[corbin21]

Anyone have a Player that they think is the most Popular Player to collect now and WHY? Meaning is there a HOT rookie out there or a Vintage player, or maybe a player on the verge of being elected into the Hall of Fame soon. Just thought I would throw that out to to someone to think and comment about.....

[DrMitchJ]

Puig is THE hot rookie card that everyone is chasing down. His cards are selling high and trading rapidly. There's no doubt in my mind that he's the most popular rookie this year.... Perhaps NL ROY?

I've been seeing an upswing on Ken Griffey, jr. cards here and on eBay. Perhaps everyone that didn't jump on the Junior-Wagon back in the 20th Century, are jumping on now before his cards bump up prior to the eventual HOF nomination?

I'd be surprised if David Ortiz doesn't have a post season bump of his own. He was unstoppable in the WS and maybe on that size stage, there will be more interest in his rookie cards?

[rentzington]

Puig puig puig

Everyone wants the puig cards no one hotter right now.

As the good dr said Griffey jr demand has gone up too likely due to the eventual hof

I've noticed some increased interest in some of the players who might debut next year too

[tntmclmm]

Up until last September I could get my hands on high end Miguel Cabrera stuff relatively cheap but now he seems to be going for pre 2011 Pujols prices. Had a goal of getting my Miggy PC to break the 1000 barrier by the end of 2013 after starting the year at around 710 but have only managed to reach 752. I do feel very lucky to have gotten my hands on what I do have.

[zeprock]

I think it's pretty clear from these boards that Puig is the number one player to collect right now. Last year it was Harper and Trout but they are standing in Puig's shadow this year. Next year it could very well be someone else.

[DrMitchJ]

Up until last September I could get my hands on high end Miguel Cabrera stuff relatively cheap but now he seems to be going for pre 2011 Pujols prices. Had a goal of getting my Miggy PC to break the 1000 barrier by the end of 2013 after starting the year at around 710 but have only managed to reach 752. I do feel very lucky to have gotten my hands on what I do have.

Yeah, Miggy didn't hurt his card value at all by winning the triple crown last year. This year was another great year and another post season appearance (albeit, disappointing) so his "stock" continues to rise. When he played for "the Fish" and before he was traded, he was popular, but in a small market, wasn't valued as a star. The last 2-3 years, he's become a national (and international) superstar. Supply and demand ... More people know who he is and are gobbling up his Marlins Cards.
Same thing is happening with Mariano ... 2-3 years ago you could find his early stuff at reasonable prices, even though he was very well known. The last year, the fairwell tour, the media attention, etc, really put him into a whole different status across the country. Even his relic cards are selling well! You can't touch his autos for anything reasonable. His "stock" will only continue to rise as he gets closer and closer to Cooperstown!

---

I think it's pretty clear from these boards that Puig is the number one player to collect right now. Last year it was Harper and Trout but they are standing in Puig's shadow this year. Next year it could very well be someone else.

Flavor of the month! Remember when Strasburg was "THE" card to get? Every year, there's a newer, hotter prospect coming up the ranks. Every year there are a few major league careers that end early, or disappointingly .... Or never fulfill expectations. i.e. You of all people should remember Mike Greenwell? They were talking about him in the same breath as Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. His cards were selling very well his rookie year. He was going to be "the next big thing" in Boston, right? I have a few of his cards I couldn't give away today.
Puig is hot, but from a career perspective, he's got a long road ahead of him, and anyone that "invests" too much in him, may be in for a rude awakening a few years from now. Even if he has a HOF career, can his card prices really escalate that much higher than they're selling for now?

[trayelfstrom]

I have collected Griffey Jr. since I was a young teenager in the mid 90's. I've seen his cards go from the highest book value of every player in the set to middle of road. Toward the end of Juniors career collectors seemed to abandon him because of his injuries and the drop in batting average. Beckett values plummeted.

That being said, lower #'d parallels of Junior consistently sell higher than most other players. I think from a retired player prospective, Junior is leading other players like Ripken Jr. in value, regardless of what beckett lists its values as. Over the last 2-3 years it seems to have become more and more difficult to get my hands on the tougher inserts and parallels, and when I can the premium I have to pay is high. I think there is a renewed popularity in Griffey Jr. Perhaps people have started to realize that you can't judge an HOF quality player by his final few seasons because his production will naturally decline (unless of course your Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens).

[DrMitchJ]

I have collected Griffey Jr. since I was a young teenager in the mid 90's. I've seen his cards go from the highest book value of every player in the set to middle of road. Toward the end of Juniors career collectors seemed to abandon him because of his injuries and the drop in batting average. Beckett values plummeted.

That being said, lower #'d parallels of Junior consistently sell higher than most other players. I think from a retired player prospective, Junior is leading other players like Ripken Jr. in value, regardless of what beckett lists its values as. Over the last 2-3 years it seems to have become more and more difficult to get my hands on the tougher inserts and parallels, and when I can the premium I have to pay is high. I think there is a renewed popularity in Griffey Jr. Perhaps people have started to realize that you can't judge an HOF quality player by his final few seasons because his production will naturally decline (unless of course your Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens).

agreed!
As far as I can tell, the past few new card releases that featured them, the top value retired players are Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, Jr. And Ken Griffey, Jr.
Your assessment of Junior's card career is perfect. As more and more PED careers are discovered, Griffey's terrific non-PED career numbers look even more outstanding than they actually are!

[rentzington]

agreed!
As far as I can tell, the past few new card releases that featured them, the top value retired players are Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, Jr. And Ken Griffey, Jr.
Your assessment of Junior's card career is perfect. As more and more PED careers are discovered, Griffey's terrific non-PED career numbers look even more outstanding than they actually are!

Yup those 3 retired players are the top value when new cards come out of them. I really hate how every set has a bunch of cards of retired players though, so aggravating.

I've still got a box full of the griffey for president stuff sitting somewhere in my moms garage. At the time I worked at a store that was running that promo so every time I worked I'd grab one of the bumper stickers or pin's.

[wolverine74]

Vintage anything is rock solid. High grade vintage stars are as good as gold