Bored With Cards?

[Snapolit1]

In the last month I picked up a piece of baseball art, a 1923 ticket stub, an old negro league magazine, and a 1906 postcard from BST. None of which I’ve ever seen anywhere. Variety variety. More variety.

[Snapolit1]

I feel like the sheer volume of cards that have hit the market in the last year + has just created a totally different vibe on the card side. Auctions never end. One rolls into another into another. Every auction had scads and scads of highly regarded, coveted cards. Miss the build up and suspense of an REA auction rolling out and everyone being absolutely floored by what they were looking at.

[LincolnVT]

Don't get me wrong, I do love rare / vintage baseball cards...just looking at the same cards for me has gotten a bit old. Many of the cards that I see are auctioned every year or two...literally the exact same card...just sold to a different person from a different (or the same) auction house.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

Don't get me wrong, I do love rare / vintage baseball cards...just looking at the same cards for me has gotten a bit old. Many of the cards that I see are auctioned every year or two...literally the exact same card...just sold to a different person from a different (or the same) auction house.

Agreed that is true. However, this year I am seeing many cards that I have not seen every hit the auctions or have not seen in over a Decade. Many of the cards I picked up I never thought I would have a chance to get.

Any many I missed out on because not liquid enough to get everything I want

Joys of the hunt of collecting

[frankbmd]

My specialty is autographed faux wrestling memorabilia






On other days I just enjoy sitting back and remembering the perfect game with Scott





Don Larsen was perfect but don't belittle my casino buddy Yogi





And it's hard to forget when Harvard beat Yale 29-29

[Topnotchsy]

There are many things that will likely keep cards more popular (and generally therefore more valuable) than memorabilia:

1. Nostalgia from childhood (the entry price for memorabilia is usually prohibitive for children, and you don't have nearly as much trading etc)
2. Checklists give people obvious clear goals, knowledge of what to focus on etc
3. Print runs and scarcity are often much more easily defined
4. They store well and don't take up much space

All that said, there is so much more history and variety in collecting memorabilia. The range of options is nearly endless, and there is so much to learn in any area. For me, the areas are Game Used Lineup cards, Integration-related items, WWII baseball and Negro League items.

It was shocking and wonderful to discover that when I was able to chase down the 1st contract Roy Campanella ever signed with the Dodgers minor league team, I could purchase it for far less than a high-grade rookie card of Campanella. And there are few things cooler than a Program from the 'World Series' tournament played by soldiers (including HOFers Leon Day and Willard Brown) in Nurmberg Germany in 1945 with Hitler's complex in the backdrop after the defeat of the Nazis.

I've definitely found my focus has shifted away from cards. The exploration and learning is endlessly richer. The cost for pretty significant historical pieces is often far less than you'd imagine once you get past the more standard memorabilia (like a game-used bat or jersey from an iconic vintage player).

Of course, one of the casualties is that as you continue to learn more and go deeper, you find endlessly fascinating corners of the hobby whivh others have no concept even exists.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

There are many things that will likely keep cards more popular (and generally therefore more valuable) than memorabilia:

1. Nostalgia from childhood (the entry price for memorabilia is usually prohibitive for children, and you don't have nearly as much trading etc)
2. Checklists give people obvious clear goals, knowledge of what to focus on etc
3. Print runs and scarcity are often much more easily defined
4. They store well and don't take up much space

All that said, there is so much more history and variety in collecting memorabilia. The range of options is nearly endless, and there is so much to learn in any area. For me, the areas are Game Used Lineup cards, Integration-related items, WWII baseball and Negro League items.

It was shocking and wonderful to discover that when I was able to chase down the 1st contract Roy Campanella ever signed with the Dodgers minor league team, I could purchase it for far less than a high-grade rookie card of Campanella. And there are few things cooler than a Program from the 'World Series' tournament played by soldiers (including HOFers Leon Day and Willard Brown) in Nurmberg Germany in 1945 with Hitler's complex in the backdrop after the defeat of the Nazis.

I've definitely found my focus has shifted away from cards. The exploration and learning is endlessly richer. The cost for pretty significant historical pieces is often far less than you'd imagine once you get past the more standard memorabilia (like a game-used bat or jersey from an iconic vintage player).

Of course, one of the casualties is that as you continue to learn more and go deeper, you find endlessly fascinating corners of the hobby whivh others have no concept even exists.

Well said, Jeff!

[Frankish]

My feelings are similar (to OP). I'm not sure how much of it is due to feeling that, after all of these years, I'm quite far along the learning curve for the vintage cards I like to collect and find myself focusing more and more in minutiae, how much of it is due to my general lack of interest in TPG grading and all that comes along with it, and how much is due to the escalation in prices over the last few years. If not equal measures, it is probably at least some of each.

Memorabilia such as jerseys and gloves and balls and magazines and programs are really fascinating. Personally, I don't really collect them due to a lack of space for both storage and display. Whatever I collect has to fit easily into binders and folios. Tickets might make sense, and I am learning about them.

But what I actually found myself collecting was original photos and (against all odds) Japanese baseball cards.

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

There are many things that will likely keep cards more popular (and generally therefore more valuable) than memorabilia:

1. Nostalgia from childhood (the entry price for memorabilia is usually prohibitive for children, and you don't have nearly as much trading etc)
2. Checklists give people obvious clear goals, knowledge of what to focus on etc
3. Print runs and scarcity are often much more easily defined
4. They store well and don't take up much space

With the exception of the first item in the list, this is what keeps me fascinated with Japanese cards. I didn't grow up following Japanese ball, so instead of nostalgia I have a huge new area of learning (language, league history, players, etc.). And, a little bit like with memorabilia, with enough research and pavement-pounding it's still possible to find new, undiscovered items (in this case cards) on a semi-regular basis.