There are many similarities between baseball card collecting and domain names.
I suspect that many domainers collected sports cards growing up.
There are a lot of similarities between baseball cards collecting and domaining. We like to show off our prized domains. We often gravitate toward certain themes, such as collecting four letter domains. We monitor pricing trends. We go after “scarce” domains such as LLL.com. And we constantly try to buy, trade, and sell our way to a better collection.
That’s why I think many of you will enjoy the book Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession by Dave Jamieson. The book chronicles the creation of baseball cards in the late 1800s through the near demise of the industry at the turn of the century. It’s style reminds me a lot of a similar book for our Industry, The Domain Game.
After reading the book I see even more parallels between the industries. There are the same types of characters, personalities, and egos in both industries. Some of the people profiled in the book remind me a lot of the more colorful people in the domain world. There’s also the lack of respect and heavy skepticism sports card collectors had until they proved everyone otherwise, which many an early domainer experiences. There are also conspiracy theorists in both industries. And there are the scandals: talk of manipulating cards and shill bidding at auctions.
I collected baseball cards as a kid in the mid-80s, only to stop and forget about them in the early 90s. Like Jamiesen, I checked back in on the baseball card collecting universe after the turn of the century. About a decade ago I created an online store selling unopened wax packs, primarily from the 80s. I would buy boxes on eBay and sell them by the pack at a hefty markup.
But I was also jaded. The industry had changed. Baseball cards were no longer scarce, meaning that card companies had to find ways to manufacturer scarcity. Thus started the era of selling baseball card packs like lottery tickets with so-called “insert” cards. You also needed an encyclopedia to keep track of the dozens of sets available each year. Not to mention plucking down a fiver to get one pack. It just wasn’t fun. Kids naturally started to gravitate to video games and the web.
By the early 2000s I was already a domain collector. While I flirted with getting back into baseball cards I realized what I didn’t like about it. I would organize my cards by team one day, only to want to organize them by set the next. Then I’d want to organize them by player. It was tedious. The internet and PC world have made things instantaneous. I can sort my domains by expiration date, alphabet, or TLD at the click of a button. If only they came with nifty pictures.
Mint Condition ends on a down note for the sports card industry. I can’t help but see parallels with the domain industry of late. Those people who got into baseball card collecting once the press started touting the value of cards got burned. We might look back and say the same thing about people who got into the domain name industry after the hype.
Seth says
Interesting article Andrew! I’m looking forward to reading this book. I collected cards voraciously from the early 80’s through the mid-90’s when the hobby seemed to die out (was over-saturated with too many sets and too many manufacturers). I was a dealer at weekend card shows from Houston to Mobile for many years as well, until it became unprofitable and consumed more time that it was worth. There is a definite parallel between card collecting and domaining, especially a similarity between older premium cards (pre-1970) and quality domain names registered before 2000. Just recently (last year, actually), I decided to start collecting again and attended the National Convention in Cleveland. It was a lot more enjoyable going for fun instead of profit. Unlike most cards- good domains will always be of use and value.
Barry Lebovitz says
I collected baseball cards when I was like 6, and I was the best card collector around. I still have alex rodriguez rookie mints, ken griffy jr. etc etc.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Barry – too bad they’re not worth jack anymore 🙂
Andrew Allemann says
It’s a really interesting book, guys. It argues that it was baseball cards that got Americans to start smoking cigarettes in the late 1800s. Kids would get their parents to buy particular packs (and more of them) so they could get the cards. Some really interesting stuff in there.
Tia Wood says
Hmm. I’m not even a baseball fan but you made me want to read the book lol. Interesting analogy.
Tim says
Coins too. Very similar.
The very best (MS-70 and such) always go up many fold in value whereas the mid-tier and lower (MS-60 and lower) are lucky if they see 20% increases in value, for example.
There are coin displays collectors buy, they brag, they trade up, etc…
Cards, coins, stamps, etc… very similar to domains except domains spin of constant cash without having to sell them to realize a gain.
Domains are the best.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Tim – Yes, I’ve never had a baseball card that has sent me a monthly check like a domain name 🙂
Leonard Britt says
Yes, good analogy which reminds me of some 1920s silver dollars I still have floating around somewhere…
Adam says
“We might look back and say the same thing about people who got into the domain name industry after the hype.”
Really? so you think the domain industry is hype ? As soon as domains stop sending in visitors, then you’ll see them tank. As soon as companies don’t need a name, then you’ll see them tank. Hype?
Andrew Allemann says
@ Adam – I’m thinking more of all the new TLDs and such that people snapped up in the hype, as well as a lot of domains bought purely for the traffic that are now making a fraction of what they are.
Brad says
I used to buy and sell baseball cards, and still have quite a collection, however I don’t see the analogy to domains. Domains actually have a functional use, they are not only collectibles.
An entire brand can be built around a premium domain. Plus, like stock investments domains pay dividends via parking, development, end user sales, etc.
Brad
Andrew Allemann says
@ Brad – thinks and be similar and dissimilar at the same time 🙂
Andrew Allemann says
Another similarity I forgot to mention — they hang out on baseball card forums 🙂
Tim says
You know, I’m not sure we want this, but maybe we do.
If the similarities were pointed out to coin, stamp, and card collectors, and they also were made aware they could get a check without selling their “collectables” they might rush to domains in a mad stomping tear and increase the overall market size.