The Hobby ISN'T Dying!! Or...Is It?

[@ACollectorsDream]

Great video Graig, the hobby is stronger than ever. Social media has made the hobby relevant again. As far as your question: My answer varies. I collect the card instead of the grade, especially rarer issues. More common available cards, the best card and grade I can afford.

[@stevemutzel5546]

Another GREAT watch. Thanks for the videos.

[@jamesparker5688]

For me I only collect vintage cards, nothing over 1994 except those HOF rc cards which I'm building on. As with everything in life, MONEY is tight right now. So, the hobby isn't dying, it's just slowing down. great video Graig, keep them coming.

[@mcarp2271]

Not dying. I feel like every six months this same trend on “is hobby dying” comes up for a week. All these channels need to keep pumping out volume to hit their video quota for the week. Most of it is recycled ideas over and over with a different thumbnail.

[@DonHamlin]

I was at one of the major Chicago shows on Saturday. I’ve been going to this show for years and it was definitely busier than ever. It was constantly hard to walk in the aisles. I found a ‘54 Al Kaline in a recent PSA 2 that is honestly the best looking one I’ve ever seen.

[@DonOlszewski-th1ir]

Graig, for todays question, and how I do it. First, it’s obvious everyone wants as nice of a card as they can. So I would say 90% buy the card, 10% grade. As a set builder I prefer raw cards. Star cards will be put into a holder or it’s already graded. I have many cards graded as a 3 or below but they are so rare or scarce I’m just glad to have them. I think most have nice eye appeal for the numeric grade. Sometimes a lower grade is all that’s affordable. Looking for raw cards also gives you more for less money. A collector can be much more picky on grade when it is a card you commonly see. But rare older cards, you might only ever have one shot at. Thanks for this forum, I really enjoy the thoughts of others.

[@BringingTheHeat-VBC]

Pokeman is killing it. Show in Pasadena was packed the day I was there. I didnt buy a thing other than a ticket, parking and a beer. I had enough to spend whatever I wanted. 100 people in the PSA line. No waiting for food/drinks or SGC.

[@Eowkamsnudujaiaknwnriiodsp]

I don’t get any indication that the hobby is not alive and well just look At attendance at shows. And eBay sales for vintage cards. Great show

[@BringingTheHeat-VBC]

I am bidding to the moon on certain items and have never finished 2nd so many times since the pandemic

[@patbenson548]

Vintage cards on sale! Yeah I'm all in!😊

[@nathanmulkey]

I'm a Nolan Ryan super collector. When I decided to send off my entire Ryan collection for grading I told myself as long as they receive a minimum grade of 5, I'd be happy. Fast forward a couple of years and now I'm "upgrading" my 7's to 9's due to centering. I can honestly say the Number grade has influenced the way I covet cards. Sometimes, I have purchased a card for the number, when I really should be OK with a fine looking lower grade. The way we collect cards is always in flux!

[@BringingTheHeat-VBC]

quit the register and you'll see things different, IMHO. As long as you enjoy it is all that really matter in the long run.

[@DoubleDvintagebaseballcards]

Graig I love that you called us 40 somes young guns 😂😂 I can agree with that 😜👊💪🏻

[@JPW-336]

I think the hobby is very spread out over so many auction sites, social media sales, live selling, card shows, casino vending machines and so on. It’s difficult to get a handle on the whole of it and declare one segment is dying vs flourishing.

[@SplendidSports]

👊I think the PSA 10 premium and buying the grade is peaking now and will come back down to Earth in the future.

[@mcarp2271]

If someone says “buy the card not the grade” then essentially only buys graded cards I think this is pretty hypocritical. 99% of cards out there don’t require authentication. If someone truly ONLY cares about the card then they should study the cards they want and buy a beautiful raw copy at significantly reduced prices right???? In my opinion the grading industry relies heavily on the fact that there is a “hive mind” mind effect in the collecting community as a whole that grading is absolutely critical. I buy beautiful raw vintage 4’s thru 6’s all day at 40 to 60% of graded versions that look worse so the current state of the hobby benefits me. The key was taking the time to understand the sets and what to look for. And NOT buy into this grading hysteria.

[@BringingTheHeat-VBC]

I echo Tony's sentiment as per usual.

[@Hobbyrants]

It's dead. Selling all my cards to Craig at VCC TODAY

[@jude999]

Its the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the economy. And people were so dumb to buy into the hype of modern junk and can't miss prospects; we have been through this numerous times in the hobby. The very top shelf vintage stuff will never go down in price. The rule that never changes is its easy to buy and hard to sell.

[@BringingTheHeat-VBC]

not the people that CAME BACK IN THE HOBBY IN 2019, LOL. People have very short memories for things .