The Trend With Baseball Scrapbooks

[jingram058]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276683721946

I got on board with baseball scrapbooks before Covid. They could be had pretty much everywhere for $15 to $20. If very old or more elaborate, maybe a few dollars more. Very reasonable, and an inexpensive way to get memorabilia.

Covid drove prices through the roof. Suddenly, what was selling for $15 to $20 had an asking price in the hundreds of dollars.

Recently, I am seeing the bottom fall out. None of the high priced scrapbooks appear to be selling. Even the lower priced ones do not appear to be selling right now.

Is this a real trend? Am I seeing this accurately?

[Chris-Counts]

I've picked up a number of scrapbooks over the years for the color photos that come from the Sunday News, mostly from the 1940s. You can often find them in pasted in scrapbooks. I've never really seen scrapbooks as something of monetary value, but they pack a lot visual punch for the dollar. The color Sunday News photos are beautiful, and capture the game at a time when cards are relatively scarce, especially during WWII. I cut them out and display them in an album.

[Leon]

I don't remember seeing scrapbooks, without extraordinary items, go for too much money. They do look like an inexpensive way to collect though.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Leon

I don't remember seeing scrapbooks, without extraordinary items, go for too much money. They do look like an inexpensive way to collect though.

Exactly my observation. There definitely was a gold rush mentality as people started to mine every possible source for cards and as collectors became aware of the newspaper cards that can be marketed/graded.



Funny thing about prospecting, though: it rarely pays off. I suspect that a lot of the scrapbook buyers were gambling on there being something worthwhile in them and lost interest as things did not pan out.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Exactly my observation. There definitely was a gold rush mentality as people started to mine every possible source for cards and as collectors became aware of the newspaper cards that can be marketed/graded.



Funny thing about prospecting, though: it rarely pays off. I suspect that a lot of the scrapbook buyers were gambling on there being something worthwhile in them and lost interest as things did not pan out.

I think that's it. But they have come back down to earth.