tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post8175340714926465134..comments2023-12-27T05:48:09.682-05:00Comments on The Baseball Card Blog: The Case for Box Collectorsjosh Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10212453263195870177noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-73086282777396637482008-08-03T19:07:00.000-04:002008-08-03T19:07:00.000-04:00The thing I find so odd is that so few of these "h...The thing I find so odd is that so few of these "hit" cards are worth much, either aesthetically or monetarily. I remember the first GU jersey card I ever got--it was a Bazooka Edgardo Alfonzo card, and you couldn't give it away on eBay. The player stunk by that point, the card was ugly, and it carried no value. Who wanted it? Nobody. So what's the point? It's the same as making crappy regular cards, like the crap 1981 Topps set that looks like garbage. I don't think card companies are ultimately making higher profit margins these days, and nobody cares about the cards, so why is it happening...?Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05644396308532248413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-64464245877181769482008-07-31T16:32:00.000-04:002008-07-31T16:32:00.000-04:00From a set builder's point of view, it's more effi...From a set builder's point of view, it's more efficient to buy boxes, so then you know you have a decent chunk of the set. Back in the day when packs were under a dollar, it didn't matter that you got a lot of dupes.<BR/>Also, the mini-boxes prevent pack searching...GCAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14713246271197550543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-41537352389014633852008-07-31T15:48:00.000-04:002008-07-31T15:48:00.000-04:00I don't know that I agree it is that much differen...I don't know that I agree it is that much different these days. When I was a kid just starting collecting in the late 1970s, I would take a dollar and buy 6 packs (or $1.05 and buy 7), which is not that different from buying a mini-box at Target--usually 8-10 packs.<BR/><BR/>Also, maybe once or twice a year, I would buy an entire box of 36 packs, or more likely get it as an Easter or birthday gift. I don't know that many collectors are about to switch to buying cases anytime soon.Steve in Phillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09515337958155763838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-26167344712286831102008-07-31T13:45:00.000-04:002008-07-31T13:45:00.000-04:00Ben,I think it's primarily due to the "hits" on av...Ben,<BR/><BR/>I think it's primarily due to the "hits" on average in the box. With Retail packs you can pay $19.99 + tax for a box of 8 packs or you can buy 8 packs outright for, roughly, $23.99 + tax. And that's just retail. Hobby is a whole 'nother monster.<BR/><BR/>However, there's no guarantee in the individual packs. You might buy 100 single packs and never get a g/u, auto, printing plate, etc. <BR/><BR/>But, you can buy 120 retail boxes of '08 Upper Deck for the same price and get a whole slew of Kendry Morales and Takashi Saito jerseys.<BR/><BR/>The hobby's entire pricing structure is now derived from the guaranteed pulls per box. Collecting has become such an expensive investment for collector's that it's just not feasible to buy packs if you intend to try to recoup some of your money with eBay sales.<BR/><BR/>I, on the other hand, am about to jump in the car and drive to Clinton, MS to pick up half a box of '08 Topps Chrome and half a box of '08 Goudey.<BR/><BR/>I'll take packs over boxes any day.jvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09169495660610012016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-71134912644238947362008-07-31T13:11:00.000-04:002008-07-31T13:11:00.000-04:00In the non-sport arena it has already evolved into...In the non-sport arena it has already evolved into case purchases. Not only are there case toppers but a couple of companies that offer incentive cards for buying 4, 6, 10 and even 25 cases. Granted, cases are smaller for many of these non-sport sets but I've seen the same evolution you're suggesting at for baseball. I believe it comes down to people wanting guarantees on the "hits". And as the number of "hits" increases, so does the chance of getting something that most would consider undesirable. Case buys increase the odds of getting a big "hit".<BR/><BR/>In non-sport I think it stemmed largely from the fact that there's collectors who go after master sets including all the different inserts.Ryan Cracknellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15843206023982274481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-13467021611816460782008-07-31T11:12:00.000-04:002008-07-31T11:12:00.000-04:00Your points on box and case-crackers trigged a hyp...Your points on box and case-crackers trigged a hypothesis. Certainly collectors like to get current players, but there's an appeal in older cards, too, even to the extent that companies include them in modern packs. (Retreading the obvious for setup.)<BR/><BR/>For customers willing to spend the big money, is it inevitable that companies will produce "packs" of vintage, graded cards? Let's say I spend $500K on 1933 Goudeys, mostly PSA or SGC 1. <I>Some</I> of the cards are big stars or come in great shape. (Your Ruths, Gehrigs, and maybe even a Lajoie.) I print up redemption cards and package them in five-card packs for some significant level of money. Most people get the commons, but there are stated odds for the "big" cards...and perhaps even better odds for the box or case purchaser. (A guaranteed PSA 7?) In a sense, you collect on the randomness that people expect from packs, but within a more established market demand.<BR/><BR/>(Yeesh, too much business thinking. Can't decide if I like or hate that idea.)Spike Gliddenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08211583758682256366noreply@blogger.com