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Originally Posted by Huysmans
Fair enough.... but where did the market suddenly come from??
Baseball and other sport cards have been collected primarily in Canada and the US for well over a century, with most male youths exposed to varying degrees at some point. This has allowed "the market" to grow and prosper, with valuation following once demand was created.
There has never been a LARGE market outside North America for sports cards, but all of sudden, countries with absolutely zero history of collecting cards, and people that have never been exposed are feverishly collecting out of thin air? In large numbers?? Really??
What history of collecting is there for soccer or NASCAR cards that people are currently spending huge sums of money on them? They went from almost no value to priceless overnight??
It makes no sense, hence it's NOT primarily collectors, but those just trying to make money off the hobby buying these and inflating the values.... nothing more.
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There is no comparison at all in terms of worldwide fan interest between NASCAR and Formula 1. Formula 1 makes NASCAR teams and drivers look like paupers. -- and Lewis Hamilton in particular transcends his sport. Hamilton has over 20 millions followers in Instagram, his own clothing line and his own chain of restaurants. He wanted a $50M salary for this year -- and he got it.
NASCAR in akin to American football in that is it primarily popular in only one country in the world; Formula 1 is akin to soccer in that its appeal is international. Every F1 race draws as many viewers as the NFL's Super Bowl.
Fprmula 1 drivers are superstars in Europe and South America and Asia. Go look at all the $5,000+ Hamilton cards that have sold on eBay just in the short time since the Topps F1 cards have been released. His top autograph cards are well into five figures. His Topps 1/1 cards will be six figures, IMO, if they go to auction. Formula 1 has also been experiencing a surge in U.S. interest due to the Netflix series covering the sport.
There is not any precedent for a mainstream, international Formula 1 set like what Topps has out right now.