~So are there TOO MANY color variations?~

George_Calfas · Jan 19, 2014

Looking at the 2014 Finest information sheet the amount of color variation is overwhelming. Personally I feel that the excess of variations have diluted the product and decreased the overall value of all inserts rather than being a value add.

Player collectors are these driving you crazy or are you cool with the chase.
Prospectors, does this help to maximize investment or are there just too many cards to make real money?

Your thoughts?

alexs64 · Jan 19, 2014

I agree with the too many color variations part. The chase got old after a couple of years chasing the same 10 cards from the same 10 sets every year. I would like there to be less variations and would be willing to pay the premium for Ethier. But that is never going to happen. More color variations equals more product the company can produce, which means more money they can make off said product. The profit doesn't roll down hill, it stays at the top in this case.

What do you think GC?

George_Calfas · Jan 19, 2014

alexs64 said:
I agree with the too many color variations part. The chase got old after a couple of years chasing the same 10 cards from the same 10 sets every year. I would like there to be less variations and would be willing to pay the premium for Ethier. But that is never going to happen. More color variations equals more product the company can produce, which means more money they can make off said product. The profit doesn't roll down hill, it stays at the top in this case.

What do you think GC?

You need that third cup of coffee.......I gave you my option above :lol:

alexs64 · Jan 19, 2014

George_Calfas said:
You need that third cup of coffee.......I gave you my option above :lol:

HAHA! I sure do!

Gwynn545 · Jan 19, 2014

Too many! However, they look do nice when you get a run! There's no denying that as a player collector. Stuff always starts out high, and always come way down in price over time. So, as a player collector, I can be patient and pick them up at " normal" prices. The thing that bugs me the most is that over the years now, out of all the products, I have so many holes where I am missing one or two variations (not including 1/1's) and it's so annoying. I can't keep straight which I am missing off the top of my head anymore!!!

What do you think, GC?

A_Pharis · Jan 19, 2014

Short answer? Yes.

Slightly longer answer?

The companies saw people clamoring for color - so they saw the $$$. In reality, the addition of colors takes a little away from the chase, and it doesn't even really HELP the product.
There was a point in time where a regular refractor might have meant something. Now? A regular refractor might as well be a turd in the middle of the pack.

George_Calfas · Jan 19, 2014

Gwynn545 said:
Too many! However, they look do nice when you get a run! There's no denying that as a player collector. Stuff always starts out high, and always come way down in price over time. So, as a player collector, I can be patient and pick them up at " normal" prices. The thing that bugs me the most is that over the years now, out of all the products, I have so many holes where I am missing one or two variations (not including 1/1's) and it's so annoying. I can't keep straight which I am missing off the top of my head anymore!!!

What do you think, GC?

I love them, thanks for asking.........oh and Indiana Jones is in violent disagreement with me.

digicat · Jan 19, 2014

I liked 2006-2010 when Bowman Chrome's color cycle was just blue, gold, orange, red, super.

Now it's: green, blue-wave, blue, purple, gold, magenta, red-wave, orange, black, yellow, red, super. It's more than doubled the total number of <=50 serial numbered cards.

Personally, I'd rather see an expanded checklist than endless color variations.

All The Hype · Jan 19, 2014

digicat said:
I liked 2006-2010 when Bowman Chrome's color cycle was just blue, gold, orange, red, super.

Now it's: green, blue-wave, blue, purple, gold, magenta, red-wave, orange, black, yellow, red, super. It's more than doubled the total number of <=50 serial numbered cards.

Personally, I'd rather see an expanded checklist than endless color variations.

I'm with you on the 06-10 colors. Don't forget Xfractors were in there too...I'd be ok with turning those into "Wave Fractors" since the wave cards are better looking in my opinion; but the general breakdown of numbering and color variance was very nicely balanced during this time, in my opinoin. It helped ALL parallels hold value.

A_Pharis said:
Short answer? Yes.

Slightly longer answer?

The companies saw people clamoring for color - so they saw the $$$. In reality, the addition of colors takes a little away from the chase, and it doesn't even really HELP the product.
There was a point in time where a regular refractor might have meant something. Now? A regular refractor might as well be a turd in the middle of the pack.

This is my thought as well. Base refractors from Finest, TC, BC, etc. used to matter. You could get $5-$25 for certain players depending on circumstance, but now with all the new parallels you'd be lucky to get $5 for a base Ref of a star or top prospect.

Keyser Soze · Jan 19, 2014

Topps is just following their SOP by taking a good thing and completely going overboard and killing it. Chrome should have the following variations:

Base
Ref #/500
Blue #/150 or 250 (but pick one!!)
Gold #/50
Orange #/25
Red #/5
Super 1/1

I don't mind the addition of the Atomics #/10 for Topps Chrome, but the rest are just bleeding the well dry

Erik

Brewer Andy · Jan 19, 2014

Orange is unnecessary too

DaClyde · Jan 19, 2014

It is hugely annoying. I hate seeing retired players getting 100+ new cards every year, especially when that 100 cards only has about 15-20 different designs.

NY Tony · Jan 19, 2014

The multi color variations are getting quite old. But for a few years people wanted the color rainbow so topps gab it to 'em.
Side note:
I would rather have different kinds of inserts than just color
EG : 99 Finest has too many different types of variations and inserts - but I rather have that than 6-9 different colors of the same exact card with same exact pose and background

Just my two cents

budvandall · Jan 19, 2014

Way too many. I have said for a long time that the card companies have become lazy. They will make parallels of one card instead of putting some thought into some true inserts. These are nothing more than a lazy mans idea for an insert.

BBCgalaxee · Jan 19, 2014

I'm all for color, helps tremendously with box breaking enjoyment, especially with such an over priced product like finest.

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blanning71 · Jan 19, 2014

I remember when pulling a refractor card made me want to do the Huckabuck shuffle no matter who it was of. Now, its almost like an eye roll when I see a base refractor. I thought that part of the reason that Donruss lost a lot of leeway with MLB licensing was because they made too many parallels and tended to confuse collectors. I see this as no different. I mean you have refractor, xfractor, pulsar refractor, prism refractor, blue, gold, orange, red, pink, green, black, purple, superfractor, blue wave, white wave, red wave, sepia, black wave......when does it stop? Make the products more collectible and less watered down.

Lancemountain · Jan 19, 2014

Way too many

Way way waaaaaaaaaaay to many

wolfmanalfredo · Jan 19, 2014

Keyser Soze said:
Topps is just following their SOP by taking a good thing and completely going overboard and killing it. Chrome should have the following variations:

Base
Ref #/500
Blue #/150 or 250 (but pick one!!)
Gold #/50
Orange #/25
Red #/5
Super 1/1

I don't mind the addition of the Atomics #/10 for Topps Chrome, but the rest are just bleeding the well dry

Erik

I'd even take out orange. I liked 03. Base, refractor, xfractor, gold refractor

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Freedom Card Board mobile app

mrmopar · Jan 19, 2014

My largest run of what I consider to be basically the same card aside from slight variations was the 2005 Studio portraits set. The picture itself was the same for all 56 different cards, but we had different photo colors, border colors and backs. There were really only about a dozen different front variations, with the rest being different Ad backs and serial numbers. That took almost 10 years to complete.

I think 4-6 is a decent amount of variations, especially if they are contrasting differences and beyond that it starts to get excessive.

snakebit95 · Jan 20, 2014

For 2015, they will have the superfractor #/1, bifractor #/2, trifractor #/3 and the quadfractor #/4 in all colors. Too many variations takes away from the appeal. Maybe if they each had different photography, it would be better.

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~So are there TOO MANY color variations?~