While racing collectibles may be in now, baseball collectibles, especially cards, seem to be out, at least in the Lincoln-Way area.Three of four card shops in the area have closed in the past year.
And the one left open is supported mainly by a video store.
'From 1988 until 1996, the card industry was at its bottom,' said Rich Ladislas owner of Ideal Cards and Video in Frankfort Square.
'The product was overproduced in that era.'
Ladislas added his video shop in 1991 and said it is responsible for 70 percent of his business.
'The card shop was just not profitable on its own anymore,' Ladislas said.
Baseball lost a lot of fans in the '90s, and many were collectors.
'Public opinion was low, and there was oversaturation of the market,' Ladislas said.
'The card industry lost a lot of collectors.'
That could be changing, however.
Fewer cards in all sports are being produced, large discount stores are expected to carry fewer cards, and most companies don't sell complete sets anymore.
Ladislas has several complete sets from the late '80s and early '90s that are marked down by half.
Fleer has cut production back by one-third on its Ultra Series I for the 1997-98 basketball season.
But that also means that single packs for that series sell for $7.50.
Helping the basketball turnaround is the influx of new stars the past two seasons.
Anytime there is a great rookie crop, interest goes up.
Last year's Topps Chrome rookie card of Kobe Bryant has gone from $50 to $500 in less than a year.
Ladislas is hoping baseball enjoys that same turnaround.
'There are a handful of baseball guys to watch for, about a dozen guys expected to come on strong,' he said.
Some Travis Lee cards go for around $20 and some Kerry Wood cards around $10, and that was before either played in the major leagues.
The last big year for rookie cards in baseball was 1986, which had the debut cards of Greg Maddux and Mark McGwire.
'In this era, most people are buying as serious collectors, it used to be people were into it to try to make a profit,' Ladislas said.
'But in 10 years, that might change.
Everything makes a circle.'
