This news story aired on CBS Sunday Morning recently and created quite a bit of dialogue within the collecting community. Before I get into my thoughts, take a few minutes to watch the piece.
I don't believe that the hobby is dead. I instead believe that it has been constantly transforming since the 1900's. Fact is, the early 90's were the height of popularity and the hobby will never see anything like that again, but changes are always occurring even if they are occuring at the evolutionary rate of some species.
Companies try different things, new things, old things, but in the end, I believe there is a transformation that is happening both good and bad. Collectors should focus on what they like about their hobby and continue to celebrate that. The don't like will go extinct if unsupported and progression will continue!
Hope that makes SOME sense as I feel I began to ramble there a bit.
Great post. I have to say I agree with just about everything you said. I wonder if they tried to interview Keith Obermann, probably one of the more famous and visible card collectors out there. I'm sure that the economy has something to do with an industry that is based primarily on disposable income. Lets face it, I need food, I don't need the thousands of cards stuffed in my closet. And it absolutely has to do with cost of product. As for the health of the hobby I think the story focused on collectors, but lets look at it from a company stand point. There are pretty much the big three, with a few smaller players on the outside. There's been a big three since the 80's when Fleer and Donruss broke in. But neither one of those companies is still around, yes I know that they were absorbed into UpperDeck and Panini. But in the late 80's and early 90's how many companies were putting out cards? Tons. Pinnicle, ProSet, Pacific, Playoff, ect. Where are they now. Gone or part of another company. I think Upper Deck has been in the downward spiral for a couple of years, which is there own fault and a shame because Upper Deck set a pretty high standard for design and product, just not business practices. But I see promise in companies like In the Game and the new Leaf. Still putting out high end stuff, but putting out some nice stuff. How do we get the youth back in the market, well it's not with crappy card games and $200 packs of cards. Whew..ok i'm done.
Here's my humble/jumbled opinion (advance apologies for the rambling):
I am a somewhat former collector. I still dabble a little, but most of my collection is from the early 80s when I was a kid who loved hockey. I dropped out of it as time wore on to the late 80s, then got back involved in the boom of the early 90s, and slowly dwindled out of it again until recently.
My first thought is...if card companies are not marketing to the young collector, they are killing themselves. Guess what? Those young collectors get older and if they didn't have an interest when they were young it's pretty unlikely they will develop one when they are older. That business model just doesn't make sense to me. There's no harm in marketing to the older collector who has more money to spend, but you HAVE TO market to the young! They are your future!
My second thought...the cost and availability of cards sucks. Back to my younger days when I first started collecting: Back then I received a whopping $1 per week allowance. (Eventually I "conned" my parents into doubling this to $2 and I felt as rich as a king!) Anyway...with that $1 I had some limited choices: a couple of chocolate bars, a few packs of gum, or maybe 4, YES FOUR, packs of 25 cent hockey cards! The decision was easy. My parents could always be talked into buying us kids a chocolate bar or pack of gum here and there. I spent my money on hockey cards! The gum came with them! And they were easy to find! Every corner store and 7/11 had them! Nowadays...where do I find hockey cards? As I said, I am not as big a collector as people on these boards. Maybe I am just out of the loop. Here's where I see hockey cards: at Walmart. Which is awesome! Every town seems to have a Walmart nowadays. But, they don't sell single packs for a quarter or even a dollar. At least not at my Walmart. They sell boxes and 'blaster whatchamacallits', etc for at least $10 a pop. When I am going through the aisles with my kids, they aren't going to stop and spend every cent they've saved or their birthday money they get once a year on a box of hockey cards. Actually, now that I think about it, I may have seen some cards at the occasional 7/11, but not at them all. Am I missing these cards? Are they easily out there? Beats me. Maybe it's the area I live in. I don't know. I just know my son does not have easy access to them and therefore is not likely to become a collector. The same goes for me, too. I've often thought about getting into collecting a new set again. But, it seems that would mean special trips to a card shop in another city.
I thought it might be fun to get us all a Panini sticker album this year and work on it together. Kind of get them into the fun collecting world that way...on the cheap! The album was easy enough to find at a local dollar store, but the stickers are nowhere to be found! I've even gone to some dealers/shops. They are sold out. I guess that speaks to the popularity of them, but again, if they aren't available easily for kids to collect, then they will lose interest. If the kids aren't collecting, the hobby is doomed.
You bring up some good points Dave. At some point, all us 'older' collectors will keel over and die. Without that next generation of hobbyists, it's pretty easy to do the math on that one.
There are times where I hate that the simple days of 1983 are gone. Days when all I had to worry about was "Do I go to the 7-11 or do I go to the Turbo gas station to get my packs of cards".
Nowadays, there are so many options, so many price points, so many shiny new products that it's overkill for someone trying to enter the hobby without feeling that bombardment.
And yes, if you don't live in a city that has a local card store, it becomes even tougher (unless you want to go the online route.... which has a completely different feel to it - one that is definitely not reminiscent to the 'good ol' days').
I believe though that there are always options and it comes down to how much one really wants to pursue collecting. What level of commitment and what level of investment. Knowing that gives a good ground level for building the hobbyist inside.
Thanks for the rant Dave. Have a good rest of the weekend eh.
I don't believe that the hobby is dead. I instead believe that it has been constantly transforming since the 1900's. Fact is, the early 90's were the height of popularity and the hobby will never see anything like that again, but changes are always occurring even if they are occuring at the evolutionary rate of some species.
ReplyDeleteCompanies try different things, new things, old things, but in the end, I believe there is a transformation that is happening both good and bad. Collectors should focus on what they like about their hobby and continue to celebrate that. The don't like will go extinct if unsupported and progression will continue!
Hope that makes SOME sense as I feel I began to ramble there a bit.
Definitely makes sense.
DeleteFocus on what you like about the hobby.
Don't worry, I felt like I was rambling a bit too. Thanks for stickin' with me.
Thanks too for the comment.
Great post. I have to say I agree with just about everything you said. I wonder if they tried to interview Keith Obermann, probably one of the more famous and visible card collectors out there. I'm sure that the economy has something to do with an industry that is based primarily on disposable income. Lets face it, I need food, I don't need the thousands of cards stuffed in my closet. And it absolutely has to do with cost of product. As for the health of the hobby I think the story focused on collectors, but lets look at it from a company stand point. There are pretty much the big three, with a few smaller players on the outside. There's been a big three since the 80's when Fleer and Donruss broke in. But neither one of those companies is still around, yes I know that they were absorbed into UpperDeck and Panini. But in the late 80's and early 90's how many companies were putting out cards? Tons. Pinnicle, ProSet, Pacific, Playoff, ect. Where are they now. Gone or part of another company. I think Upper Deck has been in the downward spiral for a couple of years, which is there own fault and a shame because Upper Deck set a pretty high standard for design and product, just not business practices. But I see promise in companies like In the Game and the new Leaf. Still putting out high end stuff, but putting out some nice stuff. How do we get the youth back in the market, well it's not with crappy card games and $200 packs of cards. Whew..ok i'm done.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and the insight.
DeleteI agree, disposable income is a huge factor. Especially when you're paying the type of pack prices you're seeing out there these days.
Yeah, I don't know what it'll take to get the kids back into the hobby. It might just have to skip a generation or something.
Nice write up and videos!
ReplyDeleteHere's my humble/jumbled opinion (advance apologies for the rambling):
I am a somewhat former collector. I still dabble a little, but most of my collection is from the early 80s when I was a kid who loved hockey. I dropped out of it as time wore on to the late 80s, then got back involved in the boom of the early 90s, and slowly dwindled out of it again until recently.
My first thought is...if card companies are not marketing to the young collector, they are killing themselves. Guess what? Those young collectors get older and if they didn't have an interest when they were young it's pretty unlikely they will develop one when they are older. That business model just doesn't make sense to me. There's no harm in marketing to the older collector who has more money to spend, but you HAVE TO market to the young! They are your future!
My second thought...the cost and availability of cards sucks. Back to my younger days when I first started collecting: Back then I received a whopping $1 per week allowance. (Eventually I "conned" my parents into doubling this to $2 and I felt as rich as a king!) Anyway...with that $1 I had some limited choices: a couple of chocolate bars, a few packs of gum, or maybe 4, YES FOUR, packs of 25 cent hockey cards! The decision was easy. My parents could always be talked into buying us kids a chocolate bar or pack of gum here and there. I spent my money on hockey cards! The gum came with them! And they were easy to find! Every corner store and 7/11 had them! Nowadays...where do I find hockey cards? As I said, I am not as big a collector as people on these boards. Maybe I am just out of the loop. Here's where I see hockey cards: at Walmart. Which is awesome! Every town seems to have a Walmart nowadays. But, they don't sell single packs for a quarter or even a dollar. At least not at my Walmart. They sell boxes and 'blaster whatchamacallits', etc for at least $10 a pop. When I am going through the aisles with my kids, they aren't going to stop and spend every cent they've saved or their birthday money they get once a year on a box of hockey cards. Actually, now that I think about it, I may have seen some cards at the occasional 7/11, but not at them all. Am I missing these cards? Are they easily out there? Beats me. Maybe it's the area I live in. I don't know. I just know my son does not have easy access to them and therefore is not likely to become a collector. The same goes for me, too. I've often thought about getting into collecting a new set again. But, it seems that would mean special trips to a card shop in another city.
I thought it might be fun to get us all a Panini sticker album this year and work on it together. Kind of get them into the fun collecting world that way...on the cheap! The album was easy enough to find at a local dollar store, but the stickers are nowhere to be found! I've even gone to some dealers/shops. They are sold out. I guess that speaks to the popularity of them, but again, if they aren't available easily for kids to collect, then they will lose interest. If the kids aren't collecting, the hobby is doomed.
Rant over. :-)
You bring up some good points Dave. At some point, all us 'older' collectors will keel over and die. Without that next generation of hobbyists, it's pretty easy to do the math on that one.
DeleteThere are times where I hate that the simple days of 1983 are gone. Days when all I had to worry about was "Do I go to the 7-11 or do I go to the Turbo gas station to get my packs of cards".
Nowadays, there are so many options, so many price points, so many shiny new products that it's overkill for someone trying to enter the hobby without feeling that bombardment.
And yes, if you don't live in a city that has a local card store, it becomes even tougher (unless you want to go the online route.... which has a completely different feel to it - one that is definitely not reminiscent to the 'good ol' days').
I believe though that there are always options and it comes down to how much one really wants to pursue collecting. What level of commitment and what level of investment. Knowing that gives a good ground level for building the hobbyist inside.
Thanks for the rant Dave. Have a good rest of the weekend eh.