Nonsense Newsletter No. 105: Bob Ross and trading cards, Slowing down some, a potential $10 million Babe Ruth and more!
In this week’s superb edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley channels his inner Bob Ross and talks about happy little cards. I jump back on the complain train and beg manufactures to slow their roll a little bit. And, if that wasn’t enough to quench your thirst for knowledge in the hobby, we’ve got a Quick Hits section that will likely win some kind of award soon enough here. So sit back and enjoy it all!
Contributor: John Dudley
A few months ago, the news of a Bob Ross-themed Topps issue swept social media. Posters raced to be first to break the news of one of the more bizarre set releases of the last decade. Interestingly, most of the reaction to the release was positive. Instead of being a punchline, the Joy of Baseball (great title) became one of the most intriguing sets of the year.
What is the Joy of Baseball?
The set featuring the artwork of Bob Ross comes in either Happy Little Boxes which come with an easel parallel as well as another parallel or SP or Collector’s Boxes which come with a sweet Topps pen, more cards, and a guaranteed auto. The autos seem to be generously inserted in the Happy Little Boxes so the autos aren’t exclusive to the Collector’s Boxes as some thought they would be.
Happy Little Boxes are moving briskly at $65 and Collector’s Boxes are selling at a robust $330. Given that these sold initially for $25 and $200, it’s safe to say the public has appreciated the set. It’s unclear exactly how the Collector’s Boxes will be configured as they haven’t hit the market yet, but it is safe to say the Happy Little Boxes are providing more bang for the buck than expected with some estimating the auto rate as low as 1:2 boxes.
Contributor: John McTaggart
I’ve got as much, or more, experience in this hobby as anyone.
In fact, since I was 14-years old I have been buying, selling and trading sports cards as a profession (sometimes part time, sometimes full time), and I have loved every single second of this entire journey.
I live for the hustle of it all, for the community, for all of it.
Recently, however, I’ve noticed something in the hobby that I have not seen before.
Burnout.
And by burnout, I don’t mean business owners, such as myself, getting tired of the 80-plus hour work weeks, dealing with unscrupulous online buyers and scams, and difficult, if not downright unreasonable, distributors and sales reps.
That, in fact, is a real thing, but it’s not at all what I’m talking about in this instance.
What I’m noticing amongst those in the hobby is a burnout with collectors themselves.
Why?
Well, Manufacturers are simply releasing too much product, too often, and people are growing increasingly fed up with this cycle of constant release days — constant demands both mentally and fiscally.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps Chrome Update is almost here. While most of the big-name rookies have already had Topps Chrome rookies, the big draw here will be the 1/1 game used patch cards with patches that designate a player’s debut. Baseball has had a hard time developing a super premium market but cards like this might help them turn the corner.
Vintage- Well, well, well… we vintage lovers are about to get an opportunity that has rarely come along — we can purchase a card for more than $10 million. What is that card? A 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth SGC 3! The auction is set to kick off Nov. 17 at Robert Edwards Auctions. If $10 million or so is burning a hole in your pocket, click here.
Hobby News- Lorcana is getting a replenishing of its first run stock and also getting its first new set. For those who missed the cards the first time around, the cards have been reprinted. More intriguingly, the new set should change how we look at the original cards. Lorcana had pretty much vanished, but now it looks poised to be omnipresent.
Grading News- Grading volume numbers were solid across the board, but they really stood out in terms of football. All of the big graders saw double-digit increases in terms of grading growth but PSA lead the way with over a 44% increase. Check out more info at Gemrate.
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.