Nonsense Newsletter No. 159: The Card of the Year, Free Agency, Learning from an OG in the hobby and more!
In this week’s holiday edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley dives headfirst into MLB free agency, while Cole Benz tells us about the importance of learning from some of the OG in the hobby. And then, I lament about my favorite pickup of the year! Oh, and the Quick Hits are, as usual, the gift that keeps on giving. So, people — settle into that holiday cheer and let’s enjoy another edition of the Nonsense Newsletter.
By John Dudley
MLB Free Agency is in full swing and there have already been some major moves sending waves through the hobby. It’s the holidays so let’s get right to it and check in on five guys and see how their new teams are affecting their place in the hobby.
Juan Soto
Soto is the biggest name moving wit his new mega contract. Sometimes there is backlash with big contracts and Soto seems to be garnering negative attention. It’s essentially a lateral move and while Mets fans might be excited, the disappointment from Yankees collectors offsets that.
It’s Soto’s fourth uniform in four years and the real hobby impact will be the decline in demand for his Yankees cards. His Padres cards are tough sales and his Yankees issues will likely follow suit.
By Cole Benz
A few weeks ago, around Thanksgiving, I was out of town visiting my mother when she mentioned that she had a friend, widowed a few years ago, who’s late husband had what she described as a massive collection and was looking to unload it. As a collector and one who flips to buy PC cards, I was intrigued.
Facebook is flooded with stories (whether true or untrue) of unearthed treasures discovered from long-lost collections. And in all honesty, I was hoping to have one of those stories of my own. Not only for the monetary gain – although it wouldn’t hurt – but to be able to bring something cool to light!
By John McTaggart
As the calendar nears the turning of another page, it’s easy to reflect upon the year that has passed.
In the coming week or so, we all will be bombarded with “year-in-review” articles recapping everything from news stories to sports highlights and everything in between.
So, instead of doing that here in this space, I’m going to post what I think is the coolest card I added to the showcase in 2024.
Now, it’s not the most expensive or important acquisition, by no means, but it’s just a cool card that I am really excited to have
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps Sapphire Update is always a popular product but one I always avoid due to the prevalence of sticker autos. I needn’t avoid it anymore as Topps wonderfully has swapped to on-card autos for the 2024 version. Sapphire Update was always going to be popular but the on-card autos raise its ceiling.
Vintage- A 1963 Topps Home Run Leaders is certainly a cool card as it is… but it gets a whole lot cooler when it’ signed by everyone pictured on the card! That’s what you get if you’re fortunate enough to snatch this card from Heritage Auction! The card, signed by HR leader Willie Mays (49 homers), and runner-up Hank Aaron (45) are joined by Frank Robinson (39), Ernie Banks (37) and Orlando Cepeda (35) on this one-of-a-kind vintage beauty. For more, click here.
Hobby News- Fans of oddball cards might want to check out the recent Baseball America awards issue which comes with a sheet of Shohei Ohtani cards celebrating his 50/50 season. Ohtani has plenty of cards but these are fun and will likely be hard to find eventually.
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.