Another post in our new series Hobby Topics. This is not so much a post for us to comment about or give our opinions on, this is your chance to let your voice be heard on a variety of topics in the hobby. We are leaving the floor open to you! So comment away! But please no language and keep your answer clean as we do have a younger following as well.
Today's Topic will be about LICENSING in the hobby
How do you feel about the current licensing landscape? Is there company you prefer to have a license more than another? Would you want more than one company to have a license to product pro cards of baseball and basketball?
Let's hear your thoughts!
It would be nice to see other companies have the opportunity to produce cards with the actual teams logos. Diversification is good but how much control do you really want to give to Major League baseball. Would they be able to enforce rules in order to limit production runs? Probably not. I don't think they do that with Topps in regards to the amount of any particular cards or series runs when it comes to producing baseball cards. Obviously it seems that by issuing Topps a licence and making them the only company to be able to use team logos the problem of overproduction appears to be solved but creativity and diversity within the same company has suffered. Overproduction? If you ask me Topps is overproducing especially the rookie cards of which the majority of baseball card collecting is based on. I pull a lot of rookie cards everytime I open a box. Some variations but few and far between. Out of four Topps two thousand thirteen update series seventy two card boxes. I have pulled the same image of JuricksonProfar five times. Five times same card. That is ridiculous. The hobby will suffer for that in the long run. Overproduction of rookie cards. That's why I would never sell an insert or auto because those are the cards that are lower in number depending on the players contract to sign. The secondary market will suffer later for this while Topps enjoys the influx of money now. How many different Bonds rookie cards are there and how many variations in image? The number is close to twenty five. I realize there are a few variations Topps is creating for rookies but without their sense of creativity and overproduction of the same rookie image and the only difference in cards being a logo or a chrome or platinum with the same image the secondary market is likely to suffer losses in regards to newer cards in the future. I am no expert but I can see this happening. I could dig deeper but I'm working sixteen today no time. Maybe I have the wrong take on this and welcome any feedback.
ReplyDeleteChad DiNovo
We so badly need one or two more MLB licenses for cards. I hate cards with no logos, and more and more of them are being produced and it scares me that the young people will get used to them and accept them. They suck!! Who wants to look at a blank air-brushed hat??? Plus with no real competition, Topps has gotten so damn lazy. Year after year now of totally un-inspired designs, no great quality sets like Stadium Club anymore, plus Topps is producing a million different sets and most of them i dont care for. Competition can only improve cards, and if we wind up with a lot of sets, well who is to say its too many sets, let the buyers determine what sets will survive based on what they buy.
ReplyDeletearnie
Yes Arnie. The Stadium Club cards were very nice. I would love to see that style come back for at least a few print runs or better yet issue another licence to another company to make them for a few years at the very least.
ReplyDeleteChad D.