Who is the biggest culprit?

[obcbobd]

Originally Posted by Bilko G

nah, there still are plenty of packs that can be bought for a buck or two.

Are there?

As a kid the price of a pack of cards mimic'd a price of a candy bar 5 cents and then 10 cents (starting in 69 I think).

I think a candy bar is now around $1, the few times I see Cards at a convenience store of five and dime, they seem to be in the $4 range. Too much, I think for a little kid.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

Are there?

As a kid the price of a pack of cards mimic'd a price of a candy bar 5 cents and then 10 cents (starting in 69 I think).

I think a candy bar is now around $1, the few times I see Cards at a convenience store of five and dime, they seem to be in the $4 range. Too much, I think for a little kid.

I believe there are a good amount of low dollar packs that are still out there. Problem is, who wants them? Like stated before, even the kids want the big dollar packs because that is where the hits are.

[pitchernut]

Imo the decline of bb card hobby was when people started collecting cardboard instead of players.

[novakjr]

In the overall scheme of things, has there really been a decline in the hobby? Or does it just seem that way because of the boom in the late 80's-early-90's? And honestly, was that a boom of collectors, or investors?

I'm leaning towards investors, which really means as far as us collector's go, nothing has changed. This industry has always been for the collectors. Now why constantly compare the current state of things to a time when everything was inflated due the amount of people who viewed the hobby as just another gimmicky get rich scheme, as opposed to seeing it for what it really is, just hobby?

[teetwoohsix]

This is a great thread with too many great posts to quote, and I agree with many of you, but I don't look at it as the hobby is in decline. I probably live in a small world but IMO it seems that there is always an increasing amount of people getting into collecting- you see it here on Net54 even.

Anyhow, this is a great conversation- I love all of the different points of view, thanks !!

Sincerely, Clayton

[vintagetoppsguy]

If anybody doesn't believe that the hobby is in decline, then I invite them down to Houston for the weekend. We'll head over to the TriStar show and I won't say a word. The adult to kid ratio will tell you everything you need to know.

With fewer and fewer kids getting into the hobby, YES it's in decline.

[Touch'EmAll]

I tend to agree - yes - kids into this hobby are on the decline. And kids are more likely to pursue current modern cards.

However, adults that are into this hobby may be on the upswing. Adults have more money to spend, and adults are more likely to go after vintage cards. Vintage card sales are very healthy.

Decades ago, it was a kid driven hobby, and adults more or less scoffed at collecting. Now, the demographics have changed.

Look at coin collecting. Kids play virtually no factor in the hobby. Yet it is the biggest hobby industry in this country - adult driven.

Conclusion - go after quality vintage cards, preferrably upper tier HOFers, and don't worry - great investment - and very healthy segment of our hobby.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by 100backstroke

I tend to agree - yes - kids into this hobby are on the decline. And kids are more likely to pursue current modern cards.

However, adults that are into this hobby may be on the upswing. Adults have more money to spend, and adults are more likely to go after vintage cards. Vintage card sales are very healthy.

Decades ago, it was a kid driven hobby, and adults more or less scoffed at collecting. Now, the demographics have changed.

Look at coin collecting. Kids play virtually no factor in the hobby. Yet it is the biggest hobby industry in this country - adult driven.

Conclusion - go after quality vintage cards, preferrably upper tier HOFers, and don't worry - great investment - and very healthy segment of our hobby.

I understand what you're saying and agree that it has become an adult driven hobby. However, w/o kids coming into the hobby, it is a declining hobby as there will nobody to take our place when us adults quit collecting. Most of us adults in the hobby collected when we were kids and something sparked our interests again as an adult (or if you're like me you just never stopped collecting in the first place). In other words, if one doesn't collect as a kid, it's very unlikely they're going to collect as an adult.