General Forum

Hopefully someone younger than 20 actually uses this site. It can't be very enticing to that demographic.

To the people under 20, ignore the crusty old "Get off my Topps lawn with your non brown cardboard gum-stained back Panini Prism cards that suck" posters and collect whatever you like.

They have nothing better to do than click the RCOTD link every day and post how much they hate every card made after Reagan was president. If it has a serial number or sparkles and you like it, collect it if it makes you happy. Parallels aren't for everyone but maybe they are for you.

I know that you don't own a scanner, never will own a scanner, and don't understand why they want you to buy a computer and a scanner to upload images instead of using the phone or tablet that you've used ever since you have been alive. They used to buy magazines to get AOL CDs so that they could gain access to the internet. Google it, it was a thing. They would need to Google how you game online with your Xbox so it’s a two-way street (and they still won’t understand lag or Twitch).

They don't know better and they can't help it. They are the database police. Keep collecting in spite of them. When they are gone they will be nothing more than a pile of Bump Wills Blue Jays/Rangers cards and you'll be holding a stack of autograph parallels or virtual e-cards or whatever makes you happy. But please continue to collect in spite of these curmudgeons. They just have nothing better to do.  Ignore them and do you. You are going to outlast them! Use the database and ignore the forums. Let them argue over junk wax variations while you look for a one touch for a One of One.

And the ones that are offended by this post are the ones that I’m talking about, especially if they have a cartoon avatar. And if the cartoon avatar has an earring it is 100x worse. That is the give away that they think they are “hip” and “cool”. They are the untrustables and you are the future of the hobby. Have fun and collect what you like while they are trading 1991 Score baseball and complaining about the corners on the cards they receive.

Note: I’m also old and I hate Panini but I understand that you are young and like it and think the cards are cool. I don't know how you can afford to collect because of the speculators but I'm glad that you are trying. I hope that you pull lots of Mahomes and Zion and Vlade Jr. or whatever you are looking for. And above all, ignore all of my posts. I'm the worst of the worst of the curmudgeons on this site.

LOL! 

"Hey audience!"   ---  Hey what?

"We got ourselves a rule breaker over here..."   ---  Oooooohhh!

The Ded Bob Sho  (as enjoyed at the Arizona Renaissance Festival)   

P.S.   Dangit, I did it too, I read it... so sue me!  

Cardmudgeons?

Gosh dernet, I'm 22 -- you need to age-restrict this here post -- people liken me shouldn't have access to this here post. Now listen here sonny, Ima teach you today... 

Back in my day, about two dogone years ago, I was just cracken' a cold one (a soda) with the boys doing this whole here Twitch thing them darn kids 'er talkin bout nowadays. Then suddenly, nothin I was doing made any sense no more. What was this dogone contraption I was holding in my hand? Why were there so many buttons?  I 'mmediately told 'em, I said "boys, its about time y'all learned to be men and stop screwin' wit all this beep-boopin' stuff and to go get them a real damn job."

Now to continue my here story, I figure that I was still alikin' that whole card collecting thing. But somin' changed. Any time I saw any of that there sparkly nonsense, I would suddenly receive the urge to talk some sense into the nearest person and tell 'em about the glory days of this here hobby from back when I was just a youngin' (2010). Worse, if I done gone and seen those blasted serial numbers, I'd be afixin' to set the whole shop alit. 

But that ain't even the worst of it -- nowadays when I receive my pertty, no shiny/sparkly/limited run shiiiiieeet 1990 Fleer cards in an online here trade, and them cards have damaged corners

I would actually be quite disappointed, as I always have been if the other person did not disclose that their cards had some damage that made them worse than NM condition. It's common courtesy to communicate if your cards have damage, please do so or you are liable to be complained to. 

*Cough courph*

So, as I wasa sayin', my youngin' the moral of this here story is

1) The very moment you aturnin' 20, you ahatin' everythin' these darn kids doin nowadays

2) I reckon eryone over the age of 20 hates everything made after 1995

3) If it ain't feelin' like cardboard, it ain't to be stored

3) Sammy Baugh is'n the best goshdern quarterback of all time

4) Cap Anson is'n the best goshern ballplayer of all time

5) GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!!!!!

I'm actually 13, so I actually qualify to read this post. I collect vintage cards, so I'm a little different than the average young collector, but I still like modern cards. What I don't like mostly about modern cards is how expensive they are. I'm not going to pay $3 for just 16 cards, when I could get 30 cards ( that I can choose too) for the same price in a dime box. 

I think that if more kids can get into the hobby, their tastes will naturally mature in the direction of older stuff, unless they become flippers or breakers or whatever. Until then they'll probably collect whatever Topps is making.

It's kind of dicouraging to me how few kids are in the hobby nowadays. I read about the days when just about all kids collected baseball cards, and I compare it to today, where nobody else on my little league team collects baseball cards.

I definitely hope more kids get into the hobby, because if not they're won't be many people collecting cards when the older collectors die.

You're my new favorite member of TCDB. Good luck with your collection. 

(I illegally read the post. But when you get older, you pay less attention to meritless rules.)

v3

I like this guy! Be true to yourself. Collect whatever feels good to collect. And I definitely agree with you on pricing. Cheers!!

P.S. I am 32 and I had to look up AOL. I still don't really get it though

Nice card. Too bad it has logos Boomer. 

@John1941

I feel you bro. I was the exact same way -- I had one friend who sort of collected, but even then he wasn't super into it. To this day I only have one friend who even cares about cards.

But for most of my collecting years its just been me, pretty much exactly what you're talking about. 

I also completely agree with you that we all would love to see more kids in the hobby -- similar to how most of us start our collections. But frankly, I don't think that will happen. Let's be real, cards are just too expensive now. I made another forum post recently explaining how it was all I could do to get my hands on 5 packs per month.

Topps and Upper Deck (yes Upper Deck was still making baseball cards when I started out... man I'm feeling old) tried to pretend early last decade that it still cared about bringing kids in, but when your flagship set is $2-3 for pack of 10-15 cards, its not going to happen. All kids really have now is Big League (still like $1-2 per pack) and Opening Day that are even semi-affordable. 

Now, at least Topps isn't pretending anymore, but they have completely shifted their focus. Its no longer about collecting sets and collecting your favorite cards -- its all about gambling. Thats just the way it is. Gambling gambling gambling. Thats why you see more and more high end, "rare" cards then ever before. (To quote the Incredibles: "...and if everyone's super, no one will be.")

So, I think the push back we're seeing from the older generation is to be expected. Their childhood hobby that they participated in out of nothing but passion and love of the sport(s)/hobby with all their friends is now being taken over by adults (some of whom don't know a thing about these sports) hunting for the one or two big rookies of the year that they can sell to make a buck. Its not the "new, shiny" cards themselves that they have a problem with, its what they represent. Its a representation of the direction the hobby is moving which they feel threatened by. And frankly, I cannot blame them.

I personally have no issue with modern cards, but I really believe that Topps/Panini needs to come out with some sort of product aimed directly at kids of which packs cost 25-50 cents per pack (dont tell me that's not possible. Packs 30 years ago were like 10-15 cents each. Inflation hasn't gone up that much). 

I dont think the hobby is going to die anytime soon. Gambling will always draw people in, for better or worse. But what you will start seeing are fewer and fewer "collectors."