Quote:
Originally Posted by carbking
Glad you were able to use my efforts.
Unfortunately, automobile/motorcycle racing is the red-headed step-child of the card collecting hobby. 
The sports collectors shun us, as evidenced by the sections available on this forum (even cricket, but no racing) 
And it doesn't really fit into non-sports, but the non-sports folks seem to tolerate us as it semi-fits due to automobile or motorcycle cards which are non-sports.
The amount of activity on this thread definitely shows an interest in the topic.  
Maybe, in a perverse sense, it is a good thing for we collectors that there is no more interest. Can you imagine the cost of some of the cards if suddenly the baseball folks all started collecting racing??? Some of the auto racing cards are just plain RARE Some make the T-206 Wagner seem like a "common"! Have collected these things for 53 years. Have virtually all the USA printed prior to 1996 (seemed like a good time to just specialize on certain sets/drivers, and stay away from the artificially low production "collector" items). But still missing one of the Say No to Drugs set.
I also collect stamps, and a deceased friend who was a major stamp dealer had the best (opinion) quote about the scarcity of some of this stuff. His comment: "Jon, not only do you have to wait for someone to die to acquire some of these stamps; you need to waiting in the driveway with cash to negotiate with the heirs!".
Jon. |
Good post Jon. I have written often on here that one of the reasons I like collecting racing that there are only a few cards that individually sell for over $500; there aren't any $10,000+ cards. I love the obscure and the impossible to find, even if a card is only worth $100-200.
On the whole, I love non-sports cards or cards outside the big four sports. There is nothing at all wrong with collecting T206 or '33 Goudey, but how many times can a person see the same Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth card listed for sale or at auction?
I know baseball will always be king when it comes to cards, but I could never compete price-wise when it comes to acquiring extreme rarities. With racing cards, I can.
I actually see parallels between racing cards and wrestling cards. This board has some of that niche's top collectors posting on here, and even some extreme rarities of huge stars can be had at prices within reach of collectors. That genre of the hobby really seems to have taken off in recent years, as people are starting to appreciate what is rare and what isn't. Same thing for racing. Unless you actually follow the '72 STP set, who would know that the Lorenzen with car card is a virtual impossibility to find.