It saddens me to say after almost 40 years of collecting non-sport cards I am leaving the hobby. I quit collecting sets in the early 90's due to the mass release of sets that were coming out (all of which I really wanted) and just collected the promo cards. Now with all the convention, book, dealer, show promos not to mention the supposedly limited edition promos, I have lost interest in continuing in the hobby. My collection is over 15,000 at last count a couple of years ago not sure how many now just not interested in even finding out. For something that was designed to be free it is amazing how much we (I've) paid to have these cards in our (my) collection. I'm not sure if I am going to sell or keep at this point. I'm still deciding what I want to do, but I know I am through with the hobby. Saddens me really I did really enjoy it. I would like to thank RR Parks for following the tradition of free promo cards to bad everybody else wasn't the same way, I might have even got back into collecting the sets and would probably still be in this hobby. I know I have not commented much on this forum but I have enjoyed everybody's comments and thoughts. Best wishes to everybody and thanks to everybody I have dealt with over the yours.
Jeff

Sorry I misspelled a few things last word should be years

Jeff don't quit!!
I too got very disillusioned by the state of the promo card hobby several years ago. in fact, I just commented on that very topic last week in the rare promo cards thread and won't repeat myself here.
However, you would be AMAZED how many THOUSANDS of promo cards made between 1998 and 2008 are not listed in PCE or anywhere else for that matter. To date, I have over 25,000 different promos from that time period and continually find unmentioned ones.
Instead of leaving the hobby, please consider doing a little research or talking with me or some of the other promo cards collectors on this forum.
I don't collect newer promo cards for the same reasons you are giving, but having uncovered so many "older" promos in the last few years, I have never regretted not collecting those made after 2008.
In fact, I am much more satisfied now as a collector, because instead of chasing a pipe dream, I am actually compiling a solid, worthy collection, with few holes and have acquired a lot of knowledge and information about the early days of promo card collecting along the way. so, don't throw the baby out with the bath water sir.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: promoking,

I'm sorry to see this, Jeff. Its always a shame when the hobby looses a good collector like yourself. And I'm sorry to hear you feel this way about the state of the hobby.

Just saw this post in passing and, even though I am not a promo collector at all, your feelings are kind of universal to this hobby and understandable to any long time card collector of any segment. Many of us have had this ebb and flow in the past few years. I myself switched out from sports cards to non-sport cards to get away from what I started to view as a lose-lose situation. Now to some extent it has seeped into non-sport also, but I am not looking to quit this time. Slow down maybe, narrow my focus certainly, but I enjoy cards too much to give it up.

What I wanted to say was that there is no reason to dump all your collection, short of having to do it for financial necessity, and than that would not be a choice. You can't replace this stuff in real time. Not just because of the lump sum money involved, but you just can't find some of it again. It's an accomplishment to have amassed over 15,000 promos and you wouldn't have done it if it wasn't fun.

So it's not fun now. Maybe you can get it back if you concentrate on a smaller scale, maybe you'll see something new, maybe you won't. None of that diminishes the cards you already have and the memories they bring. You don't have to make any decision at all right now. Please take your time with it, but good luck whatever you do.

Jeff, sorry to hear you quitting too, but I understand, and of course made the same decision myself.

Good knowing you and communicating about cards over the years...

Best of luck...

Mike.

Before you really quit, you should consider taking a break from collecting cards for a while whether weeks or months or even a couple of years. I've been in and out of the hobby before and have read on other forums how people are surprised how members can disappear. Hey, sometimes, life intrudes. People move or lose a job, get a new one, or get married or have a baby. Sometimes, your time just gets filled by other things. In your case your hobby has become a point of frustration rather than recreation.

I stopped trying to find every rare promo years ago even before it seemed like every set had at least one near-impossible version to find. Who really wants a card with a Shar Pei on it anyway?

If I were you, get out of collecting cards for s while. Go to a bookstore or library and find stuff to read. Learn to draw or build a couple of model airplanes. Hang onto your cards. After some time appropriate for you, you might get back into collecting or you might just find a new sense of enjoyment with what you already have.

quote:

Originally posted by jeff:
It saddens me to say after almost 40 years of collecting non-sport cards I am leaving the hobby. I quit collecting sets in the early 90's due to the mass release of sets that were coming out (all of which I really wanted) and just collected the promo cards. Now with all the convention, book, dealer, show promos not to mention the supposedly limited edition promos, I have lost interest in continuing in the hobby. My collection is over 15,000 at last count a couple of years ago not sure how many now just not interested in even finding out. For something that was designed to be free it is amazing how much we (I've) paid to have these cards in our (my) collection. I'm not sure if I am going to sell or keep at this point. I'm still deciding what I want to do, but I know I am through with the hobby. Saddens me really I did really enjoy it. I would like to thank RR Parks for following the tradition of free promo cards to bad everybody else wasn't the same way, I might have even got back into collecting the sets and would probably still be in this hobby. I know I have not commented much on this forum but I have enjoyed everybody's comments and thoughts. Best wishes to everybody and thanks to everybody I have dealt with over the yours.
Jeff

I understand fully the sentiment behind the original post. I sympathize. I went down the same path with comics, toys, cards, etc. etc. ad nauseum. I also moved twice, went through a few job changes, got caught up in life, etc. I just stopped...for 10-12 years. Most of my stuff is in boxes or is hard to access and no longer organized. About a week or two ago, an interest sparked and I am back again. It will be a slow process and many of the things I found unappealing in the industry seem more prevalent than ever. I am going to dig my stuff out box-by-box and try to trade into complete sets. Once I make headway, I will see how I feel about newer offerings. In the meantime, I am going to try and get years of shuffling into a usable order. I hope the dropping out for you is temporary. I replaced my card collecting apathy with collecting other stuff. Maybe that could work for you for a while. Either way, I wish you luck and happiness.

Jeff... I just saw this post and I completely understand your thoughts.

Hopefully it is a temporary thing.

I have quit collecting many times over the years, but I always came back.

Sometimes I would quit collecting and that would last a couple of days and I also went a couple of years without collecting.

Various things have made me "quit" collecting... Like everyday life or just frustration in how the hobby was headed at the time.

I still think of quitting every once in a while... Just thinking of the money, time and energy I spend in the hobby.

But, I feel it will always be a part of me.

I guess it keeps me "young" in some weird way.

Good Luck to you and hopefully you will come back oneday!

Nope i am leaving the hobby hence why I have not been on here till today and actually trying to figure out how I want to dispose of my collection, still counting but well over 10,000 promos doubles not included, would like to sell the entire collection just trying to figure out how, no time to list everything on ebay.

Contact several of the larger eBay dealers, a few of them are on Card Talk, but I can't mention names. Float the idea of a bulk sale and see if any of them bite. Don't let them cherry pick, it's all or nothing. Maybe you will get an offer and maybe you won't. If you don't, at least find out what they are interested in and you might change your stance.

Also canvas dealers close to your home base if possible. If you could avoid shipping, it would make life so much easier. However you may find that you don't have that option at all.

About nine years ago I wanted to sell a fairly large collection of gaming cards that I had lost interest in. They were older versions and had a good value. No dealer would take the lot at even half price. They only wanted certain cards and maybe 10% on the rest. Some didn't want them at any price. It was disappointing since I had put so much more money into it, forget about the time, but I did not want to waste any more time getting rid of them.

I wound up with a dealer who gave me decent prices on the big cards and about 20% on the main lot. It was the best I could get for bulk, but believe me when I say that I would have rather just thrown them out than accept some of the offers I got.

Jeff,
Please contact me.

I hear you Jeff. I've vacillated numerous times about quitting. It seems the card dealers are making every effort possible to push me away from the hobby (almost impossible to complete parallel and promo sets, filling the boxes with cards I can get on E-bay for 1/4 the price of the box, not even making opening a case a thrill anymore, being indifferent to a damaged card I pulled form a box I bought.) It's discouraging and fun at the same time. Although so far the 'fun' is slightly outweighing the discouragement,the old frustration is slowly creeping closer and closer.

When you see things like the 3 new Walking Dead metal promos, only 50 of each made, it make ME want to quit, also !

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
When you see things like the 3 new Walking Dead metal promos, only 50 of each made, it make ME want to quit, also !

But how is that even considered promos?

I mean, I'm not up on this, so I'm just taking your word for it. This would just be like an insider gift to me. I would never expect to just be given one and I sure as heck would never buy one at market price.

Instead of allowing this nonsense to drive people out of the hobby, why don't collectors reject it in mass? Why don't they say I will not support products that include mega-rare cards, be it promos, inserts, incentives, hits, post-expansion cards, whatever?

Card companies will do what works. They are making this stuff because it works. When it hurts sales they will stop. Negative posts do no good and quitting everything does no good. Stop buying what you don't like and be sure to tell the manufacturer why. If others keep it going, so be it. You know better than to be led by the nose or forced away from the whole hobby!

If the back says "Coming in 2016, Walking Dead Metal Cards ! Collect all 100 !! ", then to me it is a promo

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
If the back says "Coming in 2016, Walking Dead Metal Cards ! Collect all 100 !! ", then to me it is a promo

It certainly is a promo according to the maker, I was not questioning that at all. What I was trying to say was that it is illogical to make 50 copies of something that is supposed to advertise an upcoming product. Are 50 people supposed to see it? Will that sell the product? Of course not. So what purpose does it serve except to make some collectors chase them for foolish amounts and make other collectors angry at not being able to chase them. Really they should be ignored, but that's not how it goes, yet.

Just 1 of many reasons i'm leaving. Promoking you can contact me via email JPTSAMS@COMCAST.NET

No, when you make only 50 copies, the goal is not advertisement. I don't know how it became known that there was a super-rare Walking Dead promo, but the company knew people would talk about it for that reason. It would get the attention of every diehard completist collector of the show as well as general promo/advertising collectors. Even if the company gave away every single one of them, not making a cent, the chatter among collectors was well worth whatever it cost to print them.

I think if it's something that was given to some dealers who have bought a lot of product, then it's a nice "thank you" and I would hope that a few of the other dealers who don't buy as much but buy regularly would get one too. At that point the dealer can choose to sell it at the going rate or reward a good customer by giving him or her first shot and/or a good deal on it. A couple of dealers have even given me promos I would have bought and I am hardly a big spender.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

It certainly is a promo according to the maker, I was not questioning that at all. What I was trying to say was that it is illogical to make 50 copies of something that is supposed to advertise an upcoming product. Are 50 people supposed to see it? Will that sell the product? Of course not. So what purpose does it serve except to make some collectors chase them for foolish amounts and make other collectors angry at not being able to chase them. Really they should be ignored, but that's not how it goes, yet.

What about this other new trend of starting promo sets as promos, and then continuing them as chase cards ?

Benchwarmer has done this with the Dreamgirls set. Promos 1-18 were in NSU, 19-22 at Philly, and later 23 onwards were chase cards

I think Benchwarmer has done this with a 2nd set, also

And now Cryptozoic has done this with Penny Dreadful. The first 8 or 9 promos will be in the packs or boxes later on