Nonsense Newsletter No. 119: Topps Series 1, a full-circle moment, Phil Esposito and much much!
In this week’s seductive edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley checks in with the hobby’s hottest new product — Topps Series 1 baseball. Meanwhile, I travel way back in time to the early days of my collecting and notice how it has all come full-circle. Plus, as usual, the Quick Hits section is the best Quick Hits section of any Quick Hits sections in any newsletter in the world that has a Quick Hits section (not braggin’, just stating a fact). So, let’s relax together and enjoy this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter.
By John Dudley
2024 Topps Series 1 has been out for almost two weeks now. That’s more than enough time for collectors and the market to decide how to treat this year’s offering. Early results are strong overall, but it is worth digging into some specifics. So, this week I’m delving into Series 1 to figure out what’s working for the set in the market and what’s falling flat.
Rookies
Modern products are only as good as their rookies. One of the quickest ways to get a handle on the relative hype of baseball rookies is by comparing the prices of their numbered Topps Gold rookies. Last year, 14!!! Different rookies saw their Series 1 Gold cards sell for over $30. This year, Elly De La Cruz and Jasson Dominguez have both hit $130. Evan Carter comes in third at $75. Marco Luciano, Ceddanne Rafaela, Colton Cowser, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Henry Davis, and Ronny Mauricio round out our rookies that have had their 2024 Topps Gold /2024 sell for over $30.
It is worth noting that these are high sales and most sales are MUCH lower now. It is also worth noting that this class might not be as deep as 2023’s with only nine players cracking the $30 threshold and three of those only breaching that mark with one oddball sale. The top of the class is stronger hobby-wise in that De La Cruz and Dominguez have seen more sales over $100 than Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman did last year. The buzz coming in to the year was that this class was more top heavy but not as deep. That tracks with how collectors have reacted so far.
By John McTaggart
In the beginning there was Topps baseball… for me, anyhow.
At that time, 1979, that’s pretty much all there was to choose from in terms of baseball cards.
There was no Panini cards, no Upper Deck, Fleer or whoever else printed picture of athletes on cardboard over the past forty-plus years.
It was pretty much just Topps baseball.
So when my mom came home from the 7-11 with that pack, that first pack, and, yes, I do remember that first pack, it’s been the a relationship that has endured.
Now, could I have predicted the journey?
Absolutely not.
Could I have ever imagined the level of commitment and intensity and passion and love I would have, and still have, for the hobby?
Nope.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Move over F1 it’s time for Nascar and other leagues to shine. Panini is releasing Panini Prizm racing soon. F1 really has taken things over though and recent releases, including Prizm ones, that focused on other drivers haven’t gotten a great reception. It does offer a chance to snag some of your favorite drivers at a reasonable rate as hobby boxes are under $150 which is refreshing for a Prizm product.
Vintage- Alas, finally a vintage segment in Quick Hits about hockey! All is right in the world. And what about hockey? Well, let’s talk about hockey legend Phil Esposito! He has one of the more confusing and elusive hockey rookie cards in history. Read more about it here.
Pop Culture News- Rittenhouse is the leading name for autos from popular science fiction or fantasy properties. They’ve got Picard Season Two and Three coming soon, but I’m intrigued by the Umbrella Academy autographed set they have coming out. The cardboard world has been kind to cult-favorite status properties, but Rittenhouse gives them a first-class reception that should satisfy any fan.
Hobby News- There’s always a concern when buying cards older than a year or two that all the good copies have been sent out for grading. Remember though that about 40% of the 1.5 million cards graded last month came from before 2020. These numbers should help one feel a bit better at tracking down gradable raw copies of non-new releases.
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.