football vs baseball card values

[crankbait09]

not to long ago, I went into my local card shop where I buy my card supplies. I browse around each time i'm in there. this time, i decided to venture over to the football card area. I noticed a number of price tags on the cards were quite high. I don't know whose who, or what players the high dollar amounts were affixed to. When I compare the values to the baseball cards, it's like night and day. On my way out, I asked the owner if football cards were more valuable than the baseball. he said not really, it's pretty much an even ground. He sees a lot more than I do, and obviously knows the market and whats what. but that response left me wondering.

I've been occasionally looking at hobby boxes on ebay of 2023 football. when you compare the hobby box prices of football cards to that of baseball, um, not even close. for the most part, you can get baseball boxes for $100-$300 easily. the football, i see for $200-$600, most being on the higher end.

so after all that, i'm curious. For those that collect both sports. why do football card hobby boxes cost soooo much more? what is making them more valuable?
I understand that the value of cards is also dictated on how the actual player performs. I get that, but what is so special about these football cards? (regardless of brand)

 

[SymphonicMetal]

THe difference between values of football vs baseball have been a mystery to me for decades. However, when it comes to newer cards football more than holds its own with baseball.

I think during the Pandemic when cards went through the roof, a lot of 20 and 30 year olds entered the hobby en masse. For those younger adults they grew up with the urban culture being the most dominant influence of pop culture. Rock was out and rap was in. This sub culture of urban and hip-hop is most obvious in the NFL and NBA and not in MLB. The younger, new collectors almost exclusively went towards the players from the NBA and NFL. At out local card store only 2 customers bought new baseball so the owner stopped carrying the new baseball product. Both the guys who bought baseball were older (80 and 45 years old) and were long time collectors. Everyone else seemed to be in their 20s and 30s and were after Josh Allen, Mahomes, Herbert and Burrow in football and Zion, Ja Morant, LeBron and Steph in basketball.

I must say when I was younger I too gravitated towards football and Basketball as I found them to be more exciting and athletic. For sure I was a big baseball fan back then but football and hoops were my main sports. And to be honest football and basketball were MUCH less expensive than baseball when I went to card shows so I financially went towards those less popular, less pricey sports.

But when it comes to vintage, baseball rules the roost. I've been mystified why vintage football lags behind baseball in value like it does. I think there is a traditional aspect to old baseball cards that helps it out tremendously but football is not the National Pastime but the National Obsession. But when it comes to vintage football is a distant 2nd or 3rd behind baseball valuewise. I always say the best buy in card is vintage football and it has been that way for seemingly forever.

So after all that being said what cards have I been chasing most the past few years? Old hockey of course! I don't even follow the game but think the cards look cool because you don't see them as much as the other three sports. Go figure!