Lately on Twitter I feel I have turned into the old man with a hose trying to hose the kids off my lawn when it comes to talking about the hobby.
The hobby is no longer what it once was as it has transformed from a hobby to business. We all can see it. Fanatics is leading the charge.
There have been some comments on Twitter that seem silly to me recently, so I drag out my hose and spray those comments off my lawn. I have taken to defend my stance that I will never change with the new hobby evolution of being on the business side.
NEVER.
I plan to keep collecting and enjoying the hobby like I always have since the good ole days. Which speaking of which, someone made a comment about guys like me that I didn't take lightly and I quote "I get the sentiment about seeing a few dealers at The National who are just old guys w/ stacks of junk cards. I've seen them. There's a few there, but not a ton. But it's wise to remember that many of those old guys were in the hobby ages before the hobby blew up to what it is now." Okay, here's the kicker part that got me....."Whether we like it or not, they were the ones who kept the hobby going when there was no excitement, no crazy chases, no 1/1's. We stand on their shoulders. They more than deserve a seat at the hobby table" (@joshjreynolds).
NO excitement? No crazy chases? No 1/1's? First off, if we weren't having excitement in those days, why did we keep on collecting. It was very exciting and fun. Something that today's hobby, well business lacks. No crazy chases? There were plenty of crazy chases. Remember trying to pull a Ken Griffey Jr rookie out of 1989 Upper Deck? I do and never did. No 1/1s? Well, we didn't need those. Every card we added to our collections were a 1/1 to us and still is.
Why does everything about the hobby now have to do with money, big pulls and flips? Even Fanatics is making it obvious. At Fanatics Fest, they had celebrities going around buying cards you know they were paying to do so. There was even pyramid scheme level. Fanatics pays celebs to buy or pull cards. Celebs make the market go up by influencing it grabbing people to buy in because of it. Fanatics sits at the top even richer. Seems like a triangle/pyramid to me.
I will continue to step on my soap box and stand up for the hobby as a hobby. Can you imagine how fast everyone would leave if the bubble popped? But, guess who would be standing, you got it, us. The collectors. The ones who are a dying breed but still trying to hold on by threads.
Fortunately for us, we may not have the stacks of cash I see pictures of on Twitter being used on cardboard, but we have unity and we like to help each other out with RAK's (random acts of kindness) and trading. Yes, trading does exist still. It's not like it once was as it's getting harder and harder to find people to do it, but it's there.
Trading is a simple act of sending cards you don't need for yourself to someone who would appreciate it more and reciprocate it back to you. There is no pyramid scheme to that.
I recently sent the legend Night Owl Cards some cards I thought he would enjoy and then he did the same for me. Here they are,
What a concept to introduce to those who may not know this.
The change of the times is here and there is no going back to the hobby we once knew. But, for the small number of us still chugging at it like we used to, we still have each other to enjoy our part with.
I don't plan on changing my course. I don't plan to adapt with the times like others commented on Twitter. I am me. This is a hobby for me. This is something fun I do. Whether I own a card worth .10 or a card worth $500, every card is valued equally in my collection. I am not going to sell cards. I am not going to flip them. I am going to collect them. Hoard them. Enjoy them.
Thanks, Greg, for the awesome cards. That was a nice surprise in the mailbox and also a nice reminder of what the hobby is for me.
Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday.
*Coffee Card Blogger Out*
Fantastic cards you showed in your post. Shiny cards, people you might have heard of and ones that you don't, and Wacky ones that make you laugh. I add to my collection whenever I can by any means I can. I don't buy many. I don't sell many, I don't trade many. I just enjoy them in my weird way. Even if I had the monetary resources, I would probably not pay the prices for a pack of cards today to enjoy the rip. That is not me. One cup at a time and I think I need a refill! Enjoy it all and the hobby however you do it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree. We can just all hobby and enjoy the cards all in our weird way
DeleteMany of us remember 1992/1993 when the first bubble burst. I shake my head at the outrageous prices people are paying for a pack of cards.
ReplyDeleteI’m sad by the fact that only seven years ago my oldest and I could visit the LCS and get several packs for $20 and have fun sitting at the table opening them together on a Saturday morning.
Fanatics has succeeded in turning this into legalized gambling and for minors at that looking for the next big hit.
Totally agree with you.
DeleteI came into the hobby just after that burst. It was so much fun!
Since 2020, I feel the fun was slowly getting drained. Now with fanatics tying it all down, it's a sinking ship. Honestly, I hope the bubble bursts again. Let's bring the hobby back
I'm with you 100% on this being a hobby for me, but I understand the business side as well. Personally, I believe the more (people entering the hobby) the merrier. People don't have to collect the same way as me to be appreciated and accepted. Sure card prices are skyrocketing and keeping me from purchasing certain cards I'd love to own. But I've adapted my collecting interests to fit my budget. Plus... what goes up (in value)... usually comes down (eventually).
ReplyDeleteAnd if/when the bubble does indeed pop... at least I won't have to deal with all of the stiff competition I face every time I walk around the flea market. But that also means less card shows and card shops. See... pros & cons for everything ;D
P.S. Love the Matt Stonie! He used to be a local celebrity.
That's the only adapting I have done. I have had to adapt my mind and budget to what i can. Its very little and doesn't come with opening product. I feel my love for the hobby has slid some, but I try to do what makes it fun for me still.
DeleteYou're welcome.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the kind of collector that I knew when I was a youngster -- the only kind of collector there was -- will still be around for years to come. But what I see online and at shows makes me wonder.
Yeah, online has taken the hobby to another sad level. The last show I went to was priced ridiculously. There was twice as many tables as the previous one but also twice the cost for the cards at each. I bought half what I did the first time and felt my $10 to get in could have been spent better on a gallon of gas.
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