Pencilled In Podcast #70

April 19, 2023, 10:39 AM

A_Biegel

It was my pleasure to be invited as this week’s guest on the Pencilled In Podcast with hosts Ingrid Hardy and Richard Parks. View Episode 70 on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

~Alan

April 19, 2023, 12:11 PM

wolfie

I did, now about this horse you told me to bet on.

April 19, 2023, 12:41 PM

Raven

A nice trip down memory lane and it's funny how all of us in a certain age range, no matter where we lived, still discovered our trading cards at the corner candy store.

I was struck by something you said that is very true, but rarely articulated as a statement from an expert. Non-sport card collecting is now officially an adult hobby.

Gone is the false pretense of trying to get kids into this hobby. They can't afford today's premium cards and by in large they have no interest in them anyhow. They aren't going to have the same fondness for cardboard later on in life as people who grew up in the 70s and 80s either. I don't know where that leaves the hobby 50 years from now, but I doubt that most of us will care.

April 19, 2023, 01:19 PM

A_Biegel

quote:
Originally posted by wolfie:
I did, now about this horse you told me to bet on.

Sun Up in the 6th. It's a sure thing! At least according to Chico Marx.

April 19, 2023, 01:23 PM

A_Biegel

quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
Non-sport card collecting is now officially an adult hobby.

What could help is if card manufacturers advertised their products more, particularly in non-hobby publications, and developed products that appeal specifically to kids.

April 19, 2023, 04:22 PM

Raven

quote:
Originally posted by A_Biegel:
What could help is if card manufacturers advertised their products more, particularly in non-hobby publications, and developed products that appeal specifically to kids.

The only hobby products I see appealing to kids, if we count teenagers in that group, are gaming cards. Technically gaming cards are non-sport, but I view them as a completely separate market. In my LHS they run weekly competitions on a couple of titles and the majority of the crowd there on any given day is buying gaming cards over even the sports cards.

Many non-sport card collectors, including myself, have tried to dabble in gaming cards. Often it's with those having tie-ins to certain titles that they were already following. However it doesn't work out well unless you understand the game and play it. If not, it doesn't take too long to decide that you can't keep up with the many decks and don't really enjoy the cards.

Today even the new cards you would think are made for young children are being highjacked by adult collectors or "investors". Grown men are bidding up "Little Mermaids" and "Mickey Mouse" in the Disney 100th Anniversary product. Now if that's not sad, I don't know what is.

As mentioned in the podcast, licensing costs a lot of money and major titles can only be profitable for bigger manufacturers, who are doing all the big money bells and whistles. Smaller card makers can make niche products that cost less, but its limited and usually custom made to order. Kids can't really get in on that either, assuming they even wanted a certain subject.

Unfortunately, card makers have taken the temperature of the room and decided that kid-oriented products in the age of digital entertainment won't make enough money. Yet it does satisfy gamers to play with cards. So which one, shut out which one, first?

April 19, 2023, 04:35 PM

Ted Dastick Jr.

Thanks for the shout-out, Alan. It feels really good knowing something I did 4 years ago is still appreciated.

April 19, 2023, 09:17 PM

catskilleagle

Yeah, I'm afraid trading cards are static artifacts of a distant age next to the high energy action of a video game. Some kids do like the interactive element of gaming cards. They are part of a game they like. I would say you might be able to sell cards to children around 5-6 years old if they have stickers with them but they grow out of liking something like that fast once they get their own phone.

quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
quote:
Originally posted by A_Biegel:
What could help is if card manufacturers advertised their products more, particularly in non-hobby publications, and developed products that appeal specifically to kids.

The only hobby products I see appealing to kids, if we count teenagers in that group, are gaming cards. Technically gaming cards are non-sport, but I view them as a completely separate market. In my LHS they run weekly competitions on a couple of titles and the majority of the crowd there on any given day is buying gaming cards over even the sports cards.

Many non-sport card collectors, including myself, have tried to dabble in gaming cards. Often it's with those having tie-ins to certain titles that they were already following. However it doesn't work out well unless you understand the game and play it. If not, it doesn't take too long to decide that you can't keep up with the many decks and don't really enjoy the cards.

Today even the new cards you would think are made for young children are being highjacked by adult collectors or "investors". Grown men are bidding up "Little Mermaids" and "Mickey Mouse" in the Disney 100th Anniversary product. Now if that's not sad, I don't know what is.

As mentioned in the podcast, licensing costs a lot of money and major titles can only be profitable for bigger manufacturers, who are doing all the big money bells and whistles. Smaller card makers can make niche products that cost less, but its limited and usually custom made to order. Kids can't really get in on that either, assuming they even wanted a certain subject.

Unfortunately, card makers have taken the temperature of the room and decided that kid-oriented products in the age of digital entertainment won't make enough money. Yet it does satisfy gamers to play with cards. So which one, shut out which one, first?

April 20, 2023, 11:31 AM

Bill Mullins

quote:
Originally posted by wolfie:
I did, now about this horse you told me to bet on.

I got the horse right here,
The name is Paul Revere,
And here's a guy that says if the weather's clear,
Can do,
Can do,
This guys says the horse can do

April 20, 2023, 12:24 PM

A_Biegel

quote:
I got the horse right here,
The name is Paul Revere,
And here's a guy that says if the weather's clear,
Can do,
Can do,
This guys says the horse can do

Nicely Nicely done, Johnson, but I was referring to A Day at the Races.

~Alan