Some thoughts on The death of the "1/1"

Remember when......opening a $.50 pack of cards was a thrill?
Remember when......pulling a Griffey base card was considered a "big pull"?
Remember when......cards numbered to 3000 or less were considered a HUGE Accomplishment?
Remember when......1/1's were actually one of ones??
Remember when......enough is enough already, let's get down to business, I can remember the days not too long ago when 1/1's were treasures that drove a product-that left each of us holding onto the dream that we could actually be the one to pull THAT CARD!
    Those were the days when 1/1's actually meant something (ie. presidential cuts, historical cuts, etc. coming from products like Ginter, or SP Legendary Cuts, to name a few.) Those rarities brought huge money, and were unique in the fact that there were, well, just one of them across an entire product line.  Then something happened, our own desires and greed, led card companies to introduce the dawn of a new cardboard era- the era of the 'hits per box'. Our own hunger for product led us to consume every piece of garbage card companies would feed us, and the more we ate, the hungrier we got.  We are to blame, and I'm not sure if we can or will ever go back, and it's sad!
    Let me preface this by saying I don't think all 1/1's should be completely disregarded, as they are a part of the hobby now, but there comes a point where too much is just too much.  Let's remove Superfractors, Unique memorabilia, Hand Stamps, and Nameplates, because in many instances those gems are truly one a kind pieces for collectors, especially if they are limited to a handful of players or simply the rarest of pieces to be found in a product.  The waters are significantly muddied though when each and every player in a product has a 1/1 base parallel, a printing plate, and company made  products like Topps Vault blank back cards.  Too much is too much! And I'd like to avoid getting started on "1/1" printing plates that have multiple colored variations, not to mention autographed stickers that are placed on card stock foil stamped "one of one" or "1/1".  Is it really a 1/1 if one of 400 sticker signatures is placed on a piece of cardboard designated "1/1"......nope, not in my book!!
    Collecting should be fun first and foremost, and secondly should present a challenge. I don't find it much of a challenge when I can hit Ebay and grab a printing plate for less than $10, how unique is my card really if I know that 15 other collectors out there have multiple colored versions of plates that were produced for 20 different products? The answer is what we make of it I guess, and I invite you to disagree with my views, but relish the fact that your Magenta 1/1 is the evil stepbrother of my "Unique" Cyan plate.......is cyan a color???? I digress!! Remember when..........??
Check out some recent Ebay 1/1 auctions that ended at $10 or less:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARK-REYNOLDS-2007-Bowman-Heritage-Printing-Plate-1-1-/380647539687?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a05c83e7&nma=true&si=FX1oAPkJ%252FuwZrT7h7C0UNBDdBtI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MELKY-CABRERA-2015-Topps-Gypsy-Queen-BLACK-PAPER-FRAMED-1-1-Card-226-/311346064356?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487dabebe4&nma=true&si=FX1oAPkJ%252FuwZrT7h7C0UNBDdBtI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-Famous-Fabrics-Bud-Melheny-Paul-Schreiber-Dual-Auto-New-York-Yankees-1-1-/261858700959?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf7feae9f&nma=true&si=FX1oAPkJ%252FuwZrT7h7C0UNBDdBtI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

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