At what point do you say "this card is vintage"?

[ranbethscards]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "vintage" as: length of existence (age).

But that does not specifically tell us when a baseball (or football, etc) becomes "vintage".

Even to this day my personal definition of vintage is: anything prior to 1960 (NOT prior to the 1960s, I mean prior to the year 1960).

I recently saw a posting on another site titled "Vintage Baseball for Trade/Sale". When I began reading the list of vintage I noticed there were alot of cards from the 1980s. What?

Okay, a card from the year 1980 is 32 years old, but does that make that card vintage?

What do you consider vintage?
.

[DoubleD]

My thoughts are 1980 and before...at least in baseball...thats when the floodgates opened and we all were inundated with brands and sets and chase cards, etc.

[twins2008nathan]

I thought it was 25 years for sport cards so the crap 80s cards are vintage... worthless vintage, but vintage.... I consider anything vintage 1979 and earlier.....

[NattyBoo]

For me it would be prior to 1975. The median age of collectors being around 40, that would mean about 1/2 of all collectors were still in diapers (if they were even born yet) in 1975!

[ranbethscards]

1975? okay that's the year I graduated from High School... so does that make me an antique? lol. thanks Lily!
.

[jywilli69]

I would say 1980 and before myself. I can't believe you can remember that far back Randy.

My thoughts are 1980 and before...at least in baseball...thats when the floodgates opened and we all were inundated with brands and sets and chase cards, etc.

[ranbethscards]

... I can't believe you can remember that far back Randy.

I've been making a scrap book throughout the years to help me remember...thanks buddy for reminding me to look at it today!
.

[dpatera]

Maybe I'm just projecting this a bit, but it seems to me that even by the mid 80s, the cards from the 70s were somehow viewed a little bit differently, and it wasn't just an "X # of years ago" thing, either. It didn't move up year by year or anything.

I think DoubleD may be on to something, though. It may be before all the other companies really started up, so 1980 sounds about right.

I'm not sure when the term vintage first started appearing in the hobby, but I'm pretty sure it was before 2005 (or even 2000). Perhaps it's just a poor choice of terms, but you can't really have a sliding scale to group the cards together. There's no way 1986 and 1977 cards have much in common.

It seems to me there are a few different eras of cards. I'd say something like:

1948-1956

"Modern" companies, but sizes varied.

1957-1967



1968-1972

Innovative designs, but I might lump these in with 1957-1967.

1973-1979(80)

Outside of 1975, the designs sort of settle down a lot. I'd say they have pretty basic design, before the market really expanded.

Then it starts getting a little bit tougher as the lines isn't as abrupt.
1980-1991 (maybe earlier when upper deck appeared?)

Lots of new competitors popping up, lots of production.


I'm a little fuzzy on when the next eras would end, as I wasn't that involved during that period, outside of Topps. I would say 1992 is about the time that cards really moved away from the cheaper cardboard stock to the higher quality type. I know it started in 1989 with Upper Deck, but the other companies weren't really all on board until around 1992.

1992-2003

Companies really start making multiple product releases. First widely available parallels start showing up.

2004-

At this point, I think the base card designs start settling down again, and the releases start relying more on hits and inserts to sell cards, rather than the cards themselves.

Any thoughts on how you'd group the cards?

[camaropat]

For me I would consider 1975 and before vintage. Its hard for me to consider 1980's vintage, if it was produced in my lifetime I dont consider it vintage, lol. Plus they are worth about as much as the cardboard they are printed on unless they are a rookie it seems, calling somthing "vintage" also implies there is some worth/demand to me, which I dont see in '80s cards.

On a somewhat related side-note, in automobile collecting anything 25 years old is eligable for vintage collectors licence plates and become emissions exempt so they are vintage according to the government. Not sure that logic would cross over into cards because you drive a car, wreck cars, they break down, ect ect. Cards you just have to keep safley stored and they wont wear down or break.

[cardjim]

I would most def include 1979 and before into the vintage category. There is some magical cutoff at 25 years old. Works in cars and antiques. But that puts1986 and 87 in the vintage category. So that won't work. the "floodgates" really didn't get cranked wide open until around 1982-1984. Not all years are equal. Even tho interest in base cards has waned due to the "Hit" generation, there are some years that should be given a second look. Fleer until 1989 was never produced in quantities even close to topps. 1984 donruss was way scarce. So these may deserve a special category all their own.