While no one can predict what will happen to an industry, you can use clues to figure out what might happen.
Seeing videos, even short ones online, was a sign that streaming was going to be possible, which disrupted the theater industry and much more.
That’s what you should expect in the card-collecting industry. Changes are brewing below the surface, and it’s wise to pay attention to those changes so that you know what to expect in the future.
The Increase in Prices
One thing that’s changing in the industry is the price of collectible cards. The hobby started with kids collecting free cards in cigarette packs.
Yes, if you don’t know, the first baseball cards were placed in cigarette boxes to prevent the cigarettes from breaking. The cards were for adults, but they hardly paid attention to them. It was the kids who collected them. They didn’t have to pay for them at the time, and now the price of cards is through the roof.
There are many reasons why the price of cards is going up. For one, the interest is rising in popularity. For a few decades, the interest in collectibles dropped, but the pandemic changed that.
The pandemic made folks turn to hobbies they could do from home, like card collecting. People went back to their boxes of collectible cards and relived the hobby. Some started to research their collections to see if they were worth anything. A few were lucky as their cards appreciated. People traded and sold many collectible cards during the pandemic; the number jumped significantly.
The newfound interest in cards has been driving the price of cards up, and that probably won’t stop. Now that people are into the hobby again, it’s hard to let it go. Sport collectible stores have been closed for some time, but once the pandemic is over, people are going to rush back to these stores, which should help propel the industry to new heights.
The other reason prices might be spiking deals with investors. For a long time, just card lovers and sports lovers cared about these cards, but that’s no longer the case. Investors are looking for something with an appreciating value.
Investors don’t care about the cards or whatever they get into; they care about the money they could make on each card. These folks have the cash to burn, so bidding wars might get overwhelming. This isn’t to say that hobby collectors don’t have that kind of cash. There’s bound to be some who are doing as well as these investors, but the investors could price out regular folks who just love the hobby.
Part of the fun of collecting is being able to connect to others who care about your sport, the team, and the players you admire. People who are only in this for the gains may not care, so the chances of connecting and having something fun to say are low. This might suck the fun out of collecting. There’s no way of telling if this will happen, but there’s no doubt investors are starting to pay attention to this hobby.
The Introduction of the Digital Card
Yes, cards could get pricier in the future, but there’s another aspect of the collectible card that should be highlighted, which is the digital card. The digital card is definitely, at least in part, the future of this hobby. Some will probably resist this for a while, which makes some sense.
You can’t hold digital cards. They stay in your online account. It’s kind of strange to say that a digital card holds value, but that’s what’s happening. These types of cards aren’t only collectibles; they’re also used as tools to play things like fantasy baseball online.
It’s important to know that digital cards are traded easily because it’s all done online. You don’t even have to meet the people you’re trading with, and you’ll be able to trade with more people since the web connects you to everyone around the world.
The future of card collecting isn’t set in stone, but there’s definitely something brewing. Those prices are something to keep an eye on, and the digital card could start to disrupt the industry in ways no one can predict just yet. If you’re going into card collecting, make sure you keep an eye on these developments.
