The Further Decline of Brick & Mortar...

[ls7plus]

Most well-to-do adults collect stuff. Maybe not BB cards, but something... BB cards are americana and will always be collected IMO. So in 40-50 years, you will probably be selling to guys in the 45-55 age group, just like how it is now.


-

IMHO, this is exactly how it will work out--after all, look how many people collect Cobb, the Babe, Matty, Honus (if they can). None of these people were alive when these guys actually played. Baseball is Americana, and MLB does a terrific job of promoting their tradition. Plus, look at how many books are being written about the game, focused on times long since gone? If there wasn't a market for them, they would never be published.

By the way, the same fear has been prevalent in the coin market for decades, with people concerned that new, young blood was not entering their hobby, or that values had peaked. Meanwhile, really rare, significant have just been going up and up! People like to collect things related to their passions and/or youth, and that isn't going to change.

May your collecting days be filled with satisfaction,

Larry

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by Tanman7baseball

My ultimate question is who will I sell to in 40 or 50 years?

Providing that :
1.) The country gets back on the right track
2.) The game has not been destroyed by over regulation and the urge to make too many rules (ie NFL)

Have recently had the pleasure of finding some quality vintage (semi) pieces for the Boss' 6 year old grandson who plays baseball - is a huge Brewers and Astros fan and has the collecting bug really bad (good?).

I picked up a high grade Yount Rookie for him which he loved. Same with the Biggio and Bagwell rookies. Quite rewarding to see the younger folks still get bitten by the bug.

40-50 years? I would venture to say that the vintage hobby will skyrocket. You do realize that there is a relatively limited supply of vintage - right?

[BruceinGa]

Originally Posted by beachhead2

I'm 41 and your post resonates with me. While third-party-grading has its limitations, on some level that is what gave me the confidence to re-enter this hobby (especially for online transactions). I'm not sure that I ever had a good experience at a card shop.

+1
I'm 64, collected as a kid but gave them away when I lost interest. I picked it back up in 1987 when in training for work in Chicago and then Denver. I got some semi-star card from the 50's and 60's at great prices, giving them to my sons.
We went to a card show here in Marietta in 89 and would visit a shop in Chattanooga. The shop in Chattanooga always had 63 fleers for a good price.
In 1991 we got out of collecting and a couple of years ago my younger son tells me about graded cards. I like the idea. I visited a card shop locally and asked the owner what he thinks about third party graders and you would have thought I had insulted him. I believe that graded cards shows some dealers that they have been over grading for years. This shop owner still is over grading.
Sylbry, I'm going the National this year and I hope I don't find what you did at the Sun Times show. If I do, it will be my last show.

[CW]

By the way, the 2014 Topps pack I bought had a vintage insert in it...first one I have ever found in a pack. So there...

Thanks for sharing the story, Andy. It must be hard enough for these types of stores to survive, let alone when a douchebag like that is running one of them. You would hope that would be the exception, not the norm, but you hear so many stories about pro card dealers lacking in social and customer service skills.

[mattsey9]

Originally Posted by CW

Thanks for sharing the story, Andy. It must be hard enough for these types of stores to survive, let alone when a douchebag like that is running one of them. You would hope that would be the exception, not the norm, but you hear so many stories about pro card dealers lacking in social and customer service skills.

I'm sure we've all come across the "Comic Book Guy" store owner stereotype at least once in our hobby existence. I know that I have, and it's a turnoff. I just don't choose to patronize those tables when I go to a card show.

[K-Nole]

Count me in as one of those that stopped in the 90's. 93 to be exact.
I returned in 2011, so I am just getting back in.
So what I am doing with my son, who is the reason I am back in the hobby, is putting sets together along with filling the 1994-2010 void of complete sets.

I live in Topeka, Ks.
We have 2 card stores, with one of those being one of the aforementioned, gamers store too.
The owners of both stores are extremely nice. However, neither has much vintage stuff, so i just buy my supplies from them. But again, both very kind.
What I have found, and you might check your local one, is that actually, the best place for vintage cards is actually, "Vintage Stock" here in Topeka.
They have a HUGE selection of 58 Baseball, a lot of other 50's stuff. HUNDREDS of 60's stuff and again 70's.
and all are priced at, or right around what you would pay on EBAY/Net.
So you might check that if you have one near you.

Another story thou. I vacation in Tampa, Fl. once a year. There is a store off of Indian Rocks Blvd and Walshingham Rd. I visited/found him this last vacation. He had a LOT of great vintage stuff. He was average on his kindness, not rude, but not overly pleasant either, just normal.
His prices were about $4-$5 over what EBAY/Net are, but I went ahead and paid it just to keep an old time dealer going. I felt it was my duty to over pay a bit just to keep a good old dealer happy. I got a nice 71 Carew, and a really good 61 & 65 Killebrew, all 3 for around $30 if i remember right.
So if you are around Tampa, Fl. go by and check him out.

[jandr272]

Originally Posted by arc2q

All this aside, virtually every time I go to a store I get that sense that I am doing something wrong or being watched. I remember the shame I felt as a kid when a store owner would say something dismissive. I loved going but my enduring memories now are of feeling empty after leaving the stores like I was out of my league as a kid. I did not feel welcomed.

This was always my experience as a kid. I never found a shop who graded honestly. I thought Ebay was a wonderful thing when I discovered it (still a kid, maybe mid teens?) as I could pay fair prices for honestly graded cards. I learned far more from magazines and books than I ever did from card shop owners or dealers at conventions. Most treated a kid as an annoyance who wasn't going to spend enough to be worth their time.

[BruceinGa]

Originally Posted by K-Nole

So if you are around Tampa, Fl. go by and check him out.

We were in Tampa about a year ago and I tried to find a card shop. I used our gps and it lead us to a dead end.
I'll look a little harder next time, thanks.

[K-Nole]

Just put those roads in the GPS for that intersection, but put it in for Largo, Florida (NOT Key Largo, but just plain ole Largo, Fl.).

It is in a strip mall right behind a "Beef-O-Brady's" which is DELICIOUS and worth the stop as well

[doug.goodman]

I travel for a living, and have been to hundreds of card stores all over the country. Very few people have been to more different card stores than me.

There have always been asshole owners, and there have always been super friendly owners. In my experience, the better stores had the nicer owners, although they sometimes had a veneer of asshole that you needed to peel away to get to the friendly guy.

The internet has of course pretty much ruined card shops, there is a shop close to me that used to be one of the top three stores in the country, with thousands of boxes of cards from all years and all sports, but they made a conscience decision near the beginning of online sales that they didn't care about the walk-in customer. Even their online customer gets to see stock images of most of their cards, so nuances are impossible to see. If you walk in and want to see a card, you have to type it into their computer, to check the inventory, and they will then go get it for you, no more looking thru boxes for that weird back variation. It was a business decision on their part, and I'm sure that it has worked out for them. But, they no longer get any of my money, not even for supplies.

I still go to stores on the road, but there are way less of them, and most of them are filled with shiny stuff, but when I find a good one, it sure is fun, and they sure are happy to see me.

Doug

[BruceinGa]

Originally Posted by K-Nole

Just put those roads in the GPS for that intersection, but put it in for Largo, Florida (NOT Key Largo, but just plain ole Largo, Fl.).

It is in a strip mall right behind a "Beef-O-Brady's" which is DELICIOUS and worth the stop as well

Thanks, we have Beef-O-Brady's here also.

[BruceinGa]

Friends of mine closed their card shop in Raleigh about a year ago. I googled their name out of curiosity and found several customers that didn't like the owners
Apparently they did very well, able to sponsor a senior softball team for many years.

[DHogan]

When I first started collecting around 1990 or so, Dolloff Sports Cards had a brick and mortar store on route 1 in Portsmouth NH. From what I recall he had mostly pre-war cards. I had just started collecting the new over produced cards. I wish I had known better. He had a sign posted in his store where he would charge for his time if you had any questions about what he had for sale. Or vintage cards in general. He charged $1.00 a minute. I only know of 3 or 4 stores around Boston now.

[t206hof]

This topic hits close to home as back in the 80's and 90's I owned and operated a small card shop in a small city in Tx. It was quite an experience to say the least. Most of the folks that came into my shop were fine people and I still remember them well today. I always tried to do my best for everyone who walked through the door. After all it doesn't cost a penny to be nice to people.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by DHogan

When I first started collecting around 1990 or so, Dolloff Sports Cards had a brick and mortar store on route 1 in Portsmouth NH. From what I recall he had mostly pre-war cards. I had just started collecting the new over produced cards. I wish I had known better. He had a sign posted in his store where he would charge for his time if you had any questions about what he had for sale. Or vintage cards in general. He charged $1.00 a minute. I only know of 3 or 4 stores around Boston now.

I cannot imagine paying a store owner to talk about cards. That sign alone might cause me not to return.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

There is one store in New Orleans, Marksman Sportscards. The shop sells only newer cards and lots of autographs - JSA did an in store authentication a few months ago. I've been there three times and every time the owner was short and acted as though I interrupted him. He never asked me my name or what I collected. Needless to say my opinion of the store is low. However I do hear that he is very good ebay seller.

Al.ex We@ver

[howard38]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

I cannot imagine paying a store owner to talk about cards. That sign alone might cause me not to return.

I agree. That's like paying K-Mart to chat about windex.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by mintacular

Yes, 90% of store owners will overcharge for vintage. I find that the only way to get a good price is to cherry-pick commons and pay "book price" which in some cases is ok. I did recently pay decent coin for a '57 ungraded that would have been very hard to buy online....But most run of the mill off-centered stars/rc's are way overpriced....Also, sometimes Beckett is wrong in the other direction, i.e. underpriced. Would gladly pay for '57 Lucky Penny cards at their prices. Anyway, the card I bought for $100, would not have bought the same card online:

Patrick, that Richardson is fantastic. It's been three years since I've been to my lcs. Seeing that beauty you picked up makes me want to head back out to SMP, and fast. There's just nothing like looking through a case, and seeing a bunch of vintage beauties together. Ebay will never have that charm.

Originally Posted by queencitysportscards

This is what makes card shops fun as a parent with kids (My Son on the left and step-daughter on the right). Chris Heisey of the Reds stopped by the shop today. Chris was very nice!

Hank, that's really cool. I hope your store is really successful.