What will 2015 bring? Hobby Predictions: Part I
Compiled by Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
What will the hobby hold for 2015? We’ve asked a few industry insiders and other notable collectors. Here’s what they have boldly predicted to see in the coming year.
REED KASAOKA — Baseball Card Exchange Director of Acquisitions
“Despite the few black eyes the industry has faced recently — highly publicized stories about failing auction houses, fake autos, lawsuits — I predict new or returning collectors entering the hobby will continue to grow, with no end to the growth in sight. Not only are the kids from the 1980s starting to buy back products from their youth, but the Baby Boomers are selling off their collections to fuel this demand, with fresh inventory that’s been locked up in collections for the last 30 to 40 years. We can’t keep up with all the requests from collectors all around the country looking to sell their collection and when we do turn around our purchases and offer items out for resale, they sell like crazy. We truly cannot satisfy the demand for the products we specialize in.”
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BRAD ZIEGLER — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher and collector
“I see more of the same from the hobby. There hasn’t been anything truly groundbreaking in several years. There are too many sets — the market is watered down. I wish they’d have less releases but put more attention into quality … oh, and filling redemptions!”
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CHRIS VACCARO — Topps’ Editor in Chief/Head of Application Operations
“Digital, digital and more digital. Topps will continue to fine-tune its apps game and improve its digital content and strategy in Topps BUNT, HUDDLE and KICK.”
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CHRIS FEHN — Slipknot percussionist and collector
“I think that the card business is going to go up in the future. The cards are becoming much more pieces of art than ever before.”
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ADAM MARTIN — Dave & Adam’s Card World CEO
“I think that 2015 will be the ‘wait-and-see’ year. Consumers, wholesalers and retailers will be very conservative about what products they pre-buy and wait to see what a product offers before they spend.”
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CHRIS IVY — Heritage Auctions Director of Sports Collectibles
“I believe that in 2015 we will see a continuation of the bullish market for rare and unique sports collectibles, with the current pricing trajectory trend which is slow and steady at the middle to fast and steep toward the top.”
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Look for more 2015 predictions here in the coming days.
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Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
If you’d like to offer your predictions, visit this page:
http://www.beckett.com/news/2014/12/your-turn-what-do-you-predict-for-the-hobby-in-2015/
I think it will remain steady as it is currently. As I work for a card shop and de new customers coming in daily saying they are getting back into collecting like they did as a kid, so hopefully it picks up. I wish all companies would limit how much they release, instead of a new product ever 2 weeks. Topps should work more on the customer service aspect of fulfilling redemptions instead of their online games and computer apps.
Well you can tell where Topps is focusing there attention to. As a collector I could care 2 ##### about Topps Bunt.
Brad Ziegler and Dave and Adams Card World got it right
I think that Reggie Jackson will become vintage “spokesman” for Topps- and tour the country signing free autographs and allowing “fans” of the game to take as many pictures of him as they like. The Cubs will also win the World Series, and A-Rod will hit 50 “clean” homeruns!
Man, there are a lot of people in this article with a vested interest in sales going up. There are a few honest takes, but a lot of unwarranted blind faith.
Although the hobby will continue to be around – 2015 is going to be a very rough year for the industry. From everyone I have talked to, the bottom line is that there are a lot of reason why people should be very scared, not cautiously optimistic.
Wish I felt as optimistic as some in the article. Sorry, I just don’t see it nor do the folks in my little part of the world.
My main issue is this…I don’t mind the proliferation of card products (only baseball for me), and topps especially has upped the photo quality and look of thier cards, but please, please, please card companies, use different photos in each product! I don’t want 80+ cards of a PC player that all look alike. It’s no fun…..
Funny the two collectors that are not part of the advertising and marketing department have the most honest predictions. Atleast there are still some true honest collectors out there that are willing to give a true review of the hobby including the bad and good.
LARRY IS SO ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
Seems that the only people that feel optimistic are the marketing people and CEOs, while the real collectors are sick and tired of getting ripped off with FAKE THORPE PATCHES and event worn patches in ultra-high end products Flawless. Just reading about those issues shows how much greed is in the manufactures and not listening to collectors.
I agree that the hobby has been in trouble for many, many years….card shops that sell wax are nothing more than casinos….I am much happier picking up a $2 jersey for my PC than I am ripping a $140 box of crap
There appears to be a lot of P.T. Barnum barker statements in here. “Come on in, see the tallest man in the world! We have a kid with alligator feet!” At least Chris deserves credit for not opening this can of worms by saying, “Beckett readership will triple!” It would be interesting for Beckett to comment on its recent acquisition of Goodwin & Co. which was a surprise to vintage collectors, what this does for its auction platform if anything and whether there is a trend to understand.
I got back into collecting and have been at it for a few years now. My collection won’t wow anyone by any means,mainly because I refuse to by the “high end” stuff that is so overpriced. I guess I am just too “old school” when it comes to my collection. I buy singles of my favorite players and collect the sets of my favorite brands but to pay $400 for a “box” of cards that has 1 pack and 8-10 cards in it is ridiculous to me. But to each their own. The demand for such overpriced product,in my opinion,comes form those who could care less about collecting and doing it as an actual hobby but rather buy all that high priced stuff so they can go on Ebay and sell it for an even more outrageous amount. I know I am in the minority on this for the most part,but as I said before,to each their own.