re: Are baseball cards still a thing?

Yea, I nailed some good inserts that way. It lead to some of my big scores in pack wars. If you don't know what that is, two people buy a pack and whomever has the best card takes all the cards. So in 1996 Topps Chrome I knew which packs had refractor inserts and would buy those packs. I'd use them on different days so no one figured me out. It lead to one of my biggest scores. Guy pulled out a Kobe RC that ended up being a gem/mint when I got is graded. I through down the Kobe RC Refractor. Sold the base RC for $1800 and the refractor for $2300 after grading.