Nonsense Newsletter No. 152: Valuable Works of Art, Nameless Comparisons, '52 Mantle rookies and so much more!
Yo! In this week’s edition John Dudley plays a game with us, looking at nameless comparisons that may just leave you stunned! I, on. the other hand tap into my art history days in college and ramble on about the art of trading cards. Oh, and the Quick Hits is top shelf yet again! So, let’s try this one more time, folks! Sit back, grab a cup ‘o Joe and enjoy this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter.
By John Dudley
I always love the nameless comparisons of two players. I’m a sucker for articles and posts that do that. So, here’s one of my own from the NFL and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more like this. Let’s figure out why these two quarterbacks have been treated differently in the hobby and let’s see if we can use that to figure out the hobby future of the ostensibly undervalued guy.
By John McTaggart
I want to take a few moments, and words, to point out something I’ve recently observed in the hobby — the photography is terrible and there is a genuine lack of creativity in design.
Now, I say this as someone who is a full-time photojournalist and someone who lived through what I consider to be the peak era of sports card design, the 1990s.
Today’s cards are more shiny than creative, aren’t they?
With the exception of Topps Stadium Club, which has always been the pinnacle of photojournalism in trading cards, there isn’t much to write home about at all.
Now, as a hockey card fan, I could argue that the Upper Deck flagship product isn’t terrible, and it isn’t. However, it’s mainly PR shots of one player on the ice — not a ton of what I would consider high-end art with a camera.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- It’s an awesome week for lovers of tiny baseball cards. Topps T206 and Allen & Ginter released this week putting a new supply of tobacco era sized cards into the market. Both sets have some gems this year. It’s worth mentioning that he 206 Horizontal cards are especially stunning and a surprise late entry into the Insert of the Year category for the SCN Newsletter Best of 2024 Awards. -John Dudley
Vintage- If you’re a fan of 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards, and let’s be honest, who isn’t, right? Then Heritage Auctions might be your Disneyland thanks to an auction that will be offering no less than seven of these beauties, ranging from a PSA 2.5 version to a 7.5 copy — oh, and one is signed, by the way. Check it out here.
Hobby News- The Dodgers won the World Series and Topps Now didn’t miss a bear with a commemorative team set. The cards are attractive and come with a chance for very rare parallels and autos. The set is available through November 6th and can be ordered only on the Topps website here.
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.