I won't waste everyone's time by repeating myself, but he is essentially against collectors using it, because he believes it's inaccurate and may drive prospective collectors away.
As I mentioned before, I actually agree with many of the guy's points. However I have ultimately made the decision to continue using the term.
The variety of responses in the comment section was truly remarkable. In fact, outside of a few "contest" posts, I'd guess that this was the most feedback I've received on a single post. Even more impressive was the variety of responses.
Some people don't like the term. Others are okay with it. Some people use the term. Some people don't.
The bottom line is that there is no "correct" response. It's an opinion. And even though I didn't agree with every single comment, I do appreciate and respect each and every one of them.
That being said, I want to clarify a few things regarding my views on the hobby and my use of the term "Junk Wax Era":
#1: Let's preface things with an apology to anyone I have offended with the term "Junk Wax Era". I assure you... it wasn't my intention.
#2: I use the term to describe an era of our hobby's history... not the cards themselves.
For example, here are three cards that many collectors would consider to be worth almost nothing:
1988 Topps #262
1989 Donruss #474
1989 Fleer #217
It'd be pretty challenging to find anyone out there who'd be willing to give you more than 10¢ each for these. I've personally never heard of any of these players. However I don't consider any of them to be "junk". All three cards are part of sets and if I threw these away, I'd need to replace them immediately.
#3: I truly love this hobby. I've dedicated thirty-plus years to collecting baseball cards. And although I have taken a few breaks here and there, I've always returned because I enjoy collecting cards, reading card blogs, and communicating with others who share a similar interest.
#4: There was a point in my life where I indeed felt like I was going to make money off of my collection. I've written about this time in my life a few times on this blog.
1987 Topps #320
1987 Topps #80
1987 Topps #653
As it so happens, this took place at the start of the Junk Wax Era when I'd buy boxes and boxes of 1987 Topps at Costco in hopes of one day using the money to pay for college and buy a house. However I have learned the hard way that it's much more fun being a collector than an investor.
#5: I'm not against or for people selling cards for a profit. We're dealing with baseball cards, not crack cocaine. If you want to sell your cards to help finance your child's education or buy a Mickey Mantle rookie card... that's your business. If you want to be buried with your collection... that's fine too.
It's your collection and not my place to judge. I've kept 95% of the cards I've collected over the years, but there have been a handful of times where I've sold stuff at the flea market to make room for new stuff. That being said... I still feel like I'm a true collector.
Well... that's it for today. Have a great week everyone!
Happy Monday and sayonara!
9 comments:
That Kevin Mitchell card is like my Holy Grail of the Dusty cards I have and ever saw.. I can only react in ascii <3<3<3<3<3
You notice I'm still here :)
When I’m old and feeble I’ll sell off my collection for whatever I can get and hopefully use the money wisely. Than another generation can enjoy what I had.
I call it junk wax because it’s easily found and affordable. And to be honest I avoid it for that reason. I don’t want stacks and stack of any of that stuff around. I hoard enough lol.
I hear you on the true collector and selling too. I haven’t ever sold a card but traded many. But I don’t hold it against those that need to. Unless all you do is buy and sell them your not really a collector that’s all lol
Ana Lu - It's a classic card. If I ever try my hand at TTM's, I'd want to get this card signed by him.
Billy Kingsley - Good to see you here Billy! Good to see you here.
Baltmoss68 - I probably will too. Maybe not the entire collection, but I might need to focus on quality rather than quantity.
Sport Card Collectors - I definitely have a fair share of duplicates sitting in my collection. However... they're often key rookie cards... and not 1990 Donruss Billy Ripkens.
That 87 Mitchell is one of my favorite signed cards.
Congratulations! I'm tempted to track one down for my collection. I have one sitting in my TTM binder, but since I didn't get it in person, I don't know if it's real.
I'm all for the use of the phrase. Just the name of an era. It isn't a personal shot at anyone. And I still purchase boxes of cards from the era at card shows . I like the cards and it is fun. Another good post.
Agree 100%. I actually regret passing up some 1988 and 1989 Fleer wax boxes I saw at the flea market last month for $5 each. The entertainment and nostalgic value alone would have been worth the price.
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