Nonsense Newsletter No. 40: Reflections, MLB catchers and a 'rasslin card break with the guys
Sponsored by SGC Cards gosgc.com
This week’s edition features our own John McTaggart proving to everyone just how old he is, and how long he has been in the hobby. John Dudley shows some love to MLB catchers, and Jesse and Mike rip some WWE on YouTube. So, knowing all this, sit back and enjoy this week’s edition of the SCN newsletter!
Contributor: John McTaggart
I’m old.
If you don’t believe me, check out the gray hairs (of the few that are actually left, that is), and for the hobby — I’m really old.
I’ve been around for a lot of ups-and-downs, bubbles and bursts, and have seen the industry change time and time again.
This current state, however, is a bit different than anything else I’ve seen in the past three decades or so in the business.
In some ways it’s exciting, it’s new, and it leaves me optimistic and upbeat about the future of the hobby.
In other ways, I find myself disgusted, discouraged and dismayed over the direction the hobby seems to be headed.
With the admission of sounding like “get off my lawn guy,” it’s troubling for me to see hobby boxes costing as much as a mortgage payment, and singles of players who have yet to even play a legitimate professional game have price tags in the hundreds of dollars or even thousands in some cases.
Contributor: John Dudley
Baseball catchers get a bum rap in the hobby, but the class of 2021 might change things. Some collectors adhere to the advice of staying away from catchers, and I get it. While not as popular as other positions, I was always pleased to get a Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, or Ivan Rodriguez growing up and later learned to love Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, and Yadier Molina. There is room, it seems, for about three hobby-relevant catchers at a time.
With Yadier Molina retiring, there is a void for the most popular active catcher in the hobby. There are a few solid veteran catchers, but this void will be filled by a young up-and-comer. While the rookie class of 2021 is widely considered disappointing, it is packed full of catchers. I think it’s likely that it will end up remembered as the year of the catcher and that the catcher hobby stars of the future will have some key cards from 2021 products.
Quick Hits
NFT News- The Rams are teaming up with Dapper to release NFTs of their Super Bowl Rings. There are different tiers and the partnership will continue with highlights from the upcoming Rams season to be available in NFT form.
Vintage- One of the most extensive collections of baseball great, Roberto Clemente, is featured in the new Love of the Game Auctions catalog. The collection features the sale of the second-ranked Clemente set on the PSA Registry, with most of the 260 items being offered as individual lots. For more information click here.
Grading News- SGC will set a record for having the most expensive card ever sold with the upcoming sale of the SGC 9.5 1952 Mickey Mantle surprising no one. The card already crossed the threshold of the old record which is less than a month old and also in an SGC holder.
Pop Culture News- In recent news, zeroocool announced they will be producing cards for both Dune and Stranger Things. Stranger Things was a no-brainer, but Dune is an intriguing choice. The books have long been favorites in the genre and the movie did well and has an upcoming sequel, but is not one of the first properties that come to mind as needing collectibles as merchandise from the films quickly scurried off to the clearance shelves. It will be interesting to see if zerocool can drum up solid business for Dune.
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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.