Gas prices and buying cards

[tbob]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Elections have consequences.

Give me a break.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by tbob

Give me a break.

How so? Are you saying they don't?

[Touch'EmAll]

Inflation and high gas prices will probably affect the lower and middle income folks more. So I could see the $20.-$1,000. stuff not selling as much as they used to. But the big ticket cards probably will be still traded for high prices by the folks with high income. Personally, I am looking more than ever at raw cards of my youth to satisfy the collecting itch.

[Yoda]

As far as gas prices are concerned, I think Americans have been spoiled for a long time when they go to fill up their large SUV's. I lived in the UK for nearly 20 years over two different time periods and wept every time I filled up my modest small car. When I left London in 2013 and returned to the hobby, a gallon of regular cost around $15 a gallon. Most of this, of course, is tax and, of course, our politicians don't dare talk about raising the gas tax. And, I believe until recently, Britain was a net exporter of petroleum thanks to their vast North S oil reserves. This awful war in the Ukraine is going to pound the Western European economies as their energy imports become even more dear.
I can't help but wonder, now that the US has cut off Russian oil, whether we could make up our shortfall from our nice neighbor to the north, Canada? Better than Venezuela (ugh) or Iran (double ugh).
I believe pre-war should hold its value unless the war widens, while I see '60's and 70's vintage under pressure. How modern basketball and all those red hot NFL quarterbacks end up is anyone's guess. If everything falls apart at least we still have our cards.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Yoda

If everything falls apart at least we still have our cards.

On the 1970s issues, I've spoken with a number of middle-class vintage collectors who are starting to collect 1970s cards because of the high cost of earlier cards. It's fun and not a financial risk.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I can't help but wonder, now that the US has cut off Russian oil, whether we could make up our shortfall from our nice neighbor to the north, Canada?

We already import most of our oil from Canada. In 2020, Canadian imports made up about 61% of our oil imports. I think last year was about 57%. Those numbers may very slightly depending on your source, but the majority of our imports already come from Canada. Russia was about 4th on the list.

Edited to add: And the current administration is looking to lift the ban on Venezuelan oil.

[Yoda]

I knew that, but meant if Russian oil imports represents 7% of US energy needs, why not ask Canada to prime their pumps and make up the shortfall. They got plenty.
Personally, I would prefer to suffer at the pump rather than have us import oil from those 2 terrorist rogue states, Venezuela and Iran.

[Directly]

Synthetic fuel or synfuel is a liquid fuel, or sometimes gaseous fuel, obtained from either syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, or a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The syngas could be derived from gasification of solid feedstocks such as coal or biomass or by reforming of natural gas. Alternatively a mixture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and green hydrogen could be used for an almost climate neutral production of synthetic fuels.

Common ways for refining synthetic fuels include the Fischer–Tropsch conversion,[1] methanol to gasoline conversion,[2] or direct coal liquefaction.[3]

As of July 2019, worldwide commercial synthetic fuels production capacity was over 240,000 barrels per day (38,000 m3/d), with numerous new projects in construction or development, such as Carbon Engineering. (Fuel for thought)

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Yoda

...
I can't help but wonder, now that the US has cut off Russian oil, whether we could make up our shortfall from our nice neighbor to the north, Canada? Better than Venezuela (ugh) or Iran (double ugh).

Thank you for this. While I post here intermittently, and read daily, I try and stay neutral here. However, on this topic I struggle to do so.
Given that, as someone who lives in Western Canada, I (and many others up here) cannot understand why your current president is so against getting this resource from us. The US imports approximately 660,000 Barrels of Oil a day from Russia. Keystone was going to supply slightly more than that on a daily basis. It is stopped in its tracks on day 1 of the new term. Then as prices goes up, he goes to Saudi and basically says "Pump more oil... oh yeah, and sell it to us."
Now Venezuela, Iraq, and OPEC are approached to provide more. No mention of coming to Canada for supply.
Canada has the third largest reserves in the world. We have among the highest environmental standards in the world. Canada is not going to invade any other democratic country. We don't kill reporters.
We in Western Canada simply don't understand the logic and bias.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Given that, as someone who lives in Western Canada, I (and many others up here) cannot understand why your current president is so against getting this resource from us.

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

Correct.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

While that is true, the oil coming into the US and potentially from Venezuela is also heavy crude. Refineries in and around Houston, on the Gulf Coast, are currently built to process that crude. That is why heavy oil from Western Canada was to travel down through Keystone to the Gulf Coast, to be refined and shipped.
As for environmental standards, while I do not have any exact metrics, I would be shocked if oil extracted from Russia (or Saudi, for example) via a well, pumped to a loading station, loaded into tankers, loaded onto a barge, having that barge travel across the Atlantic, unloaded from the barge, transferred to a refinery in the US, and then refined is (in the end) a lower carbon footprint than shipping product directly from Western Canada to the US Gulf Coast via a pipeline.
As for environmental standards in Russia, I have known some pipeline people who have worked in Russia. A pipeline spill over there is almost fixed with duct tape, with product continually spilled onto the ground. The environmental standards are nil.

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I don't have the answer, but I can speculate. Canadian oil has heavy sands. It is more time consuming to refine, it pollutes the environment (air and freshwater) 3X more than conventional crude, and it's more harsh on the process equipment because of the abrasiveness. All around, it's more costly to refine. Again, I don't know if that's the reason or not, but I imagine that has a lot to do with it.

For the last 10 years, and the next 3 months, I've been in the pipeline industry. I remember a few years back, my employer was sending railcar loads of Y-Grade NGLs from East Texas up to Canada to dilute the tar sand oil so they could actually get it viscous enough to move down a pipeline. It is nasty stuff.

A couple of related thoughts. First, a slight peeve of this pipeliner: President Biden did not cancel the Keystone pipeline, which has been in service since 2010. He canceled Keystone XL, which is duplicative of Keystone. KXL was a more direct route and was problematic from the start, since it went through the heart of the Oglala aquifer. Sometime in 2017, I was visiting the Welspun pipe mill in Little Rock and there was acre after acre of whitewashed KX pipe sitting in outside the mill. You could actually see it in satellite photos.

As others have pointed out, canceling KXL has little to do with current prices. Nor does a ban on drilling in federal land, where less than 10% of the US production originates. The Russia situation is contributing, but there is a bigger gorilla in the room. As of yesterday, there was 663 rigs operating in the US. As recently as December 2014, there were over 1900 rigs operating. And, between 2017 and 2019, the count was consistently over 900 to 1000. There is theoretically the ability to increase US production. The question is what exactly is impeding it. My more financially inclined friends tell me that shale production has never produced the promised return. Whether we are seeing increased capital discipline on the part of production companies or less willingness on the part of Wall Street to write blank checks for drilling is above my pay grade. But, it does appear there is some structural issues in the industry unrelated to the changing political winds.

And because every thread needs a card.

boyd.jpg

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Thank you for this. While I post here intermittently, and read daily, I try and stay neutral here. However, on this topic I struggle to do so.
Given that, as someone who lives in Western Canada, I (and many others up here) cannot understand why your current president is so against getting this resource from us. The US imports approximately 660,000 Barrels of Oil a day from Russia. Keystone was going to supply slightly more than that on a daily basis. It is stopped in its tracks on day 1 of the new term. Then as prices goes up, he goes to Saudi and basically says "Pump more oil... oh yeah, and sell it to us."
Now Venezuela, Iraq, and OPEC are approached to provide more. No mention of coming to Canada for supply.
Canada has the third largest reserves in the world. We have among the highest environmental standards in the world. Canada is not going to invade any other democratic country. We don't kill reporters.
We in Western Canada simply don't understand the logic and bias.

Bravo Bob. As a Canadian, you expressed it best. I am a life-long registered Democrat and, of course, am utterly baffled why Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline at a time when the US now has a dire energy problem. Politics as usual, I fear, to keep the far left and the Greens mollified. How short term can you get, the same problem that has gotten the US in messes many times, and we don't seem to learn. Bob, I presume that Canada could pump and export enough non-Keystone oil to fill the 7% energy shortfall we will incur as Russian exports cease. With your vast reserves, I would think so. Anything is better than bringing in oil from those rogue states, Venezuela, Iran, and the Saudis.
I have several dear Canadian friends in Ontario (Lake Simco area) who always says US actions keep them guessing.
Leon, I haven't forgotten the card rule. I picked up, on Ebay of all places, a beautiful PSA5 Rochester Baking Jack Lapp. Deals can be hard to sniff out on Ebay but they are there.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Yoda

am utterly baffled why Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline at a time when the US now has a dire energy problem.

Even if he hadn't cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, it wouldn't make a difference present day. The pipeline would still be under construction and it would be a few years before it was online and operational. But I agree that either way it just wasn't a good move, and it set the tone for his energy policies from day one.

On another note, I'm being told to keep a full tank of gas at all times. Our existing pipelines are targets for hackers. Remember last year when the Colonial Pipeline was hacked (I think it was the Russians) and it created gas shortages?

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Bravo Bob. As a Canadian, you expressed it best. I am a life-long registered Democrat and, of course, am utterly baffled why Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline at a time when the US now has a dire energy problem. Politics as usual, I fear, to keep the far left and the Greens mollified. How short term can you get, the same problem that has gotten the US in messes many times, and we don't seem to learn. Bob, I presume that Canada could pump and export enough non-Keystone oil to fill the 7% energy shortfall we will incur as Russian exports cease. With your vast reserves, I would think so. Anything is better than bringing in oil from those rogue states, Venezuela, Iran, and the Saudis.
I have several dear Canadian friends in Ontario (Lake Simco area) who always says US actions keep them guessing.
Leon, I haven't forgotten the card rule. I picked up, on Ebay of all places, a beautiful PSA5 Rochester Baking Jack Lapp. Deals can be hard to sniff out on Ebay but they are there.

Thank you. Sometimes we in Western Canada almost feel abandoned.
As for your point, we have the production capabilities to fill the void. We cannot get it all to market (read that to mean the US and Europe) because of the lack of pipeline capacity to both the East and Gulf Coast. Our glorious sock loving man-child Prime Minister is more interested in looking good on the world stage instead of actually solving problems and supporting our own country. Impressing Michael Bloomberg, Jane Fonda, Bill Gates, and others is more important to him than supporting people and an industry that will provide highly paid and skilled job to folks in his own country, while providing energy independence to North America. Finally, the world is starting to see Justin for who he really is, a failed part time drama teacher and snowboard instructor with a nine figure trust fund behind him, and no discernible skills as a leader.

[G1911]

I don't think this impacts cards much.

First, it's an odd economic time. Inflation is growing at an alarming rate that is horrifying me, but there are also tons of jobs open and they are generally paying quite a bit more too (I'm sure some roles aren't, but wages have been rising quickly). Everything cots more, but most of us are making more than we made in 2019 too.

Second, people who are barely scraping by don't really purchase vintage cards. It's just reality. I was poor and broke ten years ago in college trying to score a $10 card once a month, but this is a very, very tiny segment of the hobby. Even most low grade collectors on the cheaper end of the spectrum (I'm one of them) are not living paycheck to paycheck where a tank of gas doubling alters their card budget. Just as rising prices on household goods and astounding inflation the last year have not reduced card prices, neither will this. People who were overspending irresponsibly will continue doing so and those who can responsibly afford to do so will continue to do so, which together constitutes almost all vintage collectors.

[bmattioli]

First Covid now this crap.. I need a break..

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by bmattioli

First Covid now this crap.. I need a break..

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

[rdwyer]

The cheapest place to get gas is Taco Bell.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

Exactly how my daughter sees it (23 y.o.). She and her friends are frustrated at missing their early 20s. Luckily, she did a semester abroad in Europe in the fall of 2019 and traveled all over the continent during the holidays, just steps (unbeknownst to her) ahead of the COVID outbreak. She returned home just a few weeks ahead of the wave. So at least she got that experience, which is priceless.

I get the frustration. I am so frustrated that I am willing to go to Atlantic City this summer, something I said I would never do again. But I am not going another year w/o a National. No way.

[mintacular]

Calamity is a matter or perspective. Grow up during the middle ages and you were lucky to reach the age of 30

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My daughter is 26 and one of her first memories is watching the towers fall on 911, coupled with the mortgage meltdown in 2008, divisive polarized politics (shame on y'all), a general lack of respect we have for each other as humans, her's was the first generation raised on social media and all it's negative influences, etc., then throw in a world wide pandemic and now a war.

We were talking about it one day and she said "My generation is tired of constantly going through life changing events, we just want some degree of normalcy in our lives". Her and her friends are a smart group of kids, they know baloney when they see or hear it, and have a real solid no nonsense middle class approach to life.

I very much feel this.

I'm 27, only a year older than your daughter. It seems like every time something settles down, or we're getting ready to do something, a world changing event happens.

Right before the pandemic occurred, I was getting my finances in order to finally purchase a home. Housing prices in New York were already high to begin with, but I was looking at a nice little Co-op for a shade over 250K. I would be able to put down enough to have an affordable mortgage, on my modest salary. I budgeted everything, and crunched the numbers and figured "well if things keep going the way they do, I can definitely buy something like this within the year"

Then Covid hits, the Real Estate boom as crushed any thought of that. The one that I was looking at? Just sold for 325K, it's absurd. I'm considering ditching the state all together, and looking for a job elsewhere because at the rate we're going I'm never going to be able to afford a house.

As for the cards? Who knows. I don't think anyone thought a global pandemic would turn cardboard into an extreme asset class, that doubled or tripled the value of certain cards in some cases.

[Touch'EmAll]

It is indeed hard out there, life sure has speedbumps.

Think about setting yourself up with work and a location to do more of what you like to do.

Just before I got into my career, I went thru a big book called "Places Rated". It went thru all the major/semi-major metro areas of the country and rated them all on many categories - schools, medical care, recreation, weather, home prices, crime, population density, etc.

For me it came down to Seattle, Portland OR, and Boise. I chose Portland - very glad I made decision. I love fishing and Oregon is quite good - trout salmon, steelhead, bass. The Deschutes River is world class and just over Mt. Hood couple hours away. The Oregon coast is also only 2 hours away, very nice.

Anyways, be smart and calculated about your life decisions, will definitely pay good dividends for the rest of your life.