Nonsense Newsletter No. 34: NBA Free Agency, Topps Star Wars Sapphire, BGS is grading VHS tapes nowadays & a little about a Topps Plus offering.
Sponsored by SGC Cards gosgc.com
Another week in the books, and we turn the page on the NHL season with the Avs winning the Stanley Cup. We begin a new chapter with the frenzy of NBA free agency getting underway (we touch on that this week in an article by yours truly). John Dudley looks at some Star Wars cards, and back in the day you buy a set of knives you got a Ty Cobb card! So grab the coffee, settle into your most comfortable spot, and enjoy this week’s edition of SCN Newsletter.
Contributor: John McTaggart
On the basketball front for folks such as myself, this is actually the beginning of one of the best times of the year — the offseason.
A time where teams are shaped and crafted, reformed and rearranged, with the hopes of moving one step closer to an NBA title.
It’s that slice of the calendar where speculation runs high, and we close our eyes briefly and picture that one player donning the uniform of our very favorite team.
Free agency can be a stressful, exciting and anxiety-inducing and flat-out grueling period for fans.
Take me for example, my beloved Pistons could add Deandre Ayton or Miles Bridges, perhaps. They could bring in lesser-known players such as Bobby Portis or Malik Monk as well.Â
Then, on the flip side, there are the teams these top-flight free agents currently call home, teams that have the option to match contract offers.
Charlotte, Phoenix, in particular, can decide to match the deals presented by other teams and this keeps these young stars in their current uniforms.Â
Regardless of how it turns out, the free agency period of the NBA offseason sends ripples through the hobby as well.
There’s always that one or two players who changes uniforms and spurs on a renewed interest within the card-collecting community.
Contributor: John Dudley
Star Wars Sapphire. Three small simple words powerful enough to set the hobby world on fire, as if millions of wallets suddenly cried out in terror. The recent surprise introduction of Star Wars to the Sapphire treatment sent shockwaves through the market and along with the insane demand for Prizm, Bowman, and Bowman Sapphire shows a market with very healthy demand.Â
Star Wars is the gold standard of pop culture cards. Sure, Marvel cards are hot, but they sat for literal decades without so much as a glance from collectors. Star Wars might not be the juggernaut it once was, but it still is at the top of the merchandising mountain.
Sapphire products cause frenzies not seen since the Lads from Liverpool first graced American shores. Star Wars Sapphire is the first time that the franchise has gotten a full Sapphire set so expect big things. Like other major first Sapphire releases (F1, Garbage Pail Kids), Star Wars Sapphire has already shot up in price. Topps sold boxes for $200 upon release, but the instant sellout saw prices quickly jump to over $600 on the secondary market.
Quick Hits
NFT News- NFTs are everywhere and everyone is trying to get in on the game. This is a rundown of some recent releases from athletes. Of note, Syracuse became the first school to offer licensed NFTs. Pretty neat distinction for the Syracuse Orange.
Vintage- I’ll tell you, collecting back in the day was interesting to say the least. We’ve seen cards in cereal boxes, dessert packaging, potato chips, and now cutlery. A rare 1910 era Ty Cobb Novelty Cutlery set is about to hit the auction block. Read more about it here.
Grading News- Hot on the heels of a VHS copy of Back to the Future fetching $75,000 at auction, BGS announced they will start grading VHS tapes. Before you start fretting over the millions of dollars of VHS tapes that you threw away, check out actual sold prices on eBay. Recently record sales in the videogame market were largely tied to people who had an interest in propping up that market.Â
Pop Culture News- Topps Now offers some great cards tied to current events. While almost always sports-focused, Topps does use the program for television shows occasionally. Currently, they are using the program for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. The cards are available for a set amount of time and the print run is capped at the number of orders. The last batch of Obi-Wan Kenobi cards can still be ordered for a few more days here.Â
More Nonsense
I remember these from back in the day, and they were just as cool as they sound — Fleer Ultra Jam City inserts. Find out more about this colorful, collectible and awesome set from the 1994-95 season by clicking here.
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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.