Baseball cards have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, especially among younger collectors on social media platforms like Reddit. With the 2023 season right around the corner, here’s an in-depth look at some of the most discussed baseball card trends on Reddit heading into the new year.
Rookie Prospect Hype: One of the biggest discussion points around baseball cards on Reddit in 2023 revolves around rookie prospects and which young players collectors are most excited to chase. Names like Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr., Adley Rutschman that broke out in 2022 are at the top of many wish lists. Collectors are also eagerly awaiting the arrival of touted prospects like Druw Jones, Termarr Johnson, and Jackson Holliday who could debut in the coming season. Reddit threads often debate which rookies have the most long term star potential and upside to become highly valuable flagship rookie cards.
Top Rated Rookie Cards: With so much buzz around rookie prospects, Reddit is also a hotbed of debate around which recent rookie cards hold the most value and appeal to collectors now. Cards like Juan Soto’s 2018 Topps Chrome RC, Wander Franco’s 2020 Bowman Chrome RC Auto, and Vlad Guerrero Jr’s 2018 Topps Chrome RC are frequently brought up as examples of cards that exploded in value after their respective players broke out. Collectors on Reddit love to analyze parallels, serial numbers, and print runs on the hottest rookie cards to try and determine if any current year issues like Rodriguez or Witt could someday command similar prices.
Vintage vs. Modern: One of the classic divides in all of sports card collecting is whether to focus on vintage cards from the 1980s and prior, or more modern issues from the last 10-15 years. Both sides have passionate advocates on Reddit. Vintage collectors share stories of finding treasured old cards at flea markets or discuss grading services like PSA and BGS. Meanwhile, modern collectors debate the benefits of products like Bowman, Topps Chrome, and Stadium Club versus the risks of repacks, breaks, and loose packs. There are also collectors who enjoy both eras and try to build balanced collections spanning baseball card history.
Investment Strategies: With the rise of PWCC, Goldin, and other auction houses, many Reddit users approach card collecting with an investment mindset. Threads frequently discuss short and long term card specs based on a player’s contract, injury history, and team situation. Strategies around grading, serial numbers, parallels and print runs are also picked apart by investors looking to maximize long term returns. Not all collectors on Reddit agree that an investment focus ruins the fun of finding cards for personal enjoyment instead of just their monetary value.
Break & Rip Videos: Part of the renewed interest in baseball cards, especially among younger collectors, stems from the rise of group break and box rip videos on YouTube. These events where people pay to have a random team or spot in a case break are regularly discussed and debated on Reddit. Users share their favorite breakers to watch for entertainment and discuss the rush of potentially pulling a big hit card worth hundreds or thousands. Some argue these types of videos have also driven up prices on current year products by treating cards like sports gambling.
Subreddit Recommendations: Within baseball card collecting circles on Reddit, the main pages like r/baseballcards are huge hubs of discussion and trade. Collectors also recommend more niche subreddits for specialized talks. Pages like r/baseballcardz for vintage, r/footballcardz for other sports, r/pkmntcgtrades for Pokémon, and team specific subs are brought up. Reddit is also full of local card selling/trading pages for meetups that some argue are better than eBay when wanting to move singles.
Counterfeit Concerns: With rising values of vintage cards especially, fake and counterfeit cards are a serious concern discussed often on Reddit. Users share examples of convincing but illegal reprints and give each other advice on authenticating cards visually or through grading services. The threats of forgeries to the hobby and how to avoid them when making online purchases are regular talking points. Some also argue the risks are exaggerated and most vintage cards still in circulation are legitimate if bought carefully.
That covers some of the most active baseball card discussions happening on Reddit as the 2023 season approaches. With a new crop of rookies and rising star veterans, collecting enthusiasm shows no signs of slowing down online or in the card aisle. Reddit serves as a hub for collectors to share passion, debate trends, and build community in one of America’s favorite hobbies.
