Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ VIDEO: CBS Story Declares Hobby “Dying”

If you're feeling pessimistic about the sports card industry, don't go to Parsippany, New Jersey on a Tuesday night.

You might need therapy.

CBS' Sunday Morning took a five-minute glimpse into things and concluded baseball cards were either dying or dead.

The report was part of the network's feature-oriented 90-minute news program.

The segment's producers didn't travel far from home base. Utilizing interviews and video gathered at a small, sparsely attended weeknight show at the Police Athletic League facility, interviews with New Jersey-based dealer Alan "Mr. Mint" Rosen, Mint Condition author Dave Jamieson and a small snippet from last weekend's Sun-Times show in Chicago, the story included a few dealer sound bites, some statistics that weren't sourced and video from well-attended shows in the 1980's that were likely found in the network's archives.

As expected after CBS sent out a promotional email, the piece focused on the modern era and the decline of sports card shops and fewer young collectors since the gluttonous days of the late 1980s and early 90s when even news cards became viewed as an investment for the first time.

Common sense told veterans that if cards weren't being discarded and played with as they were decades earlier, their long-term value might be on shaky ground but to those who bought into the idea, the new century has revealed the painful truth. It's spawned a flurry of mainstream media stories focusing on the hobby's "decline", many written by those who were kids during the overproduction era and have since learned that their Frank Thomas rookie cards aren't a ticket to easy street.

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Sports Collectors Daily
3/26/2012

Interesting story somewhat true, but I still think there are kids who are collectors, just not like it was 20-50 years ago. Back then cards were one of the few things kids had, just like comic books. Now they have Ipods, WIIs, DSis, and on and on. Who needs an imagination to play when you can pick up a gizmo and become whatever you want.

I think I will go there tonight... Maybe....

Greed has ruined the hobby, especially for the true collectors out there.

I think collecting will always be there, especially for trading cards. I think, in my opinion, the price points of new product in this economy has killed it. That at the forced "rarity" of cards.

If I was to start all over again, I'd stay away from the new stuff, simply because you are playing a lottery and that never works out. I remember when it was "omgooses" to get a jersey card. I remember when it was "OMGOOSES" to get an auto (on card). I remember when it was "OH EM GEE" to get a patch card.

Now? Meh... I EXPECT those things.

That's what killed it for me.

Only decent thing done in the last 10 years has been A&G, for the sheer collectiblility.

My opinions, just sayin'.

Andy, I agree, but we are our own worst enemy. We created the monster, now we are all wanting to destroy it and it's mass production. I think there have been some sets that were interesting enough to get set builders attention like A&G, Champs hockey, Magic football, and a few others, but overall the hobby now is about pulling that "top rookie" rather than building a set or collecting a team, its all about the $$$.

Yeah, you only need to look at the bumps Tebow got recently, or the whole Linsanity thing to see that.

Forgot about Champs. That was a great set too.

I stopped collecting new cards in 1995, when the card companies started the chase card things. I very rarely go to card shows. I was amazed at a show near Boston about 3 years ago. I over heard a young kid 14-15 years old having a conversation with a dealer about pre-war cards. The kid knew his stuff. In 1990 when I started going to shows, kids would go out in the lobby and tear thru 10-12 packs of cards. Then just leave the cards because they didn't find any star cards. They would just leave them there and walk away. I'd go over and take em.

im semi young at 26 and im shocked at how much the hobby for me has changed. I can still remember my first GU that i pulled where i almost droped the card. At this point i wonder if there worth even puting in a binder to look at when i have free time. I will admit i wanted more patches,gu and autos but at this point id rather see them 1 every few boxs then 5 a box where 75% of the players didnt make it past the draft. Im mostly picking a few boxs here and there. Other wise im going for older 90's Stuff. Those inserts i find have more value then a no name rc gu that the way things are looking might not even be real.

I stopped collecting new cards in 1995, when the card companies started the chase card things. I very rarely go to card shows. I was amazed at a show near Boston about 3 years ago. I over heard a young kid 14-15 years old having a conversation with a dealer about pre-war cards. The kid knew his stuff. In 1990 when I started going to shows, kids would go out in the lobby and tear thru 10-12 packs of cards. Then just leave the cards because they didn't find any star cards. They would just leave them there and walk away. I'd go over and take em. 

Honestly, if I was going to restart I would totally niche collect and then become an expert on the niche. Said niche would be oddball and/or pre-war because you know those things will always go up in value.

In 50 years, would I want to be holding on to a game-used patch of Ryan Miller of the the Sabres from a "high end" set that says it's # 5/5... Or a set of 25 Famous Dogs tobacco cards from 1914? I think, over 50 year time span, the doggies would win that race even though that Miller card might be worth more right now. I just don't see new cards holding value decades from now.

The numbering thing always gets me, by the way... How is a patch card that's numbered 5/5 any different than a patch card that's numbered 23/50? Look beyond the price paid for the pack/box - think of the content. A patch is a patch is a patch. Same goes with swatches or autos.

THe hobby is dying, not from my view point. I still sell as many cards today as I did 15 years ago... collectors come and go but the sport is the sport. Once the sport goes, then they hobby will go but as long as there is football, baseball, etc.. there will be card collectors!