Nonsense Newsletter No. 107: Black Friday, Too many of too little and More!
Listen, we know it’s Black Friday. We know you’re probably out shopping, traveling or doing whatever. But, we gotta job to do, and that’s to provide you with the most awesome newsletter possible week in and week out. That said, this week’s edition may be trimmed down some, but it’s still just as awesome as ever.
Contributor: John McTaggart
As most of you know, I’ve fallen madly in love with breaking — after spending years not being a big fan.
That said, because of this, I’ve had the absolute honor and privilege to be a part of many breaks, on both sides of the camera, and aside from having an absolute blast in every one, I have made a keen observation.
There are too many inserts in 99-percent of the new products on the market, despite the sports, manufacturer or echelon of cards.
There really is.
Of course, Some are cooler, more scarce, and more treasure than others, but the bottom line is, most of them are none of the aforementioned.
They’re mainly shiny, cut funny or colored in a different hue — that’s it.
Contributor: John Dudley
With apologies to all the returning Black Friday sports cards sales, the apex of Black Friday in the hobby happened in sleepy Hattiesburg, MS in 1992. That was the year of the best Black Friday promo (for a card collector). It was also the first time I completed a set.
Every year a local department store ran a promo where they handed out boxes of Cracker Jack to early risers (I think you had to be there at 7:00 a.m.). Most shoppers left disappointed, but a select few got major discounts and I seem to remember a diamond ring or something similar being the top prize. As a young child brought undoubtedly to score an extra box of Cracker Jack, I had my own agenda. I had no interest in winning a prize. I was there to lose.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Black Friday returns! One positive of the recent downturn is that deals are back. There were a few deals to be had last year, but this year the deals look to be bigger and more widespread. So, just make sure you shop around at all your favorite retailers and see what deals they have on offer.
Vintage-
Hobby News- Will Topps have a repeat of last December? Last year they released a new product almost every 1.5 days on average. Delays are still a problem in the industry though so don’t be shocked to see a flood of Topps releases in December and January this year. It’s also worth noting that Topps was almost inactive for a couple of months last year after the big December push with few products coming out in February, March, and April.
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.