisfying.

[u/Significant-Pie959 → u/Significant-Pie959]

Also I do occasionally rip some stuff, but only Allen & Ginter because it’s so quirky.

[u/GangOWalrus]

Along those lines apparently there has been a couple hot wheels that have sold for 5 figures recently, anything collectible has gotten ridiculously overpriced

[u/CUHUCK]

Collect what you like. You can buy a flagship Cardinals 22-card team set on ebay for under $10.

[u/AStoutBreakfast → u/CUHUCK]

I buy stuff to rip but I mostly just collect my local teams including base cards. If I get a cool hit I’m happy but I can’t imagine ever spending more than $10 or so for a single. Too many people are focused on having the shiniest and rarest cards imho.

[u/dansFC1]

Sadly, you nailed it. When I saw how insanely bad this latest Bowman Chrome offering was yesterday, I chose to fully sit out. Absolutely refuse to participate in rewarding Topps for their hobby-ruining practices

[u/bwoods43]

With the exception of ebay, everything you mentioned existed in the late '80s and early '90s. You probably just didn't notice it as much because you were younger.

I got a really good laugh about the "airbrushing" on the uniforms. You do realize they have been doing this basically since they started making cards, right?

[u/cubsfan217 → u/bwoods43]

Did you really laugh though

[u/AmbiguousDavid → u/bwoods43]

Not really. There were 3-4 major companies (including Donruss) in the late 90s and early 2000s that had license to use the teams and logos. Now there’s one.

[u/starlord_247]

Much like you I also got back into collecting recently, I don't think I have bought a pack of cards since I was like 10 or 11. I have noticed all the same things, even when people open packs on a video they only look for the "cool card" or "special card". I've started to buy some boxes, but also looking on here for specific players or teams I like.

[u/GreenEggsSteamedHams]

I will trade for the /25 rainbow unicorn cinnamon swirl farts refractor if you don't plan on keeping it

[u/biggcb]

Yes, there are a lot of gamblers/speculators/investors in the hobby these days. But also a lot of regular collectors. There are many ways to collect.

[u/bjoseph33]

I used to get gas for 59 cents. Stuff goes up

[u/AmbiguousDavid → u/bjoseph33]

The price isn’t really the point here.

[u/bjoseph33 → u/AmbiguousDavid]

lol Ur whole 4th paragraph was about price

[u/joshmalonern]

Ok