http://www.businessinsider.com...ctually-exist-2016-8

I actually like them and have had a fun time with the app collecting Star Wars cards (as well as Baseball and Football).

An interesting article obviously written from the point of view of a true believer in digital cards, as he claims, or someone with a vested interest in the business.

From TOPPS, "For many people, the younger generation obviously, it's really the only way they've experienced trading cards." Oh really, then TOPPS must have been doing a pretty poor job of it all these years.

I'm not arguing about the right for people to have this option. Its your money, do what you enjoy (up to a point of course ), but I do get peeved when I am supposed to accept that something that is popular is wise just because a lot of other people have been talked into doing. Mother's question, if all your friends jumped off the bridge, would you?

Younger generations now have their heads buried in their Smart Phones. If they wanted to find real trading cards they could, but they are being programed to live in the virtual world. They want possessions in the virtual world and they are happy to live out of cardboard boxes at home. Society is changing and nobody wants to call stupid "stupid" because everyone's choices must be respected.

That's fine, but when I spend real money I want a real object in my hand, not a picture in a virtual vault of a non-existent item. Just call me stupid.

Heh, heh, not stupid, just old.
Like me.
I, too, prefer something more tangible. Even so, I'm all for people having virtual fun.
Less of a mess to clean up after, right?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chesspieceface:
Heh, heh, not stupid, just old. /QUOTE]

It's beginning to feel more like ancient.

To each their own, so collect what you will. My issue is that digital cards are not cards anymore than a picture of a sandwich is really a sandwich. A digital card is nothing more than a picture of a card as opposed to a real physical object.

True, but if something ever happens in the physical world and the only way for humanity to survive is to have the remaining people converted into pure energy and projected into a digital world, think of the leg up the people who were already collecting digital cards will have on the rest of us.
Better get a couple, just to be safe...

I vaguely remember a story and think it was about Confucius residing over a case of a poor man who was eating a bowl of plain rice but then found more enjoyment in his meal from the delicious scents of food drifting from a nearby restaurant. The restaurant owner found about that and thought he should be compensated for the man's added enjoyment. The judge ruled in the owner's favor but noted that since the man did not receive the actual food - just the smell of it - then the owner was owed only the sound of the money (falling from one hand to another) not the actual money.

Yeah, call me old too. You won't see me paying real money for cards that can be seen only on a screen.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
An interesting article obviously written from the point of view of a true believer in digital cards, as he claims, or someone with a vested interest in the business.

That uses some real-world numbers and figures to prove things.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan Cracknell:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
An interesting article obviously written from the point of view of a true believer in digital cards, as he claims, or someone with a vested interest in the business.

That uses some real-world numbers and figures to prove things.

And to promote things, like TOPPS virtual card line and digital cards in general. It was not meant to be a balanced article, its a PR piece.

Is there a market for digital cards? You bet there is. Should there be a market for digital cards? Well that answer depends on who you are asking.

Based on the card count of the various free cards that are occasionally given out, there are at least 20000 active accounts in star wars. At least some of them would be 'credit farms' (fake accounts held by one person to open packs to sell the cards), but let's say 10000 players. So it's not small.

The reason I do this (and even pay money) is that there is trading and trading is easy - no mailing the card, no customs duties, no ... I find someone with the card I want and offer what I want to offer, they hit the button for accept or decline (or counter). Opening the packs has the same luck dip feel of physical card packs (and, like real cards, is much more expensive than buying the same cards on eBay) but trading is something that has all but disappeared in physical cards.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:


Is there a market for digital cards? You bet there is. Should there be a market for digital cards? Well that answer depends on who you are asking.

What's wrong with people spending the money they earn on what they enjoy (within the confines of the law, of course)? Whether we like something or not shouldn't mean we automatically dismiss or put down others every time they like the opposite. And, yes, there's a difference between being critical and being chronically dismissive.

digital cards - nothing like buying and trading something that does not exist - if this is the future of non sports cards count me out

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan Cracknell:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:


Is there a market for digital cards? You bet there is. Should there be a market for digital cards? Well that answer depends on who you are asking.

What's wrong with people spending the money they earn on what they enjoy (within the confines of the law, of course)? Whether we like something or not shouldn't mean we automatically dismiss or put down others every time they like the opposite. And, yes, there's a difference between being critical and being chronically dismissive.

This is true. Look at all the people out there having fun catching virtual Pokémon, for instance. They don't catch real ones, like I do (they are delicious), but I still don't begrudge them their good time.

As for digital cards totally replacing actual cards, I think we're still some ways from that. Interestingly, after completely reshaping the hobby, and not always in a good way, it's the modern phenomenon of autograph/sketch/relic cards that will ultimately keep real cards being manufactured, both sports and non-sports alike.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
This is true. Look at all the people out there having fun catching virtual Pokémon, for instance. They don't catch real ones, like I do (they are delicious), but I still don't begrudge them their good time.

HA-HAHAHAHA!!! Too funny!!

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
As for digital cards totally replacing actual cards, I think we're still some ways from that. Interestingly, after completely reshaping the hobby, and not always in a good way, it's the modern phenomenon of autograph/sketch/relic cards that will ultimately keep real cards being manufactured, both sports and non-sports alike.

Indeed. Man, I still remember when Game-Worn uniform swatches hit the baseball card market (was that '96? '97?) The first cards, I believe, were from UD - Tony Gwynn (have one in my personal collection, 'natch), Griffey Jr, I think and Rey Ordonez (sp?) (well, two out of three ain't bad, lol) Wow, those early game-worn cards were expensive; upwards of $100 for star players. Then around 2001 the market was completely saturated and you could pick up a top player's swatch or bat card for around $15 (or less). Oh well.

But to your original point, yes, it is the autograph cards and the sketch cards that keep me interested in the new sets coming out these days. And although I would only ever pay money for something that I could physically possess, if others find happiness in having a virtual collection, who am I to judge? Come to think of it, a virtual collection would sure free up a lot of storage space in my spare bedroom.

I have loads of photos of my more valuable cards taken for insurance purposes.

If any of you digital collectors out there want to pay me to send the photo to you I am happy to oblige .

I have to admit that my first impression of SWT was not very stellar, and quit using it for a while. I've since gotten to using it once a day, I still don't use all of its features... in my opinion it still needs to be much more user friendly than its current state. I certainly wouldn't pay for pix... unless I had a way to keep them, of course. And at this point, I cannot, without the app. This compares to the business model of Apple... I am not a fan of Apple for the same thing. You're not buying an Apple computer- you're buying into the franchise.

I compare this to MP3's, and that's a can of worms unto itself LOL. My opinion is if I pay for music- I want something that I can use ANYWHERE- at any time, on any device.

quote:

Originally posted by Triple-Frog:
I have loads of photos of my more valuable cards taken for insurance purposes.

I've never understood this. Just because you have a photo of the card how does this prove you actually own it?

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:

quote:

Originally posted by Triple-Frog:
I have loads of photos of my more valuable cards taken for insurance purposes.

I've never understood this. Just because you have a photo of the card how does this prove you actually own it?

It can prove that you did own it, but maybe not that you still owned it at the time of whatever happened.

You would have to be talking about truly valuable, probably vintage cards, that come with purchase documentation. You need receipts and a concrete evaluation of current value.

Insurance companies will write policies and collect premiums for anything you want. The fun starts when you make a claim and an adjuster tells you what they need to see before you can collect a dime. In NYC we are still trying to collect on Hurricane Sandy property damage to homes from 4 years ago. Lots of luck if any of those homeowners had their trading card collections insured too.

Except they're not cards... literally by definition. But anyway, I've no problem with their existence as an alternative bit of fun for people to spend their money on, should they wish to. People should still call them what they are, which is digital images, not cards (to be honest, you may as well start scanning real cards and pretending you now have those in your "collection" too), but as a replacement for actual cards? That would kill the hobby overnight for me. Not least of which because you immediately lose the most important parts of the hobby, like autographs, relics, and sketches. Those can never be replaced in a digital way and be anything other than photos of real things.

Also, let's not kid ourselves, Topps and co. can make all the excuses they want, but the real and only reason they're pushing digital cards as a thing is because it costs them virtually nothing to produce and the profit margins are massive. It's a money maker, and only that.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:
Except they're not cards... literally by definition. But anyway, I've no problem with their existence as an alternative bit of fun for people to spend their money on, should they wish to. People should still call them what they are, which is digital images, not cards

. . . I dunno. . . I only hear people say they are racing cars or unlocking cars when playing Gran Tourismo (or any other racing video game). No one says I've unlocked a digital representation of a Ferrari.