Nonsense Newsletter #56: Soccer, treasure hunting, another attic find and Topps Holiday. Plus, a little more!
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Now that we’ve given our digestive systems time to recoup from Thanksgiving let’s get back into the business of this awesome business. This week John Dudley gets caught up in soccer fever. I decided that finding a hidden treasure at a local estate sale is, in fact a likely scenario for me and more! so, just when you thought the newsletter couldn’t possibly get more awesome — it does — FLUSHING BREAKS is introducing bingo on Card Shop Live this week!
Contributor: John McTaggart
Many years ago, my wife had one of her many garage sales.
Folks from all over the neighborhood converged on our house, rummaged through stuff scattered about numerous tables and selected things they apparently thought might be useful to them, but stuff my wife decided was no longer useful to her.
Among these items were three binders filled with original series Garbage Pail Kids, approximately three complete sets and then some doubles, of the classic sticker cards my wife had collected back in the mid 1980s.
The binders sold that weekend, for about $5 each, and as that person walked away that afternoon, little did he know he was carrying would could be thousands of dollars in Garbage Pail Kids trading cards.
Looking back, it brings tears to my eyes, and to this day ranks among one of my wife’s biggest mistakes.
Fast forward to the present day.Â
Contributor: John Dudley
Every four years, writers dust off their think pieces about if this is the year Americans finally embrace soccer. I’d argue we already have to some degree, but the articles keep coming and they haven’t changed much since the 70s. What has undoubtedly changed is that soccer is part of the hobby landscape. While I have fond memories of ripping 1994 Upper Deck World Cup packs, soccer has remained on the periphery of the hobby only poking its head up occasionally.Â
Soccer is no longer an afterthought and indeed is one of the big success stories in the hobby currently. The royalty of the sport (Pele’, Ronaldo, and Messi) and the young heirs (Haaland and Mbappe) command prices comparable to Jordan, Brady, and Gretzky.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps is keeping the Montgomery Club. The club offers collectors an exclusive set and early access to some of the year’s hottest products (Sapphire). There was rampant speculation that they would discontinue the program with the Fanatics takeover, but it survived. Not all memberships will though as Topps zapped all users that violated the oft-overlooked one-per-household limit.
Vintage- Well, it happened again! Another crazy attic find. This time, it’s around 1,300 cards from 16 different 19th Century sports and non-sports card sets! These incredibly rare finds are up for auction through Robert Edward Auctions, but only through Dec. 4, so hurry up and get your bids in before it’s too late. For more info on this crazy-cool find, click here.
Grading News- I’ve been speculating about service price drops for a few months now and it looks like that time is finally here. All four major grading companies are offering discounts currently. My personal favorite is SGC’s $ 9-a-card 2022 Bowman Chrome special. It’s the perfect product for this type of special and SGC’s quick turnaround times make them the perfect company to do it. It’s spiffy when things work well in the hobby.Â
NFT News- Winter is coming. Again. While you have to wait another year or so for more dragon fights on television, you can relive the whole Game of Thrones saga in Rittenhouse’s upcoming release. The product has a 72-card base set, but it is the autos that everyone will be chasing. Each box comes with three with one including an inscription.
Bonus News- Topps will release Topps Holiday to the world soon (it’s already sold out on the Topps site). If it does not get a restock, one can find it at Walmart as an exclusive. Panini normally offers holiday-themed cards as well and I would expect more soon. It’s worth noting that holiday cards, especially Santa ones, sell during the holiday season but can be tough to move the rest of the year. The holiday sets are undoubtedly fun but pay attention to timing when selling.
Join FLUSHING BREAKS BINGO!
This week tune in to Flushing Breaks shop to play BINGO! Winners will get a signed mini helmet!
Flushing will be playing some bingo during their breaks this week. If a BINGO is hit, the person who gets the final box checked off will win a mini helmet.
Helmets include: a Trevor Lawrence Gold Ink, a Ja'Marr Chase, & a Cooper Kupp
The Sports Card Nonsense newsletters reflect the opinions of only the authors and contributors. They are for informational purposes only, and are not a recommendation for purchases or of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any assets.