7/17/07 DOW hits 14,000 >> Now 8700, but BB hobby still thriving ?

[Rich Klein]

Yes the Rose RC (as well as the Schmidt and the Carlton RC's) were all exploding in that time frame.

The Rose went from a quarter in 1979 to those insane prices by 82/83 and Carlton and Schmidt were not far behind but any and all cards of those players were incredibly popular. I could not keep any reasonably priced card of those three players in stock at that time.

We don't quite have any good matches for that today -- cards such as any of the Jeter RC's or Chipper or other players not yet tarnished by the steroid age arent quite the same. I suspect Sir Albert Pujols may be the closest player today to what R, C and S were in the early 80's.

Like I said; the country's economic condition is similar but the hobby is sure different. We have more "classic' collectors now and I think that helps. In those days; finding older cards was easier than it is today.

In a different market

What I'm noticing is that the "autograph" market for modern players seems to be settling down. Several shows and promoters are looking for more "collector-friendly" players in terms of pricing. Dave Jackson (I may be butchering his name so I apologize in advance) runs shows in St Louis and is making a point to keep autograph prices as low as possible for him to attract fans and still make a small profit. The "Edge Fest" show in Chicago this weekend also apparently has many decently priced autograph guests, especially on Friday.

I did not thoroughly check the National's autograph prices but I'd wager Jeff, Bobby et al are making sure there are a few reasonably priced for the collector guests as well.

[barrysloate]

One result of the poor economy is that more people are trying to make some extra money buying and selling baseball cards. As such, large lots that in the past had pretty good break value are now selling very close to full retail. Many of the buyers of these lots are putting these cards straight on ebay, and then finding that there isn't all that much profit to be made. I'm surprised that some of these group lot prices haven't fallen as buyers begin to realize they are overpaying for them.

[Exhibitman]

I'm finding lots of cheaper cards postwar and from mainstream sets. Add in rarity, however, and the market has substantially dried up or remains strong. My hunch is that there is a strong core of collectors whose prospects haven't been dimmed by the crash, other than a decline in portfolios. Heck, I now have an even better excuse for buying more cards--what else was I going to do with the money, piss it away on stocks or real estate?

[tedzan]

This is very true......
" Yes the Rose RC (as well as the Schmidt and the Carlton RC's) were all exploding in that time frame. ? "

I bet you would agree that the 1980 World Champions Phillies and the Willow Grove Show had a lot to do
with the growth of the "rookie card craze" ?

Initially, it can be attributed to the hype of the 1952 Topps Mantle "rookie" card, that started the "rookie
card craze" in 1980. Of course, many of us knew that Mantle's 1951 Bowman was his true ROOKIE card.
However, his Bowman card got no respect back then. I never really understood that. But, who was I to go
"against the flow". I was buying up the 1951 Mantle cards at $50 - $100 apiece....while the Topps Mantle
was selling for $1000's.

Subsequently, every star player's 1st card was selling at premium.....indeed, it was a very interesting time
to be in this hobby.


TED Z

[Rich Klein]

And I would also state that with some "hype-manipulation" from Mark Lewis and CPU -- there was also quite the growth that way as well. Nothing works quite as well as when someone sees it in print.

Regards
Rich

[Potomac Yank]

The people that voted for Hope, and Yes We Can, may have found themselves someone that can fix a rudder on a disabled ship, and knows how to read a compass.
Salvaging the rudderless S.S. Titanic II, is not easy, but with all the odds against it ... we are seeing signs of slowly getting back on course.

Let's pull together, because except for the whales, we're all in this boat together.

[tedzan]

Interesting that you should mention Mark Lewis. He was a tough character to deal with back in the early '80s.
I recall getting into an argument with him regarding how his Card Prices Update (CPU) guide was hyping up cer-
tain Topps cards (rookies) and de-valuating certain other cards (1952 Topps Hi#s and 1949 Bowmans).

Then, you recall that he ran into some trouble and dropped out of sight. Years later her returned as a dealer at
the Ft. Washington Show in the early '90s and had "mellowed-out".


TED Z