Posted By:
David SmithBruce et all,
Along with the other reasons stated about "the good cards" drying up, another reason could be that people just aren't out looking any more.
I mean, I haven't been to an antique store or show, flea market or anything like that in a few years. I also haven't placed any want ads in newspapers in over 10 years. This is mostly because of financial reasons (why go or advertise when you don't have the money to buy anything good you might find?) but it is also because eBay makes things so simple. Just sit at your computer and browse all you want.
Used to, a lot of weekends when the weather was nice and I had time, I was out looking around at antique stores and asking if anyone had any old cards for sale. I bet there are/were others out there like me. I think now everyone is just looking at eBay and waiting for the other guy/girl to go out and beat the bushes and make the find and then sell it on eBay.
Within the last year, there was the Old Judge find (Dave Levin?) here in Indianapolis. Ever since then, I have wondered if I had placed an ad in the newspaper if I could have been the one to find the cards first. Of course, paying for them would have been another story but I would have at least got to see the cards and claim the find as mine.
David