Nonsense Newsletter No. 115:
In this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley dives head-first into the world of Topps’ Montgomery Club. Keeping with the baseball theme, I jump right into the world that is the one-and-only Tony Gwynn. Plus, the Quick Hits section is top-notch (as usual, right?). So, as the snow flies here in the Mitten State, and it’s cold most everywhere in the land, we present to you this newest iteration of the Nonsense Newsletter!
By John Dudley
The Montgomery Club sounds like a speakeasy or a mutual fund, but it actually is a part of our hobby. This week I’m going to delve into what the Montgomery Club is and see if it is something that is worth the time and money for hobbyists or something that is best forgotten.
What in Tarnation is the Montgomery Club?
The Montgomery Club is basically an exclusive Topps club that gets early access to certain products along with an exclusive stamped factory set. The window to join said club is very short and Topps has sold out of memberships quickly in the past. Current members got to renew on Thursday and new memberships will be available next Tuesday. Prices were $150 for renewal but no word yet on if new memberships will cost more (they typically do). The Topps Montgomery landing page with more info is here.
By John McTaggart
Of the thousands and thousands of cards that have crossed my path over the past three decades in the hobby — one stands out to me.
It’s not, by any means, the most valuable, the most coveted, nor would too many others consider it the crown jewel of their collection.
But for me, it was the one card that set me on my path in the hobby.
I guess you could say I started collecting cards beginning with packs of 1979 Topps baseball my mom would pick up for me with every trip to the 7-11 by our house.
But truthfully, I didn’t really start collecting until a few years later, when my Little League baseball coach told me about a young player in San Diego named Tony Gwynn.
I read everything I could on Gwynn, trying to learn from him, mimic his work ethic and attention to detail for the game.
And most of all, my baseball card collecting had a new focus, a direction, a purpose.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- 2024 Topps has had a successful pre-order for 2024 Series 1 Flagship and now collectors are just waiting to get their hands on the new hotness from Topps. This year’s design is bolder than in recent years. Surprisingly, the bold design seems to have struck a chord as most reactions to the set have been positive. The best news to me is that they’ve finally made some decent-looking Independence Day parallels with their nicest version since 2018 and 2019.
Vintage- Okay, I remember these like I just got one yesterday. I remember chasing them, getting them, and of course, I remember the sweet-goodness that is Hostess snacks! Think about it — what could possibly make a Twinkie better? Simple, put some baseball cards in the box! That’s what Hostess did from 1975-1979! And, let me tell you, it was glorious. Read more about these amazing cards here.
Hobby News- Topps also released the odds for each version of Series 1 products. The odds, available here, are extremely useful for figuring out which Topps Series 1 products to buy. Last year, Jumbo boxes of Series 1 were loaded and that was evident from the odds. This year shows a more balanced distribution with no clear stay-away version of the product.
Upcoming Release Notice- There’s a lot of products to look forward to in the next month, but Leaf Trinity Soccer might be one you’ve overlooked that is worth checking out. Trinity is sneakily one of the best values in the premium card space offering well-designed cards of the biggest stars and rookies for a fraction of the price of Panini cards. The soccer version this year has a lot of players from other sports like Nolan Ryan and Kevin Durant. The product offers a Pele game-used patch auto as its ultimate reward and there are numerous other massive hits that are worthy of being the centerpiece of a collection. My only knock on the product is that Leaf has been using more sticker autos in Trinity which is a shame.
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.