OK, so I think about this all the time. I realize that nothing is all smiles and rainbows, but I just wonder how many people here regularly dream / think about opening their own card company? Or do you think it would make being a collector less fun?

Card manufacturers should not feel threatened by this thread. I am not staging a coup, I promise.

I owned a comic book store for many years. It made reading comics a lot less fun because I was "in the know" on events months in advance. I read a lot more books to stay on top of things. In the end, It took away from my "personal" time with a hobby of mine. My readership has never fully recovered from my time owning a shop.

So, I will be happy not owning a card company!

I think most people think it would be great fun, that would soon wear off the minute they tried to put a set of something out.

Actually, I have some experience in such a venture, just so happens!

Lemme share a little here...

A few years ago, I got the idea to create a 'virtual' card set. So, the process went straight through from the idea, to the creative design, the subject research, the set layout, the I.T. aspect of viewing, packaging, and distribution, which included file type selection, viewer program selection, and website creation. All of this was done solely by myself, and took almost two years to complete, just in my spare time.

I originally had intended to make ten sets of a series! Rather ambitious, yes, I do admit LOL. However, once I had the method in place, it could have been done with not nearly so much work as the startup, to continue after the first. I did get the first series complete, and it was made available at no cost, with the option to donate, which I intended to use for site fees. I didn't expect much, and got even less...

However, it was a big learning experience! I can fully appreciate how much work goes into creating a card set, even if it is just a base set. Actually, the base set takes the most work! Believe it.

By the way, the virtual card set I created was called "Events of the 20th Century". The first series I finished covered the years 1900 to 1909, with a bonus for the year 2000. It covered noteworthy events from all over the world, fashion trends, inventions, and births/deaths of famous people. (In that sense, I learned a lot about how much change the 20th century saw, as well). It could be downloaded to your computer for zero cost.

Ultimately, I gained more experience from it than anything else. Not too many people were interested, I had very little feedback, and I didn't make a cent doing it LOL. Maybe there is a market somewhere, I still feel it has potential in some form or another, but that aspect exceeded my grasp.

As you can see, the experience has given me a unique appreciation for the process involved in producing collector cards

I never considered going into card manufacturing. Seems like a lot of work with many things that can go wrong. Also I have no real experience in the business end of card manufacturing.

If I had a dream job it would be to own a hobby store selling cards, comics, models, etc. Not that I think you could make a lot of money with that these days. If it paid for itself I would be happy.

Thanks for the responses.

I think I would like to try it if I was independently wealthy, but I am not, nor will I ever be. I would do it to put out sets for shows I feel like got missed.

That would probably be fun, but being independently wealthy might, in some ways, be the reason for that more than the card company.

I've thought about it. . . Had a partner, concept and started the prep to get a set going. . . unfortunately at the time there weren't as many printing options as there are now, so we bailed due to printing costs/quality. I think with the printers available now for small press guys we could have made a go of it. . .

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
I've thought about it. . . Had a partner, concept and started the prep to get a set going. . . unfortunately at the time there weren't as many printing options as there are now, so we bailed due to printing costs/quality. I think with the printers available now for small press guys we could have made a go of it. . .

Printing costs have gone down dramatically over the last decade. If you played your cards right, you might even be able to use higher-end consumer-grade printers and put out a decent set, but you would have be very good at quality assurance checks... Oh and VERY patient.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Komodo:
By the way, the virtual card set I created was called "Events of the 20th Century". [QUOTE]

I actually liked that set ... and I still have it! I thought that it was very well done.

Thanks RevJay- glad you liked it, I appreciate the compliment, and surprised you still have it!

quote:

Originally posted by fuchaldream:
Printing costs have gone down dramatically over the last decade. If you played your cards right, you might even be able to use higher-end consumer-grade printers and put out a decent set, but you would have be very good at quality assurance checks... Oh and VERY patient.

With printing costs what they are now I wouldn't even attempt to print a set myself. . . I actually think cutting would be a bigger challenge at home than printing. . . but there are great easily accessible printers now so that's not an issue. . . when we looked at doing this they were telling us we needed 4 color plates made and just the cost of making the plates was insane. . .

I work in the design world for a living, so naturally I have envisioned owning my own card company. The only things standing in my way are manufacturing/packaging and license costs. Designing the set for print would be the easy part. License fees, printing, packaging and distribution are what would cost the most.

That being said, the sets I would attempt to release upon the world would be:

Jaws
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (while we still have all the signers)
Batman 1966
Hollywood Legends: Stars
Hollywood Legends: Comedy
Hollywood Legends: Directors


Oh well, maybe in the next life.

You're leaving out one of the biggest costs: Advertising. I've found the production costs pile up and there's never enough left to advertise the way it should be. It's necessary more now than before, because no one sticks the cards out on the counter for people to see in stores anymore. So there are few "chance" encounters to see the product and buy it on impulse. (Thank goodness for NSU.)

Sadly, as people get more addicted to electronic entertainment, they move farther away from paper based entertainment. That's a terrible loss (although the trees might appreciate it), because books and magazines and even trading cards rely a lot on the reader to imagine much of what is going on. Future generations may not have the imaginations that earlier humans did, simply because they did not exercise that imagination and, like other muscles, you have to "use it or lose it." Try going to a library these days and you'll discover it's basically a tomb populated with a few students quietly working on homework, several latch key kids waiting for their parents to finish work (making all the racket), and the staff/ government employees surfing the net on our dime.

Still, it's a worthy venture. Not for profit, mind you (that's VERY difficult to achieve), but for artistic reasons. Cards offer a wonderful blend of both art and writing, providing the best of both worlds. (Unfortunately, few modern collectors read the backs! But if they at least buy the cards-- I'm the last person who should complain.)

It's great the folks here continue to keep the flame burning though. At least we won't be to blame if it is extinguished in our time. (Let's hope it is Never put out.) The best thing we can do to preserve it is to tell our friends BEYOND these forums, hopefully get them interested and involved, and of course, support the card projects we like by buying their products (and not just waiting to get them cheaper on eBay). It takes time and money to make the cards, market them, and get them in collector's hands. Yes, we can use more and better cards getting made, we can always use that. But we also need more collectors who will support the hobby by expanding it outside the existing boundaries and also keep the existing companies alive by supporting them (when they do their part and produce good products).

That being said, I always wish the old Bowman company would reappear (not just in name, but in Bowman spirit) and produce more of those giant art series they used to do. Horrors of War, Fight the Red Menace, Wild Man, Jets-Rockets-Spacemen... The subjects would be a lot more modern, of course, but to create all new concepts and original stories with top notch artist (instead of more Hollywood knock off photo sets). Maybe I should be more content that someone did it at all, even if it was over 50 years ago, because otherwise, I would doubt it was EVER possible!

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