Are Baseball Cards going to disappear

[ls7plus]

Nah, baseball cards won't disappear. People like history, especially (but not limited to) early, significant Americana, they can hold right in their hands. Check out shows like Pawnstars, Classic Car Chasers (not sure I've got the title right, but two well-heeled bidders recently went hot and heavy after a barn-find, late '30's (?) Bugatti with frozen brakes that didn't even run, and had been in storage for nearly 50 years--car went for over $800,000!), Antique Roadshow, etc. The desire to have a tangible link to the past seems to be something embedded deeply within human nature, that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

Prices may be somewhat cyclical, especially the more common stuff, but we'll be around for quite awhile.

Best to all,

Larry

[Brendan]

Are you talking about cards that were already printed or cards that have not been printed yet? If you're talking about cards that haven't been printed yet, there is a legitimate chance that new cards don't come out anymore. People seem to go in that new card stuff for a few years, then move onto other things. Prewar collectors are very steady and I bet more will come in to replace the collectors of today.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Brendan

Are you talking about cards that were already printed or cards that have not been printed yet? If you're talking about cards that haven't been printed yet, there is a legitimate chance that new cards don't come out anymore. People seem to go in that new card stuff for a few years, then move onto other things. Prewar collectors are very steady and I bet more will come in to replace the collectors of today.

Brendan, I would agree with you about new cards to come except for one thing: there are regionals coming out all the time (Detroit News/Free Press 2006 Tigers and 2010 Fatheads Tigers, in my area come to mind), and they tend to expose new, potential collectors to cards and stimulate at least some interest in the more mainstream issues. But I understand where you're coming from--a lot of the present demand for new issues is speculative and/or transient in nature. I wouldn't want to be sitting on a $2,000 Mauer Gold Refractors Rookie right now, for example. However, I believe that out of the present new card mess some long term collectors will be born. I am a "glass is half full," rather than "half empty" type, though, as I have learned in my law practice over more than three decades that a significant percentage of the cases others have thought were better off abandoned can be won with some creativity and perseverance.

Larry

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by ls7plus

However, I believe that out of the present new card mess some long term collectors will be born.

I do have to agree with this- just most of them end up in prewar or vintage! (like me)

[mark evans]

I can't imagine cards disappearing in my lifetime. Then again, I'm 61.
But more to the point, I think there will always be folks who collect things, regardless of "cloud" developments. So, so long as there is baseball, I suspect there will be baseball cards.

[martyogelvie]

My cards disappear all the time. At least until I remember where I put them!

[Al C.risafulli]

I coach a team of fifteen 10 and 11-year-old boys. I believe 13 of them collect baseball cards.

We are the Cardinals. One of the things I do as part of coaching them is give them the name of a player from Cardinals history, then ask them to go home, research that player, and come back in and tell the rest of the team about him. Or I'll be hitting them ground balls, and I'll say "Which Cardinals player was nicknamed the 'Fordham Flash'?" and wait for someone to give the correct answer.

Anyway, when I do this with the kids, about half of them come in with a baseball card of that player, which was pulled out of some pack of shiny cards.

At our last practice, one kid brought his entire collection for me to look at.

So no, I don't think they're going to disappear. Kids still collect, they just collect differently than we did.

-Al