Posted By:
Miguel DanielsonTopps (and some of the other companies, in their footsteps) have been bringing back old-style looking cards for many years now. They started off doing sets that looked like old Topps sets -- I think 52 Topps was the first to be cloned, then they did a new "Heritage" set every year, each year copying an old Topps design. Then they started doing the Bowman sets. Then, rather interestingly, they adopted the long since abandoned trademarks of Allen & Ginters, "T206," and so on, issuing modern look alike cards (I believe Upper Deck did a Goudey set).
I like these sets more than most of the shiny stuff, but they're still loaded with "fake rarities" and all the other modern card gimmicks, including jacked up prices of $4 a pack or more.
For the life of me I can't understand why Topps doesn't even TRY to do a release like they were known for for over 40 years -- a simple, non-shiny set distributed in affordable (ideally, 50-75 cent) wax packs. If they were smart, they'd make it a limited run thing, thus priming the demand. People who collected cards eons ago but gave it up because of all the crap, would start looking for these things in droves. Topps would sell out and then there would be pent up demand the next year, and so on.
I've never actually looked, but I'd be willing to bet that Topps made a lot more money in 1986 or 1987, when its cards cost 50 cents a pack, than now, when their cards cost $2-3/pack for the cheapest stuff, and much more for most of the rest.
Oh, to dream.