[jplarson]

Here's another one. Just to preface this, I'm a set builder first, team collector second, and player collector third.

I miss sets from the 80s/90s with giant checklists and nearly the ability to setup a full starting lineup on a table for fun. I've seen Topps and Score(Panini) put out team sets from their base products that include 10-15 players from a team in a set.

How about regionally available expanded team sets? Get some of the big stinky o-lineman, kickers, etc some love with a team set that has 30 players. All the expected starters, some choice backups/draft picks and maybe a coach card in there. Give it the same design as your base product but maybe special numbering on the back.

That way the hobby/retail packs aren't stuffed with defensive lineman and punters from teams you won't likely care about and give collectors a new and fun way to get cardboard from players unlikely to get it. Also give master set builders something big to chase. Personally I think its a shame I don't have a Josh McCown card in a bears uni.

[jeremy7269]

I would like to see some player / couch dual autos as well.

I know there are some out but few and far between.

[jephthah1]

I would like to see some player / couch dual autos as well.

I know there are some out but few and far between.

OOhhhhh...you mean "coach". HA! I was thinking, "So we put a piece of the player's sofa in the card...Tom Brady sat on this...and then signed it!" HAHA! "Coach" definitely makes more sense.

[nittany13]

In my adult life I have not collected baseball cards, but I remember reading where one of the companies (Upper Deck?) produced a set devoting a card for each game played at Yankee Stadium.

I for one however would love for someone to produce a set devoting a card for each game a particular game an NFL franchise has played. A live action still of that game could be featured on the front. On the back of each card stats of the game could be featured in addition to a quick write up of anything significant that happened in that respective game. Perhaps cards featuring the playoff or super bowl games could have a low print run and/or be autographed.

Maybe one or two franchises, specifically the more popular ones with a richer history, could be featured per year. If an Eagles one was ever produced I would be all over that.

[jeremy7269]

OOhhhhh...you mean "coach". HA! I was thinking, "So we put a piece of the player's sofa in the card...Tom Brady sat on this...and then signed it!" HAHA! "Coach" definitely makes more sense.

Haha, Good catch. The question would be.....is the piece of the couch game used or just event used?

[Harv72b]

Haha, Good catch. The question would be.....is the piece of the couch game used or just event used?

Even if you actually put a piece of him in the card, I don't think there's much demand for Tim Couch these days.

[demondukk]

An idea I've always thought would be cool would be a golden ticket! Just like Willy Wonka! It entitles you to a trip/tour of the headquarters/factory! Watch cards get produced and sit in on a production meeting. Get a special tour only set or card. Maybe a redemption to attend a personal autograph signing event, like the NFL Rookie Premier and again, you get special event only set.

Stuff like that would be really cool! Actual "GRAND Prizes" sprinkled in to your packs! They could even make different level grand prizes. Insert a fancier golden ticket into higher end products and something else in lower end etc. That's what I would like to see!

[jephthah1]

An idea I've always thought would be cool would be a golden ticket! Just like Willy Wonka! It entitles you to a trip/tour of the headquarters/factory! Watch cards get produced and sit in on a production meeting. Get a special tour only set or card. Maybe a redemption to attend a personal autograph signing event, like the NFL Rookie Premier and again, you get special event only set.

Stuff like that would be really cool! Actual "GRAND Prizes" sprinkled in to your packs! They could even make different level grand prizes. Insert a fancier golden ticket into higher end products and something else in lower end etc. That's what I would like to see!

That actually...would be...AWESOME! As long as there are no Oompah-Loompahs involved. Man, those guys terrified me as kid (think Gene Wilder's Wonka).

[Marinocollector]

Let's go a step further: how about a build-a-card redemption? You get to pick from a list of available players & card templates, choose from a selection of prime patches, and then they stick on an auto & viola: your own, custom-built 1-of-1! They could even stamp your name on it or something if you want to go the extra mile. First come, first serve when it comes to swatches & autos, so that should ensure a bit of a spread in terms of players chosen.

I would love to pull something like that, and I imagine the secondary market for those redemptions would be insane!

Sportskings has these.

I always love these threads... so many collectors have the options they are looking for, but they don't collect them.

Here's my favorite... in 2000, there was 65 different NFL sets.

2013 there were only 40 which include several retail exclusive knock offs of base sets.

You know why there's 20 sets per manufacturer per NFLPA? They need to cover licensing fees. So blame the NFL. You know why its so hard to cover the licensing fees? Major cuts in production. Why is there major cuts? Might have to do with the collecting public being spoiled and not appreciating limited products anymore.

In this thread alone we have people over exaggerating limited production items. As long as the perception that a card is a dime a dozen, it will not hold any value.

Honestly, collectors are complaining about the same stuff for the past 18 years. Enjoy the hobby. Quit trying to tear it down.

The only thing I would suggest that would help the hobby overall would be simplifying the products. That way new collectors can know what they are getting.

Also, the major problem for new collectors? Old collectors being misinformed or forcing their ideas on new collectors. Perfect example is Topps Chrome. Outside of the superfractors and super low numbered hits, Chrome has never been a major football product outside of 1998 and 2001. How can we as a collecting community promote a set that takes over 3 boxes to complete and sells for a small percentage of one box?

I have seen old collectors tell new collectors to wait for Contenders to come out. Then the day it comes out, the LCS is already out. What fun is in that? The whole concept of card collecting came about as a community to trade and buy and sell among people with the same passion. So the internet wholesaler becomes the only option and these people have to trade online and thieves on the sites and the postal service take advantage of the opportunity in front of them. I have probably lost well over $1000 in cards from Beckett Marketplace deals, and other forums from trusted members. Its ridiculous.

[Harv72b]

Here's my favorite... in 2000, there was 65 different NFL sets.

2013 there were only 40 which include several retail exclusive knock offs of base sets.

As I pointed out above, in 2000 there were numerous different sets from different manufacturers. This meant different designs, different checklists, different inserts, different gimmicks...different cards. While there were "only" 40 or so sets released by the big two last year, they were released by only two companies, and contained much the same content covering the same players. This is why there are "only" 134 Beckett listings for Tom Brady cards from the 2000 sets, whereas you have 657 listings for the certain-to-be-immortal Kenjon Barner among 2013 cards.

You know why there's 20 sets per manufacturer per NFLPA? They need to cover licensing fees. So blame the NFL. You know why its so hard to cover the licensing fees? Major cuts in production. Why is there major cuts? Might have to do with the collecting public being spoiled and not appreciating limited products anymore.

In this thread alone we have people over exaggerating limited production items. As long as the perception that a card is a dime a dozen, it will not hold any value.

This perception is firmly rooted in reality. Want a 1/1 Eddie Lacy rookie? Good news: there are 497 of them listed in the OPG. How about a Manti Te'o rookie from the limited-production Topps Five Star set? None of his cards were numbered higher than /130, yet between all the parallels and subsets, they printed 740 Te'o cards in that run...and his were one of the more limited cards in Five Star. The numbers of each card being printed are obviously nowhere near the levels they churned out in 2000, let alone the early 90s, but back then there were not dozens of "different" parallels and inserts and variations and whatever of each player in the set. In the end, they are flooding the market with unproven rookies, most of whom will be out of the league in 3 years or less. Even among the few who go on to have Hall of Fame careers, what's the value of holding their rookie card when there were well over a thousand "different" cards printed for that player in their rookie year? Or of holding one of the 500 "1 of 1" cards printed?

Honestly, collectors are complaining about the same stuff for the past 18 years. Enjoy the hobby. Quit trying to tear it down.

The only thing I would suggest that would help the hobby overall would be simplifying the products. That way new collectors can know what they are getting.

A-freaking-men. That said, the vast majority of posts in this thread are attempting to provide helpful suggestions as to what they'd like to see in new sets, and not really tearing down the current hobby. If someone had suggested putting autographed cards into the packs back in the 70s they would likely have been ridiculed: what would be the value in getting an autographed card without actually meeting the athlete in person and shaking their hand?

Also, the major problem for new collectors? Old collectors being misinformed or forcing their ideas on new collectors. Perfect example is Topps Chrome. Outside of the superfractors and super low numbered hits, Chrome has never been a major football product outside of 1998 and 2001. How can we as a collecting community promote a set that takes over 3 boxes to complete and sells for a small percentage of one box?

I have seen old collectors tell new collectors to wait for Contenders to come out. Then the day it comes out, the LCS is already out. What fun is in that? The whole concept of card collecting came about as a community to trade and buy and sell among people with the same passion. So the internet wholesaler becomes the only option and these people have to trade online and thieves on the sites and the postal service take advantage of the opportunity in front of them. I have probably lost well over $1000 in cards from Beckett Marketplace deals, and other forums from trusted members. Its ridiculous.

If the whole point of the hobby is to enjoy yourself and collect what you like, what's the harm in promoting Chrome? The in-action photos used on those cards are usually very good, the designs are clean, there are actually stats printed on the card backs, and it's a relatively large checklist encompassing what passes for a solid sampling of players in the league these days, both veterans and rookies. At the price point, it's not a bad product at all...and for many set builders & sorters, having to go through multiple boxes of product in order to get close to completion is a perk, not a problem.

Experienced collectors just need to take care to provide all the pertinent details when discussing a particular product with new hobbyists; using your Contenders example, these boxes often provide the possibility of pulling one or more highly sought after (and valuable) rookie autographs, and the certainty of pulling a handful of rookie autos...but because the rookie cards are all autographed, it is all but impossible to build a complete set solely from box breaking, and doing so would cost vast sums of money and result in more veteran base cards than most hobby shops could handle. Thus, if rookie autographs are the most important thing then most collectors would be better served purchasing unlicensed (but auto-heavy) rookie products such as Sage and Press Pass, while if building a set including practically all current rookies is a priority a product line such as Bowman or Score would be more ideal.

The core issue I (and, I think, many others) have is indeed the simplicity thing you mentioned: it's overwhelming for someone just (re)entering the hobby when they see so many different brand names with such wildly fluctuating price points available, whether at their LCS, retail stores, or online. Then when they bite the bullet and actually purchase a few packs (or boxes) and see that they're getting basically the same thing from each one, though dressed up & on thicker stock in the case of the "premium" sets, it can be fairly disconcerting. Hell, when I first got into the hobby the choices consisted of Topps in a wax pack or Topps in a cello pack, or Topps in a box whenever the family went to the members only warehouse store in the next town. There were a few other options out there, but they were difficult to find and not nearly as pervasive in the marketplace. The downside was that when the local grocery store or wherever ran out, that was it for the year...the upside was that a kid could actually afford the cards on whatever money they scraped together, and when you pulled a Marcus Allen rookie card you knew that you'd pulled the Marcus Allen rookie card. That will obviously never be the case again, but that doesn't mean I can't wish for those days.