Such a strange hobby

[BBCgalaxee]

So many things go against the norms of other collectibles.

If you write on a card, value is gone. But a hand written serial number on the card from the company is fine.

Restoring a card is a major no no punishable by whips & chains although its fully acceptable in other hobbies.

We use the cheapest priced protection for our most expensive cards/sets.

A card numbered to 500 (bc au ref) is more valuable & sought after than the same player from a different company limited to 99 (panini)

We value little swatches of cloth on our cards regardless if the actual swatch outside the card is worthless & indistinguishable.

A cut auto of a deceased player could sell for $10, yet take that exact same cut, place it on a card & its 3-5x the original price.

 

[A_Pharis]

The cut thing is the one that really gets me.

 

[KLARNOLD]

 

[corockies]

The thing I notice most is how people rip into the game used market as being fake and having no credibility for authenticity. Yet they collect autographs like they are going out of style. I wonder how many players let their best friends, sisters, neighbors, and dogs sign autographs for/on their cards.

 

[VandyDan]

Honestly, a lot of those reasons you've outlined are reasons I am focusing on very particular cards for my PC and not minding getting rid of some.

I mean, once I started purchasing full game-used items, my taste for relic cards (outside of ones that either look nice or are from long ago players) has died. Ditto for any (and I mean any) interest in buying sticker auto cards (for the autos at least).

I just a couple days ago sold what was previously a big part of my PC (a multi-patch sticker auto booklet) and didn't even think twice about it. I've also stopped hoarding autographs of players. It is no longer something I care about to have more than one of any player, outside of the card itself looking nice. Done buying doubles for the PC to be sure.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

I don't understand much of this hobby myself...

#1. How can a card of a 19 year old who's never been in the majors be worth more than a vintage HOFer's RC?
#2. Why would someone buy a game used card when they can have the full item for less? (Not a common occurrence, but still...)
#3. Why are boxes so expensive? Especially ones where the majority of cards are minor leaguers?

I also think cert autographs (on-card, cuts, stickers) are really boring compared to their IP/TTM counterparts. I'm in the minority on that one though.

 

[ronniedp23]

Thus begins the collapse of the hobby. With a harmless...innocent question thread. .

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[magicpapa]

the good old days when none of that stuff mattered

 

[Pine Tar]

I agree with everything you said.

 

[Pine Tar]

the good old days when none of that stuff mattered

Last Saturday I just told someone I did this very samething back in my day as a kid. :lol:

 

[magicpapa]

Last Saturday I just told someone I did this very samething back in my day as a kid. :lol:

I know .....hehe

 

[jbmm161]

the good old days when none of that stuff mattered

Haha that's a good one. Bet a few people regret doing that to their Mantles.

 

[Mighty Bombjack]

The cut thing is the one that really gets me.

I'm an autograph collector and it doesn't get me at all.

See, the thing is that people like baseball cards. It seems a silly thing to say around here, but it really is that simple.

I can get a photo of Albert Pujols from 2001. I can write a nice bio with stats and a scouting report on the back. Then, I can get him to auto it and even give you a photo of him doing so. So why do people prefer and pay so much more for the one made by Topps?

The answer is not a logical or rational one, but if you know the answer than cut auto cards shouldn't "get" you. Further, if we were all rational and logical, this board and these baseball cards wouldn't even exist.

 

[autocut]

The answer to strangeness is marketing.

 

[predatorkj]

The possibility of the autos not being legit bothers me. But what else can you do? There are some guys I'll never get ip and some that only sign for a small fortune at shows. Like why do I want to pay $400 for a Jeter auto from Steiner when I can get one on a card for about 1/3 of that? Of course it comes down to preference but a lot of times it comes down to money.

I think if you are after the guy's auto and only the auto and you don't currently have a means of obtaining it otherwise, finding a decent looking card for cheap will be sufficient. It's your call. As for the gu stuff, if any of you can find a game worn jersey or game used bat from bagwell for anywhere close to a reasonable price with any more evidence than the card companies can produce, I'm all ears. To this day I have yet to find a source. Plus, I'm spending $3-$20 for non auto'd gu cards so I'm pretty sure that's easier than spending the four or five hundred dollars people are wanting for his full size gu stuff!

 

[ThoseBackPages]

agreed.

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

I'm an autograph collector and it doesn't get me at all.

See, the thing is that people like baseball cards. It seems a silly thing to say around here, but it really is that simple.

I can get a photo of Albert Pujols from 2001. I can write a nice bio with stats and a scouting report on the back. Then, I can get him to auto it and even give you a photo of him doing so. So why do people prefer and pay so much more for the one made by Topps?

The answer is not a logical or rational one, but if you know the answer than cut auto cards shouldn't "get" you. Further, if we were all rational and logical, this board and these baseball cards wouldn't even exist.

A large reason is because so many other people had similar experiences and feelings (nostalgia) associated with the same item... so a big part of collecting is the community aspect of it all. If it wasn't, people would simply collect photos as you said.

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

The answer to strangeness is marketing.

Yes, without a doubt this is a big part of it.

While the collective tastes and preferences of collectors may be a little odd sometimes, investors (and their marketing) completely distorts everything/brings it all out of whack!

 

[Gwynn545]

...and how in the f@*k do magnets work!! This s#*t be blowin' my mind!!!

 

[PujolsCollector]

I think the main reason for the cut auto thing is all about the presentation of it. Im not sure though. One thing that kills me in this hobby is how IP/TTM autos are worthless. If it is TTM full sig with full cert it is worth 10.00 if it is from a show full sig full cert it is $75 and that makes no sense to me. An autograph is an autograph.