OT but very big news in the card world
 

I had heard some rumblings over the past few months; but I guess this is as official as we'll get for the next few days. huge news for everyone. And if true; UD is down to Football and Hockey.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/sp...l/06cards.html

Wow that is pretty huge. To be honest that does please me in a way because UD has been doing card sets that I just dont like. When they started copying some of Topps past designs that was about it for me.

So, after decades of an illegal monopoly, Topps now has a legal one. You can't sign an exclusive deal with all the players individually, but you can sign an exclusive deal with MLB. Simply bizarre.

If this means that a few game used bats and jerseys will be spared a trip through a wood chipper, then I am all in favor of it.

(Assuming the info is correct)

Interesting to see Topps come full circle. I'm not sure yet how I feel about this development.

On the one hand...one company would fit the hobby better when you consider that it's perhaps 20-25% of its size from 1992. There were so many sets beginning in the mid 1980s, it became confusing to try and keep track of all the product. For sellers, it became a chore to stock all the offerings and others had to rely on the ol' crystal ball to figure out what their customers would buy. Contraction among manufacturers certainly helps those who are still in business with brick-and-mortar shops. However, there are few of them around any longer and Topps isn't exactly stocking the candy counters anymore like they did pre-1981.

On the other hand...the company that remains is the same one that was plagued by mediocre design, awful cardboard stock, centering issues and wax/gum residue because they didn't see the need to do much QC for something that was supposed to be marketed to kids 13 and under. The competition that arose in 1981 and again when UD came along in '89 was good for the hobby because it directly led to better cards. Even if the designs from the late 1980s and later weren't exactly stellar (and I'm thinking specifically of 1990 Topps and all 1991 Fleer sets).

Now...back the the regular discussion of prewar stuff...

I think one company has the potential to make for a better situation. A limited number of sets, staggered releases, each issue with a different theme. For a while there were WAY too many issues released.

Agreed. 100%.

Most of the new shiny baseball is unappealing to me. However, I am fond of the Topps Heritage sets.

As far as new stuff goes I think Hockey is above and beyond the other sports in so far as its star athletes seem to be far more accessible as far as autos and patches go. (Probably due to a lower cost)

In the hockey world In the Game does not have a license with the NHL or the NHLPA but it doesn't appear to stop them from making fantastic products like Heroes and Prospects and Between the Pipes.

Whether or not UD can adopt a similar stance towards baseball as ITG has for hockey remains to be seen but the blueprint for success is there.

I'm not in favor of monopolies. However, if this cuts down on the sheer numbers of sets being produced I'm all for it. I don't buy much new stuff; certainly no packs or boxes anymore, but this may be good for the hobby.

There's just so many sets, inserts, parralells, subsets etc.... It's impossible to keep track of 1/2 of it these days. So while it may not make a difference to me, hopefully it can lead to a healthier hobby.

Cut some of the fat out and get the number of sets being produced a little leaner and more manageable. Hopefully maybe some new blood could be attracted to the hobby and be able to follow what's being produced.

For the record, I don't like swatch cards or serial numbered cards, but I do like autographed cards and refractors.

As far as serial numbered cards go, much of the fun of Pre-War cards is the mystery and speculation of how many cards there are. How many T206 Honus Wagners are there? No one knows. I think modern issues would be more fun and fascinating for collectors, including young collectors, if there was no serial numbering and publication of insertion rates. Remember collecting is a hobby and a game, and having to figure things out, individually and collectively, rather having the answer printed on the back of the card, makes is much more like a game and a great puzzle. In the old days, young collectors often deduced which Topps, Bowman or regional cards were single prints and which double prints through the act of collecting and interacting with other collectors. In fact, many of these old time collector/dealer experiences are the basis for cards being listed as SP or DP in the price guides today.

Remember that for serious collectors, it's about much more than the objects themselves. Some collectors enjoy trying to deduce how many Honus Wagners or T206 Ty Cobb Port Reds there are. Others enjoy learning about the history of the game, and have a book shelf of baseball books that don't even mention baseball cards. Photo collectors enjoy learning about the photographers, photo processes and how photos were made. Game used bat collectors love researching old bats ... Serial numbers on cards are about short term cotton candy gratification, but, in my opinion, go against what collecting is about. Sure, a collector and his son piecing together a set single by single know they could purchase the finished set from a dealer today, but they don't want a finished set today as that's not the point of what they are doing.

I agree. I haven't bought anything new since 1981, in part due to lack of interest in newer cards, but also because of the overwhelming number of new sets every years. I just did not have the mental energy to keep up with it all.

P.S.
One correction: I did buy a 2007 Topps factory set for my son who was born in 2007.

Wrong forum
 

Shouldn't this be on the Post Iraqi War FORUM? :D

I quit the same year. Something about opening a pack of Donruss cards and finding that all 15 thin paper stock cards in the pack depicted a blurry Pete Rose killed it for me.