[madamson]

Unfortunately, I was prepared for you to start a thread like this, stating that you were ending your time in the hobby. A few weeks ago I posted about spending $8.00 and how it gave me great pleasure in scouring a table that had a few .10 boxes. Your response ended with:

I am glad you had a nostalgic moment, really am as this should be fun, but I am thinking you are probably wasting good plastic on those cards.

Now, I totally understand how frustrations over this hobby can fester over time. I, too, have felt like I did not get my money's worth out of a box I purchased, etc. I think everyone has had one of those experiences. But at the end of the day, my life does not revolve around the hobby. I do it because I enjoy it. The people I build relationships with are priceless and although I may never be a millionaire because of baseball cards I sleep well at night knowing that my livelihood is not affected by the cardboard that is littered throughout my house.

Again, sorry to see someone leave the hobby, but I think your expectations of collecting/investing may not be what is realistic.

[johnxgodfree]

I come and go as I please, I don't follow any set rules, I don't spend much money and I enjoy finding and the process of inputting cards on my site as well as storing them away.

I don't expect to make money - my main player I spent the most time and money on his cards will never even be worth a fraction of what they are to me to anyone else and I mean I've spent money on a loooooooooooooot worse over the years.

I've left for as long as a decade in the past, I come back here and there. some people will keep things going/enjoy it, others won't. some collect for fun, some collect for investment, and some are just somewhere in the middle.

its one of the few areas of life I've ever splurged money that I don't expect to be able to get a reasonable return on. I frequently buy/sell all manners of items in my hunts and have for years to fund lil side money/hobbies I buy deals, enjoy them and if I move them along usually tend to break even or make money. cards are just throwing money into a drain every now and again, but I enjoy the spiral.
shrug

[dano 7 secrist]

I haven't been here much in the past few years, but I have continued to collect and have learned to pinpoint areas that I ENJOY collecting. It's a hobby and should be enjoyable, not a business, per se. Collect what you enjoy and if you no longer enjoy take a break and see what you think later.
DANNY

[natejeffries]

I gotta tell you guys - this post that started out on a negative tone has developed into a decidedly upbeat reminder on why the hobby is important to most of us - and money is not at the top of the list.

The values are part of the thrill, for sure, in many cases. For some, maybe the all-consuming reason for their search.

But I think most realize it is just a part of the game unless you are running a hobby shop that is a different ball game altogether.

[the cardboard fan]

Even though I am a rabid Braves fan this is a big part of the reason that over the last couple years I have been selling off my once great Braves PC whenever I find hobby time as slowly building a high grade HOFer RC collection. I intend to work on this new project slowly for many years and I DO enjoy it but also want it to have some value for my kids later.

[randall44]

Even though I am a rabid Braves fan this is a big part of the reason that over the last couple years I have been selling off my once great Braves PC whenever I find hobby time as slowly building a high grade HOFer RC collection. I intend to work on this new project slowly for many years and I DO enjoy it but also want it to have some value for my kids later.

Exactly what I am doing. Too hard keeping up with all the newest and latest, I needed to simplify. I still collect Kershaw and Chipper, and I do attempt to get one card of any potential HOF'ers, Trout, Kershaw, etc.. but I am very selective of any prospects, and almost never buy packs.

[jonathani]

I have come to realize and settle on a few things...

You are right on. Good luck on the other side. I've got some subscriptions to run out and then I'll probably join you.Topps doesn't have power over me like it does lots of baseball collectors.

[zeprock]

You are right on. Good luck on the other side. I've got some subscriptions to run out and then I'll probably join you.Topps doesn't have power over me like it does lots of baseball collectors.

I don't think Topps has power over anyone except maybe it's own employees.

[rmpaq5]

I don't think Topps has power over anyone except maybe it's own employees.

And Hank Aaron...I think they have a pen stapled to his hand with orders to just keep signing. Let the poor man be!!!

[Hofcollector]

Yes, Worthpoint can be good for individual sales, but its pretty costly and average investors may not know about it. The others listed here are limited in scope. I find it odd that Worthpoint - a pricing tool - doesn't list it's price on it's home page anywhere (at least I sure can't find it!)

What I'm talking about/what the hobby really needs is complete historical info on certain kinds of cards: what's happened to all Strasburg cards percentage-wise since 2010; what all Draft cards from 2002 have done, what card prices do in the month of December historically speaking - that type of thing. Trends over time.

In this age of information, this kind of data is a million times more valuable than looking at what a specific card is priced at the current time...but curiously it's missing entirely...

But, to be blunt, the reason why this information isn't available is that it would kill investment.

You can literally pull any/all that information from those sights (most useful when using a combination). All you have to do is look up the information yourself. You don't need to see what draft cards from 2002 have done. No one does. We need to see individual pricing. If we are looking at what 2002 draft cards have done historically it would be inaccurate and irrelevant because people invest in single players. You can find whatever information you need quite easily. If you aren't willing to invest money in the research tools than you probably shouldn't be investing in the cards (not you personally. In general). If you gave me twenty minutes, I could tell you all you need to know about Strasburg cards. When I say all this information is available, I mean quite literally its all readily available. What do cards do in December? They all go down. There's no mystery there. The majority go up in spring too (assuming we're talking about younger, more relevant players). With the tools currently available, anyone should be able to look at the data and see the trends.