Are Baseball Cards going to disappear

[Rich Klein]

In our lifetime.

There is a story going around about 9 things that will disappear in our lifetime. Here is a c and p of one of those 9 things

"Many of the very possessions that we used to own are
still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They
may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive
and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software
is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all
of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up
their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a
computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So,
Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet.
If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If
you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a
monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world,
you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any
laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually
own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any
moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be
disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and
pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD
case and pull out the insert"

So, does this apply to Baseball cards and if so, will they disappear and thus any future interest per se in them

Regards
Rich

[Leon]

I have many of the cards in my collection on my website for all to see. If it goes poof I still have the cards and can replace the scans if I need to. I think people still like owning things. Nice question though....

[ls7plus]

Nah, baseball cards won't disappear. People like history, especially (but not limited to) early, significant Americana, they can hold right in their hands. Check out shows like Pawnstars, Classic Car Chasers (not sure I've got the title right, but two well-heeled bidders recently went hot and heavy after a barn-find, late '30's (?) Bugatti with frozen brakes that didn't even run, and had been in storage for nearly 50 years--car went for over $800,000!), Antique Roadshow, etc. The desire to have a tangible link to the past seems to be something embedded deeply within human nature, that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

Prices may be somewhat cyclical, especially the more common stuff, but we'll be around for quite awhile.

Best to all,

Larry

[Brendan]

Are you talking about cards that were already printed or cards that have not been printed yet? If you're talking about cards that haven't been printed yet, there is a legitimate chance that new cards don't come out anymore. People seem to go in that new card stuff for a few years, then move onto other things. Prewar collectors are very steady and I bet more will come in to replace the collectors of today.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Brendan

Are you talking about cards that were already printed or cards that have not been printed yet? If you're talking about cards that haven't been printed yet, there is a legitimate chance that new cards don't come out anymore. People seem to go in that new card stuff for a few years, then move onto other things. Prewar collectors are very steady and I bet more will come in to replace the collectors of today.

Brendan, I would agree with you about new cards to come except for one thing: there are regionals coming out all the time (Detroit News/Free Press 2006 Tigers and 2010 Fatheads Tigers, in my area come to mind), and they tend to expose new, potential collectors to cards and stimulate at least some interest in the more mainstream issues. But I understand where you're coming from--a lot of the present demand for new issues is speculative and/or transient in nature. I wouldn't want to be sitting on a $2,000 Mauer Gold Refractors Rookie right now, for example. However, I believe that out of the present new card mess some long term collectors will be born. I am a "glass is half full," rather than "half empty" type, though, as I have learned in my law practice over more than three decades that a significant percentage of the cases others have thought were better off abandoned can be won with some creativity and perseverance.

Larry

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by ls7plus

However, I believe that out of the present new card mess some long term collectors will be born.

I do have to agree with this- just most of them end up in prewar or vintage! (like me)

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

"Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a
computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud.

Speaking as a guy who traveled with a "laptop" before any (ok, ok, most) of the rest of you, before the term "laptop" was coined, all I can say is :

The "cloud" is crap. Remember when computers were going to mean a "paperless" society?

Anybody who worships at the alter of "the cloud" will find a new place of worship as soon as they spend a couple days with no internet access, yet in desperate need of info from "the cloud".

At least, that's what I think,
Doug

[teetwoohsix]

I agree Doug. Also, say good-bye to privacy when "the cloud" blocks out the sun........Section 5.2 of the Amazon Cloud Drive Terms of Use:

“5.2 Our Right to Access Your Files. You give us the right to access, retain, use and disclose your account information and Your Files: to provide you with technical support and address technical issues; to investigate compliance with the terms of this Agreement, enforce the terms of this Agreement and protect the Service and its users from fraud or security threats; or as we determine is necessary to provide the Service or comply with applicable law”

Ugh.

[tbob]

Originally Posted by teetwoohsix

I agree Doug. Also, say good-bye to privacy when "the cloud" blocks out the sun........Section 5.2 of the Amazon Cloud Drive Terms of Use:

“5.2 Our Right to Access Your Files. You give us the right to access, retain, use and disclose your account information and Your Files: to provide you with technical support and address technical issues; to investigate compliance with the terms of this Agreement, enforce the terms of this Agreement and protect the Service and its users from fraud or security threats; or as we determine is necessary to provide the Service or comply with applicable law”

Ugh.

George Orwell 1984

[teetwoohsix]

Originally Posted by tbob

George Orwell 1984

Good one.....

Here's an interesting article about "the cloud" and "The Patriot Act"........

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneratio...e_skin;content

Sorry to stray OT in this thread. Baseball cards won't disappear- your cloud files, on the other hand, may.

Happy 4th of July !!!
God Bless the U.S.A., keep our troops safe and BRING THEM HOME !!!!
The Declaration of Independance, The Constitution, Liberty, and Freedom !!!
A great day to reflect on what this Country is all about......

Sincerely, Clayton

[joeadcock]

My industry is attempting to go paperless.

Hard to imagine baseball cards going away. It is something to hold and value. As said before, maybe future new baseball cards will disappear. Not the old stuff.

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

The "cloud" is crap. Remember when computers were going to mean a "paperless" society? Doug

It's happening, it's just been a very long transition. I'm 99% paperless for my job after swimming in paper just 10-15 years ago. With the exception of gifts, items with sentimental value, or vintage collectibles, I don't buy or own CDs, DVDs, books or magazines; I read a LOT, and listen to music a LOT, and watch movies, but for me virtually everything is digital. I'm 54, and I've operated this way for a couple of years already. It's pretty liberating. My entire library of music, video, photos, magazines, books and business files goes wherever I go, takes up no shelf or drawer space, and is easily searchable and available on demand.

For my daughter, who is 25, and her friends and aquaintences, this is a way of life. My daughter has never maintained any paper files, and hasn't bought any "artifacts" like books or CDs in years.