I started my second collecting life in the late 1980s. The standardization of grading through the advent of TOG is certainly a big thing, but since I rarely grade my cards that is not a major item for me. For me the major differences are that:
1. Rare 19th century material has virtually disappeared. It used to be that you could walk the aisles of the National, or any big show for that matter, and see all kinds of rare 19th century pieces. Now you see some common Old Judges if you are lucky and very little more.
2. Virtually all good material goes to auction. Dealers used to keep inventories of scarce cards and that was where you went to find them. Now, what dealers there are have very little that is interesting to an advanced collector.
3. eBay used to have auctions and it was possible to find nice cards on the site. Now Ebay is predominantly BIN offerings at ridiculous prices.
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