My feelings are similar (to OP). I'm not sure how much of it is due to feeling that, after all of these years, I'm quite far along the learning curve for the vintage cards I like to collect and find myself focusing more and more in minutiae, how much of it is due to my general lack of interest in TPG grading and all that comes along with it, and how much is due to the escalation in prices over the last few years. If not equal measures, it is probably at least some of each.
Memorabilia such as jerseys and gloves and balls and magazines and programs are really fascinating. Personally, I don't really collect them due to a lack of space for both storage and display. Whatever I collect has to fit easily into binders and folios. Tickets might make sense, and I am learning about them.
But what I actually found myself collecting was original photos and (against all odds) Japanese baseball cards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Topnotchsy
There are many things that will likely keep cards more popular (and generally therefore more valuable) than memorabilia:
- Nostalgia from childhood (the entry price for memorabilia is usually prohibitive for children, and you don't have nearly as much trading etc)
- Checklists give people obvious clear goals, knowledge of what to focus on etc
- Print runs and scarcity are often much more easily defined
- They store well and don't take up much space
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With the exception of the first item in the list, this is what keeps me fascinated with Japanese cards. I didn't grow up following Japanese ball, so instead of nostalgia I have a huge new area of learning (language, league history, players, etc.). And, a little bit like with memorabilia, with enough research and pavement-pounding it's still possible to find new, undiscovered items (in this case cards) on a semi-regular basis.