The Hobby of Confusion

As a longtime sports card collector, I’ve often taken for granted the information that I’ve picked up over the years. I run into a lot of former collectors that are my age that want to get back on the hobby. And I find that really cool. But inevitably, they have a lot of questions and as they begin to ask them, I totally understand why!

There are several reasons I see people wanting to jump back in. Cards have been making a nice mainstream comeback with social media, documentaries, podcasts, and television shows. For example, I’ve really enjoyed MLB Networks “Carded”. I even saw a baseball card commercial the other day, and it felt like 1992 all over again.

For those old collectors from the 80’s and 90’s that experienced the Junk Wax Boom, it reminds us of a simple time when we would rip packs from the local drug store and look up their values in the monthly Beckett release. We’d scour the show calendar in hopes of one being close enough for us to talk our parents into going. There is a lot of nostalgia in collecting sports cards.

But just like any boom, when the hobby started to fade into an abyss of products, overproduction, and baseball strikes; many of those collectors walked away and got involved in other hobbies. Hunting, fishing, golf, baseball, and especially girls, became more important than the cardboard from when we were 10-15 years old.

While many walked away, putting cards away for good; some of us never strayed too far. While the day to day buying, trading, and sorting was pushed aside, I kept my cards and was still watching sports religiously. I hung on to the idea that maybe those Griffey’s would blossom into Mickey Mantle prices one day so it couldn’t hurt holding on to them for a while.

I went cold in 1994. I picked up a stray pack here and there. I bought a lot in 1998 chasing Peyton Manning. Then, 1999 was a really nice rookie class for the NFL. Lebron caused me to drop a little change on packs in 2003. But I don’t think I officially un-retired until the great search for the 2006 Alex Gordon Rookie Errors. I jumped back in with both feet and I haven’t looked back since.

Because I never left completely, I was aware of changes and innovations like grading, the early proliferation of autographs, and the introduction of parallels/variations. But overall, there wasn’t a total culture change in the hobby over those years. The hobby was just sort of humming along; off the high of the junk wax era and well ahead of the future COVID explosion.

In 2020, the hobby as we know it changed immensely. Values were through the roof, grading was a top priority, retail products were flying off of shelves, and influencers were popping up in all corners of social media to tout “investment buys/sells” and sell you their method for making money in the hobby.

I’ll never forget 2020. There was the Project 2020 craze, the introduction of NBA Top Shot, cards from the junk wax era selling for hundreds of dollars again, and people fighting in Target over $25 boxes of retail Score Football. Why? Because those $25 retail boxes were selling for $75-$85 on the secondary market. Boxes that were $100 just a year before suddenly became $600-$700, and high end boxes exploded into the thousands!

It was an absolutely crazy time; especially for those of us that had been in the hobby for any reasonable amount of time. It was weird to go from being able to buy just about whatever you want to being priced out of even the lowest tiered products on the market. I’m not complaining because I still bought cards, but it was a big change and made me rethink how I was going to spend my money. No matter what happened, I was not going to drop $200+ on Score and Donruss base products. But that didn’t stop others from doing it. And to each their own.

I did try to hone my skills in singles buying and focused more on cards that I wanted for my collection as opposed to cards that were hot at the time. One thing I’ve learned in life is that supply and demand has its ebbs and flows and when prices skyrocket, patience is usually a virtue. So I didn’t go out and get secondary market blasters and jump into overpriced retail breaks just to scratch the card itch. I found what worked for me and I stuck to it.

Since cards exploded in 2020, I have seen more and more older collectors come back. Locally, people know me as the guy who collects sports cards. Online, I have my “DubMentality” junk Wax persona. And I’ve been fortunate to appear in Beckett and a couple of other publications that helped me get my name out there. Because of that, I do end up in a lot of conversations with collectors trying to re-enter the hobby. And those conversations are generally always tough because a lot has changed since 1990 and it can get quite confusing.

So I thought I would write about a lot of what is discussed in those conversations. Maybe it will help somebody who stumbles across this post. Or maybe somebody can help me explain the hobby better than I’m doing it right now. In the end, I want people in the hobby and I want them to know as much as they can as they start to spend their hard earned dollars. Some of this may seem harsh but you have to know the truth.

Your 80’s/90’s collection from childhood is not worth much money.

I told you this could seem harsh. And this may sound surprising coming from me. But if you’ve followed me for any reasonable amount of time, you know I place a different kind of value on the junk wax era. So don’t go throwing your cards away. You likely have some really cool cards that I own myself. They just didn’t turn out like we thought they would when we were planning our retirement as 15 year olds.

There are a few reasons why these cards aren’t worth much. But the main one is production. There is simply no scarcity to 1988 Topps Baseball, 1990 Hoops Basketball, or 1991 Score Football. There are even a few sets that have been rumored to still be printing. I’m looking at you 1990 Pro Set!

So you may have a ton of Jordan, Griffey, and Montana cards. But unless you have a few specific ones that aren’t that easy to find, you have some cards that are worth a few dollars. Some of us love to own and show off those cards from our youth. I could open 1989 Donruss until I pass out. But to me, it is a card collection; not a trust fund.

All too often, I talk to collectors from my era and they want to know how much their old star cards are worth. The cold truth is that every major rookie from that era can be had for about $30 or less. There are a few exceptions like the ‘89 Upper Deck Griffey that is about $50, and some sought after sets like early to mid 80’s football, 1989 Score Football, or 86-87 Fleer Basketball. But on the whole, you can buy any rookie what you want for less than a trip to Outback – Tony Gwynn, David Robinson, Barry Bonds, Shaq, Emmitt Smith, Bo Jackson, Don Mattingly, Cal Ripken, Frank Thomas; you get the picture.

So as much as it pains me, you’re not going to jump back into the hobby and cash in on your childhood collection if you’re 35-45 years old.

What should I buy at Target/Wal-Mart?

As will be the answer to multiple questions, it all depends on your end game. There are products for kids, products for collectors, products for prospectors, and products for the investor.

If you want to get your kids into collecting, there are a few products that they may enjoy. Think Triple Play circa 1992. Of course, some kids may like the regular sets and that’s cool too. But Topps Big League and Topps Opening Day are very cheap options and provide all the big players plus some fun extras like mascots and pictures of stadium eats.

If you’re just a person that likes to collect, there are plenty of options for you. I like Archives and Heritage because of the throwback designs. A lot of people like Gallery for the artist renderings. There’s Donruss Football, Hoops Basketball, Topps Baseball, and many others. if you’re all about the players and cards, you just need to find the design you like.

If you’re prospecting, just look for the name Bowman. There’s Bowman Baseball, Bowman Chrome, Bowman Platinum, Bowman U Football, Bowman U Basketball, and probably others I’m forgetting. Those Bowman 1st Cards are all the rage with the prospectors.

And finally, the investor is a hot button issue in the hobby. I’m not here to judge on that for this article. I’m just here to put out some information to the folks that want to jump into collecting. The money making products are pretty limited to Prizm, Optic, and Select. And that’s strictly NBA and NFL. I’m not here to say that there aren’t cards worth any money in the other products out there. But these are the most sought after with the modern day collector. But the Pro Prizm releases are superior to the Prizm Draft releases.

Should I get my cards graded?

Well, it depends. I’ll start off by saying I do very little grading. I will buy graded but I can count on one hand the amount of times I have submitted my own cards for grading. And when I have, it’s been of the group submission variety with my local card shop. But I ONLY group submit with my local shop. You have to trust the submitter 110% to turn over your cards and money to them.

I’m not very good at grading with the eye test. I have thought something was a 10 and it came back at an 8. I thought something was a little off center and the surface came back at a 6. I haven’t guessed at all and it came back at a 9.5. It’s so subjective that I just send in what I think looks good and I just accept what it is when it comes back. That’s why I don’t submit a lot. Plus, the process is a little cumbersome to me. I’d rather spend my time sorting instead of filling out forms.

But enough about me and my preferences. There is a lot to like about graded cards. The encapsulation is something I like about vintage and junk wax. It preserves the card in its present state and is much more protective than toploaders and the like. And depending on how you want to present the card, each of the big graders provides a different label. PSA is the long standing leader in the hobby. But many collectors like BGS, SGC, and CGC. There are others but I don’t venture outside of these four.

The older the card, the more you can expect lower grades. If you have a 2022 card that grades an 8, you’re better off not grading. But if you have a 1962 card, your best case scenario may be that 8. No matter the year, pulling 10’s is sheer luck, trust me.

Different products present different challenges too. You may have a great looking 1989 Griffey Upper Deck but the hologram on the back could be chipped. Modern Prizm is notorious for being off centered. 1989 Fleer sometimes looks like it was cut with a jigsaw. The shinier the card, the more you worry about surface. The thinner the stock, the more you worry about the corners. Grading can be overwhelming.

So there isn’t a catch all answer to the question of whether to get your cards graded or not. In simple terms, if you have a card that comes back a 10 (or 9 for older cards), you can enhance the value of your collection. But there is a lot to consider if you aren’t certain you have a mint card. When it comes to grading, just do what you want to do. If you want to encapsulate your card and take a chance on the grade, knock yourself out.

What is this “breaking” I keep hearing about?

One of the biggest changes from when we collected back in the 80’s/90’s is the sheer number of ways to get your product. There are shops, eBay, social media, online retailers, apps, you name it. But there is also a way to get what your are specifically looking for in a product. You just have to be prepared to pay the asking price and take a chance.

Breakers have introduced a way to get your hands on what may otherwise be considered too expensive if you were just buying on your own. Take a hobby box of 2023 Prizm Football. You could go out and buy a box for about $1,000 and you can have every card in the box, good and bad. But if you don’t have $1,000 to spend on a box of cards, you can let somebody else spend that $1,000 and you spend $60 or so and get all the cards from your favorite team. You may get lucky and hit an autograph. Or you may get a kicker and 5th WR. It’s a gamble. One that some enjoy taking and one that some can’t handle.

Just like anything else, if you’re going to step into breaking, you need to find somebody that you can trust. There are some great breakers out there; Buck City, Midwest, Crackin Wax, Deep Fried, Top Shelf and many others. But there are also a lot of fly by night breakers that hit the scene and last about a month. Just know who you are spending your money with. Maybe watch some break streams for a little while and see where you may feel most comfortable. But again, no matter who you go with; it’s a gamble.

Where do you buy your cards?

Would you believe me if I said, “it depends”? My first look is always the closest big box. They have the most reasonably priced options if I’m looking for a small rip. They only have modern so if I’m feeling nostalgic, that option is off the table.

Second, find a local card shop that you like. My local shop isn’t so “local” but it’s worth the trip when I go. Middle Georgia Sports Cards is about a 2 hour drive but the service and selection make it an easy trip. Charlie Heinisch and his family run the shop and I would trust Charlie with my entire collection. The shop has unopened boxes from the 80’s to brand new releases. There is football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, soccer, pop culture, and even pickleball as of my last trip. There are jerseys, helmets, supplies, and tons of singles to peruse. If you can find a shop like that, it will be your number 1 resource.

eBay is always an easy option because it’s at your fingertips 24/7. Gratification is delayed with shipping though. You can buy your cards on a Saturday and it may be then next Saturday before you can hold them in your hands. But availability on eBay is unmatched anywhere else. If it exists, you will find it on eBay. Research the seller though before you spend your money. Seller feedback, the length of time they have been selling, and the listing itself can give you effective background information to make an informed decision. But with eBay; you are at the mercy of the seller and postal service, always.

There are other online retailers I like to use, like Dave and Adam’s, Steel City Collectibles, Alt, and COMC to name a few. There are auction companies like Goldin that can give you an opportunity to buy higher end stuff too. Fanatics is starting to offer more and more online as well.

When it comes to jumping back into the hobby after a long hiatus, you just have to understand that there have been changes and innovations that you’ll need to learn about. It’s not like it used to be. And that’s a good thing. Sure, I miss the simple times of buying .50 cent packs at Rite Aid and sorting them in my binder by value in the price guide. But I can still do that when I want to. But now, I can also see somebody’s collection from 1,000 miles away. I can see hobby artists turn some of the most iconic players and moments into sports art. I can talk with likeminded collectors on the other side of the world. Back in 1991, my hobby talk was limited to the other side of the neighborhood.

There are some parts of the hobby that aren’t for me. I’m not an investor. I don’t break often. I don’t grade many cards. But there are plenty of collectors that do all of that stuff. The fun part about opening up to the hobby in 2024 is the ability to find your niche. Whatever you like, there is a place for you. You just have to find it.

But if I can stress anything to collectors coming back, or even brand new collectors. Making money is not easy. The collectors who make money buying and selling have spent years honing their craft, developing contacts, establishing their reputation, and learning by trial and error. While some people have made money, plenty have lost it. So don’t come back with the mindset that you are coming back to make big bucks. While that is a possibility in the hobby; it takes a lot of knowledge, a lot of work, and a lot of luck. Like any other hobby, you have to be good at it or you have to be ready to learn how to become good.

My goal in this great hobby is to break even. If I can find a way to enjoy the sports cards I’ve always enjoyed and somehow break even with my spending, that is my ultimate dream. I’m still working on that because the spending always seems to outweigh any money coming in. It doesn’t help that I want to keep all my cards so I rarely sell. But I’m more of a collector than anything else. But I’ve found my corner of the hobby and I’m happy here. So no matter the reason you’re coming back or joining, make that your goal. Find your corner of the hobby and enjoy!

Happy Collecting!

Dub