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Bambino26
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Veteran Dealer Kit Young's Take on Sale of Topps
Mar 16 2007 2:34PM
When it comes to baseball cards, Kit Young has just about seen it all. His three-decade-old catalog business now is complemented by an online store. Young has garnered about every distinguished award in the sports collectibles hobby, including being named one of the industry's most influential people by USA Today and Sports Card Trader six straight years in the 1990s.
Beckett.com asked Kit Young about his opinion on the pending sale of Topps to an investment group headed by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Here's what Young had to say.
Beckett.com: Does the impending sale of Topps change anything in minds of collectors?
Kit Young: In the short term, it will have no impact on collectors; their interest is in finding and collecting first-rate sports cards, not on who has equity and managing control of Topps, Inc. It is not something many will give a five-second thought to. Heck, many collectors won't even be aware of said sale. All that matters to them is the quality and availability of the cards Collector interest in, or awareness of, the new ownership will remain a non-issue for collectors in coming years, unless the newly managed company fails to maintain Topps' longtime track record of quality and innovation. Each year, collectors have high expectations for the company's new products. Should the new ownership make a few missteps, plenty of them will ask "who are these guys now running Topps?" Like so many businesses, this is all about product quality and service.
Do you think people using FedEx or Starbucks really care who the key management folks are? Nope, they want latte espressos and guaranteed overnight delivery.
Beckett.com: Many vintage collectors chase Topps cards and attempt to complete vintage Topps sets. Does the sale of Topps affect the vintage market at all?
Kit Young: Zero. Collecting vintage cards is driven by many things. Love of sports, history of the sports, historical collecting habits, the collector's history of collecting Topps, Upper Deck or Fleer through the years, buying for investment and many other reasons.Are these folks gonna abandon collecting old Topps and Bowmans because Michael Eisner is in charge? Not a chance.
I'll grant you that if the new owners produce lousy cards year after year, that we will lose many new potential collectors who may become vintage collectors. But this will have no impact on today's collectors putting together 1953 Bowman sets or assembling a collection of Roberto Clemente cards.
Beckett.com: What would a new owner do with a brand like Topps?
Kit Young: I'm not quite sure. I trust Mr. Eisner and the others have some broad ideas, but they will need to go through a pretty steep learning curve to get a handle on a pretty complex market. Retaining key Topps folks will ease this transition. I know Arthur Shorin (Topps CEO) is retiring, but perhaps Scott Silverstein and a few of his people will stay on. However, I look for the new management to embrace Topps' rich heritage and to draw on its history and its endearing connection with collectors.
Beckett.com: Is the sale of Topps good, indifferent or bad for hobby?
Kit Young: It has no impact today, but the importance of Topps to hobby growth can't be understated. At present, Topps and Upper Deck, each with multiple sports licenses, clearly drive the sports collectibles market, making Topps' role in future hobby growth an immense and challenging one. This shift in ownership is exciting, bringing "new blood" ideas and talented people into the hobby. But it's also a bit scary. I hope these folks are agile and creative. They are taking over a hallowed franchise.
-- Pepper Hastings
Mar 16 2007 2:34PM
When it comes to baseball cards, Kit Young has just about seen it all. His three-decade-old catalog business now is complemented by an online store. Young has garnered about every distinguished award in the sports collectibles hobby, including being named one of the industry's most influential people by USA Today and Sports Card Trader six straight years in the 1990s.
Beckett.com asked Kit Young about his opinion on the pending sale of Topps to an investment group headed by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Here's what Young had to say.
Beckett.com: Does the impending sale of Topps change anything in minds of collectors?
Kit Young: In the short term, it will have no impact on collectors; their interest is in finding and collecting first-rate sports cards, not on who has equity and managing control of Topps, Inc. It is not something many will give a five-second thought to. Heck, many collectors won't even be aware of said sale. All that matters to them is the quality and availability of the cards Collector interest in, or awareness of, the new ownership will remain a non-issue for collectors in coming years, unless the newly managed company fails to maintain Topps' longtime track record of quality and innovation. Each year, collectors have high expectations for the company's new products. Should the new ownership make a few missteps, plenty of them will ask "who are these guys now running Topps?" Like so many businesses, this is all about product quality and service.
Do you think people using FedEx or Starbucks really care who the key management folks are? Nope, they want latte espressos and guaranteed overnight delivery.
Beckett.com: Many vintage collectors chase Topps cards and attempt to complete vintage Topps sets. Does the sale of Topps affect the vintage market at all?
Kit Young: Zero. Collecting vintage cards is driven by many things. Love of sports, history of the sports, historical collecting habits, the collector's history of collecting Topps, Upper Deck or Fleer through the years, buying for investment and many other reasons.Are these folks gonna abandon collecting old Topps and Bowmans because Michael Eisner is in charge? Not a chance.
I'll grant you that if the new owners produce lousy cards year after year, that we will lose many new potential collectors who may become vintage collectors. But this will have no impact on today's collectors putting together 1953 Bowman sets or assembling a collection of Roberto Clemente cards.
Beckett.com: What would a new owner do with a brand like Topps?
Kit Young: I'm not quite sure. I trust Mr. Eisner and the others have some broad ideas, but they will need to go through a pretty steep learning curve to get a handle on a pretty complex market. Retaining key Topps folks will ease this transition. I know Arthur Shorin (Topps CEO) is retiring, but perhaps Scott Silverstein and a few of his people will stay on. However, I look for the new management to embrace Topps' rich heritage and to draw on its history and its endearing connection with collectors.
Beckett.com: Is the sale of Topps good, indifferent or bad for hobby?
Kit Young: It has no impact today, but the importance of Topps to hobby growth can't be understated. At present, Topps and Upper Deck, each with multiple sports licenses, clearly drive the sports collectibles market, making Topps' role in future hobby growth an immense and challenging one. This shift in ownership is exciting, bringing "new blood" ideas and talented people into the hobby. But it's also a bit scary. I hope these folks are agile and creative. They are taking over a hallowed franchise.
-- Pepper Hastings
