[qdiddy32]

Hello all,

I was thinking about getting back into collecting again but when I saw the prices of Panini Prizm and other at 2k & above, making me think twice about this thang   I stop back in 2014 and total lost and need some insight on what to collect, brand, and best long term value. My God-son wants to start collecting so hear for some pointer.

thanks in advance guys

[DunkingTimD]

its not the hobby we remember bud. one way is just to buy singles of who you like. the market is giered towards tiers. there are a list stars like jordan, kobe, lebron, duncan, shaq, ai, curry, kawhi, durant, harden, etc.... do research on the younger players, some of them may have potential to break out.

[CMCFan22]

It might be easier to order singles online that are not worth much but are for the players you like/superstars. You could probably find monetarily poor-value cards for Kobe, Lebron, etc., for relatively cheap. Right now, it's probably easier and definitely cheaper to go after singles than packs/boxes.

[qdiddy32]

Thanks guys, this is a whole new ball game

[CMCFan22]

Thanks guys, this is a whole new ball game

No problem... it became a whole new ball game once covid hit and the retail sharks really emerged. That's helped prices increase and time on the shelf for retail sports cards decrease.

[kenarm79]

You need a complete flip on how you once viewed this hobby because it’s really for profit now. As mentioned above, it is better to purchase the individual players you like. You can’t find anything in stores now. Everything is scooped up and flipped online. What you remember as a $20-50 nice card is $500+.

It’s probably best to hold onto anything valuable that you may obtain until your grandson reaches his middle teenage years (if he’s not there already).

[DunkingTimD]

yes, it is more like the stock market now. there's still us trueblue collectors but those who run it as a business far outnumber us.

[CMCFan22]

yes, it is more like the stock market now. there's still us trueblue collectors but those who run it as a business far outnumber us.

Very well put.

[TheBigJunit]

I was thinking of collecting again also. Recently I found 10k forgotten about trading cards ,mostly baseball only to learn I have junk wax . I'll keep them another 20 years I guess. A couple of things confuse me

1- everyone says look at ebay completes sales to get the real value of a card . Why pay for Beckett or any other prices if no one respects it? I'm still sorting the junk wax and look for psa APR top hits . Is that a bad or irrelevant thing to judge what you have?

2- I've bought 3 packs of panani nba chronicles I guess at Walmart recently because I kinda got the fever and I play fan duel dfs so the past few years I've became a huge nba fan so I thought why not start collecting again but I don't know what I even have from the 3 packs. I have a cool looking giddy that looks like it would have been worth $100 in 1991 lol. I can't even figure out what to get excited about and I almost want to fade panani completely. Why's opening a pack got to be so complicated. Also, is Today going to be junk wax 2.0 in 20 years?

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies with Insight

[rjcj2017]

What's most alarming to me is not necessarily the price increase - although that sucks - but rather the fact that you're getting less content than ever.

I can only speak for retail, as about 99 percent of my collection was obtained at Target and Walmart (LOL), but I'll give you a perfect example.

Take Prizm Basketball.

These blasters used to be 6 packs, 4 cards per and cost $19.99.

They used to guarantee "one auto or memorabilia card per box, on average" - and I can't ever recall NOT getting an auto or mem in a box before.

Now?

The blasters have gone up to $34.99 apiece.

Still just 6 packs, 4 cards per, but now you are not guaranteed any hits whatsoever.

(And I was stupid enough to purchase 7 of these looking for Cade Cunningham cards ... no mem cards, no auto cards and no Cade cards whatsoever.)

Granted, many times Panini would substitute "rewards points" for "hits" in its various products, but you at least could pick from a very undesirable group of outdated and obsolete mem and auto cards on their website ... and pay to have them shipped.

I don't know about you, but I can't really think of any other product or service - not just trading cards - in which its prices jumped 75 percent and offers you less value in the process.

I'm very, very close to getting out of the hobby for good - it just isn't fun anymore.

And if a hobby does not provide you with fun and relaxation, what is the point of doing it?