Not to take the purity out of it...
...but I started collecting baseball cards with force when I was 13 in 1987 because I learned that they had monetary value. Opening packs was a legal form of playing the lottery for a teenager. Plus it kept me up to speed on the players I was watching on TV.
The value inherent in these old pieces of cardboard is a lot of the reason why they will continue to attract attention.
In other words, it was never about capturing a picture of my idol on cardboard. And since at least the 1980s any kids putting down cash for cards have been doing it with an eye on the potential value. I expect that trend to continue with the vintage stuff for at least another generation or so.
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