[packs]

Another thing I think about in terms of modern collecting today is the thrill of opening the packs. Like I said, there is a lottery or dream home opportunity attached to almost every product that gets released now.

You just aren't going to find that kind of excitement in pre-war. Potentially if you're one of the lucky ones who stumbles upon something at a flea market. But for most of us the thrill is buying cards we love for as low a price as we can find, but often accepting that we'll really pay whatever we have to. There isn't the same kind of magic in pre-war vis a vis the unknown.

When I was growing up and opening up packs I wasn't opening them in search of a lottery ticket. I just liked baseball and I liked the Yankees and I wanted Yankees cards. That led me down the path of vintage. I wanted cards of Yankees players my dad talked about. I wanted cards of Babe Ruth. I wanted cards of Lou Gehrig. But I never wanted them because they were valuable. And I think that is a major shift in today's modern collectors. There are probably still collectors who just like collecting sets. But I think there are far more modern collectors in the hobby that just want to chase.