Back in early the 1970s, when I was a kid, I would save up my weekly allowance, and every Saturday I would ride my bike to the corner drug store to buy Packs of Kustom Cars and Wacky Packages. I thank my parents not only for the money id earn from doing odd jobs for that money. But for the good sense in teaching me the value of being neat and taking care of things so they last. To this day I still have a good portion of those cards. I am not only glad since the value is much greater now then it was in those old days, but because they are just downright fun, and in keeping with my title, a trend that NEVER died for myself as well as many others. I KNOW Harris is down with Wacky Packs But onto other trends. I have seen in the past few decades so many trends in Nonsports cards. Everything from bubble gum inserts (wackypacks), to stickers (star wars cards), to the early holograms (marvel universe), to autograph cards (Fantasy & Pinup sets), to Prop cards (Harry Potter & Chocolate Factory), on through today whereas now, the big thing seems to be sketch cards of every kind and variation. Pack pulled, AP's, Commisions, Vampirella etc etc. Yeah theyre way cool but IMHO they will be replaced by a new trend in collectible cards. I have not the vision or foresite to predict what exactly it will be but. I am certain it will make todays sketch card craze seem much like the old sticker craze of olden days. This is not by any means a bad thing. I mean even i like some of them. We should all collect what we like. But one last thing I want to say. I can think of one trend that will most likely never fade. It has been around since long before even cool stuff from the 70s. Marvel. What is it about Marvel, comics, cards, movies, stuff in general that keeps generations interested? Its all about heros. And people love heros.

Heros. Especialy super ones take us to places we can only dream about. They solve the daily problems of life and its trials so easily. Simply thru super speed, strength or abilities. They make our world nice again and succede against all obstacles. Searching out and conquering evil or simply reminding us of how wonderful honesty and virtue is. Superman did it with a smile. Batman did it with gritted teeth. Thor did it with the toss of a hammer. I suppose we love heros, especially super ones so much because deep down inside we want to be like them. We relate to them on some level. So in reality, its not fantasy at all. Heros are alive and well every day, all around us. I suppose they will never die. Maybe the next new trend will have something to do with our love of heros, or maybe that has always been the case.

I think the next trend will be video cards. Upper deck has started doing this in limited sports products and it would seem logical for it to be in comic type cards. This would be Marvel Motion to the next level.

I have not seen the sports versions to say what sort of quality they have to them but with technology today it can't be that bad.

quote:

Originally posted by peterc:
Heros. Especialy super ones take us to places we can only dream about. They solve the daily problems of life and its trials so easily. Simply thru super speed, strength or abilities. They make our world nice again and succede against all obstacles. Searching out and conquering evil or simply reminding us of how wonderful honesty and virtue is. Superman did it with a smile. Batman did it with gritted teeth. Thor did it with the toss of a hammer. I suppose we love heros, especially super ones so much because deep down inside we want to be like them.

I had to smile when I read your first post because I remember going to the "candy store" to pick up comics and cards with my allowance money too. I'm sorry that kids of today don't get to do it in the same way because they can't afford it or they just don't enjoy it. A lot of comics and cards are made and marketed to adults only.

I'm not sure that comic readers want to be like superheroes anymore, more like they want superheroes to be like them with all their super faults. There still is Superman, Batman, Thor and all the usual suspects of course, but they are not the same. They have evolved to remain relevant with the rest of the world and frankly, they are not fun anymore. And if you really want to get depressed try a graphic novel.

I like the innovations in non-sport cards, the certified autographs especially. The sketch cards are being overproduced, but it doesn't matter because a quality sketch will hold its value. Prop cards are cool, but material cards have become too generic and I don't have much appeal to me, especially for the ones with little to no information.

The only recent tread I see is that premium pack releases have slowed down, but too many big autograph cards in traditional boxes limited to 1 or 2 per case are starting out with prices $150 - $350. I think a lot of non-sport collectors will counter by becoming more focused and downsizing their collections to keep the cost manageable. I expect that new titles and some old ones are going to see less support because there is only so much money to go around.

I hope Heroes aren't the next big trend - I don't really like them much. And besides, they have been a mainstay of the hobby for decades.

Seems like sketches are the wave of the future, but these can get old too. If you get a great one, it really feels good, but get a skunky sketch, and it burns.

The best new trend is sets like Cult Stuff, where they mark packs A,B or C, so you can build a set without amassing a pile of extras. The boxed sets with sketches and inserts, like Breygents Vampirella and Red Sonja are something we will see more of too.

To me, autographs are still the big hit - I love them more than any other insert, and while many companies are going to stickers, The signed card is still the best insert I can pull.

Yes- I remember biking to the local store to buy packs of Davy Crockett, Mars Attacks, and Wacky Plaks, it was a great time.

In the 90's, I always save the money from Christmas and my parents allowance to buy trading cards and comics. For trading cards I never manage to buy a new product sealed box or buy the comics direct edition covers with foil, embossed, hologram, etc. But I was happy and understand the meaning of how hard is to get some money.

I have friends to trade/sell cards and to share comic books to read. And there was always somebody that was ready to talk about their collectibles.

Also I will never forget here in PR the Pepsi cards fever. For info, the Pepsi cards were technically the Marvel Flair 1994 base set cut to 100 cards (I forget the exact quantity) and the Insert cards were Marvel Universe 1994 Foil cards transformed to Prism cards. The base set was very difficult to complete.

was glad people read this, and had good memories come to mind

quote:

Originally posted by peterc:

I KNOW Harris is down with Wacky Packs

Yes but he has seen the doctor this morning and it is hoped he will get better soon.

I predict the next sports/non-sports card trend will be e-ink cards. The technology is there, manufacturing costs have to go down before it can be put to practical use.

I foresee moving/scrolling text & moving video on high-end chase cards in about 2-3 years.

quote:

Originally posted by mintoncard:
I predict the next sports/non-sports card trend will be e-ink cards. The technology is there, manufacturing costs have to go down before it can be put to practical use.

I foresee moving/scrolling text & moving video on high-end chase cards in about 2-3 years.

Interesting idea

quote:

To me, autographs are still the big hit - I love them more than any other insert, and while many companies are going to stickers, The signed card is still the best insert I can pull.

Well non sport is almost exclusively on card. The only exception is the Leaf Pop Century product, and it may be going to on card. Rittenhouse, Breygent and Cryptozoic have almost no sticker autos (Breygent had a few for their first Ghost Whisperer product, but those were bought from Inkworks).

Inkworks had started going to stickers before they went under, but only produced three sets with them (as far as know on Supernatural Connections, Supernatural Season 3, and The Spirit were done with stickers).

quote:

Originally posted by mintoncard:
I predict the next sports/non-sports card trend will be e-ink cards. The technology is there, manufacturing costs have to go down before it can be put to practical use.

I foresee moving/scrolling text & moving video on high-end chase cards in about 2-3 years.

I'm not sure what you mean by e-ink. Topps used to have eTopps releases, and they have this program where you unlock cards online. eTopps was successful for a while, but isn't as popular as it used to be.

There have been video cards released for Football already.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:


Yes but he has seen the doctor this morning and it is hoped he will get better soon.

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Bartowski:

quote:

To me, autographs are still the big hit - I love them more than any other insert, and while many companies are going to stickers, The signed card is still the best insert I can pull.

Well non sport is almost exclusively on card. The only exception is the Leaf Pop Century product, and it may be going to on card. Rittenhouse, Breygent and Cryptozoic have almost no sticker autos (Breygent had a few for their first Ghost Whisperer product, but those were bought from Inkworks).

Inkworks had started going to stickers before they went under, but only produced three sets with them (as far as know on Supernatural Connections, Supernatural Season 3, and The Spirit were done with stickers).

X-Files 2 Movie had sticker autos from Inkworks.

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Bartowski:

quote:

Originally posted by mintoncard:
I predict the next sports/non-sports card trend will be e-ink cards. The technology is there, manufacturing costs have to go down before it can be put to practical use.

I foresee moving/scrolling text & moving video on high-end chase cards in about 2-3 years.

I'm not sure what you mean by e-ink. Topps used to have eTopps releases, and they have this program where you unlock cards online. eTopps was successful for a while, but isn't as popular as it used to be.

There have been video cards released for Football already.

E Ink (electrophoretic ink) is a specific proprietary type of electronic paper manufactured by E Ink Corporation, founded in 1997 based on research started at the MIT Media Lab. It is currently available commercially in grayscale and color and is commonly used in mobile devices such as e-readers and, to a lesser extent, mobile phones and watches.