The future viability of sports cards collecting looks cloudy. A pandemic has pushed professional and collegiate sports to the point of extinction and one has to wonder what this means for sports card collecting in the future. The soaring prices at every conceivable level of pro sports was easily absorbed by sports fans until now. Will sports complexes be closed? Will there only be virtual fans at games? Who will pay for these billion dollar venues if no fans are in them? Will sports return to normal after the pandemic? If there are no professional sports, will there be sports cards? What are the Vegas oddsmakers saying?
Gargantuan salaries, sky-high luxury boxes, high ticket prices, high parking prices, high beer prices, politicizing sports, corporate sponsorship, and the narcissism of social media have made Boomers and Gen Xers look elsewhere for their sports collectors fix. For non-gamblers, RetroCards offers the traditional sports card collector an option to the gaudy jersey swatch cards, splashy reflector/refractor/refrigerator cards, hard-to-see hologram cards, or the expensive chrome/platinum/gold leaf cards. Cardboard, admittedly not as sexy, is the only stock RetroCards deals in.
RetroCards' focus on obscure and under appreciated personalities in sports and non-sports may not be the best long-term business plan, but it is certainly unique in the marketplace. Sure, corporate card companies thrust new players into old-school card designs, but who are they fooling? It's only done with the highest profile players whose image would sell if you put it on a garden gnome. Oh wait, that's been done. See what I mean?
In the 1990s, these same corporate companies infected collectors with a pandemic of their own, "the rookie card syndrome," leading buyers to believe they could successfully combine their favorite hobby with their stock portfolio. While the card companies printed money, collectors woke up to discover that they wouldn't be able to put their kids through college with a stack of Ryan Leaf cards. Many collectors simply went back to collecting for the love of collecting. But wait! Did I just read that an extremely rare Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card just sold for $1.812 million? Yes it did. Maybe coming down with a mild case "rookie card-itis" is worth catching after all.
RetroCards will continue to focus attention on sports eras and teams gone bye for fans that collect for the love of collecting. For those of you out there who appreciate our efforts – we thank you.
The future viability of sports cards collecting looks cloudy. A pandemic has pushed professional and collegiate sports to the point of extinction and one has to wonder what this means for sports card collecting in the future. The soaring prices at every conceivable level of pro sports was easily absorbed by sports fans until now. Will sports complexes be closed? Will there only be virtual fans at games? Who will pay for these billion dollar venues if no fans are in them? Will sports return to normal after the pandemic? If there are no professional sports, will there be sports cards? What are the Vegas oddsmakers saying?
Gargantuan salaries, sky-high luxury boxes, high ticket prices, high parking prices, high beer prices, politicizing sports, corporate sponsorship, and the narcissism of social media have made Boomers and Gen Xers look elsewhere for their sports collectors fix. For non-gamblers, RetroCards offers the traditional sports card collector an option to the gaudy jersey swatch cards, splashy reflector/refractor/refrigerator cards, hard-to-see hologram cards, or the expensive chrome/platinum/gold leaf cards. Cardboard, admittedly not as sexy, is the only stock RetroCards deals in.
RetroCards' focus on obscure and under appreciated personalities in sports and non-sports may not be the best long-term business plan, but it is certainly unique in the marketplace. Sure, corporate card companies thrust new players into old-school card designs, but who are they fooling? It's only done with the highest profile players whose image would sell if you put it on a garden gnome. Oh wait, that's been done. See what I mean?
In the 1990s, these same corporate companies infected collectors with a pandemic of their own, "the rookie card syndrome," leading buyers to believe they could successfully combine their favorite hobby with their stock portfolio. While the card companies printed money, collectors woke up to discover that they wouldn't be able to put their kids through college with a stack of Ryan Leaf cards. Many collectors simply went back to collecting for the love of collecting. But wait! Did I just read that an extremely rare Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card just sold for $1.812 million? Yes it did. Maybe coming down with a mild case "rookie card-itis" is worth catching after all.
RetroCards will continue to focus attention on sports eras and teams gone bye for fans that collect for the love of collecting. For those of you out there who appreciate our efforts – we thank you.