One big reason why many collectors left the hobby in the early 2000s is because of too many parallel and insert cards. Can't keep up with them, got frustrated. You thought you got the player best rookie card and another one better came out. And you have to spend more money if you wanted it. It was a cycle of frustrations. Today you have to be in the top 1% if you want the players best rookie card.
@@TheGreatCurator. the top 1 % own everything in this country. Real estates, stocks, elected officials, and gem mint rookie cards in the 80s and before. It's sad
Pretty much sums up why I didn't buy anything in the last 20 years until recently. I'm now trying to just buy the stuff I wanted but couldn't afford because I had 3 young kids then. They're grown and out of the house now but the stuff I want is 10 times more expensive 😫 I'm screwed either way..lol
I feel the same way. I love collecting new stuff and diversifying my collection with vintage stuff too. But where do you even start if you want to collect anything new or even a specific young rookie these days? I’ve seen videos that make the case that the base rookie cards have less demand than the parallels? I just put my hands up and stick with vintage (I consider vintage as anything that is 15 years old to the true vintage). So a Lebron 2003 Chrome, Kobe 1996 Chrome and Jordan 86 Fleer are all technically vintage for me cause their rookie cards are established. What is the true rookie card for Zion to collect? That’s the problem right now as everyone is chasing everything and the market won’t support that long-term. Most of these cards from this era (that are getting graded) will be worth nothing in a few years.
You are the man!!!!!! I appreciate this precious gift knowledge youve shared with us for free. This video is gold let alone you taking ypur time to make it . Thank you sir.
Great video I’ve been looking for someone to break this down for me since returning to the hobby. I agree I think it is a cash grab to create demand and will flood the market again. As a collector from the early seventies. Tracking one card is a lot easier and better long term investment. I’m leaning mainly to vintage for this reason but I am collecting some select modern. I will say though the cards look a lot better today but so many you have stay focused on what you like. Keep the video coming.
I appreciate and thank you for being so amazing to this community and Spreading positivity and strength in the community we really need that right now. With that said please change the introduction music 🙏🏼
I collect sport cards since 1991 and I admit out for 25 years back when my #1 Kobe passed away you are wise and Smart I am Glad my distance Cousin is knowledgeable on the Sports cards in and out I hope to see you on next locally show . . Cheers Daniel
Great video, as always. I would take issue with the complete dismissal of color match premium for parallels. For sure there is some marketing going on there, but, from a collector's point of view, the eye appeal of color matched cards is usually undeniable and, thus, will create extra demand above and beyond what you would otherwise expect at that rarity level. The question is the multiplier involved--that can, many times, be overstated but it's a real thing for superstars and rookies (e.g., Blue Prizm color match for Luka/Mbappe, Red Prizm for Trae or Red Chrome for Musiala/Lewandowski).
The serial numbered colored cards already have value. But I am not sure he is talking about that. The cards themselves are just ink on pieces of carboard. Yet they have value.
I just stick with Topps cards but probably will venture out and try Bowman’s or something. Personally I like the color variants and shiny card finishes.
Another great topic Daniel. Am enjoying the production improvements. First. To add to the discussion.... Topps started putting "Inserts" into packs in 1961 with Stamps and Magic Rub Offs (of players); in '62 Stamps (of players); 64T Coins (of players) ; 65T Embossed (gold) cards and Transfers (iron ons)(of players); they continued into the 60s and 70s. To the best of my knowledge, the first "Parallel" set came with the 1991 Wild Card Football set. The first Serial numbered set was the 1991 Donruss Elite (/10,000); first Refractor - 1993 Topps Finest. On parallels - IMO - the base RC of any brand whether it be Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Finest etc. - the base (not any parallel) would be more desirable (demand) except - perhaps - for a 1/1 of a particular color (Superfractor e.g.). I agree. Collect what ya like and you'll never go wrong - ROI/price would not be relevant.
This is the most confusing aspect of card collecting in my opinion. I have struggled to identify what card I have ... Is it gold? Yellow? On and on it goes. Even my local card shop struggles to identify what color the card is. So frustrating.
I use to collect as a kid and now I’m collecting again and it’s awesome to see where the hobby is and where it’s going and you’re doing an excellent job and I appreciate what you’re doing I subbed and I found you from Kenny chao RU-vid from a show. Cheers man.
Collectors seem to love the main Rainbow of true Refractors over time. Like the red /5 , gold /50, blue /150 kind of stuff seems to stick. Maybe some color matches too w/ oranges, pinks, or green. W/ so much base, that might be what holds the value on these sets. I think cracked ice, shimmers, base parallels, lions and tigers and bears.. along w/ the base, that kind of stuff is what I think will be snubbed. It's going to a fun ride over the next 5 years or so as this shapes out though bc we can never know what will happen! Love the content btw, always great food for thought. 🤙
Great vid! Your series really makes me wish that there was a site that would facilitate card trading. Maybe that'll save the hobby. FWIW - some photo variations and parallels are pretty cool. You're right, people just need to figure out their jam. I especially like the base Topps gold parallels (#'d to the year) and the Topps Heritage Throwback variations, but those come 1 in every 10K packs or something.
Nice video mr! I think the rookies that do well and win super bowls are worth more! Like that Tom Brady marvel card this year. Right out of the box in 2021 it was listed on eBay for 5,000. The rookies like Herbert and fields are doing well so their cards are high. But if one of em gets hurt it’s over. Their cards will bottom out no matter what color their card is.
Great vid. I totally agree it’s a cash grab. These parallels depends on demand. In my opinion as a collector. I’m chasing the autos. I think they there harder to hit and will hold value in long run.
Another awesome video!. I have many to catch up on since I been busy with work. This weekend I'll be sorting my cards in a more organized fashion while I binge watch for a couple hours.
I agree w/ everything you said, but in regards to normal regular base sets or common cards, in the autograph & jersey/patch world it is the same but it's not the same, i.g. a EPA to 99 will be just ur basic rpa, a rpa to 49 will change in maybe the outline colors or the refractor style, a rpa 25 & lower will also change as far as refractor color & style & the jersey part will start to become a patch, as the numbers i.g. /20 etc... go down the better the patch say if its /10 now ur getting a half or full letter or number of the jersey, say its /5 or less now ur getting a on card auto with a full recognizable letter of the name plate & so on..., that's the difference so the rainbow thing actually does matter in autographs & patch/jersey cards, other than this minor correction ur right, buy what u can afford to want, thanx for ur vids I do appreciate them
Thanks for another great video. I stopped collecting comics in the late 90's due to variant covers. But at least the comics had a different artist do a cover. How many color, animal print, variants are for each player? Definitely money grab and using FOMO!
Yes I’m trying to get as many parallels of Lebron’s Kobe Tribute dunks but not going out of my way to purchase them. Basically I’ll only buy if it’s not overpriced or cheap. Panini is definitely Cash Grabbing.... especially when their contract expires in a few years it will probably get worse 🤦🏽♂️ Thanks again for another great video 🤙🏾
Good video. I don’t agree with the color match parallel point though. I think along side silver, gold, black, the color match parallel should be just as important. Of course it’s tough to determine when there are 10 different parallels with blue shades lol.
as someone who strongly agrees with collect what you like, without a doubt. I am curious, if we ARE trying to invest and are looking for something that will give us a good Return on Investment, how does one go about doing that, a stock broker can analyze and make some very smart good educated guesses, in the card world, would that be like, knowing print runs, knowing who is popular, knowing PSA counts?
Yes to all of that and research apps like sports card investor that compile all the relevant data for you but just understand it's like stocks and the value can be volatile if you play that game by chasing profit over passion.
Love the videos and your positivity. I’m about 50/50 with you on this video though. Color match parallels are generally more sought after cause they are more visually appealing thus raising the prices. This can also be seen in patch cards where people want “cool” patches or multiple colored and not just all normal blue jersey color for instance. Also if they limit the print run of these parallels then the rarity isn’t “artificial” it’s true. Artificial rarity would be more along the lines of graded cards, cause you don’t know how many of that same card is waiting to be graded or is sitting raw in someone’s collection. Pop counts can change yes, but the further you get away from the production date that tends to be less true. If we’re talking about the ultra modern cards that you seem to be focusing on then that statement is more likely.
Patches are hard to unpack ... There's really nothing scares about a sometimes/maybe game used patch when for sometimes (ironically) less money I could buy an entire game used jersey, stick, glove, shoe ect.. of any given player.. also the potential to tamper with a patch is grossly understated
@@pigspigs76 I don’t disagree with your statement I was purely making a correlation between people wanting color matched parallels more often JUST like if someone wants to buy a patch card they want either multiple colors or an actual part or full team patch or shield not just jersey fabric.
@@RealWillRich yes, we gravitate towards synergies and novelty as collectors.. but some of these things have been overblown by investors pushing this narrative of this or that being collectable without enough data to say anything conclusive about something's actual collectability. I personally have gone against the grain and value super high end feeling black and white cards lol
With the laziness of putting the same picture on every variation, it seems like long term these will all end up grouped into one big lump which will kill any notion of rarity.
I know disco is from H2 hobby boxes. But what is select mojo from? Hobby or retail? I dont know why I cant find an answer on Google. Should just be a simple search.
Today I went to a card shop for the first time in 25 years. Guy there explained these farcical color parallels (?) to me. It is so obvious this is nothing more than manufactured scarcity. A 52 Mantle is valuable because it is scarce - it's rare. Just because a modern card co decides to roll out another x/250 print run does not make something valuable. This is absurd.
I’d disagree if there is a x/250 compared to it’s base card, then yes it’s going to be more valuable because there are less of them in the world. It may not be x times more valuable like they want it to be, but it’s still more valuable even if that value is $1.
@@RealWillRich people are going to assume it's worth more but there's no certainty of demand.. Royal Dalton's release these figures every year for like a thousand bucks, the limited edition and very old out of production ones are worth more than the average $5-20 ones but it still requires the figure being visually appealing.. the ugly ones will still be passed by at auction
@@pigspigs76 I think demand for these countless (but somehow "rare") parallels is driven by people applying the "greater fool theory" of investing - that I can buy something at an inflated price, but there will be "a greater fool than I" who will buy from me at an even higher price. This phenomenon is not limited to modern sports cards. But when the music stops things fall apart fast. At these prices for 2020/2021 cards, I can say 100% that demand is not driven by kids trading their favorite players or collectors buying for their love of the game. Kids cannot afford this stuff when you think about things in terms of "I can cut x lawns to get a wax box." And most people collecting for the love of the game/hobby are not going to lay out mid-three figures for this stuff either.
@@benjaminlyng8269 it would appear inflation has hit most every industry .. all cards are in the same situation, dumb money buying up skids of product creating absurd whale positions
I always wonder why panini doesn't number parallels like the zebra. When people discuss print runs they always seem to be guessing at some low number; I can't help but think this is what Panini wants -- something to seem rarer than it actually is.
I have a question for you great Curator. 10/10 sticker auto second year jayson Tatum or graded 9.5 MT+ prizm sticker auto second year jayson Tatum contender optic 22/99? Really can’t decide if I should go for the graded silver auto /99 or the /10 auto not graded? 😭🙏🏻😇
If it's for PC pick the one you like the best that makes you feel excited. If you're flipping stay away from sticker autos and non RC years unless high end product.
The giraffe print 😂 Panini is out of control with their parallels, makes them not so rare when there are almost 50 versions. I miss buying some football and basketball cards but I don’t like Panini. So never bought their products. Preferred the old days when all the companies would be involved in all the sports :/
I wonder if in the future this parallel era will not age well and the collectors of the future will be looking for the base that may not being as preserved today. I just look at some of the graphics from the 90s and think "ewww we thought that was cool?!"
I like how these parallels give me many options of a single player to choose from. Though I get how having too much choice may dilute the overall value. I think eventually the cream will rise to the top for collectors and investors.
Agree with 90% of what you’re saying but collectors and investors value color matches because they are more complete, matching, and aesthetically appealing cards overall. Also believe serial numbering is important because while you can say this is artificial once the print run is complete they are done and it is a finite amount.
card companies have historically made backup cards which are released in additional to the stated print runs.. also things like printing plates, reprints and buy backs change the texture of a print run
I avoid parrellels like the plague .. very unappealing having to dig through hordes of variations to determine the real pop counts of any given photo used in different cards and sets
I highly value interesting designs that feature unquie photos. The best is when the card is bringing something different to the table, like when a player is signs the card with something extra like their childhood hero or whatever. If the player can write in another language, using that on the card is sick
If a serial number references something really interesting than that's pretty appealing but very rare. I've seen some odd rookie serial numberd card that are linked to a future super bowl score with team colors, year ect.. but that's so incredibly rare and subjective
@@TheGreatCurator. I'm not sure if you collect hockey but curious your thoughts on buybacks and clear cuts? I think its a terrible sign for the hobby, watering down classic cards with staged reprints. Not certain if thats a thing in the other sports
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL they are doing the colors and shine and have some collectors and most newbies star struck and googly eyed like babies lolololololol
