What does Normalization of Relations Mean for Baseball Cards

With President Obama's announcement of possible normalization between the United States and Cuba, what are the possibilities for the baseball card market? Will once coveted rare Cuban issues become a flooded market, or will even more scarce issues be uncovered, will Havana have a professional baseball team? Let's keep this apolitical....

I'm not sure the market will get flooded. That was always my concern, but I've talked with several top collector and dealers in the field and they pretty certain the majority of the cards are already in hand. That's not to say there still aren't big finds to be had, but I know of one collector that makes an annual trip to Cuba and part of the trip is scouring the countryside for cards and other memorabilia.

What would you guess is meant by the "majority of cards"; 51%, 99%? Perhaps not flooded with cards, but rather the limited market will get flooded with competing collectors? IMO this will be an interesting few years in that niche.

The acquisition of Cuban ballplayers will be a much more complicated story. FOX Sports Live has already mentioned that a Cuban International Draft may be set up as early as 2016? Not sure where these talking heads come up with their projections.

No clue on percentages, but even if there are a fair number of new cards introduced, that will just serve to get more people interested in collecting them and absorbing them.

The big thing the normalization of relations with Cuba means is that the first team that threatens move will most likely threaten to move to Havana.

I would like to see an original Cuban team ascend to the MLB, rather than have a current MLB team move, but you're right. The possibility of a team in Havana will definitely be used as leverage to squeeze taxpayers to say, fund a new stadium project, or some other ridiculous swindle.