[arabiansnowgriz]

Is it just me or are the trading card company’s hurting the hobby with the over population of autographs and jersey cards? It used to be a great thrill to pull an autograph out of a pack! Now that’s all collectors care about. If the card is not low numbered or has a jersey attached, it’s worthless. I believe the hobby is too much about money now. Boxes with guaranteed hits!? I think that anyone who buys a box/pack should have the same odds of pulling a hit…Not just the people with the most money who can buy boxes with guarantees. Just wish they would stop putting Auto’s and Jerseys on ever card! Maybe one insert set with ether or in each card release. This in turn would create a high demand for those cards and would be a prize possession. That’s my rant for the day…

[quavis]

I agree jersey cards hurt. But without autos and patches i wouldnt collect. It would be nice to see just one or two insert sets to a product.

[arabiansnowgriz]

I agree jersey cards hurt. But without autos and patches i wouldnt collect. It would be nice to see just one or two insert sets to a product.

I think that's why the 90's inserts are hot right now. Only a few products would have Auto's. and that was not untill the late 90's. The inserts back in the 90's were a lot better done as well. JMO

[34jacobt]

I agree I collected mainly in the 90's. Did not have a lot of money, but still could afford to buy a packs and a box once in a while. i remember opening a pack of topps and getting a genererations refractor Kobe. Very cool looking card. I loved the topps gold label products. Jersery were hard to come by and you felt like you got something. I rarely buy packs anymore. To expensive. The prices have driven a lot of collectors out of the hobby.

[jeep1991]

But without autos and patches i wouldnt collect.

Thats the difference between an old school 90s collector like myself and whats dominating the hobby today.

[Vols-1]

I agree jersey cards hurt. But without autos and patches i wouldnt collect.

There the reason I don't buy new packs. I collect autographs, but I rather buy or send in an item to a player signing than gamble on a box.

[arabiansnowgriz]

I agree I collected mainly in the 90's. Did not have a lot of money, but still could afford to buy a packs and a box once in a while. i remember opening a pack of topps and getting a genererations refractor Kobe. Very cool looking card. I loved the topps gold label products. Jersery were hard to come by and you felt like you got something. I rarely buy packs anymore. To expensive. The prices have driven a lot of collectors out of the hobby.

Agree, I remember pulling awesome inserts from old 90's packs and it didnt mater if it had a jersey or not...they were just awesome cards. They are just over populated now.

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Thats the difference between an old school 90s collector like myself and whats dominating the hobby today.

The only good thing is that we can find cheeper deals on inserts without jersey/autos...To bad it hurts the hobby.

[folkertino]

yes. I'd love to go back to the Skybox Autographics era

[jpleazme805]

Love the 90's inserts...

hate the high cost of packs/boxes these days. I am trying to force myself to stop buying cards, but it is hard. The addiction of collecting cardboard keeps getting to me. I had to stop drinking, so I can support my card collection... well, didn't really stop, but slowed down drinking my money away.

How many kids under 18 yrs old do you know that collect sports cards? Not too many! I have yet to find a kid in San Diego that collects sports cards, & nobody collects basketball cards in SD... at least in my experience of talking to people I have met or people that go into my LCS...

Most of my friends laugh when they find out I collect basketball cards. they say "why bother" save your money & spend it on a car or exotic trips. I've already traveled the wold a few times. I am no longer in the Navy, so I am not making the big paycheck I once used to. I had to take a $20-25 thousand dollar paycut.. SUCKS, huh! so I do not have the extra money to burn. I've bought two cases of cards in 2012. Don't think I will buy any more wax for awhile. I am going to focus on completing the few sets still on my list to complete & chase some more 90's insert sets... instead of buying the overpriced wax of today's cad industry... I love autos.. don't care too much for patch/jersey cards.. all those jerseys & autos makes the price of product rise...

why not lower the amount of autos & jerseys made. stop redemptions!! if you can't obtain the auto.. don't produce the card.. most autos are stickers anyways... throw some other player into that slot. or make a card that didn't need the auto on it.. i.e. base/regular non-auto card.. make it simple! saving card manufacturer's time & effort by not having to track redemptions or fulfill them..

high dollar products killed the card collecting industry... it's not for kids anymore... it's for rich people..

[lyyca63]

i strongly agree! And it gets so annoying to get like guaranteed 4 hits per box and these auto's are from players you barely hear about or never heard of it.