How many people these days even care about base cards? I bring this up because my last Super Script pickup from eBay got me thinking about it. I was surprised to see the following as the "dunnage" surrounding the top loader that held the card I purchased:
Normally people will put things like HSHS points or any other kind of decoy/giveaway card in packages to help protect the purchased goods. That's fairly common and not out of the ordinary. This was a bit more unexpected if you ask me.
As far as how I feel about base cards, I think they're an important part of collecting and I will always have a place for them in my collection. Especially as a player collector, they give me something relatively cheap and easy to find across a broad range of products each and every year. That can't be said for the "hits" that a lot of the time get out of my price range.
What are your thoughts on base cards? And have you ever seen them used like this?
I have seen them used as packing filler. Whatever works I guess.
ReplyDeleteI love base cards. I wish there was an avenue that would allow those who enjoy base and look to obtain some base to be led to those who want no part of the base. Because there are a lot out there who would just toss the cards aside.
Base is a great way to introduce a lot of skills to a kid as well. Organization, counting, math, recognition, the list goes on.
Base needs to be re-embraced.
Couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it is that a good chunk of my Howard and Stefan collections would cease to exist without base cards. My Wings PC would also be lacking.
I also wish there was a way to get a hold of those "unwanted" base cards from all the people today that are so concerned with their precious "hits" and the idea that base cards are useless because they can't return a profit.
I love it when they use base cards as packaging material. Hell, I got a Young Guns card out of it once. Someone I never heard of and will likely never will again. There is just so many cards out there. No way to find a good home for all of them.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've seen it. If I had been an Antropov collector (are there many of those???) it would've been neat to get some of his other cards as the packing material.
DeleteThe only base cards I really collect are cards for my PCs, rookies, and enforcers (if I happen to pull any from packs). Also, I guess vintage cards are base cards, right?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, they have sort of become forgotten in the hobby, haven't they? I remember when every card was a base card and I was happy with that.
What I would like to see is the high-end product lines almost have two versions: hit only packs at a premium and base-only packs at a reduced price. I mean, how many people buy top-tier, high-end stuff and care about the base cards? But sometimes those are the nicest cards in the set and people who don't care about 1/1 AUTO PATCH MOJO HITZ!!! want them in their collection.
Love the idea of the split versions for the super high end products. And good point on the vintage, that's all there was back then.
DeleteYou hit the nail on the head for me. While inserts and "hits" seem to be all the rage, and really have been since the junk wax era, I'm stuck on my love for base and have boxes and boxes overflowing with them. I just can't toss them, and am having a helluva time offloading them in trades primarily because 1) no one seems to want them and 2) no one has the base that I want to trade for. Maybe someday they're be a resurgence. Anyone remember the "King of the Commons"?
ReplyDeleteSame here, I have several monster boxes full of base cards that I've accumulated over the years. I know nobody wants them, so I never even bother sorting through them to see what I have to sell/trade.
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