I have been reading the comments of the last post I put up asking people, who would you want to buy from? The mom and pop stores or the World’s Greatest Marketplace (eBay)? Well the answer was a resounding eBay, by a landslide. So now I have to wonder. You have Topps and Upper Deck. Either way the cards look identical for each company. So why would I want Upper Deck X when it looks just like SPX or why buy Topps Chrome when you can have the regular issue at a third of the price per card?
I guess my real question is when will it be micro releases? Releases by collectors? I mean we have the resources with Photoshop and amazing printers. Anyone can buy card stock and make their own cards. My guess is that we are only a year or two away from people releasing their own sets. I had wanted to come up with a Fun Card set this year and it actually is done, but we can’t find anyone who is willing to print out trademark infringement cards.
The truth is, wouldn’t you want to design your own cards? Determine which players you want in the set? Which autographed cards to include (with through the mail autographs). Come up with your own design. Heck even make some relic cards (or at least jersey cards). I think over the next few months I am going to come up with a way to make my own set. I’m not sure how I am going to do it, but at least I will guide you through it. I guess the first thing I need is a program like photoshop that isn’t as steep to learn. So anyone who knows something that will work like that please leave a comment.
I don’t know how long it’s going to take but I am going to try and do a legends set for later this year but before the next season starts. I would also like to do a prospects set since I am a fan of the minors. The thing is, I know it would be illegal if I were to sell these and profit from them, but if I were to create a set and not sell it, I’m sure I’d be breaking some kind of law. Who knows, the only thing I know is that I’m fed up with all the sets and all the huge amount of money it costs to but a box, and how we are only interested in the hits, which at most comes one to every third pack. Are they really worth $5-$10 a pack? I mean really?
I just think that this is the next step. I can’t be alone in my feeling that the cards coming out are just so boring. I hate parallels, I hate chrome cards, I hate refractors, and super refractors. All I care about are autographs and relics, the base cards just bore me. I can’t afford paying $200+ a box for 7 cards. So for someone like me there is nothing for me in the hobby except looking for bargains on eBay. I ask you what kind of fun is that? It won’t be long until those 7 card “boxes are at $400, and Topps base boxes will run $100+. Forget it, I can’t justify it and I won’t pay for it. How can anyone justify it, I mean boxes that cost as much as a high end car payment. We as collectors need to send a message to the Topps and Upper Decks and let them know the prices have gotten out of control. That we the collector and the next generation of collectors, can’t afford the cards anymore. If they continue on their money grubbing ways, the hobby will end plain and simple. It’s sad that I go to a hobby shop and can’t find anything decent for $100.
To me this might very well be the end of my days in the hobby. I will always follow it, and I will always look for autos on eBay, but the days of boxes and packs are coming dangerously close to ending. I know you might think that this is overreacting, but I assure you it is not. I can’t afford boxes anymore, and packs that have been searched over time and time again are just not worth it. Let me know what you think.
I couldn’t agree more. I have a post similar in the works after my Co-Signers box.
But, how do we change it? That’s the million dollar question…
While I understand the basis for this idea, it will never come to this. It really comes down to a licensing issue. UD and Topps pay MLB big $ for the rights to use the images, team names, logos, etc. If you were to produce a personal set, no matter how innovative and fun, you wouldn’t be able to use any of the trademarked or copyrighted material. Theoretically it sounds fun, but it just won’t work.
I do agree that something needs to happen. I definitely liked the old days of a few different releases from each of the major companies, but if the companies weren’t making money, they wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing.
I think the real answer is to figure out how to make a mom and pop shop that works and keeps the hobby moving forward. That’s the true million dollar question.
I couldn’t agree more. The last two boxes I opened (2007 Topps Co-Signers Baseball and 06-07 Topps Chrome basketball) have been downright bad. My best card? A Dave Henderson auto from Co-Signers.
To sum it up I spent $110 on at most $12 of true value.
What needs to happen is the end to superficial scarcity and the proliferation of the market place. Sure, we all hate the 1989-1993 years because of overproduction, but at least back then cards were cheap and fun to collect. Today I’m not so sure that they’re either.
Wow, just released I used the same first sentence. But, you still get my point, haha.
If you make a set but don’t release it, are the serial-numbered inserts you don’t include in the packs you don’t make 0/0? If they are infinitely scarce, do they have infinite value?
If a few of us folks could get together, find someone who has too much money for their own good, several good photographers,and a few creative types, it could be done. I’ve been working on a fun set of all the personalities around Wrigley, Ronny woo woo, the souvinier guy, rambo the ball hawk, and a few others. I was planning on using Topps custom cards you can order on their site. I’m thinking about ordering several of each and putting some sets together. I could even do some parralels with a different years borders and hand number them. Sunday, I plan on hunting down Ronny woo woo and even trying to secure a game used jersey and do something with that. Even if a bunch of us did this for different teams it would make a really cool side set, no liscense required, no real expensive investment just some cool cards done indy style.
This year the A’s have a bunch of players who don’t have any cards with them in A’s uniforms. I wanted to send some through the mail stuff for autos, but not them on other teams. So I just made some cards myself, with photos that I took at games. I made them in photoshop and printed them at home. I was only making one each. I sent them about a week ago, and already got a couple back signed!