One thing that has helped me pull away from modern cards at least a little bit, is how generic they look.
This is an issue almost across the board with current products and has been for the last 15-to-20 years. And it's no matter where you look.
Bowman, as a whole, is generic as it gets. I'd say I don't know why anyone is still collecting it, but I know the ones that do aren't prioritizing design. Panini features plenty of generic sets like Prizm and Donruss. Allen & Ginter has progressively gotten generic. Stadium Club is also like that. Flagship is hit and miss but several sets over the last 25 years could easily blend together. The only products that stand out to me are retro sets using old designs, like Heritage and Archives.
Inserts and parallels aren't immune, the same ones are used from year to year with not a lot of difference. 2025 marked a new level in generic parallels as many of them are almost indistinguishable from each other.
A specific example are these inserts called "Flagship Collection" -- could you dream up a more generic name? -- that have appeared over the last four years. I've learned that they are mostly exclusive to Costco in their "Super Box" configurations. It's not a store I can easily get to.
I recently received some of the 2026 versions, in Dodger form of course, from reader Jonathan. He recently claimed one of my downsizing giveaways, and his kids enjoyed it so much that when he bought some cards at Costco they asked him to send "the owl man" the Dodgers.
Naturally I'm pleased about this. Yes, that is about the most generic design I could imagine. I'm sure I myself would be able to draw this up in 5 minutes after waking up (OK, the circles wouldn't be perfect). But I do want Dodgers cards that I can't easily find myself.
None of the Flagship Collection card designs since this weird insert first started are the height of creativity and most significantly, none are memorable. Collectors 10 years from now will not be able to quickly determine which one is from 2024 and which from 2026. (But they are thinner this year).
Jonathan also sent a couple of inserts. I'd definitely file the Stars of MLB inserts, which have been going on for at least the last 45 years, under generic. I do like that it's playing up the blue on the Dodgers cards this year. The Greatest Hits design, though, almost makes me want to collect them, which has never been the case before.
And here is a Kershaw card in holofoil flavor (with a Japanese interpeter cameo!) It definitely took me awhile to figure out what holofoil was and that it is not the same as rainbow foil.
These are the pitfalls of cards being too generic. The differences are so subtle that I don't know what I have. But those are your options with modern cards -- subtle, indistinguishable differences or bland designs. I consider both "generic" because they don't stand out enough!
As someone who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, I definitely prefer card designs that make you take notice. I want loud colors and dominant designs. That's not the style these days, but every once in awhile something more my jam (think 2015 Topps) will pop up and I'll attach myself to it with all my heart.
But mostly what modern designs make me do is just ignore them because they're so boring to me. I've stopped with a lot of the inserts and a lot of the parallels.
Still, if it's a Dodger card, I'll take that generic slab of whatever it's printed on! Thanks for sending it to me!
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