Nonsense Newsletter No. 57: Bargain hunting in the MLB, We get Kraken on hockey, and so much more!
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In this week’s excellent edition of SCN, John Dudley goes baseball bargain shopping just in time for the holidays. Meanwhile, I show you a Kraken good time with a young superstar in Seattle. Plus, Heritage Auctions is stacking wax in the new year and, Card Shop Live just launched its new design so we are giving you $10 to spend if you’ve never tried it! So take a break from holiday decorating and check out this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter!
Contributor: John Dudley
The World Series is long over, and the Hot Stove League is piping hot with a slew of massive signings. Baseball is bursting back into the public consciousness. Even so, for another couple of months or so, baseball will lag way behind basketball, football, the World Cup, and more. That means it is a perfect time to start targeting guys you want to pick up for the next season as there are bargains galore to be had!
 It is my favorite time to buy baseball cards and this year might be the best year ever for bargain hunting as the pushed-back release calendar means that most of the dollars are going to shiny new 2022 products flooding into the market. I can’t blame them and will join in the search for cards of the awesome 2022 rookie class, which is the deepest I can remember, as there are literally more than 25 guys that I think have potential. I think most collectors will do so as well. With Topps issuing oodles of products before the end of December, there should be bargains to be had on singles.
There are two main ways to approach buying this time of year. First, one can target big-name guys you already collect looking for steep discounts. You absolutely can’t go wrong with that path. Second, you can start targeting guys you think are undervalued already and are poised to have big 2022 seasons. I want to focus on the latter by looking at some guys that are already down in price and whom you can absolutely find deals on. I’d suggest reading up on some players, finding some you like, and swooping in for a steal with some great prices.
Contributor: John McTaggart
It’s been a minute since I sat down and waxed poetic about hockey.
Truthfully, it’s not the most exciting time of the season, I’ll admit that.
We’re roughly one-quarter of the way through the campaign, with some teams such as the Rangers, Avalanche and Lightning seemingly hanging around, while the Jets, Devils and my beloved Red Wings are off to very good starts considering.Â
Is it too early to glimpse into the crystal puck and start talking playoffs, season awards and hobby love?
In short — yes.
So, instead, we’re going to talk about my favorite rookie, Matty Beniers (who by the way was one we here at SCN had as one to watch before the season began).Â
We have been working hard behind the scenes to design the best live shopping experience available- and the wait is over! Card Shop Live’s new features are officially live on the app. If you have the app, you need to UPDATE it to see the new features.
We have a ton of new features for users:
💥 Watch List 💥 Message Board 💥 Following Page 💥 Shop
Quick Hits
rading News- Grading continued along at a high volume in November. CSG was the big gainer with their line-wide 20% off sale and other promotions being a hit. SGC saw a nice bump in their TCG numbers which is a nice surprise in an area SGC can use some growth in. Major sports were all pretty much down across the board at PSA, BGS, and SGC but it looks like collectors shifted to SGC for the sale. I’m curious to see how SGC’s 2022 Bowman Chrome $9-a-card sale goes. More info from the highly recommended GemRate.com here.
Vintage- Now this is something I can sink my teeth into — vintage wax! Beginning Jan.5, Heritage Auction is offering stacks of wax to kick off the new year! They’ve got everything from 1974 Topps baseball wax to packs from the 1950s and more. Plus, there’s a box of 1979-80 Topps hockey also in play! Check out more details by clicking here.
NFT News- Swimming and Olympic legend Michael Phelps and SI joined together to release NFTs commemorating Phelps’s record-setting career. Read more about it here.
Pop Culture News- Allen & Ginter and Ginter X have both hit the market meaning there is a fresh batch of celebrity autos and mini cards to chase. This year Ginter features Cypress Hill, New Found Glory, Alice Cooper, and a host of other stars. It’s not all celebs though as the set has a nice multi-sport auto checklist with some soccer stars sure to draw attention.
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.