Are there any others here that are fairly new to the hobby, or only recently returned? What has your experience been, are you in deep and drowning in prizms, sticking to the old stuff, already started to cool on collecting again etc?
Like many I hadn't even thought about cards in a very long time until earlier this year when I caught wind of how the hobby had exploded in covid times, and that sparked a subsequent deep dive back into the collecting world.
I was mad for cards in the early/mid 90's up until 95/96. Only had a meagre collection and not much of note, but always kept my folder of 'good' cards stored away. About 10 years ago I must've been ebay rabbit holing, saw how cheap old 90's boxes were and bought a handful or so just for the fun of living a childhood dream and ripping them open. At the time I did also grab a very cheap box of newer cards (Fleer 07/08) just to see how they compared to the old. Well, I thought they absolutely sucked, no nice shiny subsets etc. So while the 90s cards all went straight into sleeves, those newer Fleer cards got stacked/rubber banded. I think I paid $25 for that box and it now sells for thousands. Insane.
Here's my journey since re-entering the world of basketball cards in March this year;
Where I'm at now - I'm not a gambler and fairly risk averse, so I think I'll be staying away from all the modern cards, and just invest a small amount into a very modest PC collection of legend rookies to stash away for my toddler, as well as some Jordans I've always wanted. Probably the absolute worst time to be doing that and if I just wait another few years they could all be much cheaper.....Other than that, maybe an annual junk wax break for some nostalgic fun.
All in all, I've loved learning and discovering how the hobby has evolved. Spent more than I should and still a bit more to come. But I can't help but be concerned about where the hobby goes from here - covid and the new masses just looking to make a quick buck aside, I figure the explosion also doesn't happen without the nostalgia from generations of kids like me who grew up on bball cards, but where will those generations come from in future when kids can't even get their hands on a pack these days?
Like many I hadn't even thought about cards in a very long time until earlier this year when I caught wind of how the hobby had exploded in covid times, and that sparked a subsequent deep dive back into the collecting world.
I was mad for cards in the early/mid 90's up until 95/96. Only had a meagre collection and not much of note, but always kept my folder of 'good' cards stored away. About 10 years ago I must've been ebay rabbit holing, saw how cheap old 90's boxes were and bought a handful or so just for the fun of living a childhood dream and ripping them open. At the time I did also grab a very cheap box of newer cards (Fleer 07/08) just to see how they compared to the old. Well, I thought they absolutely sucked, no nice shiny subsets etc. So while the 90s cards all went straight into sleeves, those newer Fleer cards got stacked/rubber banded. I think I paid $25 for that box and it now sells for thousands. Insane.
Here's my journey since re-entering the world of basketball cards in March this year;
- Started out with a very thorough inspection of all my old cards
- Cards I had as a kid? No bueno.
- The 6x boxes of 90's cards I opened 10yrs back and immediately sleeved? Amazed to see how many flaws there were. Almost nothing good enough to grade.
- Ironically, the highest value + best conditioned card I found was in the rubber banded stack of discarded 07/08 Fleer. 3x Durant rookies, 2 of which had big depressions to one corner, but the retro rookie appeared flawless so that was an exciting one to un-earth.
- Sent that Durant off to PSA for grading & received back (lucky enough to catch a grader who was having a good day and got a 10. I have no connection to the card so the smart thing would probably be to sell it off now, but I'm not that smart).
- Sent a few more cards to SGC for grading (just 2 fav childhood Jordans and a marvel card, nothing special but I like the tux look to preserve them).
- Broke a Prizm Mega box - $250 box, got maybe $5 of cards. No connection to the players, everything looks the same. Modern cards probably not for me.
- Broke a 93/94 Hoops box - half the cost of the above, 10x the fun. I was more excited to see Rony Seikaly's mug than anything in that prizm box. Still just gambling but I might do one of these a year now.
- Coaxed a mate to get into the hobby too and took part in a US break - really enjoyed it, but a one off I think. Got absolutely nothing but we spent very little (Jazz, Rockets).
- Purchased a 93/94 Fleer Ultra S2 box, to test my mental fortitude and see if I can avoid the temptation to unearth that almost certain unbricked Jordan Power in the Key awaiting within.
Where I'm at now - I'm not a gambler and fairly risk averse, so I think I'll be staying away from all the modern cards, and just invest a small amount into a very modest PC collection of legend rookies to stash away for my toddler, as well as some Jordans I've always wanted. Probably the absolute worst time to be doing that and if I just wait another few years they could all be much cheaper.....Other than that, maybe an annual junk wax break for some nostalgic fun.
All in all, I've loved learning and discovering how the hobby has evolved. Spent more than I should and still a bit more to come. But I can't help but be concerned about where the hobby goes from here - covid and the new masses just looking to make a quick buck aside, I figure the explosion also doesn't happen without the nostalgia from generations of kids like me who grew up on bball cards, but where will those generations come from in future when kids can't even get their hands on a pack these days?