Excellent points. Baseball does have competition for kids time, but I was thinking more of an overall lasting popularity. All of the other 3 major sports have had recent periods of wild popularity at the pro level, and all have faded a bit. 20 years from now may be a totally different story. And maybe the best card to buy with 750 would be neither the Cobb or the Jordan. Soccer and MMA cards might be the thing.
The market has Jordan as an iconic star now, but we'll have to wait and see if that lasts. He certainly has a shot at being a lasting icon. Especially being a player who bridges the workman like basketball of the 80's and the overblown showboating of the 1990s-2000's just as Cobb bridged the deadball era and the new livelier 20's. Only time will tell as he's less in the public eye. A messy crash along the lines of Rose or Bonds seems unlikely.
All the guys I compaed him to were very nearly as iconic at one time. And all have become less iconic with less publicity.
When I get a big batch of modern common cards I often try to guess stuff about the owners or figure out when the stuff was set aside. It's actually possible to guess the year pretty closely by what players aren't there. Most people save the big stars, and the players who are briefly touted as the next big thing.
I don't get worked up about the future of the hobby. Its imminent demise has been foretold several times since I started collecting. 3 sets was too many in 81, especially with the strike. The economic downturn in 87 would surely finish it off. There were too many sets with too many cards being made(91-2)The 94 strike would be the end possibly for baseball itself. The steroid problem would drive people away. And the economy ... again....
Sure, some of the dealers who were in it for the quick buck washed out at each dip. 94-96 washed out a vast number. And the hobby changed each time. But it's still going pretty good and maturing as it needs to.
Stamp collecting has been a "dying hobby" since at least 1893.....It must be doing ok, since I can't afford many of the ones I like.
Steve B
Quote:
Originally Posted by mintacular
Well, as much as I love baseball, and while it still retains some popularity, there is not enough kinetic activity for kids to stand around patiently and wait for their turn at bat. Clearly, it's grip on the nation's heartstrings is weakened if not watered down with the emergence of other sports....
In terms of Jordan, it doesn't matter comparing him with other basketball stars. It's like people arguing Mantle is overrated, etc. The market has decided both are iconic stars...
One of the reasons that I raised this question is that two people close to me that I talk to cards about get very excited about seeing the Jordan card but little interest in Cobb....These two people are in there 30s. Think it's always worthwhile to challenge conventional wisdom. And trust me, I have few cards in my collection post 72 so I certaintly understand the instinct to buy vintage only but I'm also very depressed about the future of card collecting especially baseball and think "investment" cards will have to be a confluence of supply AND demand...
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