No 'minor' accomplishment

At some point during out stint as card collectors, we embark on a Holy Grail-like quest to complete a particular set.  We all have different reasons for chasing these sets, and in most cases there are usually one or two cards that prove to be particularly elusive in our attempt to put the set together.  It's hard enough to get some sets together when dealing with any of the "major" sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, etc.), but it must have been an exhaustive process to collect everything this guy has managed to put together.......

Ill. man keeps minor league baseball collection

There are two kinds of collectors in the world....

At least according to the author of this piece, and I tend to agree.  This column was very relatable to someone like me who is also re-entering the hobby after an extended absence.  There is also a strong parallel with my profession of radio broadcasting.  When the true broadcasters sold out to all the Prospectors in the mid-90's, the golden goose was eventually slaughtered.  ANY industry taken over by investors who value the dollar over the product will suffer the same fate.  I certainly hope the resurgence we're seeing brings the true Collector back to the hobby, 'cause when the bell cow is milked dry by the Prospectors, there won't be anything left. 

What happened to card collecting?

A peek into the crystal ball.......

As collectors of sports cards, where will our love for the hobby lead us?  Well, if you believe everything you read, the next stop is becoming degenerate gamblers :-)

Tampa poker prodigy ready for final table of World Series of Poker

It's 4:20 somewhere......

Other than my immediate thought upon reading this article that this could have been a subset Topps rejected for an Allen & Ginter set, I have nothing to say about this.  I'm not sure this is the right way to "bring back the kids" to the hobby :-)

California Cannabis Goes Pro - With Baseball Cards?

 

Will the sequel be better than the original?

Just moving across online sources as I get ready to turn in for the evening........

Nationals, Harper agree right before midnight

Compared to the Summer of Strasburg in the sports card hobby, will this be more Toy Story 3........or Speed 2? 

Discuss............

And a child shall lead them

This article, like others I've posted here, points out something that I fear might keep the current sports card resurgence from being a long term phenomenon.

Baseball cards top draw at national collector's convention

The National seems to "get it" in terms of ways to get kids in the door, but once they hit a couple of dealers and realize that neither they nor their parents can afford 90% of the merchandise there, THEN what are you gonna do to lure 'em in, let alone keep 'em coming back? 

The hobby owes quite a bit to Stephen Strasburg, and a greatly reduced amount of product in the hands of a few companies should, theoretically, prevent saturation in the marketplace like we saw in the 90's.....at least in the short term.  Think back, however, to how old you were when you began collecting.  I dare say anyone reading this, including myself, became collectors as a kid.  I don't think we'll see a new halcyon period until the card companies figure out a way to bring the kids back, and to do that you're going to have to dramatically lower price points on certain products or create a "budget line" making sets easy, and affordable, to build. 

I have a 3 year old and 1 year old niece that are at my house the better part of the day five days a week.  As a result, I speak fluent Nick Jr., Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and PBS Sprout.  Obviously you wouldn't see this on PBS Sprout, but I have yet to see a Topps Attax ad on any of those channels.  Wouldn't you at least try to put a little bit of marketing muscle behind something that could ultimately lead to another boom cycle?  Was this discussed at all at the Topps panel at the National?  If anyone was there, let us know. 

I'm optimistic about the future of the hobby, but grown ups will only take this train to a certain point.  I could say something really corny and Whitney Houston-ish here like "I believe the children are our future", but I'll refrain :-) 

As the old Dairy Queen slogan used to go.....

"We Treat You Right!"  I've mentioned how I still have a soft spot for the brick-and-mortar card shops.  By best estimates, there are only about 500 of them across the country.  There's a common thread in the articles I've posted beyond the fact that they are associated with the same product.  Notice that each one still practices what has become a lost art.........above and beyond, world class customer service.  They know every customer by name.  They know some well enough to have given them nicknames.  They probably remember most of their birthdays and other monumental life events, and above all, they know what and who they like to collect like the back of their hand.  They also know that when their computer dies or their car malfunctions or a leak is sprung in the bathroom, they normally see and experience the worst in customer service.  There's still room for the mom and pop shops in the card industry, and that's a refreshing reminder of everything that has ever been good in this country.......and can be again.  The ones that are still with us where many others aren't remind us that they were never really in it for the money.  They were in it for the cameraderie, the relationships, and the love of the game(s).  There are a million "marketing experts" in the world today, especially with the boom in social media, and if they needed textbook examples on teaching their students the value of customer service, they could use card shops as a very valuable and practical example.  In fact, one person has done the work for them........

Card collecting: The house of cards

Card Connection in Newhall survives while other shops have come and gone