I am old enough to remember when boxes of Topps Finest Baseball cards were not $400.
Looks like I am also now old enough to remember when they were $400.
Greedflation at its finest.
Luckily, for us collectors on a budget, there are people who buy $400 boxes and sell the single cards on Ebay. Finest comes with two autographs per $400 box, so I started out trying to find a nice pair of autographs for less than $400. I ended up find 3 autographs rather than two. The total cost of the three cards was less than $20 after shipping. All three cards fit perfectly into my little collection of baseball cards.
First, an autograph of Giants catcher Patrick Bailey.
I have several other cards of Bailey in my collection from his time playing at NC State and USA Baseball, but this is my first autograph of him since he turned pro a few years back. Patrick has shortened his signature down considerable over the years.......
but I still love this Finest autograph. Beyond attending NC State, Patrick Bailey also was the Giants catcher for Blake Snell's no-hitter. I really need to post some more Patrick Bailey autographs. Maybe next Monday......
The Bailey autograph was the majority of the not-quite-$20 I spent on these three cards.
Next up is a pair of Durham Bulls players, one current and one former.
Curtis Mead is a consensus Top 100 prospect with Baseball Prospectus ranking him highest at 42. Mead actually spent several weeks up with the Rays, but struggled with his bat before being demoted back to Durham. I am a big fan of the Australian third baseman and think he has a bright future somewhere.
Last card.
Anywho, his cards are very inexpensive and I enjoyed watching him play for the Bulls.
I had no idea that Finest boxes had gotten that high. I know that people pay a lot more for boxes of cards these days, but I couldn't imagine paying $400 for a modern box of anything.
ReplyDeletePrices are higher, yields are lower, but people keep paying for boxes. It's crazy.
DeleteThat price is plain stupidity. I wonder what the collective IQ of the hobby is right now?
ReplyDeleteI saw Durham play Sunday. Curtis Mead was playing. Jonathan Aranda hit a grand slam.
Not very high. Aranda is a fun player, wish the Rays would call him up.
DeleteThings are a little crazy right now with Topps and Fanatics. I feel like they are totally taking advantage of a semi-hot hobby... but it'll most likely bite them in the butt when the market crashes. There's no way people continue to pay this kind of money for boxes like this. I actually think it's even worse with 2024 Topps Chrome baseball. $40 for a blaster? That's insane.
ReplyDeleteI do not see how it can continue at this rate. The products are so expensive and the returns are so mediocre.
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