How Many Kids Are Entering The Hobby … On Their Own?

[ThoseBackPages]

Not talking about kids of collectors/dealers/speculators or relatives already addicted to the hobby.

How many kids are picking up the hobby from classmates and/or friends?

Can't be all that many imo.

 

[Bill Menard]

Start a study and report in a year with your findings. We'd love to hear the results! I don't see any other way to answer that question!

Oh, and, THANKS TOPPS!!!

 

[BBCgalaxee]

Few for sure and really it's because there's no tv advertising on kids shows or in kids magazine's.

If you grew up pre 90s, there was little need for advertising towards kids because EVERYONE collected. There's all the advertising any company could need.

And I know topps makes one or two commercials a year but don't even get started how horrible and worthless those are!



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[maxe0213]

Few for sure and really it's because there's no tv advertising on kids shows or in kids magazine's.

If you grew up pre 90s, there was little need for advertising towards kids because EVERYONE collected. There's all the advertising any company could need.

And I know topps makes one or two commercials a year but don't even get started how horrible and worthless those are!



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They have the Bowman baseball ad on ESPN every once in a while but its the saddest ad I've seen in years.

 

[BenG76]

I see one every now and then at the card section at Wal-Mart. Mostly I see them buying those Magic game cards if anything.

 

[bpo]

I'm a somewhat younger collector and I can say that I started on my own. My family and friends have never been interested in card collecting but it appealed to me.

 

[dbacksfan4life]

I'm 15 and i started collecting on my own about 1 year ago. It all started when my Dad's card collection got stolen, he had 3 Mantle cards that he got from his Dad, he was hoping to sell them for my collage funds.

Now a year and a couple months later I'm HOOKED!

 

[All The Hype]

I have to think that a well-done commercial could really help draw some young people into the hobby. It would need to be aired on mainstream TV either on ESPN or perhaps even Nickelodeon. Prices are hurting kids' involvement as well.

 

[Dmscards]

I'm 16 I've been collecting since I was 8. My Dad only collected for one year in 1970. He has 3 complete sets of 1970 topps Football. If we pulled the best cards from all 3 sets plus dups we would be looking at a PSA 8 set. Anyway one time we were going on a plane and my dad bought me some 05? Topps Total. My hobby interest sort of just blossomed from there. My dad would take me to the Lcs about once a week and I'd blow my allowance on 06 Allen & Ginter, Flair Showcase and the like. Sometimes I'd save for 3 whole weeks to get a pack of Co-Signers.Once I saved for what had to be
5 months and bought a box of 06 TC and pulled a Liriano auto(big $$ back then) and a Hanley Ramirez Red ref auto(unreal $$ back then). I remember the shop owner saying he'd give me 3 WHOLE boxes for it. But my dad made me keep it. He tried to keep it in a screw down but I would always take it out! We sent it into BGS and it got a 6.5 crazy how much I handled that thing. My dad has Never made a purchase in all my years.
Well I've rambled but anyway that is my story of how I got into the hobby.

 

[BenG76]

I wish there were more kids around in to cards. I wouldn't mind helping them out with some decent cards to get them started. I have watched some younger guys and kids on YouTube but some of them have the rip and flip mentality or were constantly trying to sell the cards they have off to buy another box or get in a group break.

Baseball needs to become uber popular again for kids to collect more I think. We have some good popular players that may possibly make it happen if things were handled properly. When I was a kid we were crazy over McGwire, Canseco, Bonds and some others. Maybe Puig, Harper, Trout or similar guys could make it happen again should they have a crazy season or start breaking some records.

 

[Crewfan82]

I have to think that a well-done commercial could really help draw some young people into the hobby. It would need to be aired on mainstream TV either on ESPN or perhaps even Nickelodeon. Prices are hurting kids' involvement as well.

Completely agree with you on price. Hell, this hobby is expensive enough for adults. My favorite part of collecting when I was a kid was biking to the drug store to buy a pack of UD Collectors Choice for less than buck, and going home to see how much closer it got me to completing the set.

Unless a kid has parents funding his collection or wants to mow 50 yards a week they can't afford much.

 

[BiggioBrooks755]

I have to think that a well-done commercial could really help draw some young people into the hobby. It would need to be aired on mainstream TV either on ESPN or perhaps even Nickelodeon. Prices are hurting kids' involvement as well.

If you put it on all those stupid shows kids watch these days they might actually card enough to watch it...

 

[dbacksfan4life]

Completely agree with you on price. Hell, this hobby is expensive enough for adults. My favorite part of collecting when I was a kid was biking to the drug store to buy a pack of UD Collectors Choice for less than buck, and going home to see how much closer it got me to completing the set.

Unless a kid has parents funding his collection or wants to mow 50 yards a week they can't afford much.

+1

If i want to bust some wax there are a couple things i need to do first.
1 I collect cans and sell them to a local dealer that buys them at $4 1 lb!

2Pick Weeds and pick weeds and pick more weeds! Sometimes you get lucky and the house owner will throw in extra $$ if it is 100+ degrees.

3 Wash cars although the soap cost more$$.

Why l do this "Crazy" stuff is so l can enjoy my hobby!

 

[rsmath]

I think not many kids start on their own. Not only because of the commercials (as already mentioned), but also that you don't find cards anymore when you go to the haircutter, shredded beef jerky, or in your cereal box among other grocery products that you might end up finding cards inserted in and start a curiosity about the hobby.

 

[swish54_99]

Topps has come out with a couple new lines recently that I think are geared to the kid collector. Chipz, Topps minis, MLB Stickers, and Quibis (or however it's spelled). I'm sure the goal is to get the kid collector into the hobby by buying these sorts of things and then down the road they will start buying more cards.

 

[predatorkj]

One thing I wonder is how many kids don't get a chance to buy cards because their parents purchased quite a slew during the 80's boom and then now found out they are worthless. They then translate that to their child in the form of "You're not wasting your money on that worthless junk", and further explain what happened to them with their cards. Thereby not only taking the chance away as a child but also ensuring the child too grows up with that attitude towards cards.

We've also got a lot of pump and dumpers these days. Even people I grew up with are like that. They'll pump a good chunk of change into starting a card collection and then turn right back around and get rid of it for whatever reason. Mostly because I feel a lot of people start off buying retail, get hardly anything worth having, go to a hobby shop, see how expensive the better stuff is, and finally come home, look around, and decide enough is enough. This could deter kids as well as adults. Especially kids with little disposable income and not very much friend or group support. How exciting is it to tell all of your friends you pulled a worthless Delmon Young jersey swatch not even numbered, while they all crow about the newest Call Of Duty game? Or whatever that particular group happens to be into. It doesn't always deter them because as a kid, I kind of did my own thing. But the card industry cannot generate enough profit from the lone stragglers to survive.

Kids today are a different breed. Half of them don't even go outside to play. And baseball is by no means the most popular sport. If anything, football has the greatest chance to get kids into the hobby. But usually, any love of any sport is passed down by parents. In about 15-20 years, we will see less and less of traditional sports interest die down because a lot of these kids now who will be adults will not care a damn thing about it.