Is the hobby in the “Junk Era 2.0”? I came back to the hobby in 2018. The hobby had changed so much since I left. I started collecting in 1987 when I was 7 and quit when I left for college in 1997. I took the cards with me but never touched them. Back then, I bought my singles from my LCS and most of my packs from 7/11, a grocery store, or I would ride my bike down to the White Hen Pantry and pay a whopping $.50 for a pack of 1990 Topps or I would buy a box with my lawn cutting money at our local Sams Club.
Looking back on those days, I felt I could buy cards wherever my parents would shop. Who knew then that that card-collecting era would be called the Junk Era? Cards were overproduced, and as we all know… no one got rich off cards from that generation. Fast forward to 2018…
Junk Era, Adulting and Buying Packs
After college, I got married, had kids, and forgot all about collecting; until I read an article about a Derek Jeter rookie card that sold for big money! I got back into the hobby when I thought I had the same Derek Jeter rookie that sold for $10,000; more on that post here. Once I got my cards back from my parents, my childhood memories came roaring back, reminiscing on the fun I had opening all the packs back then. I found myself asking, where do I buy packs these days?
Now that I am an adult, married with kids, I find myself shopping at the local Target or Walmart. Just like when I was a kid shopping with my parents, cards in 2018 were sold where I now shop. I found my local LCS and would buy cards from the LCS, and packs from Target or Walmart. One thing is for certain… cards are so expensive compared to the late 80s and early 90s. The packs I was buying had anywhere from 4-10 cards per pack. Four cards per pack? Wow, those cards must be rare, I thought. Then I noticed cards were sold everywhere!
The New Junk Era 2.0?
Fast forward to today, I can buy packs at our grocery stores, our local drug stores, Dicks Sporting Goods, Meijer, Costco and Sams Club, just to name a few. Sam’s and Costco have crates/skids full of Topps. Even our local bookstore had packs for sale… you name the store, you can will find ball cards now. Heck, even at our local mall, our Lids hat store has cards. Don’t even get me started on all the online stores… Now, you can even buy them directly from Topps…
In Comes Fanatics.
The hobby’s popularity is at its highest; Fanatics buys Topps, and we are seeing cards in more stores than ever. Is it a coincidence that Fanatics acquire Topps, the hobby’s popularity is at its highest and cards are found anywhere? The acquisition of Topps was not cheap, and I am sure Fanatics needs to make a profit, but at what cost? In 30 years from now, are we going to look back and say this was another “Junk Era?”
In defense of Fanatics, the innovation in the hobby since Fanatics bought Topps has been fun to see. Autographs in packs, patches of your favorite player’s jersey put on a card, more numbered cards, debut patches, and so much more. Some of these innovative ideas get the collector to chase these new ideas. With the hobby’s popularity at its highest, and Fanatics making cards more accessible, is it creating Junk Era 2.0? More locations, and more packs to choose from, must mean higher production levels… right?
What’s my final opinion? I think we are in a Junk Era 2.0, but the base cards are innocent bystanders, while we collect the rare inserts, relics autos, or any new innovative concepts Fanatics has brought into the hobby.
Make sure to check out our blog with more posts on card collecting! Make sure to check out our other post on how card grading can elevate your collection.
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