lcummins
Universal MODster
Looking back over my years of collecting, I have witnessed a disturbing trend in the collectibles hobby. It began with baseball cards. Rookie cards were promoted as rare and highly collectible while all the time they were being printed in the millions, usually at multiple rates of the normal base cards. Then manufacturers began using “chase” cards to promote pack and box sales. They would artificially create rarities, to produce a “buzz” for their product and spur after-market sales. Finally, card grading and slabbing took hold, and a mint condition card that was slabbed, could fetch magnitudes more that the same un-graded mint card. Result, the bottom fell out of the baseball card market. While prices on older material continued to climb, newer material from the 80’s onward hit new lows and rookie cards that once fetched thousands dropped to hundreds or below. Many baseball card collectors called it quits and departed because the hobby wasn’t fun anymore. The hobby is still recovering to this day.
Move on to comic books, and the same trends developed. Number one issues and origin issues were the “rookie cards” of comics. The manufacturers began producing rarities by issuing comics with multiple covers, some being printed in much lower rates than the others. Then, because number one issues didn’t occur that often, they developed ways to create them artificially by revamping characters and starting titles over, creating the mini-series in comics (although that may have been a good thing), and just plain releasing new titles as fast as possible. And of course, grading entered the hobby as in baseball cards. Predictably, collectors left the hobby because they could no longer afford to just read their favorite comics. The bubble burst and comics reached a low point they had not seen since the early 70’s when comics almost died out completely. The comics industry has been recovering and the advent of trade paperback collections have brought the readers back into the hobby.
Finally, let’s look at non-sport cards (also known as bubble gum cards or entertainment cards). Without rookie cards to promote a set, the manufacturers started short-printing certain cards to create rarities that would be sought after. Because this practice was frowned upon by collectors, the manufacturers quickly moved to chase cards to help promote pack and box sales. They quickly developed autograph cards, memorabilia cards, and the like to keep collectors searching and buying. Of course, the dealers were the ones making the money because they could afford to buy cases of product, break down the boxes, sell the chase cards for small fortunes, and dump the base card sets for a few dollars as extra income. And of course, as you would expect, grading is finally entering this hobby as well. By the early 90’s, there were almost 500 companies producing non-sport trading cards. By the end of the 90’s, almost all of those companies were gone, as well as a couple of the major players in the industry. Collectors gave up trying to finish sets and left because the chase cards were so limited, most could not afford to even try. The hobby hasn’t been the same since, and appears to be in its death throes, but will likely rebound as the other hobbies mentioned above have done.
So, let us examine the field of collectible figures and statues. This hobby is still in its infancy compared to most other hobbies, yet the industry players are following the same footsteps each of the aforementioned hobbies have walked. We are beginning to see more and more “exclusive” product which is the equivalent of the rookie card, number one issue, and chase card that helped drive collectors away from other hobbies. Grading is trying to gain market acceptance but is not making as much ground as the previous hobbies. And just as in the other hobbies, the products continue to get more extravagant and expensive. If these trends continue, and history says they will, it is only a matter of time before collectors get disillusioned and abandon this hobby for greener pastures. This is how I see the current state of the industry.
How do you see things? Let’s discuss…
Move on to comic books, and the same trends developed. Number one issues and origin issues were the “rookie cards” of comics. The manufacturers began producing rarities by issuing comics with multiple covers, some being printed in much lower rates than the others. Then, because number one issues didn’t occur that often, they developed ways to create them artificially by revamping characters and starting titles over, creating the mini-series in comics (although that may have been a good thing), and just plain releasing new titles as fast as possible. And of course, grading entered the hobby as in baseball cards. Predictably, collectors left the hobby because they could no longer afford to just read their favorite comics. The bubble burst and comics reached a low point they had not seen since the early 70’s when comics almost died out completely. The comics industry has been recovering and the advent of trade paperback collections have brought the readers back into the hobby.
Finally, let’s look at non-sport cards (also known as bubble gum cards or entertainment cards). Without rookie cards to promote a set, the manufacturers started short-printing certain cards to create rarities that would be sought after. Because this practice was frowned upon by collectors, the manufacturers quickly moved to chase cards to help promote pack and box sales. They quickly developed autograph cards, memorabilia cards, and the like to keep collectors searching and buying. Of course, the dealers were the ones making the money because they could afford to buy cases of product, break down the boxes, sell the chase cards for small fortunes, and dump the base card sets for a few dollars as extra income. And of course, as you would expect, grading is finally entering this hobby as well. By the early 90’s, there were almost 500 companies producing non-sport trading cards. By the end of the 90’s, almost all of those companies were gone, as well as a couple of the major players in the industry. Collectors gave up trying to finish sets and left because the chase cards were so limited, most could not afford to even try. The hobby hasn’t been the same since, and appears to be in its death throes, but will likely rebound as the other hobbies mentioned above have done.
So, let us examine the field of collectible figures and statues. This hobby is still in its infancy compared to most other hobbies, yet the industry players are following the same footsteps each of the aforementioned hobbies have walked. We are beginning to see more and more “exclusive” product which is the equivalent of the rookie card, number one issue, and chase card that helped drive collectors away from other hobbies. Grading is trying to gain market acceptance but is not making as much ground as the previous hobbies. And just as in the other hobbies, the products continue to get more extravagant and expensive. If these trends continue, and history says they will, it is only a matter of time before collectors get disillusioned and abandon this hobby for greener pastures. This is how I see the current state of the industry.
How do you see things? Let’s discuss…
) then quickly moved to comics and have been through the fall of each. I still have my 15+, bagged w/chase cards copies of X-Force#1 just to remind not to get caught up in that or any other frenzy again.
