At what point...

[ALR-bishop]

Not aware of any requirement. From what authority would such a requirement originate ? My assumption has been that the "need" to sell the card with something else was originally market driven, and then came to be expected by that market, and that once Topps established that the "market" expectation was gum, attempts by others to break that expectation did not fare well.

After 1981 when Marvin Miller had helped break the Topps exclusive gum/confections contract, everyone started using gum. Then manufacturers had to find other things to put in the packs to distinguish themselves for those buyers who wanted more than just the cards.

Even during the heart of the Topps monopoly period in the 1960s and early 70s, it often included insert items with cards to help stimulate sales

[Volod]

Some very good points, Al. It seems to me that manufacturers have always sought to add some value to their base product by exploiting the popularity of some other cultural phenonmenon, especially if it was free or of little cost to them to do so. For most of the last century that phenomenon was professional sports, and it moved a lot of stuff, including tobacco, gum and candy. It's hard to think of anything more effective to induce an eight to twelve-year-old consumer to buy a product. So, in my view, it has to be the advent of televised sports - and its greater marketability - that marked the point at which the original base product, like gum, became secondary - or maybe even irrelevant.

[Rich Klein]

rack packs for many years before their monopoly ended in 1980. When Fleer and Donruss joined the parade in 1981, all three companies had gum in their packs. Topps sued and won to be the only company that could insert gum.

Thus the other companies looked for other items to enhance their card sales. That was not a legal requirement, rather a corporate decision to try to compete with Topps.

Eventually those "enhancement" evolved into insert cards and then went from there into what we have today. If you think of "insert" cards, in realit y they are just pack enhancements on steroids.

Rich

[almostdone]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

rack packs for many years before their monopoly ended in 1980. When Fleer and Donruss joined the parade in 1981, all three companies had gum in their packs. Topps sued and won to be the only company that could insert gum.

Thus the other companies looked for other items to enhance their card sales. That was not a legal requirement, rather a corporate decision to try to compete with Topps.

Eventually those "enhancement" evolved into insert cards and then went from there into what we have today. If you think of "insert" cards, in realit y they are just pack enhancements on steroids.

Rich

Good point Rich. What I wonder is when did the base cards become obsolete so only the "insentive insert" is what most people buy the packs for?

If you go on the assumption that the chase cards were the insert insentives it seems that card collecting has reverted back to its original origins. Buy a product with the insert to be the primary insentive to purchase more.
Drew