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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

It's an interesting debate, I think. I try and envision what the hobby would be like if the bottom fell out of either segment, and I think they're both so interdependent that I think either way, it would hurt the hobby.

I really do think they feed off one another. If the price of an 8 goes through the roof, it pulls up the price of a 5. A good example of that is with Goudeys, I think. If demand for midgrade cards is strong, it pushes up demand for higher grades. T3s are a good example of that.

I think when you get into more modern issues, things may change a bit. Condition scarcity is less of an issue, and so mid-grade 1950s and 60s common cards don't have a ton of value.

Ultimately I don't know that you can point to any one segment of the hobby and call it the "backbone." There are so many offshoots and segments, so many different ways to collect, and not any one "right" or "wrong" way, it's tough to tell.

One thing I know for sure: whatever cards I'm buying are very hot, and prices are very strong. Whatever cards I'm selling are very cold, and prices are very weak. That's about the only thing I can bank on.

-Al