Advice on Early 70's sets

[steve B]

I think the early 70's cards will show some modest gains over a few more years. especially 71s. But I've been wrong plenty of times before. Mid 70's might also be ok, and late 70's might not be "good" for some time. Not really an "investment" but some might look at it that way.

It all depends on how people come to view the era and the cards. Eventually the early -mid 70's might be seen as the last era before drug use, free agency creating huge salaries and the game and players getting somewhat unapproachable.

Card collecting had a huge boost from about 75- 81 as well, along with somewhat increased production.

I think we're seeing a lot of 70's stuff becoming available as the few adult collectors of the time get older - if you were 30 in 82 you're 60 now and maybe downsizing or getting ready for retirement. And many who collected then while younger might need money in tight times and will sell the 70's stuff as it's replaceable but still worth enough to sell.

Steve B

[RobertGT]

Originally Posted by steve B

I think the early 70's cards will show some modest gains over a few more years. especially 71s. But I've been wrong plenty of times before. Mid 70's might also be ok, and late 70's might not be "good" for some time. Not really an "investment" but some might look at it that way.

It all depends on how people come to view the era and the cards. Eventually the early -mid 70's might be seen as the last era before drug use, free agency creating huge salaries and the game and players getting somewhat unapproachable.

Card collecting had a huge boost from about 75- 81 as well, along with somewhat increased production.

I think we're seeing a lot of 70's stuff becoming available as the few adult collectors of the time get older - if you were 30 in 82 you're 60 now and maybe downsizing or getting ready for retirement. And many who collected then while younger might need money in tight times and will sell the 70's stuff as it's replaceable but still worth enough to sell.

Steve B

+1. The hope is that as the Baby Boomers decide to part with their collections, there will be a significant number of people in the 25-40 age group who have the interest and financial means to catch these collections and keep the hobby moving in a positive direction. I am 37 and trying to do my part.

[theseeker]

Originally Posted by RobertGT

+1. The hope is that as the Baby Boomers decide to part with their collections, there will be a significant number of people in the 25-40 age group who have the interest and financial means to catch these collections and keep the hobby moving in a positive direction. I am 37 and trying to do my part.

Sorry, but I'm just not seeing any evidence of 1970's cards "coming out of the woodwork." So if I have it straight, people who were 30 in '82 and would have grown up collecting early '60's cards, are now selling off there 1970's cards to prepare for retirement??? All this is loosely anecdotal at best.

This does, in a round about way bring up the greater issue of an aging hobby going forward as the baby boomer generation heads further into retirement age. As far as moving the hobby forward, the fact a 37 year old is taking up the cause as a young vangaurd of the hobby is telling. And by moving forward, does that mean sustaining prices? Because, it is the investment angle that killed off the hobby interest of the majority of those in their late 20's and early 30's, after the investment craze of the late '80's/early '90's abrutely turned cardboard investments into "shiny junk." The new card quality ushered in by UD in 1989 was a huge leap forward for the industry. Unfortunately, they were viewed (and sold) mostly as investments. As a result, those younger than this age group largely haven't grown up with collector interest and simply won't pick it up as adults.

[mintacular]

I think the early 70s will hold some value, lots of HOFers like Mays, Aaron, Banks, Clemente on their way out with new rookies/stars coming in...The high series cards will always have some tougher cards to find so break out potential there. Lot of bang for your buck/affordable for most collectors 700+ cards from this time era in EX for around 1K make it fun for collectors to chase

[steve B]

Not so much the baby boom as the cards as a collectible boom that existed for much of the mid 70's to mid 80's (With a bit of a dip in 81)

The guys who were 30 in 81 had collected as kids, and either looked at completing sets or buying stuff that had been tossed. I'm only using 30 as a rough age, that's about the time many people that collect something get into it somewhat seriously. Student loans paid off, career going well, etc.

When I started being more "serious" about cards in 77-78 There were a few adults, and some kids that collected, maybe 50/50 (Not counting kids that just bought packs at the corner store) I had 4 friends that collected during high school, and none of them would admit it around non-collectors. By 84 that had really changed, card collecting had become acceptable as a hobby for an adult, and there were more older guys buying cards.

So a lot of people who were 30-40 got into collecting and without a large number of sets it was common to buy the new ones already sorted into sets each year. And many dealers carried early 70's sets (Fritsch supplied many of them and may still be working off their inventory bought as new vending cases. )
I had a "job" sorting cards into sets each spring, paid in trade value instead of cash until all three companies made factory sets. Fleer in 82, topps and donruss a bit later. (Or maybe at the same time but more expensive than vending?)

Personally I never bought the "quality" of Upper Deck. Bland design, the silly hologram, the cardboard that made 81 donruss seem sturdy.....And all at double the price- what a bargain!

Steve B

Originally Posted by theseeker

Sorry, but I'm just not seeing any evidence of 1970's cards "coming out of the woodwork." So if I have it straight, people who were 30 in '82 and would have grown up collecting early '60's cards, are now selling off there 1970's cards to prepare for retirement??? All this is loosely anecdotal at best.

This does, in a round about way bring up the greater issue of an aging hobby going forward as the baby boomer generation heads further into retirement age. As far as moving the hobby forward, the fact a 37 year old is taking up the cause as a young vangaurd of the hobby is telling. And by moving forward, does that mean sustaining prices? Because, it is the investment angle that killed off the hobby interest of the majority of those in their late 20's and early 30's, after the investment craze of the late '80's/early '90's abrutely turned cardboard investments into "shiny junk." The new card quality ushered in by UD in 1989 was a huge leap forward for the industry. Unfortunately, they were viewed (and sold) mostly as investments. As a result, those younger than this age group largely haven't grown up with collector interest and simply won't pick it up as adults.

[theseeker]

Well your view of UD and all the premium cards that followed is the majority opinion on this board. I, however, still say the negative feelings towards these cards has everything to do with how they ended up as investments and little to do with their overall quality. I'm sure if they're honest, there are some board members still stuck with a case of 1991 series 1 Leaf.

It's all about perception and opinion. One man's simple design is another man's clean, classic look. As for those "silly" holograms, I wish they would have come around decades earlier. Would have thwarted most of the dead serious counterfieting that still casts a dark shadow over the hobby.

And speaking of silly, 1981 Donruss cardboard Vs. 1989 UD, you can't be serious with that one. You never bothered comparing picture quality. As a true collector, I honestly wish UD, Stadium Club, and Leaf had come about a generation sooner. That way, the cards of my youth would be a vastly superior product and now obtainable at a tiny fraction of the cost. A bargain in my book.

[chris6net]

I have a soft spot for 71,s 72,s. I don,t really see a dip but I have seen a stagnation in the prices especially for low number cards. I know I can buy a complete set for $1000 but I would rather pay double to put together a set by buying some large lots and piecing the rest together.

[Exhibitman]

1970-1973 cards are common. No denying it. You can pick up a set or assemble a set every day of the week. That said, I don't think you can go wrong with pre-1974 cards--even in lower grades--if you can get in at the right price. Since the supply isn't short enough to create true scarcity-based demand [like for an E107], the whims of collectors will dictate the pricing. I happen to believe that given the rotten economy of the last few years and the uncertainty going forward, that lower grade cards are where a lot of collectors will go when it comes to the 1970s stuff. It is the "safe" way to collect--if everything turns to crap economically, you won't be out a fortune on them. I know I've sold off all of the high grade stuff from the 1950s-1960s and will probably do the same for the 1970s cards, and replaced it with lower grade versions that cost a small fraction of their prices. And I find that I can enjoy them just the same. I have never been a condition bug, though, so a crease or worn corner has never been an issue for me anyway. I collected higher grade cards simply because I had the opportunity to acquire them.

Also wanted to chime in on the 1981 Donruss v. 1989 UD debate, aka old school vs. shiny stuff. One of the things that I most enjoy to this day about busting packs of 1981 Fleer and Donruss is that there are very few 'perfect' cards as compared to more modern product. Although it is really nice for a collector not to get a bunch of o/c cards in every pack, I find the experience of busting pack after pack of 'perfect' cards to be oddly less satisfying. Now that may be the conditioning over the recent decades to think of everything as chase card oriented, but I tend to think that the issue is more that if nearly every card is nearly perfect, there isn't much challenge to finding a better card, except for the asinine gradations that the TPGs try to convince us exist between the 9-10-11.