Nonsense Newsletter No. 44: Cards as Art, the joy of Autumn and a taste of vintage football coins
Sponsored by SGC Cards gosgc.com
In this week’s edition, we’ve got a little bit of everything. John Dudley takes a look at cards as art, while I (John McTaggart) plead my case as to why Autumn is the best season of the entire year (sorry, summer lovers). Plus, we touch on vintage football coins, some grading, and NFT news and even more! Can it get any better? Probably not, but we keep trying real hard anyhow! So, you know the drill — grab your favorite beverage, sit back in that recliner, and enjoy this week’s installment of SCN newsletter!
Contributor: John McTaggart
Football is underway.
The seasons are changing up in my neck of the woods, with leaves on the trees preparing for their annual free-fall from the tips of the tallest trees to the ground below.
Soon, shorts and t-shirts will be replaced by jeans and sweatshirts as temps tumble and daylight grows more scarce every day.
For those of us who love the hobby, this may very well be the best time of the year.
Baseball’s pennant races are heating up to a fevered pitch.
Many of us are scrambling about now to gather up players who we feel may make a real run in the postseason, this sees a bump in value.
Hockey is set to start its training camp, meaning guys such as myself are trying to beat the hype of the upcoming season and find some true values out there in the market on players we believe will make an impact in 2022-23.
And if that wasn’t enough, the NBA season gets underway in October, with training camps for these teams only weeks away. We’re making our lists, similar to the way hockey collectors are, snatching up as many rookies and numbered cards as possible before the market ticks upward once again.
Contributor: John Dudley
I had intended to revisit the topic of cards and art sooner, but time makes fools of us all. The best-laid plans often go awry and mine sure did as I realize it has been almost three months since I last visited the topic of cards as art. There’s no time like the present, though, so this week I am taking a closer look at two artists making big splashes in the hobby with very different approaches. The great thing about the hobby and art is that there is room for a ton of variety.
Pop Fly Prints
Daniel Jacob Horine puts out some of the coolest collectibles in the market with his Pop Fly prints. Originally limited to baseball, Horine has branched out to football and most weeks releases both a football and a baseball print during a “season” (the time he is actively making prints). Each print is available for a limited amount of time and once the clock is up, no more orders will be taken.
Horine ups the ante by doing his best to offer autographed versions of the prints. His signed prints are some of the best deals around, given the price of signings for most of the guys Horine has featured. Base prints tend to run in the $50 range compared to $100-$150 for signed versions.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps revealed their design for 2023 Topps. Early responses are mixed which is typical of most design reveals. 2023 has a tough act to follow as 2022 was fairly well-received from a design standpoint. With vibes of both ’89 and ’83, the set hits the nostalgia button.
Vintage News- File this under the “cool-as-all-get-up,” category. A 1962 Salada Football Coin Set, complete with a whopping 37 Hall of Famers amongst the 154 coin set, is one that vintage football collectors should start to put on the radar, according to Sports Collectors Daily. Read more about this super-cool vintage set here.
NFT News- Cryptocurrency and NFTs have hit some growing pains. Even so, the one area that keeps getting touted for its growth potential is sports. Articles such as this one highlight sports-themed NFTs and focus on the intriguing intersection of fantasy sports and NFTs.
Grading News- August grading numbers are out from GemRate and the non-PSA companies rebounded from the bloodbath of PSA’s sale. This gives us a rare glimpse of how much PSA’s pricing influences its competitors’ grading volume. SGC, BGS, and CSG are unlikely to just accept a 40% drop in volume if PSA drops their prices. It could be that the long-awaited grading pricing wars are upon us.
John Dudley’s By The Numbers is now live on the Card Shop Live!
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.