Major Hobby Developments Over the Past Ten Years

[Archive]

Posted By: Glen V

Not sure when it changed, but in the past there was more emphasis on high numbers and MVP seasons and much less on rookie cards. In an old price guide (1980?), Steve Garvey's rookie card was $6, the high-number '72 card was $25, and his '74 card from the MVP season was slightly more than his '73 card. The premium for the player's MVP season card is gone. We all know what's happened with rookie cards. Garvey's high-number card probably costs about the same as from 25 years ago, if not less. While high numbers are still pointed out, price guides used to have 4-5 levels of pricing depending on the series. Now only the rarest of series are given a premium.

Also, today the back of a card is much more important. A few decades ago, what would be the price different between a T206 Sweet Cap. vs. Lenox? A Broadleaf 350 vs. 460? Years back, they even wrote on the backs of cards or stamped their name on them. Now, a card with a NM front gets trashed in the grading process for having a small piece of paper loss on it's blank back...