Sports cards and collectibles were down and out after what is referred to as the “junk wax” era of overproduction from the late 1980s into the mid-1990s. As someone who lived through it, nothing was more discouraging than pulling out the old dusty collection from the closet only to find out the rookies and stars you chased as a kid were worth less than the paper they were printed on. Nobody wants a Barry Bonds rookie card that looks like it made a trip through the washing machine!
