Nonsense Newsletter #59: Saying Goodbye to 2022, an Epic Contest, and a Great Look at NFTs!
Sponsored by SGC Cards gosgc.com
2022 is almost over, which means I had to reflect and hand out the first-ever SCN Newsletter Best of Awards. While Aaron Judge might have run away with the MVP award, he got edged out for Hobby Player of the Year. Who could top him? Read on. Also, a must-read post from Spinotron about NFTs and a quick roundup of this week’s news.
Spinotron on NFTs
Super collector Spinotron made waves recently with a $30,000 bounty on a Messi 1/1 NFT, but it is his most recent Instagram post on NFTs that is more fascinating. He calls it his survival guide to NFTs and it is a great read even if NFTs are not your thing. He was kind enough to let us share it. Check it out here.
Best of 2022!
Contributor John Dudley
We made it another year around the sun! That means it is time for some good old-fashioned, end-of-the-year navel-gazing with the first-ever newsletter Best of the Year Awards! While there aren’t any shiny trophies yet, I’m sure the honorees will be thrilled with their inclusion on such a prestigious list.
Player Awards
Rookie of the Year (Hobby): Football and basketball both had intriguing rookie classes with players likely to be part of the hobby landscape for quite some time, but none had the on-field success and hobby success of one Julio Rodriguez. It was supposed to be the year of Witt and Franco, but J.Rod never got the memo and slugged his way to the forefront of the hobby. While most everyone has seen their Card Ladder Player Index (a great measure of player hobby value) drop drastically in 2022, J. Rod’s has doubled. Only one other rookie in any sport saw a 50% bump in 2022 (Bobby Witt Jr.). J. Rod wins this one easily.
Player of the Year (Hobby): Very few veteran players saw substantial increases in card prices in 2022. Cooper Kupp, Aaron Judge, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, and Connor McDavid all saw their cards double on average in 2022 according to Card Ladder’s Player Index (Kirk Cousins and Anfernee Simons did too, but that was due to negligible starting values).Â
Out of those, I think Judge, Allen, and McDavid did the most to set themselves apart this year whereas the rest relied on hobbyists having little to no expectations to begin with. Ultimately, I think Connor McDavid will be the one collectors look back on and kick themselves for not buying in at 2021 prices. For that reason, Connor McDavid is my 2022 Hobby Player of the Year.
Honorable Mentions: Aaron Judge, Josh Allen
Quick Hits
Grading News- Beckett announced that they graded a rare Harry Houdini signature. Pretty cool, but the image they used to promote it was clearly a Martin Luther King Jr. autograph in a holder labeled Houdini. No word yet if this was a major snafu in their grading department dealing with two high-priced historical gems or if this is the result of an over-eager graphics department. Whoops!
Pop Culture News- Magic: The Gathering is set to bring back blasts from the past with their upcoming Dominaria: Reunited set. The set features a slew of fan favorites and is also a change in that it will be issued in Draft and Collector’s formats only. If you haven’t played in a while, this might be a great spot to jump on as the nostalgia factor is high with this one,
NFT News- Turns out Spinotron’s (that name is fun to type) $30,000 bounty wasn’t high enough to snag the Lionel Messi 1/1 from Panini’s 2022 World Cup issue. The card went for a staggering $35,000. Not bad at all from a card from a $10 pack.
Our end-of-the-year giveaways are still going! You're not going to want to miss out on our GRAND PRIZE!
One lucky winner will get a trip to West Palm Beach for the Palm Beach Card Show on January 13-15. The show will have 400+ tables!
This includes:
2 round-trip plane tickets
2 tickets to the show
A complementary table to sell or display your collection
AND
A 2-night stay in the Hilton Hotel right next to the convention center!
This prize is in partnership with one of our awesome sellers World Champion Sports Cards
Check out the rest of the prizes here.
There are 3 ways to earn spots:
1. Buy from 6 or more sellers
2. Spend $300 or more
3. Refer 5 or more friends using the refer-a-friend function
Each of these will get you an entry in the giveaway.
Complete all three between 12/22 and 1/2, and you will get 3 entries in the giveaway!
To find your refer a friend link:
Open the CSL app and select the menu in the top left corner and then scroll down to REWARDS at the bottom of the menu above the Log Out button.
Once in rewards, you can find your link under Share.
You can share this link anywhere and it will track your referrals.
We’ll meet you at Card Shop Live!
Mike and the CSL team
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.