5 ms·
I just want to post this from the baseball card collecting perspective. Comic books and baseball cards share a pretty similar correlation between their values a
by swang 13y ago
I just want to post this from the baseball card collecting perspective. Comic books and baseball cards share a pretty similar correlation between their values and their declines in the 80s to 2000s. The glut actually started in the mid 80s and not the 90s. And due to waning interest from kids due to both video games and the Internet their markets have slowly declined. The only difference is baseball cards have escalated to being essentially a lottery/gambling game while comics actually still have some value as entertainment itself.
Basically card collecting now is a big gamble. You can buy $100 packs and they either have some common value cards worth maybe $5 or you might pull a great card that you can probably sell for $5K. Only a small percentage of people come out of it as a "winner" but because of the rush people get from pulling these special cards they continue to be bought. And even though $100 seems out of reach for kids, I have seen tons of videos on YouTube of kids who buy these packs.
And since there is only one company now that can produce baseball cards (out of maybe 3-4 total card producing companies), they need to make their money back from buying the license from MLBPA/MLB so they essentially glut the market with tons and tons of different sets. Allen Ginter, Gypsy Queen, Bowman (there was ~3 different sets of Bowman released the last time I collected, and Bowman generally is for rookie/minor leaguers and since most of them will probably not make it to the majors, the set is going to contain a lot of useless cards/inserts), Topps, and some other sets they sell at like >$500 per pack.
And the people on Craigslists who think their sealed 1992 Topps sets are worth any more than ~$5 or people who are selling those huge boxes of 80s/90s cards for $200 is laughable. You could literally burn half the world's supply of 80s/90s baseball cards and those cards would still probably be just as worthless. Just a huge, huge, worthless glut of cardboard.
Edit: Took out roulette comment, made no sense.
- notdrunkatall 13y agoOnce some category of goods whose value depends solely on rarity are widely perceived as collectibles, people rush out to buy them, and prices initially increase. After a while, demand drops to near zero, supply is huge, and their value goes in the toilet. Once people think something is a collectible, it's no longer wise to collect it.
- wmf 13y agoThat's a corollary of the Trough of No Value theory: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/02/the-trough-of-no-value.html http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photogra...
- jl6 13y agoAmen. The whole concept of collectibility is highly dubious, and most "collectibles" are declared such by marketing departments trying to push completionists' buttons. But the collection will never be complete while there is still a supplier making money from every sale! This happened in the UK to stamp collectors who took pride in owning every first day cover. Royal Mail realised they could increase revenue by massively increasing the number of new stamp designs issued, and collectors railed against the escalating cost of keeping their collections complete. See also Warhammer, Disney Inifinity, and a bunch of other pay-to-play endeavours. Unwise indeed.
- Zimahl 13y agoI will say that when I was a kid in the late 80s/early 90s and collecting baseball cards, I did it for a couple reasons. One was that they were going to be worth something later, but that was near the bottom of the reasons. The major reason was that it was a way to be involved with MLB. It was fun trading with friends to try to get your favorite players and complete a team or a set. It's Pokemon without the game attached - gotta get 'em all! Where the wheels fell off was were kids were priced out of the market. 50 cents would buy you a pack of Topps, Donruss, or Fleer - about 30 cards in a pack. But then the infamous 1988 Upper Deck set that introduced thick white card stock, foil wrappers, and holographic seals. $1.50 or more for a pack of 12 (I think). They were somewhat limited and successful, so everyone followed suit. Fleer Ultra. Donruss made the Leaf name premium. Skybox for the NBA. Eventually Topps came out with their Stadium Club cards that were just plain stupid - $5 for a pack of 12. At that point, I was out.
- neovive 13y agoI know the feeling. I collected quite a few baseball cards in the late 80's and early 90's and spent lots of time sorting, categorizing, making sets and attending shows. I ended up losing most of the cards due to Hurricane Sandy last year, but most of them were worthless anyway. Looking back, I guess the fun of collecting and trading cards with friends was the true value.
- Theodores 13y agoWhat is also important to remember is that collections - comic books, baseball cards, stamp collections - whatever - were collected before the internet came along. Therefore, the price was assumed to be what the dealers in such collectibles said the price was. You never really found out what the true market value was unless you actually had a severe cash shortage and sold your 'collectibles'. Then you took what you got given and did not exactly tell everyone that it was a million times less than what you thought you would get. Therefore, actually having market prices as sold (eBay) rather than having what 'Stanley Gibbons' (stamps) will sell you something for - is bringing an important reality check to things.
- swang 13y agoFunny you should mention this since Beckett back in the 90s was the authoritative price guide for baseball cards. Now most collectors understand that the true worth of a card is what it goes for on eBay, not what Beckett has it listed. But to make it more shady, Beckett now offers grading services for the very cards it prices.