[tate31nym]

My goal this year is to start working on my Piazza collection by completing year by year. Example, I'm only missing one minor league card (1989 Salem Dodgers), need 16 to complete 1993, 44 to complete 1994, etc. So I've been working on the "easy" ones thru COMC and the bay.

I had to chuckle though when some person had a bunch of Piazzas listed as "vintage"

It got me thinking though, what exactly is considered vintage?
I always thought it was something 25+ years old.
What's your opinion?

Also if we've had open trades recently, I apologize if my responses are sluggish or infrequent. Life is weird.

[jeantoto]

I have a very personal way to consider what is vintage.
I opened my first pack of trading cards with some french version of the 92-93 UD basketball. So I consider vintage everything which is before the 92 season because it was made before I started the hobby.
I know it's highly criticable but it's what comes naturally to me mind when I read "vintage".

[DrMitchJ]

1vin·tage noun \ˈvin-tij\
: the grapes or wine produced during one season

: a period in which something was made or was begun

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So there really isn't a specific time frame associated with 'vintage' although there is an 'old-ness' given to it's connotation. Since baseball cards began in early 20th century, it's easy to call all tobacco cards vintage without any disagreement. Since Topps began in the 50s, you wouldn't be wrong to say that they were Vintage, either. Based on the definition, you really wouldn't be wrong to call a great year of baseball cards 'Vintage' if the general consensus was that the year was terrific. So Topps Heritage has a Vintage card look and feel, even though they're modern cards. The Chrysler PT Cruiser was a vintage throwback, as well as the Prowler, to a certain extent.
Often 'vintage' is confused with 'antique'
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1an·tique adjective \(ˌ)an-ˈtēk, in verse often ˈan-tik\
: belonging to an earlier period, style, or fashion : old and often valuable
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Anything that is old can be 'antique' but not everything that is old is 'vintage' ... An antique can be vintage or not. Something new can be made to look like an antique, but it isn't, although it could be considered vintage under certain circumstances. To put it in other terms 'vintage' is more qualitative while 'antique' is more quantitative.

Does that help, or did I just confuse the whole issue ... Or am I totally wrong?

[jacobystealshome]

for baseball, 1980 and earlier

[waynetalger]

Hmmmmmmmm. I must be close to being an antique 25 years has been long past for me. I wish to be 25 again

[djohn]

In general over 25 years is typically considered vintage, however it has been common for a while to only consider baseball cards from 1980 and older as vintage. However I think that simply stems from people that collected during the 80s and don't want to consider a product that they remember opening as being vintage. Also with the overproduction of the 80s and 90s, some people put them in their own era (i.e. "junk wax era") instead of grouping them with vintage. Personally I think we are starting to get to a point where the rest of the 80s cards are going to start to be considered vintage, so I am fine with someone calling any card from the 80s as vintage. However I put the cut-off at 1989, as I am not ready to call cards from the 90s (even 1990) as vintage just yet.

[ne12bc12]

Though the good Dr. is on the money and I don't want to take away from that I like to keep things a little simpler and think the same as Jacoby on this one, 1980 and before.

[zeprock]

for baseball, 1980 and earlier

+1
This is the standard.

Many collectors have varying opinions of what vintage is and it can be different for different people, mostly depending on how old you are.

In 1981 Donruss and Fleer began mega-producing their sets again and that began the whole glut of over-produced sets that are worth so very little today. I believe that is why anything released prior to 1981 is considered vintage. It's not like automobiles where they are considered vintage after what, 15 years?

[nolan5000]

My goal this year is to start working on my Piazza collection by completing year by year. Example, I'm only missing one minor league card (1989 Salem Dodgers), need 16 to complete 1993, 44 to complete 1994, etc. So I've been working on the "easy" ones thru COMC and the bay.

I had to chuckle though when some person had a bunch of Piazzas listed as "vintage"

It got me thinking though, what exactly is considered vintage?
I always thought it was something 25+ years old.
What's your opinion?

According to Beckett Grading guidelines, vintage is pre-1981.

[DrMitchJ]

Though the good Dr. is on the money and I don't want to take away from that I like to keep things a little simpler and think the same as Jacoby on this one, 1980 and before.

Hey, no prob ... Totally easier to go by the 1980 and earlier as vintage.
Keep it simple ... But 1980 just seems too ... Recent (?) to be vintage, IMO.

I think when Topps Baseball cards stopped shipping in 5 (or 6?) series a year, where the high number cards were SP (since they figured kids were back in school in September and wouldn't be buying much) that should be the cut off. 1972 and earlier. There was a dynamic shift in cards after that, and if there was a time where over production really started, I'd go with 1973. Excluding some occasional error, and other than Brett, Ripken, Rickey, Ozzie or Winfield ... Are there really any 'hard to find' cards after 1973? Am I overlooking any regular release RC cards during 1973-1980? Wondering?