Yep, agreed. Card show scan be beneficial if a vendor wants to work off ebay sold listings.

To add to what I was saying earlier, I don't think LCS's should even be allowed to sell retail. Retail is not allowed to sell hobby. I think card manufacturer reps should make surprise visits. Those LCS's that sell unopened present year retail products for way beyond the retail store pricing model should face repercussions. The distributors that supply most of the card shops should as well. The same distributors that supply the LCS's, supply the retail stores. They are all in the racket together, card manufacturers, distributors and LCS's.

But Target outplayed them. They don't want the bullshit from it and I don't blame them. They will fill their shelf space in no time. Hopefully it will cost those manipulating the market millions in sales.

The owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks owns another one. Along with the McNall Wagner.

I think all of the psa10 Mantles came from the Mr Mint Kentucky find from years ago.

I'm onboard with every idea you're onto, but I've always been unclear about the difference between hobby and retail... hobby is now the $1000 full box at an actual card store?

But when I buy a mini box of Absolute packs at wally world for $20-30, thats not considered hobby? only dedicated card stores get the best product? Its always seemed a strange distinction IMO

Back in the old days, I clearly remember hobby shops carrying some of the same products you could find at the chain store... help me out here, I don't get it

Retail is only the lower to mid tier products, and even in those the odds of pulling something good is significantly less than getting the same product in a hobby box.

Hobby boxes are the only way to go.

I remember when I was collecting cards back in the early 70’s & one of 52 Mantle’s was selling for over a $100. I thought that was too much to pay for a baseball card.

Great read about the 1952 Topps cards.

Retail is sold in places like Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Meijers, etc. Oh, and the $1 3card packs at Dollar Tree. I've heard that Big Lots carries cards occasionally, but I can't confirm that. Each place will have it's own exclusive color of parallels. The way they are sold is in single packs, fat packs, hanger boxes, blaster boxes, mega boxes and Topps has tins. Those are not considered hobby.

Retail creates a lower entry price, that was originally intended for children to have access and grow the hobby without having to pay hundreds, or even thousands for Hobby boxes. Retail does have less odds of pulling something that will have great value but it does occur. Just not as good of odds as Hobby.

Hobby is what is sold in your local card stores. The entry price is much steeper, but the odds are greater you will pull auto's, relics, more parallels. Hobby depending on the product can easily cost hundreds of dollars per box. The $20-30 you are spending at retail stores will barely get you 1 pack from most products in LCS's.

For an adult is.

How many kids do you think would have been able to pay for a $1000-1500 box of Prizm/Select/Optic? How many kids do you think could pay for just a 1 pack at $100 and more? Those products, okay can be pricey for sure. How about Phoenix at 600+. Plates & Patches $300+? Even $200+ for a low end boxes like Certified is out of reach for the majority of kids.

But could they get a Prizm Blaster for $20 or so.

There has to be a way to grow the hobby to kids. Retail was that outlet until adult greed came into play.

How many cards do you think grow in value long term if the the hobby is unable to sustain new collectors, which are typically children in the hobby if there isn't affordable option for them to get even into base cards and set building?

This always breaks my heart.

Even though it's not sports related, I still wanted to show my newest pickup....straight from Liverpool!!!!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fb48e1cf_z.jpg

Some pretty relevant sigs no doubt

What did you pay?

Whats it worth?

I am going to guess 4-6k

It looks like you have them on one sheet of paper or did you overlap a couple for the photo? In any case, that's nice. You need to frame that with glass, matte surround and photos of the artist and that will double the value, although I know you don't want to sell it.

When I was a teenager in St. Pete, Florida growing up I wasn't a Yankee fan, but one day standing outside Al Lang Field when the Yankees & Mets were playing a spring training game, I was standing by the fence with my autograph book. Next to me was a guy dressed real nice about 30 years old with a flat top. I looked and it was Roger Maris, he was now with the Cardinals and came by to see his Yankee friends, funny he was on my side of the fence. I said, hey Roger can you sign and he did. About ten minutes later I see a black limo pull up out front, like dumb kid, I run out and open door and out steps Casey Stengel, once manager of both the Mets & Yankees. I got him to sign on the same piece of paper. Forty years later about 2005 I see I still have this paper and I think, I'm no Yankee fan, why am I hanging on to this. I put it on eBay and somebody bids $150 and said, I'm the biggest Yankee fan in the world. So he bought it and I mailed to him.

It's authenticated and already in a slab, no need to frame it.