[Snapolit1]

Totally agree. If everyone in the hobby was a 65 year old guy arguing about tobacco card backs and reminiscing about putting cards in the spokes of their Schwinn bicycle in the summer of 1969 it would certainly get a little stale.

Originally Posted by Eric72

I, for one, am glad there are such a variety of people in the hobby. If everyone collected what I collect, and did so the same way, the hobby (for me) would be even more expensive than it is now.

Some twenty-something is spending hundreds or thousands for their spot in a case break? If they can afford it and they're having fun, I see nothing wrong with it. Plus, they're not competing with me for T206, '56 Topps, and Mantle/Jackie/Clemente/Aaron/Mays.

Are half (or more) of these newcomers going to be gone in a year? Quite possibly. However, those who remain will be the future of the hobby...just like people my age were back in the 80s.

The landscape has changed over the past year. I've embraced it. Now, more than ever, I'm guided by a simple philosophy:

Collect what you like.
Like what you collect.
Leave the rest for everyone else.