Yeah, yeah, the Bryce Harper Superfractor just sold for a ridiculous amount of money
, and the Strasburg super has recently sold for as much as 24K. Ive heard it time after time. Thats not the problem. The problem is, with Topps loading the infamous superfractor into almost all of their chromium based sets, have we reached that ever-present point of over saturation where superfractors just arent what they used to be?
I think the answer lies in the sales of these cards. Bowman Chrome, Topps’ wheelhouse for Superfractors, is obviously not in danger of losing its zeal. Collectors chase Chrome superfractors like dogs chase cars. As the Joker said, what would they even do if they caught one, right? Well, most try to list with a ridiculous BIN or try to sell off eBay, most with varied levels of success. Others play chicken with the card gods and list at a 7 day auction, hoping that the light refracting off the card’s surface will wow someone into paying more than they should.
The same cannot be said for superfractors in other sets. Unlike Chrome cards, these superfractors dont carry the same level of clout, mainly because a lot of these sets have close to 5-10 supers per player. Look at 2010 Topps Finest Football, for example. Tim Tebow has as many as 6 different supers, and that just from my count. It waters down the value of these types of cards because there are more of them to go around.
Personally, I hate the look of the superfractors but respect their position in my favorite sets. I get that they are the pinnacle of chrome cards, but I really dislike the refractor pattern or the gold tinted photo. However, if I pulled one, I definitely would not hesitate to jump for joy a little before slapping it on eBay. Really, the best practice that Topps should consider is limiting the super to Chrome sets where it can make the biggest splash, and let Platinum, Finest, and all the other products that currently have them fend for themselves.It used to be that the white framed x-fractors were the 1/1s, and in most cases, they looked pretty cool. Bottom line is that Topps take away from the legacy that cards like the Harper and Strasburg have perpetrated by forcing the supers into every product they can.
I agree with you on the unfortunate overabundance of superfractors. However, I don’t know if I see it as a real dangerous slippery slope (i.e. what was seen with the watering-down of the auto’d and g/u’d markets). Despite the proliferation of superfractors in Finest, Platinum, etc., there is still just one Topps Chrome superfractor and one Bowman Chrome superfractor. Those are the pinnacle. How many “true” rookie cards does AP have? Yet you (and nearly all other collectors, smart and not-so-much) know the top of the pile is his Exquisite RC, followed in second place by the SPA. Does the existence of all those other RCs (base Topps, base Bowman, etc) devalue the Exquisite or the SPA?
I think the existence of multiple Tebow superfractors in Finest might devalue the other supers in that set, but I don’t think it does anything to impact the value of his Topps Chrome superfractor RC.