Nonsense Newsletter No. 129: NFL Draft Distractions, the Yount dilemma, the 1984 Tigers and more!
In this week’s mind-altering edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley sits down with us and takes a hard look at the draft and the distractions that arise in the hobby. I, on the other hand, try and figure out why no one in the hobby seems to want cards of Hall of Fame baseball players. And, if that wasn’t already enough to quench your newsletter thirst… we got the Quick Hits section that will put you over the top. So let’s enjoy yet another amazing piece of newsletter joy…. The Nonsense Newsletter!
By John Dudley
I watched the NFL Draft hoping to get a better handle on the hobby prospects of the draftees. It was a nice idea, but at this point, we all know the hobby future of the players: quarterbacks will be greatly overvalued and the rest will struggle to get any hobby attention. Rinse and repeat and have the same arguments. The hobby is stuck in a pattern with rookies and it is pointless to fight it.
After realizing I wasn’t going to glean any new hobby insights, I engaged in one of the hobby’s most dangerous activities: bored, directionless, eBay browsing. Wallets everywhere cower in fear when their owners are indiscriminately scrolling eBay. Luckily, the draft had inspired me to look up some favorite stars of yesteryear. I started the evening looking for wide receivers and running backs that were undervalued and I found some. I just didn’t expect them to all be retired already.
By John McTaggart
For the past two-plus years, John Dudley and I have been penning this little newsletter with the hopes it will both inform and entertain you.
And, for the most part, I believe it has accomplished both these tasks.
Mr. Dudley is far and away the brains of this operation, writing articles on a weekly basis that are deeply thought-out pieces, backed by research, stats and numbers.
I, on the other hand, mainly complain about things and write it down.
It’s a combination that has worked, and I am extremely proud to be a part of it.
I know with an intro like this you’re probably thinking that I’m going to deviate from the course this week and write something very detailed and thought provoking.
You’re wrong — kinda.
You see, I actually map out what I’m writing a few weeks ahead of time, in most cases, so that I don't spend countless hours staring at a blank computer screen trying to come up with ideas for this space on the world wide web.
That said, this week I was dead set on delving deep into the topic of why I pay more for a Jackson Holliday card than a rookie of a Hall of Fame player.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps released Heritage Mini this week. The product pays homage to the original 1975 Mini set and even includes autos. Boxes were an incredibly reasonable $50 with 10 packs, 120 cards, and 3 numbered or SP cards per box. This one looks like it might bypass the flipper market and just be a nice affordable product for those wanting to build sets. Here’s hoping.
Vintage- Okay, this one hits close to home. I was 12 years old. I was perhaps the biggest baseball fan on the planet, and my team, the Detroit Tigers, were the best team in the world! This little article not only informs and entertains, it brought a tear to my eye. Check it out here.
Grading News- Grading volume dipped last month after the record-setting March. It’s a small dip that can likely be explained by the calendar, but any dip is worth watching. The big winner last month was hockey which was up at every company thanks no doubt to Mr. Bedard. As always, more detailed information can be found at Gem Rate which is one of the better free resources in the hobby.
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.