I was really into sports card collecting during from late-70s to late-80s, then again in the early 90s. The change between those two eras was stark. Dozens of new sellers, tons of junk wax, and the birth of the special limited edition insert. The last of those actually helped move a lot of junk wax, but it was just high production, so-so product. Some of the inserts included game worn jerseys, autographs, etc.
I've paid some attention to the hobby over the past decades and it has evolved even further. Numbered inserts, meticulous focus on grading, etc.
With a little spare time and a little spare money, sports card collecting is becoming interesting again. I am curious what everyone's approach is. I see a bunch of things happening:
People spending tons of money hoping to pull a super-rare, high demand modern card so they can flip it for something they really want (money or another card).
People focusing on specific players, specific eras, etc. and building a moderately sized, specialized collection.
Cards of players that have some sort of nostalgic value
Cards of HOF players
For fun, I bought around 20 of the Topps Now Pope cards when they were released. Told a friend (who's a really passionate collector) and he asked what I ended up with. 19 regulars and 1 "white smoke" X/267 card. He bought 100 and pulled a X/50 Gold card. One has recently sold for around $1000. He's kind of doing all of the approaches above: using modern purchases to flip into things he wants; building a collection with interesting/nostalgic value.
From a "store of value" perspective, it seems like pre-1980s HOF players is the best option. But I should never really view this as a store of value. I realize it's a hobby, and hobbies are where you pour money, never to be seen again. Another of my hobbies is enjoying local microbreweries wherever I travel, visit, etc. I literally piss the money away . Perhaps that's how I should view this...
How are others around here viewing it? I am sure there are additional approaches that what I stated above.