Posted By:
JohnI was initially enamored by the insert cards, but eventually came to the conclusion that the destruction of Jim Thorpe's sideline cape and Babe Ruth's bat was tantamount to cutting the Declaration of Indepence into a million pieces so some of us could have them. Just plain wrong. Irreplaceable pieces of history.
Today's "hobby" is definitely reflective of what professional sports have become. Money driven. High priced packs of cards with super rare inserts that compell individuals to spend thousands of dollars on worthless garbage. I witnessed a perfect example last week. My local card shop will often carry some pre-war supplied by a local collector. I stop in once in a while to check the inventory. The shop deals mainly in wax boxes. A middle aged woman who by the looks of her did not have much money put $1200 on a credit card to purchase some new basketball product. Her stated goal was to get this rare insert that she had seen selling on ebay for $500+. She opened all the cards in the shop while I was there, did not get her insert, and left hundreds of "regular" cards sitting on the counter as she left. The shop owner said that most of his customers did just that and he would sell the left-behind cards as bulk on ebay. No appreciation for the sports or the hobby, just another form of gambling.
An interest and participation in sports is what originally sparked my interest in cards. Early on I developed an appreciation for the history of baseball and football which consequently led to an interest in older cards.
I truly feel bad for the kids that will never experience fifteen cards and a stick of gum for a quarter (and no expectation of appreciation in value). No disrespect to the individual that started this thread, but that insert card epitomizes everything that is wrong with the hobby today. Instead of promoting an interest in sports all of the companies with their multiple products have prostituted sports and the hobby. They create rarity to increase sales. Not that I would waste my time looking, but I would venture to say that every of the hundreds of sport's cards sets issued each year have inserts or short-prints of some type.
Without shame I will freely admit purchasing Topps sets (baseball & football) each year. It is a tradition started by my father in the early 80's. I still will pick up a pack of cards every now and again to hopefully grab a Pirate or a Steeler. Collect what you want whether new or old, but let interest and respect for the sports (or simply collecting) be the primary motive. Money ruins everything