[robw]

Having taken a near 20 year break from the hobby/industry, and now back for the past year, here's my 2 cents.

1) Corruption will not kill this, our culture will/does. Cards are not looked at like they were in the 50's, 60's and prior. Baseball was life back then, and cards a way to live vicariously through said life. It wasn't about condition, but about completing sets, getting your favorite player/team. That is long gone...now it's about winning the lottery with chase cards. Not to mention, there are many, many more hobbies and interests to partake in today than in prior times.

2) Once something is labeled as "collectible," it typically isn't-that's the new card market today

3) TPG's are a must, in my opinion. I am less a conspiracy theorist than most and do think they are as unbiased as it is going to get. I got out of the business originally just as the idea of TPG's were just starting to be mentioned. Now, I probably won't buy a card online that hasn't gone through a TPG. I know too many people that have been burned by ungraded singles hoping to grade them, only to find they have been altered. Fortunately for some, unfortunately for most newcomers, it's going to cost an arm and a leg to start buying high-graded older cards...that price barrier knocks many people out of the "industry."

4) People in the industry-even the most legitimate dealers share the blame in my opinion. Ever look how many auctions are on eBay? My searches show about 10% of all listings. Everything else is "Buy It Now." Even some of the auction prices start ABOVE book value. I've been to larger trade shows recently, as well. There's no excitement. Cards I thought were rare 20 years ago are stacked in graded cases as high as the ceiling-and its just the same show, time after time. The dealers don't even move around-same table arrangement, etc.

It's just like golf, though-it only takes a single great shot to keep you coming back....i'll keep searching for my diamonds in the rough.

Rob