Collector Nerds

[ooo-ribay]

Has anyone else noticed most of the highest bid items in any Hakes Auction are either Pokémon or Star Wars? I don’t get it. Comic books I can kind of understand but not Pokémon or Star Wars. Any nerds here?

[Seven]

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

Has anyone else noticed most of the highest bid items in any Hakes Auction are either Pokémon or Star Wars? I don’t get it. Comic books I can kind of understand but not Pokémon or Star Wars. Any nerds here?

So I think this has a lot to do with the "New Money" that has entered the fold, at least on the side of Pokemon. You have to realize a lot of the younger, new collectors grew up with Pokemon. It was massively popular for two generations of children. Between the games and the TV show, and all the other forms of media. Some of the cards from the original 1st edition set, or the set with "shadowless" holographic cards are exceedingly rare. For an example there are only 54 PSA 10 Shadowless Charizard cards. So the rarity, plus the age of the new money, plus the fact that most of these younger people do not know the scandals that have gone on with the Grading companies, equals big bucks.

Star Wars has always been popular, and has grown with the recent movies (regardless how bad they are) along with all the new TV shows either produced or being produced, so it does not surprise me.

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by Seven

So I think this has a lot to do with the "New Money" that has entered the fold, at least on the side of Pokemon. You have to realize a lot of the younger, new collectors grew up with Pokemon. It was massively popular for two generations of children. Between the games and the TV show, and all the other forms of media. Some of the cards from the original 1st edition set, or the set with "shadowless" holographic cards are exceedingly rare. For an example there are only 54 PSA 10 Shadowless Charizard cards. So the rarity, plus the age of the new money, plus the fact that most of these younger people do not know the scandals that have gone on with the Grading companies, equals big bucks.

Star Wars has always been popular, and has grown with the recent movies (regardless how bad they are) along with all the new TV shows either produced or being produced, so it does not surprise me.

Great points. I see it as intentional “rarity” and, thus, different from the old stuff most of us are after (whether it be cards or memorabilia). I also don’t “get” the astronomical prices paid for these new fangled “refractors”, or whatever, of Trout, Brady, etc. In my mind, stuff made to be “collectible” usually busts in the future.

[bocca001]

Not sure what is selling in Hake's, but, yeah, Star Wars has always been collectible for those of us who are a certain age, although some of it has really taken off lately (e.g., unopened wax).

I have Star Wars stuff mixed with sports stuff. And just picked up the Empire Strikes Back sticker sheet (now framed).

If my kids (now 12 and 14) ever collect cards when they are older, it is going to be Pokemon, because.... that's all I ever see kids buying.

[GoCubsGo32]

Nerd here. I collect both Star Wars & Pokemon.

Star Wars has always been a popular item to collection but, even more so after Disney acquired LucasFilm. It helped attract new collectors & keep the old school collectors around.

Pokemon is very nostalgic for my age group (mid 30s). I started playing/collecting Pokemon when it first came out in the late 90's as a kid. Much like trading baseball cards it was fun to trade cards with fellow classmates & friends at school, around the neighborhood, the mall etc.....tons of great memories! That original targeted age group is all grown up now. Having their kids interested in the new Pokemon franchise reengaged them back to the franchise...so it's cool to see the franchise has survived that long.

[jb217676]

I'm a proud nerd...

https://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=290515

[SAllen2556]

Boba Fett action figure: $4950
1953 Topps Mickey Mantle signed card: $4000

I don't get it either. My son is 26 and had Pokemon cards when they first came out. He actually was embarrassed to know that they were still in our house because I never threw them out. Kids his age don't seem to be into "stuff". They move around a lot more than we did and seem to enjoy being able to fit all their worldly possessions in the back of a 20-year old Subaru. They really like dogs though. Maybe it's the 30-year olds still living in their mother's basements who are collecting all this crap. I don't know.

But, honestly, if I made a list of all the things I don't understand anymore it would fill a book. The Pokemon phenomenon would certainly be on the list - along with people who drink beer with fruit in it, tik-tok, people who drive in the left lane on the freeway when they aren't passing anybody, and on and on.