OT New $22,000.00 set from Topps..

[mighty bombjack]

A few thoughts:

I think most of you are looking at this from the point of view of net54, that is, vintage collectors, and not the point of view of the modern baseball card hobby. It has changed . A LOT. This is a bout gambling and flipping, not just to make money (because it is mostly losses), but rather as the hobby itself.

To the question about why they offer Mathewson to people who collect Trout: it's because the person who won that card in a case break did so for 179 bucks. There was never any doubt that it would be put up for sale immediately, because that is the modern hobby. They likely hope to sell it to someone here (looks like a long shot) and buy a bunch of trout, as all as copious spots in future case breaks of this ilk. The hobby, like everything else, continues to evolve.

As to cutting up a document and putting it on a baseball card, it should come to no one's surprise here that there are many people out there who like baseball cards and prefer them to anything else. It has been pointed out that, often times, a card with a piece of bat or jersey sells for near the price of an entire GU item, and this is very common with cut autos. I would much rather have the document and am sad that they cut that Matty up, but then the person who now owns it and is hoping to profit mightily (as a milestone part of their hobby) would never had had a shot at doing so.

Seeing all of the cries of "insanity" and "ridiculousness" here make me want to remind everyone that we are on a board that celebrates the spending of tens of thousands (hundreds, even) of dollars on tiny pieces of colored cardboard, something that 99.99 percent of the history of humanity would themselves judge to be "insane," and probably rightfully so. Or not. It's all relative, know what I mean?

Collect what you like is the mantra that cuts throughout the hobby ages.

For full disclosure here, I used to work at Topps.

[packs]

I see your point. I guess the heart of the beast is what is considered a baseball card. The Mathewson card in this case is just a cut out signature. There's not even a photo of him. Again to each their own, but if you collect cards because you like cards, wouldn't you be pretty disappointed in that one?

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by packs

I see your point. I guess the heart of the beast is what is considered a baseball card. The Mathewson card in this case is just a cut out signature. There's not even a photo of him. Again to each their own, but if you collect cards because you like cards, wouldn't you be pretty disappointed in that one?

No, because they didn't want it. They wanted its related profit. Nobody bought this product (or, realistically, bought into a case break of the product) with their sights on keeping the major "hits" within. The current hobby is "rip and flip" (which is only very distantly related the same hobby that the people on this board are in, even if they both vaguely involve cardboard).

[mighty bombjack]

Craziest thing of all, to me, is that Topps actually SOLD OUT OF THESE CASES

Next one will cost 75k and have this Mathewson card encased within a larger one.

I'm only half joking. But which half?

[conor912]

I wish card collecting was more popular. There's gotta be a dozen great SNL skit ideas buried in this thread alone.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Craziest thing of all, to me, is that Topps actually SOLD OUT OF THESE CASES

Next one will cost 75k and have this Mathewson card encased within a larger one.

I'm only half joking. But which half?

Wayne, thanks for your perspective. Really interesting. Sounds like it might as well be bitcoins people are bidding for. Just an economic vehicle to maybe luck out and make a score. You are right, this world is far from the realm most of us vintage guys operate in. Thanks.