[perezfan]

It is complete SH*T these days. I cannot believe how the good stuff has dried up. I attribute this to four things....

1. Cards were much more mass-produced than virtually all forms of memorabilia that we collect. There will never be a shortage of cards, dating back to Old Judge. There are just a ton out there in comparison to more unique memorabilia.

2. "Flippers" have become very prominent in the Card arena. Re-selling is at an all-time high because the market continues to be hot. So you will see tons of inventory available on eBay and in every auction. In fact there aren't even enough auctions to sell all of it. That's why 3 of the biggest (REA, Heritage and Goldin) have added their monthly events (mostly for lower-end offerings).

3. Collectors of unique/rare memorabilia are far more reluctant to part with beloved items, simply because they may never find another in their lifetimes. There will always be another '52 Topps Mantle or Green Ty Cobb T206. But there may never be another game-used Mantle Jersey or Ty Cobb Fan for a Fan. Especially in decent/unrestored condition.

4. Auction houses love to feature Cards. Higher-end examples sell for a lot of money, garner lots of bids, and have predictable prices (based on a plethora of documented sales history). So it is easy to set proper opening bid amounts and reasonable reserves (if applicable). Most importantly, they are small and easy to ship. Typically memorabilia is more bulky, more difficult to package/ship, and takes up more space in terms of storage.

I would say that (of those 4 reasons), collectors not letting go is the biggest reason for the current drought. I have a lot of nice cards that I will part with some day. But much of the rare memorabilia I have will accompany me to the grave. Just my observations over time.