Have we seen them all now?

[vintage_football_memorabi]

I really hope I'm wrong but I feel we are rapidly approaching the time where with the advent of Ebay and the fact that previously thought to be mega rare programmes now turn up repeatedly thus naturally bringing values down.

When was the last time you saw an auction catologue with maybe the exception of Budd's or an Ebay listing for that matter and got really excited at the rarity of it's content?

Ebay in particular is now a saturated marketplace of in the main Crap with previously thought of rarities fetching fractions of prices they once fetched.

Are we reaching the dead end where unseen items are no longer?

[Tynie Topics]

It's been said before isn't it a case now that these previously mega rare items were never mega rare in the first place, with prices kept at an artificially high level? Ebay has over time corrected the market for these items as it reaches parts that dealers could rarely reach, stuff that would go in the bin goes on ebay, also overseas owners of items are now more likely to sell into the UK etc.

Long established collectors die, players die, their collections go on the market in increasing numbers, however the genuine rarities seem to still retain value and even increase.

As for "never seen before" items, I'm sure they will continue to appear. I only recently discovered a previously unknown Scotland pre-war away which an Austrian collector has. Maybe it's unique. No Scotland collector had ever seen one. I doubt it will ever go to market though.
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[littlewiggy]

Just a personal observation but it feels like the arse has fallen out of the programme market completely over the past five years.

True rarities will still fetch enormous prices, but the rest has taken a massive hit.

Not one from which I'm convinced it'll recover.

[derby1884]

littlewiggy wrote:

Just a personal observation but it feels like the arse has fallen out of the programme market completely over the past five years. True rarities will still fetch enormous prices, but the rest has taken a massive hit. Not one from which I'm convinced it'll recover.

My experiences on EBay in the last 72 hours would bear that out!
I agree with every word you say.

What gets me is that sellers are still asking silly money for stuff that it's patently obvious isn't going to sell at that price.

£5.99 for late 50s homes? £2.99 for late 60s aways?

In their dreams.

There's probably no more than a dozen serious Derby collectors out there - and we've all got those issues already. A long time ago.

And there's not the youngsters coming along behind us any longer.
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[littlewiggy]

I sold my rare programmes about eight years ago Steve, and more than doubled my money.

It wasn't through any clever foresight I should add, but through necessity.
I needed the money.

Any doubts I had have long been dispelled though.

[PompeyPhil]

"What gets me is that sellers are still asking silly money for stuff that it's patently obvious isn't going to sell at that price".

I asked a little while back on another thread why dealers/Ebay Sellers in particular were still trying to get "inflated" prices for programmes that you can pick up at auction and on EBay for two to three hundred pound less than the amount they were asking.........the 1939 FA Cup Final Programme as an example.................no one offered an explanation.

Even taking overheads etc into account surely the current financial climate/market means a price adjustment is required or is it the case their just waiting for a "newbie" to take the bait?

Would love a dealer/seller to explain the "huge" price difference(s) and their opinion on the matter?

[Mtbhull]

I recently made an appeal for programmes on a Hull City chat page. I also offered to provide a substantial free starter pack of programmes for anyones' children.

The response was deafening in its silence.

I wonder if the paper programme will soon be replaced by an online effort with video and audio. This could be updated in real time with scorers, league tables, interviews etc etc. It will probably last better than perfect bound programmes as well.

Does anyone else think it's the beginning of the end for programmes?

[Tynie Topics]

Let’s look at it another way, it’s never been a better time to be a collector, particularly one starting out. Prices have by and large “corrected” themselves over the last decade or so to realistic levels and for most clubs from 1955 onwards, programmes are readily available at a low price on ebay. Tough for those of us when we bought most of our collections via dealers and offers lists, but that’s life.

It’s really only an issue if you collect for investment, if you collect purely for the fun of it then does it really matter.

As the old saying goes, if you want a return on your money, buy quality. Otherwise go with the flow and enjoy it.
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[holtie96]

Really interesting post. I have seen prices dive over my 40 years of collecting in particular for post 1950 items. You can't argue with the fact that EBay has opened the market up in all collecting areas so that anyone can realise a sale or check the current value of items. It would be interesting to compare our hobby with others such as coin and stamp collecting, are they experiencing similar difficulties. You also can't argue that there are fewer youngsters interested in the hobby everything is on a tablet or phone nowadays.
Saying that quality still sells but for the run of the mill items where there are many in existence you will struggle to sell. I pity the programme dealer with thousands of post 1960 programmes where will they all end up?
I would rather not answer that one
Hope everyone is well
Holtie

[derby1884]

holtie96 wrote:

I pity the programme dealer with thousands of post 1960 programmes where will they all end up? l Holtie

Well, they could try being a bit more inventive in getting rid of their stock.

For instance, and I'm not trying to sound like the proverbial tight-fisted Aberdonian here, but I really like the programmes that Villa put out in the early 70s and the Hull programme of 74/75.

I know in the current market they're not worth flumpence and never will be, so I'm not going to fork out £1 plus postage for individual issues........but I would be prepared to buy a season's set of each purely for my own enjoyment.
I'd offer 10p each.

That way, as far as I can see, both sides win. The dealer has probably paid next to nothing for them anyway?

If that amounted to, say, 100 programmes, then that's still a tenner in the dealer's pocket and some unshiftable stock shifted.

Anyway, just a thought!
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[Tynie Topics]

I don’t get to any fairs these days given there are next to none in Scotland, but at the ones held down south do dealers have 10p or 50p boxes to try and shift some of this stuff, or season sets for £5? Do they even bother bringing it given that fairs – on the whole – attract established collectors? Maybe this is where stalls at football grounds come in, more people having a look who are just casually interested and who are more likely to buy bundles of the 60/70/80’s stuff from their club if priced realistically.

Then again, maybe it’s just best to dump them!
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