Nonsense Newsletter No. 162: A desire for checklists to return and it's not just the auto... it's the image, too! And so much more!
In this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley discusses the image with the autograph. Sean Ulman returns to pen about the desire to see the return of the checklist to sets. And the Quick Hits are fire (as the kids say). So let’s do this again — sit back, kick back and enjoy the ride, hobby lovers — it’s time for the Nonsense Newsletter!
By John Dudley
All I wanted was a licensed Dominque Wilkens on-card auto of him dunking. The Human Highlight Reel has been signing consistently for years so I figured it would be no problem. Wrong. Go check eBay. I’ll wait. Unless something crazy has changed, you might have seen one amongst your first page of search results. For some goofy reason the card companies have provided collectors with copious amounts of autos of Wilkens about to shoot a free throw or just standing there, but he is seldom shown in action.
It's not just Wilkens. I started collecting an autograph card of each player I really liked a couple of years ago with the caveat it had to have an awesome photo or design. I began to notice an odd dichotomy in the sports autograph market that has driven me batty for quite some time. Take a look at autographed 8 x 10s and 90% have awesome action shots. Now take a look at autographed cards and 90% have the player just standing there or if it is an action shot, use the most boring image possible.
By Sean Ulman
Imagine being a designer for sets of 2025 sports cards. To bring into the kitchen our nuanced tastes when it comes to collecting. Whip up a recipe. I'd sprinkle in some of my favorite attributes - 90's neon color pallette, clean lines, throwback borders, minimal glitz.
I'd strip it down, one card for each player. Okay, maybe two for stars. One subset. No mega-opulent inserts or multitude of confusing parallels. I'd go back to the hobby's roots.
One card type I'd be sure to include is the Team Checklist.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps released a small set dedicated to the great Chris Berman. The set features fun nickname SPs that will be must-haves for player collectors. The big chase, other than Ohtani autos, will be the SP and auto of Berman himself. The SP has traded for $85 recently. There are a few autos listed, but no sales as of yet.
Vintage- Who doesn’t love Terry Bradshaw? The guy’s hilarious, and an absolute NFL legend, not to mention a broadcasting legend as well. Check out more about his cards by clicking right here.
Hobby News- Topps All Aces is back in black with a stunning new design to the popular insert set. The cards feature a lovely black background this year but retain their playing card shape and design. The other major change is these are now MUCH harder to hit. The set was popular, but prices were low. With the new design and increased odds, I’m very curious how these will sell.
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.