Conference school::sports_memorabilia

    I don't think this article belongs in this notes file.  Find somewhere
    else for that "negative talk".  The noters in this file are all
    "positive" thinkers and believers, and we always thing UP, like up in 
    price.  So if you think like that columinist, "Negative", then things 
    will go badly.  So please, nobody read that "TRASH", get it.(:*)
    
    Hey John, did I do the Smiley Face Right??  Looks good anyway.^
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    re .1:  Bush and his "wip that recession now" team could use you,
    why I bet if we all think real positive it would lift us right out of
    this darned recession... yeah sure, that's the ticket.
    

    Re:.2  Didn't you see my (:*) ?  You know, I read the article in the
    Baseball Weekly, and its sounds real bad out there.  The author is 
    predicting doom and gloom, and every dealer, and investor,(us
    collectors are safe and have nothing to worry about), should read this.
    
    I will send a copy to anyone that needs a copy, just send me your mail
    stop.
    
    I didn't know every MLP gets $60K, thats right, $60,000 per year from
    the baseball card contracts from the "BIG FIVE".  Did you know that? 
    And the new stuff is produced is such quantities, that it will never be
    worth anything!!  Thats right guys, there is a ton of it out there. 
    The article goes through some calculation on how many Score produces
    each year of each card.  Try 2.6M of each card of the 1991 cards. 
    Right.  Each card, not counting factory sets.  Can you imagine how many
    Topps cards were produced?  Trillions, maybe more....
    
    I think this article is trying to tell new investors to stay away from
    the new stuff, and buy pre-1976 cards, before the production limits
    were increased.  
    
    Anyway, it certainly will open your eyes, and help the old fashion 
    collectors, and just maybe will shock the Big Five into cutting the 
    production quantities, and making a better product.

    
    sorry I did see your (:*) and was trying to be sarcastic/funny myself
    in .2, but forgot my ;-).  
    
    I don't think the articles say much that is all that new:  post 1976
    baseball cards were (and are) mass produced for the most part, if you
    want to invest do it in the older stuff, the only newer stuff of
    any investment interest is the still unproven "premium" market, ushered
    in by UD in 1989.  Some of these cards are being invested in, but it
    also appears most are produced in large quantities.  
    
    fwiw, I think there only 4 or 5 sets of any investment potential
    produced since 1989, make up your own list and then check the next
    reply for mine...
    
    Otherwise post 1976 are almost all fun to collect, 80s included, but
    don't make them a part of your assets.
    
    jeff
    
    
    

    
    
    1989 UD Baseball
    1989 Score Football
    1990 Leaf Baseball
    
    pretty good bets, less sure about the 4th and 5th, but I might
    make a case for both:
    
    1991 TSC Series I Baseball   (my sometimes poo-poo'd favorite)
    1990-91 UD Hockey low&high
    
    
    Caveat: this is not investment advice.

    
    I agree with you John, and I thought about adding a reply to mention
    that these sets have pretty much seen their investment value, it's
    already inflated into the prices you can find them for today.  Although
    I still think if you can get a really cheap deal on any of these sets,
    you probably will do well over the long haul.  At current retail, going
    rate prices though, they are no bargain and not a decent investment.
    
    For instance, I would buy a score 89 football factory set for $100 or
    less, I might bite on 89 UD baseball at $100 or less, I'd take TSC 
    series I for $75 or less, leaf 90 series II for $100 or so.  Problem
    is finding someone willing to sell them for these kind of prices...
    
    To be smart about it, invest in the old stuff and drive a serious
    bargain deal before you do (also remember this is cardboard, as was
    mentioned in one of the articles, you can't put it on the dinner table).
    
    jeff
    

    
    Jeff,
    	What's funny about the picture used for this article is the cards
    they are burning. They aren't burning a '90 leaf Thomas, '89 ud
    Griffey, or 91' std clb Thomas.
    	Just the same I agree with the majority here, tred softly, collect
    what you enjoy, think old (the older the better), and have fun.
    	I am buying limited quanities of selected new stuff inorder to
    finance the purchase of the older stuff I want in my collection.
    I am however keeping a few of the key cards from each set. 
    	I remember Roy mentioning somewhere how this is really a kids hobby
    and that it's the kids that are the sustenance. I agree with that
    observation and I keep that in mind when I set up at shows. I don't sell
    boxes for that reason. Rather I open packs and sell the singles below
    Beckett, in other words I cater to the kids. It's simple and it works.
    	I put half the money in my pocket and spend the other half on older
    cases, I then open those, sell them below beckett, keep the ones I
    want, and do it again.
    
    Jim
    
    

    
    	I agree with John, at a card show, there was a kid that was looking
    	for Marvel cards, so I talked to him and told him to give me his
    	wanted list, because I had a lot of duplicates.  He then asked me
    	which card was worth the most.  This surprised me, because I never
    	thought about trying to find out if any of the cards was worth
    	more than the others, I just tried to make up sets, and save them.
    
    	To me, they were beautiful cards, and would never try to sell any
    	single card, if at all, for more than any other card, yet, this
    	kid was interested in the value of the cards.  I guess there is a
    	different breed of young kids these days who are more interested
    	in the economics rather than the pleasure of collecting.

    
    It is not suprising if you think of the era in which these kids
    are growing up.  A good number them had there early formative
    years in the 80s, can you blame them for being materialistic??
    
    It's sad to have your basis for life formed during the reagan
    years, hobby wise these kids are "disadvantaged" and most will
    never have the found memories about the hobby that we have.  Their
    memories will tend to revolve around money, price guides and card 
    values instead of flipping, trading, and bicycle spokes.  
    
    jeff
    
    

    
    Re. -.1
    
    Exactly.  It's adults who set up shop and turned this "hobby" into a
    business.  Kids are smart; it's only natural that they'll follow the
    lead...
    
    glenn
    

    
    Well I agree with you guys on how most kids as well as adults in this 
    hobby/business are money oriented. However I do incounter quite a few
    kids that have a limited amount of money to spend and are only looking
    for the Griffeys, Thomas', and Bo's. Most kids are smart enough to try
    to trade before spending their money, I do give them the courtesy of
    looking at their cards. actually I wish more adults would bring cards
    to trade to these shows.
    
    Jim

    re: a different breed of kids.
    
    I think you're absoutely right on target with your comment.  However, I
    am not sure it's the kids fault.  Yeah, they're interested in the value
    of a particular card but that's because we (generic for adults) have
    turned this into a business rather than a hobby.  While most of us take
    this as a hobby, there is just as many who see $$$$.
    
    I reflect back to when I was a kid living in Brooklyn.  On any given
    day I would gladly trade one Mays and one Mantle even up for a Snider. 
    Was I a sucker?  Maybe.  But the 'Dook of Flatbush' was my hero and by
    far the best centerfielder in New York City.  (Okay, let's don't open
    that can of worms.)  
    
    The point being when we were kids the value of a card was what we were
    willing to give in trade.  Today, sadly enough, the trade bait is $.  I
    would love to see kids go back to trading one Canseco and one Sierra
    for a Thomas or some other deal.  This probably wouldn't happen because
    everybody is hung up on the $ value of those cards.  The old man would
    probably lambaste the kid for getting the short end of the stick.
    
    We (adults generically) are the reason kids are wanting to know the
    value in $ of a particular card.  
    
    regards
    
    joe