Is GU dead and are we oblivous to US trends???

Firstly, a very interesting post, and many interesting replies.

Like quite a few of you, i have only just gotten back into the hobby, after having lived my life in some of the more remote areas of the country (far eastern victoria, the northern territory), before moving nearer Melbourne and i'm constantly surprised on this site, and on both australian and american ebay at the cards for sale, because of pretty keen on the older base sets,

Im pretty happy collecting the older sets from when i was a kid, and frankly the amount of inserts in packs today is insane. I remember buying the old NBA Hoops 1990 cards, the ones with silver outlines, and being over moon with excitement getting a gold All star David Robinson... the set didnt even have inserts! the ud 93-94 would have been the 1st set i went after with inserts, and even they were fairly rare. I think the fleer 94-95 where the 1st packs to say inserts where in every pack! i was over the moon again... and i was still excited getting inserts in the boxes i bought a few weeks again of them.

nowadays, the amount of inserts and parallels, not only gu or autos, 2 phrases that i had no idea what they meant when i 1st joined here, is astounding to me. Ive gotten a few boxes of Topps Bazooka, which has 2 or 3GU's each box, as well as the parallel golden and midgets cards, 1 each pack!. The 1st one i got it was a little weird (it was tim duncan, my fave player nowadays, so a bit more special than say, James Posey or Lamond Murray), i just wanted to touch the fabric part. But what really surprised is this promise of getting GU, in the case of the Topps Bazooka, or an auto, which, to me, is saying that the customers will turn up their nose at a non-GU/auto bearing box.

Since that first, admittedly weird, experience, they dont really mean that much... like a few of you have said, who knows if Duncan wore it all. A auto would be nice, but im happy with my boring base cards, and i think quite a few people still are...

Further proof of this GU/autos saturation

auction 1: 90-91 Hoops cards (4 packs)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/4-sealed-pac...128QQihZ002QQcategoryZ646QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

compared to

auction 2: 3GU and 3 autos
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HUGE-LOT-199...QQihZ008QQcategoryZ109978QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

regardless of what they go for (they were 5.50 ($3p&h) and 3.95 ($5p&h) at 7am 11/9/06) it shows that maybe the hype and hoopla around them is dying down.

(i also have an excuse if this doesn't make sense, ive just finished a 10hr shift of stacking shelfs,:shock: (my eyes now look like that) lol

Another thing about that Topps bazooka box, I got a Topps bazooka fortune, which are #ed to 5, which is simply a blue outline instead of white line, of a Lawrence Roberts RC, a player who, admittedly is going to become very familiar with either small town US or Europe, possibly Australia.

I was more stoked about that pull than the Duncan card?

Is the thrill of beating the odds, regardless of the card pulled, the bigger thrill than touching fragment of a star player’s jersey or seeing their signature in front of you?

It is for me, anyways lol

The greed of the card companies kills me, you only have to look at a retired superstar like Hakeem, hasn't played since 02 yet there is still just as many cards of him relesed this year as there was back in 91. I'm all for have a card of each of him per respectable set (say 1 of each numbered base/GU/patch/auto) but the companies relese 10 autos + etc.

When I started out collecting as a kid I got my old man to buy me a box of cards everytime he went to the US. It would cost about $26-$30 a box and you'd get a sweet insert or something similar if you were lucky and then two complete sets of commons. I worked out a system where I could buy a box and then get a set + what ever inserts and sell off the extra set to a mate or shop which paid for my box. I stopped collecting in 96 and was expecting the same deal when I started collecting again last year, Yeh right!!!!.

Huge changes no more sets with the whole rosters, rookies weren't in series 2 only etc. But the biggest change I noticed was the difference in price per different boxes and how little you got in those boxes, cards and packs. (1 of the reasons I will rarely purchase a box)Its now not about the set anymore it's about getting your promised quota of GU /AUTO in your box.

I'll take a low #'d card over a GU any day, I think the whole having 1 of only 34 of that card is more apealling then some boring white jersey in a card.

But suppose the whole flooding the market is just evolution, it going to happen until the next new trend comes out.

chadjaja said:

I see stuff sell so well on ebay.com.au and wonder if the buyers actually look at US ebay?? Maybe there are factors influencing them buying from there such as no CC, shipping or pure ignorence? Its a good thing for the astute Aussie seller to cash in though. Good on the ones that do. They supply the market with what it wants.

I just wonder how many collectors there are sitting at home in Australian cities right now buying and that have no comunication with the card commuity??

hhmm now discus.

Chad
(one half of ozcards jounalists crew)

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This thread was started 2 & 1/2 years ago and I could say that GU's are also dead in OZ for about a year now. Even the MJ's are selling at the same price to ebay.com.

I guess more Aussie buyers have paypal accounts now and with sites like Ozcards, people are getting more educated.

I would buy a limited print #/25 -#/100 than Gu's that probably have 1000 copies.

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Well nowadays they're not even GUs, they're "photo shoot useds"...

Really takes away from it.

MetallicA' said:

gu defiantly isnt the greatest thing in the hobby, "alot cooler than base cards and most inserts", but they should still be worth no lower than $5 aussie each. remembering that this is membrobillia at its absolute minimum.

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I'd say depending on the Gu, it shouldn't cost less than $2. Any lower and that's just a bit rude seeing they are memorabilia cards and they do look good, btter than base cards. As for me, I like GUs because they are so varied. But I like them especially when they are of those I collect. But I'm not too into GU's that cost too much like a Kobe or a Lebron GU. I can relate to Jordan GUs seeing he isn't going to wear anymore jerseys but kobe and lebron have years and years ahead so grabbing their gu's at a premium seems absurd to me. Better to save up and grab a patch or auto.

A thread this old, and I never commented.... LMAO!!!

I think the term "Game Used" is WAAAAAY over rated. Until we start seeing Game Dated cards, then yeah, it's always going to be dead.

I love patch cards, and whilst (as Marty said) the mistakes always ruin a sweet patch, everyone loves seeing the multi-coloured suckers.

If card companies can make these GU cards and Auto cards less and less produced, they're always going to be worthless. But as we all know, they're marketing tools, and without them, they'd not sell their products.

What to do?

Reduce supply of cards per box...

Game date their "GU" cards...

Actually have pieces of material that even HALF resembles the player depicted on the card...

Fix mistakes, and finally, stop fabricating patches..... It's just showing people how it's done, and anyone with a decent up-market sewing machine could make a NBA Logoman.....

this is a really good thread.

for me i like collecting the high end cards of the player i like, but i also still collect the base and inserts of them. when i was young i used to collect the base cause i couldnt afford the more expensive products, but over the last 4-5 years as ive gotten back into the hobby more and ive had more money to spend , i have started to pick up the more high end stuff.

when kids are young and get the pocket money from there parents, then they are happy with the base and inserts, getting a auto or game used is a bonus, then as u get older and start working then u chase higher end stuff. which i think is how most people start in the game.

as long as i get a player that i collect, i dont care if its base, insert, GU or auto. it still goes to my PC.

Chowpei said:

I can relate to Jordan GUs seeing he isn't going to wear anymore jerseys.

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So why does he still have so many out there and still have so many being made?

I used to like GUed, but that was a while ago. They make so many of them now, and most of the medium to haigh end stuff has almost 1 GU/pack.......those 1hit/pack stuff.

And also they are mostly not "Game used" anymore either.

THey probably can get more Jordan jerseys by just getting him to put it on at some sort of event and say it is a, event worn jersey.

The only ones worth collecting are the early sets and those of vintage players, which are much less common.

Patches are going to go the same way of GU jerseys. They are mostly event worn these days.

And then there is the manufactured patches. Look nice, every one wants to spell the name of their player, but what's it worth? Why not just buy a jersey from Rebel sports and cut their letters out?

Ersk

To be honest i'll rather have a full sized Jordan non-game used jersey rather than a card that has a tiny piece of fabric on it.

The only game jersey sets worth collecting a the pre-2000 one's eg. ud game jersey, geniune coverage, legendary jersey etc etc. and ultimate premium patches 04-05. They to me a rare and some of the best jersey card designs ever made.

it makes me laugh when people complain about the saturation of Gu in the market, raises 2 points for me:

1. some seem to forget manufacturers are here to make coin, not to provide some sort of service for the greater good. they make what sells. this is evident in the fact that if a card doesnt have a peice of GU or an auto, then its worthless. I collect terrell davis cards and i have been buying up his refractors that are worth 2x-3x more than some of the autos, but they sell for less than half as they dont have an auto or GU

2. i read on here people buying boxes all the time for the "gauranteed hits," then they come and complain about the saturation, its a bit hypocritical to me. people should ask themselves, are your motives for being in the hobby the same as they were when you were younger? i think if you answered honestly, it would go a long way to explaining why there is a saturation of Gu

Darpy said:

I collect terrell davis cards and i have been buying up his refractors that are worth 2x-3x more than some of the autos, but they sell for less than half as they dont have an auto or GU

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Oxymoron much? A card is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

jordan23 said:

To be honest i'll rather have a full sized Jordan non-game used jersey rather than a card that has a tiny piece of fabric on it.

The only game jersey sets worth collecting a the pre-2000 one's eg. ud game jersey, geniune coverage, legendary jersey etc etc. and ultimate premium patches 04-05. They to me a rare and some of the best jersey card designs ever made.

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Just as long as they have patches that relate to that player, and not someone elses Jersey!!!

In the case where you have retired players such as MJ, Magic and Bird, they have limited amounts of gu jerseys, therefore they can retain their value, at some point in time card companies will un out of jerseys, where autos can still be signed as long as a player is willing.

Taz_Cardz said:

Just as long as they have patches that relate to that player, and not someone elses Jersey!!!

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lol what you mean?

I still love the the auto game used sets in the hobby. I find this so appealing on so many levels.

But I will always take a game used card, over any low serialled number stamped, parallel this and parallel that card.

When I got back into the hobby after a long hiatus, GU cards were the Hot thing. I was consumed by owning some of these cards. Now, regular GU cards are just boring and not in demand unless they are a low numbered parallel or something. This all happened in a very short period of time aswell.

Patch cards added a new element to the GU theme, but they too ultimately, will end up languishing in peoples trade buckets like so many jersey cards do today (depending on player and set). I suppose thats what it comes down to aswell. Regardless of what it is - if its a player in demand (Jordan, Kobe, Lebron etc etc) the card will hold its value.

I mean look at Jordans RC - no jersey, no patch, no auto - just a special card of an all time great.

Regardless of when and if (if is for the eternal optimists) GU cards die, the card companies will come up with something else to wet your appetite and get you spending your dough on thier product. Maybe the next big thing will be GU hair cards or something. Then we'll get bored of that and we'll be given a semen sample or the players DNA inserted into the card. lol

My opinion - yep GU is dead, unless its extremely limited or it of someone whos popularity will never diminish.

Ryan

ryawil0 said:

Maybe the next big thing will be GU hair cards or something. Then we'll get bored of that and we'll be given a semen sample or the players DNA inserted into the card. lol

Ryan

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lets just hope we dont get the short & curly hair cards

hahahahaha


i still remember wen UD brought out the hologram spx cards in 96 and iverson smiled as u turn the card.

they will find sumfin new, but even if they dont, ill still be chasing the cards of my fav players.

edit: plase delete

jordan23 said:

lol what you mean?

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I'm sure scotty will fill us in when he gets back but he has a devin harris premium patch that is definitely not from a harris jersey and figures to be from another mavs players jersey - it's something weird like a P that could not be from Harris or Dallas.