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O/T Somebody please explain this one to me.
I collected modern cards for a while, mainly pre-rookie and rookie baseball issues with on card certified autos. I loved the Bowman Chromes, and I still have some of them. I did a lot of homework before buying, tracking prospects for months, some for years, with subscriptions to Baseball America as well as other scouting sites that did annual profiles and grades. I subscribed to MLB Extra Innings, and added the ability to watch Minor League games. I made educated investments, and made a very good return. In fact, I've been kicking around the idea of doing it again.
A few of those cards, I wish I still had. So, clearly, I'm not adverse to modern cards. I'm not immune to their charms. Something like the Mike Trout Bowman Chrome on card auto I had will continue to go up in price. That card's value, at least, is understandable. Other players like Clayton Kershaw, Nolan Arenado, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Pete Alonso, maybe even Bryce Harper grows up, and realizes his potential. That being said, I see cards like this one on Ebay, and I really don't get it. Before you click on the link below, here's the card. https://i.imgur.com/Z8UiASe.png Ok, I get it. Lebron's having a great year. And now, he's a Laker. The sports media are trying their hardest to make him the NBA MVP. And there's no doubting Lebron's place in NBA history. He's an all-time great. It's a nice card, I suppose. It's been graded by Beckett, and it got a 9.5 with nice subs. It's a 1/1, which I think is the most overhyped bunch of crap to ever hit the hobby. There's no autograph. It's not his rookie card. I don't even know Donruss "Optic" is-probably a $1,000 box of cards that only the super rich buy. Does this card scream investment potential to any of you? It doesn't to me. Now, check the auction. As of my posting, there are 37 bids, and 3 days, 11 hours to go. What am I missing? I could think of far better ways to spend that much money on a sports card. |
"I could think of far better ways to spend that much money on a sports card"
& many would think a T206 green Cobb is way too high. To each his own Glad the modern market is thriving |
And thriving it is. Over the last few months, I have made an effort to try and understand the way the modern card market works. I know more than I did, but there is still a lot that I just don't get. I have noticed that just this week the 2011 Topps Update Trout has topped $2K in PSA 10! The 1/1s the OP alluded to are just unreal, too. Having ventured over onto Blowout a few times, I can see there are many, many such collectors and lots of cash flowing!
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Manufactured scarcity
and the modern collectors are eating it up - that imo is why this card is going to knock your (and my) socks off when it ends. It is the only shiny black holographic prism foil (add any descriptors I missed) of that card manufactured by the company - and the hoards are eating it up. As you stated and the auction states - 1/1!
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As a kid growing up in the 1990s, I used to love collecting these modern gems and a big reason for that was because everything was more straight-forward. A player had maybe a couple of rookies; the SPX cards were popular, but SP Authentic was the best. Once the 21st century arrived, everything just became confusing to me. A player now has fifty to a hundred-plus rookies and so many 1 of 1s, which are not rookies, that are selling for big bucks. Like the OP, I too have become confused. What the heck do I buy? Is a 2014 LeBron James Black Shield Triple Purple Padding Limited Signatures Game-Jersey 1 of 1 a better investment compared to his rookie from 2003? :confused::confused: This is the big reason why I started to just focus on vintage cards.
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It's not an expensive box, msrp 100 for hobby, and there are retail 28 card boxes at 19.99 with at least for Target, exclusive 1/1 s.
It's probably very popular because it's not all that expensive. |
All it takes is 2 LeBron super collectors with deep pockets going after the same card. Optic is one of the top brands, LeBron is a top 5 player with his legacy set and growing and basketball is the most popular card market because of international collectors. It is not the market for people on this board, but Net54 is only a small part of the hobby.
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1/1s of HOF or potential HOF are ebay gold.
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What bearing the modern card market "dwarfing" pre-war collecting has I'm not sure.... as sheer numbers mean little. Think about "Pop" music, played on the radio, it's the most popular.... but would true music aficionados call it the best? Quite the opposite, as the masses usually clamor for the generic, while a select few appreciate the finer things for a plethora of reasons, hence the term "connoisseur". Regarding no reciprocation of respect from vintage card collectors, the person driving a Ferrari rarely appreciates a Pinto, while that Pinto driver can't help but envy and admire a Ferrari. This is just my take obviously.... |
Just a new avenue to artificially inflate price.
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I will never understand the desire to own manufactured rarity (other than a 33 Lajoie, maybe) but to each their own. Everyone collects differently. To me there is no right or wrong way to collect as long as there is enjoyment and honesty in your dealings. |
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It’s his first card in a Laker uniform and for some reason people are placing value in that?? Not sure why... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Many great points by everyone. Like Leon, I don't see how purposely manufactured rarities are pulling in tens and even hundreds of thousands per card. I just have to keep telling myself that if it helps the hobby in a positive way, then I should be grateful. My way of thinking about it is, when I was just a kid starting in the hobby during the early 80's, I could never justify paying more than $5 for a superstar card. But here I am 40 years later spending no less than $50 per common vintage card. Just pray that the hobby doesn't turn into what stamp collecting has.
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