Reduction of baseball products may help hobby...

lumm0x

Bench Warmer
Unlike previous years, April and May delivered few new baseball card products. Topps Moments and Milestones and Upper Deck Spectrum released in early April, while Upper Deck Premiere was released on April 25th. The only product released during May was the 2006-07 USA Baseball box set. Rest assured, there looks to be plenty of new baseball releases in June and July, but opening the 2007 season with two slow months upset many dealers and collectors.

Under the current guidelines, Topps and Upper Deck can each produce 20 products per year. However, Major League Baseball recently announced that they plan to cut the number of products down to 17 for each manufacturer for the 2008 season.

In the long-term, the reduction of products could have a positive effect on the hobby. For example, fewer brands means fewer Rookie Cards. In 2001, Ichiro Suzuki had 49 different Rookie Cards produced, the most of any ‘01 rookie. In 2006, Joey Devine led all rookies with 18 RCs. Secondary market prices are driven by supply and demand. In theory, fewer RCs of a top Rookie will positively affect his card values. Due to overproduction, many collectors have proclaimed, "game-used cards are dead." Fewer brands means fewer memorabilia cards produced. This could lead to a small resurgence in memorabilia prices. With a lot of down time between new products, collectors may revisit "older" sets from the 2000s, 1990s, and even earlier. Several years ago, when no hockey products were being produced due to the NHL lockout, there was a renewed interest in vintage hockey cards.

What do you think? Will a reduction in the number of products produced help or hurt the hobby?
 
What do you think? Will a reduction in the number of products produced help or hurt the hobby?

Each company should be allowed to produce 5 sets... THATS IT! And they should allow Upper Deck, Topps and Donruss/Playoff to do that... The 5 from each would make 15 sets total in the industry, and would be a GREAT way to drive the value back up in cards.
 
I can only see it helping. I think they should make 1 or 2 low ends for the Rookie collector and for people with not much money to waste (kids). Its a shame because when I was a kid I had most prices of my baseball cards memorized. Now....Looking at a baseball beckett scares me on how thick it is.
 
I can only see it helping. I think they should make 1 or 2 low ends for the Rookie collector and for people with not much money to waste (kids). Its a shame because when I was a kid I had most prices of my baseball cards memorized. Now....Looking at a baseball beckett scares me on how thick it is.

Agreed. However, there are a few kids who come in our store who've worked really hard and will throw down $20 for a pack of SPx baseball. They know what the hits are and they know the difference between Topps Series 1 wax and Triple Threads as far as value! The internet has changed everything.

Last week at the show, I had a 2 teens come in covered in grass from mowing lawns. One kid bought a box of Premier and a box of Cosigners. The other bought a Bowman Jumbo box and an SPx box. They were some of my biggest customers. I thought it was awesome to see some teenagers working hard for something they enjoy. The best part is the Card Gods smiled on the Cosigners box and he pulled an Arod/Ryan Howard/ David Wright Triple Auto!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If Donruss doesn't come back, I think 10 products for each topps and UD.

And whatever happens, as long as Chrome, and Draft don't go any where I will be happy:salut:
 
Agreed. Even 34 individual products is too much for a sport. I'd be on board with a max of 10 per supplier and do away with exclusive card manufacturers and allow DLP back into baseball and Topps, DLP and ITG back into hockey.
 
i gotta agree less is better for the hobby . Right now what they make more of is the high dollar stuff . i say cut back on some of the real high end crap . and do better with the low dollar stuff maybe make better SP's or Exclusive rc's in that product only ??
 
Back
Top