General Forum

I'm currently cataloging my "junk-era" baseball and football collections. I'm having a great time going through these, luckily, overproduced cards. I think some of these easily-accessible sets are as good as or even better than the sets from the 70's or early 80s. In fact, I have a '68 Bob Griese, '81 Bradshaw, and '89 Montana on the desk in front of me (all Topps, of course). All of them are good looking cards (a picture of a QB in the act of a throw). The "junk-era" Montana is probably my favorite and the stats on the back are good too. Of course, if I could only keep one of them I'd take the '68 Griese, but I like them all and, like Sportzcommish, I get excited about completing my "junk-era" sets.

Joshua - I have a large box of '89-'90 Donruss that I haven't gone through yet. I'll add the Astros to the box that's coming your way.

Go "Junk-Era"!!!

You just put a smile on my face, Chad. They shall be embraced as if they were '52 Topps. (Just not traded for one.)

anybody who refers to cards as junk...I don't think very well of them. it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. I tend to stop reading a blog post and close the window when I come across that term, for example...and I make a mental note not to send free cards to those people. Petty, perhaps, but if I'm going to send somebody cards, I want it to go to someone who will appreciate them and not call them junk.

Dan...I just traded a Kevin Durant RC, a Michael Jordan insert parallel, and several other cards (including inserts) for a single pack of this year's Panini Excalibur. If I had two of that Nolan Ryan card, I would trade it to you. I only trade duplicates and I don't have even a single copy, as I've never chased baseball. I truly don't care what Beckett says they are "worth". A card is a card, and if I can turn my duplicates into cards I don't have, that is all that matters to me. And trust me, money IS an issue..the reason I didn't get any Excalibur of my own is that I couldn't spare the $20 to snag a blaster at our local Target. I'm probably going to miss the Torque set (NASCAR) entirely, but I had a choice to make with finances and I chose against the cards. I chose something that is more important to me, in the Adirondack Nationals. Every cent must be accounted for. Cards are one of only two things that bring me any sort of happyness. (the other being car shows) and any time I can trade a duplicate I don't need for a card I do, I consider that trade a win for me, even if the cards I'm sending could be sold on Ebay or whatever for double what I'm getting back..I truly don't care. With that said, I do know what cards sell for...after being in the hobby uninterrupted since I was 4 years old, I've just accumulated enough knowledge that it just comes naturally at this point. I've knowingly paid too much for cards, but it balances out for cards I've gotten cheaper than I expected.

The only copy of that Jordan card on COMC is $14.99, and the Excalibur pack is, what, $3.99? I still feel like I won because I got 8 new cards out of the deal.

Gary, the guy is either a) a scumbag or b) hoping to buy your collection off you for cheap. I think you mentioned that you are new to the hobby, and if the guy was aware of this, he was probably trying to rip you off.

I know that about you Billy. You traded me a Kobe RC awhile back with a bunch of other beautiful basketball cards in a card for card deal I believe involving some football cards. 

I have a strong feeling that if this thread was on other website boards (Blowout, Beckett etc...) the conversation would be totally different. Why I love this place and left one of the aforementioned (Begins with a B ) because the huge majority of folks here are just like me, love the cards they collect because of the cards, not the possible investment return (which is pretty lousy!)

Billy Kingsley wrote:

Gary, the guy is either a) a scumbag or b) hoping to buy your collection off you for cheap. I think you mentioned that you are new to the hobby, and if the guy was aware of this, he was probably trying to rip you off.

Billy, i know your right its all what you mentioned, im just playing along with him now. The guy was introduced to me and plays stuff down like its not worth anything or its worth a little. But he still really wants to buy all my cards LOL 

I use to collect soccer cards in the 70s and tobbaco cards. My grandfather gave me a metal tin going back to the 1900's of tobacco cards from wills and other brand cigarettes back in england when i was a kid, now i live in the states. As you know already i got given a huge collection which now im estimating is 100,000-150,000. First off, yes i did think bout making a few dollars and trust me ive found some killer sets to me and cards so far that i could make good money out of. But they have grown on me and i dont really want to give them up now. Its taken me back 40 years when i was a kid, its like opening up christmas presents all over again when i was little. Now there is alot of stuff im going to have to let go as there is way too much of it, so if its trade some to complete sets i want to keep, give them away to people who need them or sell i dont know yet.

I'm the one Billy was kind enough to send me a bunch of cards I wanted for the pack of Excalibur cards. To be fair, I did also include an Aaron Judge RC but I know he doesn't even really collect baseball.  I've pretty much come up with what most would consider the better end of deal on my trades with him so I'm lucky he is so generous.  By the way, some of my favorite card sets are from what some would consider "junk wax".  I was just mentioning today to my brother how much I liked the 90-91 skybox set with its cheesy graphics haha. 

I've only ever used the term "junk" since it is an easy term that has become accepted to describe the entire time period I collected.  I probably should stop as it contributes to the negativity this era inappriately gets.  I hate the term myself, I love that period more than any since that is MY period.  Anytime someone refers to their cards as junk, I quickly tell them one mans garbage is another mans treasure and I would gladfully take them off their hands!  Funny thing is, they always smile and laugh and never toss the cards.  I always think, must not truly be junk then.  I like to think it helps remind them of the true value of the cards, which is not money, but the memories and feelings you get looking at them, talking about them, and just knowing you still have them.  Like most things from the past that hold the most personal value, they aren't really worth much in the bank account.  But they are more valuable than money.

Well put, muskie027. "I concur."

To show how much we value that era, we have the 1991 Classic yellow set in pages in a binder. The protection for the set is worth about 100x more than the set itself. Heck, putting the 100-card set in a 100-count cardboard box increases it's value 5-fold! (LOL!)

But, that said, it looks pretty good in pages.