Depressing

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by MattyC

What a superb ballplayer. And a very cool-looking card to represent him in your collection, Peter. The game is so damn hard, and Trout makes it look so easy.

He and Harper (IMO the other great talent of this generation, although as yet not fully realized) are sort of yin and yang, although for all his bad ass veneer Harper is a very hard-working and fundamentally solid player.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He and Harper (IMO the other great talent of this generation, although as yet not fully realized) are sort of yin and yang, although for all his bad ass veneer Harper is a very hard-working and fundamentally solid player.

Agreed. I watched Harper's game today and he flashed a bunt to the left side, which I really liked.

I get as much enjoyment from looking at the one Harper card I have as I do from looking at my CJ Cobb or my 1986 Dwight Gooden Record Breaker. It takes such enormous talent just to get drafted, let alone put up an elite MLB season— or a whole HOF-level career. Different levels of achievement, for sure, yet huge respect for each one. Heck, trying to hit consistent line drives off a fast machine in a cage is hard enough, LOL!

[rjackson44]

Hi I went to target last week ,and once in a while I like buying blasters ,Well got $200 worth ,total of $40 in cards 😳😳😳. think I better buy a t206 next time , octavio

[esd10]

Besides prewar i collect modern joey votto cards and i believe he is one of the few generational talents in baseball today. When got back into the hobby after a 10-12 year hideous i started with modern blaster boxes at my local supermarket and then got into prewar after a couple years of collecting modern cards.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by esd10

Besides prewar i collect modern joey votto cards and i believe he is one of the few generational talents in baseball today. When got back into the hobby after a 10-12 year hideous i started with modern blaster boxes at my local supermarket and then got into prewar after a couple years of collecting modern cards.

My condolences on your hideous hiatus.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

My condolences on your hideous hiatus.

Is that what causes a hiatal hernia?

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He and Harper (IMO the other great talent of this generation, although as yet not fully realized) are sort of yin and yang, although for all his bad ass veneer Harper is a very hard-working and fundamentally solid player.

They are great great talents, but we live in very different times today. Millions of men my age cherish Mickey Mantle (shout out to Billy Crystal of course) and hence the demand for his cards. Lots of people appreciate Harper and Votto and Trout but I think it's a different time and place. I don't see the unabashed affection. Without getting political at all, look how differently people people viewed FDR and John Kennedy than how politicians are viewed today.

The crazy prices realized on newish cards are plain and simple a financial roll of the dice. A spin of the roulette wheel. Yes, that happens in pre-war of course, but some people want a Ty Cobb card because they actually want a Ty Cobb card.

[MattyC]

I see tons of affection from boys and men today toward their collected players. I see it firsthand in our little leagues and in my own household. When we buy a Brett Gardner or when I shell out for a major Judge card, I am doing so because I actually want it for my collection.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I see tons of affection from boys and men today toward their collected players. I see it firsthand in our little leagues and in my own household. When we buy a Brett Gardner or when I shell out for a major Judge card, I am doing so because I actually want it for my collection.

While I don't collect modern, I can understand this sentiment completely. I can imagine that if you took your son to a Reds game and Joey Votto winked at your boy on the on-deck circle and then cracked 2 HRs, you'd have more allegiance for him that you would any Mantle, Williams, or Ruth (all flawed characters in their own right.)

When it comes to the modern/vintage debate, I try to separate the players from the cards. While I think modern players can spark passion, I personally, do not appreciate the cards. If I love Mike Trout, for example, which of his 100 rookie cards do I pursue? Should I go after the "Cognac Diamond Anniversary" edition or maybe the "Super Refractor with Bedazzled Edges 1/1" edition that looks like it was designed by an 8th grade girl? Having grown up in the 80s when there was just one base card of a rookie (yes, way overproduced), I am used to simplicity. I just can't wrap my head around the incredibly complex system of manufactured rarity that drives the modern market.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad the modern market exists even if I don't participate in it. I would never begrudge anyone who does. It's just not for me, and that's a function of the cards, not the players.

[Peter_Spaeth]

There are still base cards, and they're an easy way to avoid all the complexity of the 57 varieties of refractors and sparkles and chromes etc. if those are not your speed.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

There are still base cards, and they're an easy way to avoid all the complexity of the 57 varieties of refractors and sparkles and chromes etc. if those are not your speed.

Yes, I could see myself owning a card like that someday if it's available at a fair price.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

There are still base cards, and they're an easy way to avoid all the complexity of the 57 varieties of refractors and sparkles and chromes etc. if those are not your speed.

All collecting is good collecting. I am a big advocate of youngsters doing anything with collecting cards. I also think a lot of them will gravitate to older cards. I don't know how many people NEVER collected cards as a kid, collect them as an adult? I am sure there are a few but not a ton. So to keep our collecting going we need to be supportive of their gambling/card collecting. I never collected anything past about 1972 as a youngster opening packs and came back to vintage as an adult, going backwards to Pre-War. Whatever floats your boat. The only small drawback is that some kids will spend and lose way too much on their collecting/gambling and that is never good (except for the card companies I guess.)

[53Browns]

I only collect pre-1970 but I also do not begrudge collectors of modern issue. What bothers me (aside from ALL reprints), is the death of the wax pack. Upper Deck, with the advent of their foil tamper proof package, essentially started the ball rolling to price the hobby out of the hands of the kids.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

While I don't collect modern, I can understand this sentiment completely. I can imagine that if you took your son to a Reds game and Joey Votto winked at your boy on the on-deck circle and then cracked 2 HRs, you'd have more allegiance for him that you would any Mantle, Williams, or Ruth (all flawed characters in their own right.)

When it comes to the modern/vintage debate, I try to separate the players from the cards. While I think modern players can spark passion, I personally, do not appreciate the cards. If I love Mike Trout, for example, which of his 100 rookie cards do I pursue? Should I go after the "Cognac Diamond Anniversary" edition or maybe the "Super Refractor with Bedazzled Edges 1/1" edition that looks like it was designed by an 8th grade girl? Having grown up in the 80s when there was just one base card of a rookie (yes, way overproduced), I am used to simplicity. I just can't wrap my head around the incredibly complex system of manufactured rarity that drives the modern market.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad the modern market exists even if I don't participate in it. I would never begrudge anyone who does. It's just not for me, and that's a function of the cards, not the players.

Hi, Sam. From a sheer numbers standpoint, the many, many, many different "rookie" cards cannot do anything but cause a fragmentation of demand in the future. That means, of course, great difficulty in achieving any significant appreciation in value of any given example.

Best always,

Larry

[Peter_Spaeth]

These kids will grow up to love Trout the same way a certain generation now loves Mantle. I don't see any change. Baseball, Ray....

[npa589]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

These kids will grow up to love Trout the same way a certain generation now loves Mantle. I don't see any change. Baseball, Ray....

Nice.

[BeanTown]

Agreed many collectors who collect the newer cards will end up collecting prewar. Inspired by this thred, I went out and bought ten sets of Mike Trouts pre rookie minor league team sets (population 2000). How can you go wrong with a great player who is great for the game!

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

These kids will grow up to love Trout the same way a certain generation now loves Mantle. I don't see any change. Baseball, Ray....

I sure wouldn't mind a woman gazing at me the way that Momma is ogling Trout...but, alas, I'm retired from THAT too...never could hit a curve anyway.

[7nohitter]

Although I collect PRIMARILY Nolan Ryan, Mantle, Williams and 1950's cards, I do have a decent collection of Trout, Harper, Kershaw and Tom Brady.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by 7nohitter

Although I collect PRIMARILY Nolan Ryan, Mantle, Williams and 1950's cards, I do have a decent collection of Trout, Harper, Kershaw and Tom Brady.

Driving home from Atlantic City one day I looked up the nearest card shop and made a detour. Small little shop and a few nice ladies running it. They probably had 5 display cases of nothing but Trout cards. And boxes and boxes besides the cases. Obviously he is a Jersey boy. I’d estimate they had about 20,000 shiny Trout cards. Many were $1. That’s why his card will never have any real value other than the one off really rare card.