Times change, products change, people change. Just because you can't get a Mantle rookie for a dollar anymore doesn't make the hobby evil or broken. Sure, cards cost more, what doesn't? My parents bought their first house for $20K in the early seventies, mine cost $110K in the early nineties. My dad's first new car was like $1500, mine was $10K. The walk down memory lane is always lined with gold but there was plenty of dog-doo stepped in along the way (we don't like to remember that though, do we?). My son (11 yrs. old) LOVES new cards and couldn't give a hoot about vintage. Does that make him a bad kid, ignorant etc? No, life is lived in the present and everyone has their time in the sun. Look back fondly to the past, but don't overlook the joys of the present or the infinite possiblities of the future. The hobby isn't ruined, it's just different, and just as much fun as it was 35 yrs. ago (at least for me it is).
