Sports cards and the Economy

There is an interesting interview transcribed on the website Cardscape. It deals with the economy and how it affects the card-collecting hobby. There is one passage that was particularly interesting to me, especially in light of my previous post.

"But while most collectors love to sit around and talk about the “value” of their collection, it's generally something that will never come into fruition. Most likely they'll never sell. If they do sell, they'll probably never realize that full value for their collection even in a good economy. So to most collectors I'd say focus on what you enjoy about collecting. Put less of an emphasis on the exact dollar amount of a card and more emphasis on the happiness you get from opening a pack, completing a set, interacting with the collecting community online or at shows, etc."

Very interesting points, and one I am taking to heart at this very moment. In response to the comments about my 1987 Donruss All-Stars Pop-Up cards, and after reading this article, I have opened the package! If it happens to be less valuable to someone else because I opened it, then so be it. It is more interesting to me and Joshua to see the cards.

Let's start with the "small" cards. Here we have Roberto Clemente's right ankle and shin. Puzzle pieces numbers 49, 50 and 51. An interesting side note: I have mentioned here that I was mentoring a student last school year in 6th grade. He attended Roberto Clemente School #8. No joke.

Next up is Dave Winfield popping up in the Astrodome. You would think that, since he is on the Yankees in this card, that he would "pop-up" in Yankee Stadium. I guess they are sticking with that All-Star theme, and, by gosh, that's where they are! The only thing it says on the back is "AMERICAN LEAGUE - DAVE WINFIELD - STARTER - RIGHT FIELD" under the Houston Astros 1986 All-Star Game logo.

Finally, the Big Three! Starting with the least significant of them, Brook Jacoby. He was 0 for 1in the '86 All-Star Game, and it was his first nomination, having earned his way onto the team "after a shoulder injury forced George Brett of the Royals to scratch from the team."

Next is James Rice of the Boston Red Sox, a near- and probably-should-be Hall-of-Famer. This was his 8th selection, and he was batting .320 at the time. The most interesting stat on the back, besides only hitting .200 in his eight All-Star games, is that he led the league in '78, while hitting .315, in HR's (46), RBI's (139) and triples (15)! Triples! Does anyone think Bonds would ever lead the league in triples, much less run out a double? What about Fielder or Howard? No way. Just goes to show you how good he really was. He is definitely a HOFer!

Lastly, a HOFer: Ryne Sandberg. At this point, he was only 1 for 8 in his three consecutive All-Star appearances, but had already made his name when he became only the third person in Major League history to hit at least 25 home runs and steal at least 50 bases. Again, Bonds probably took "stolen base" out of his vocabulary years ago (or the steroids depleted that part of his brain), and Fielder may have stolen one or two, but only with a lotta heart and a LOTTA luck!