Nonsense Newsletter No. 67: The State of the Hobby, Breaking and Dancing About It, An SGC special pricing deal and More!
Sponsored by SGC Cards gosgc.com
In this week’s edition, John Dudley gives the State of the Hobby address to the masses. I, on the other hand, come clean about my new-found addiction, and how I plan to kick the habit. And if that wasn’t enough, we talk an amazing SGC pricing deal, coaches cards and more! I know, all of this in one edition of the Nonsense Newsletter! You all are so darn lucky!
Contributor: John McTaggart
I’m going to be honest with all of you — I was never a really big hockey fan.
Sure, I followed the sport mildly, knowing most of the good players, the standings, and even watched some of the playoffs each year as a kid and into my early adult life.
Remember, I’m from Detroit… a.k.a Hockeytown.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the sport, it’s more like I couldn’t relate to it.
I literally can’t skate a lick.
I liken my ice skating to a performance of a Hippopotamus on ice skates, bumbling, stumbling and crashing my way around the rink.
Plus, it kills my feet after about five minutes, and I’m old enough now where the prospect of free-falling onto a frozen surface, frankly, scares the crap out of me.Â
Although I should add, I always enjoyed floor hockey in gym class (I was normally the goalie due to the fact I was usually the biggest guy in the class), ice hockey was something I just couldn’t get on board with, mainly because I didn’t play.
Contributor: John Dudley
Joe Biden recently gave the State of the Union address as part of his duties. While this column will never delve into politics, it did get me wondering about the state of the card world. You know you spend too much time with your hobby when you relate everything to it, but such is life.Â
With the release of 2023 Topps Series 1 (the hobby’s official new year, or it should be), I figured now is the perfect time for a State of the Card World address. There is no president of the card community (maybe we should hold elections), but I’ve got enough ego to take it upon myself to analyze the state of the card industry, and I won’t even demand you stand up and clap after every sentence. So, consider this your first-ever State of the Card Union address. Without further ado, let’s jump to the elephant in the room.
This week's top Card Shop Live hit was on The Card Shop Evansville!
The recently-retired GOAT Downtown fresh from Card Shop Evansville! How about T H A T!
Quick Hits
Grading News- SGC announced that they are having a $9-a-card grading special for 2023 Topps Series 1. The last special with 2022 Bowman Chrome was a huge success and with the excitement over the rookie class in Series 1, I expect this to be an even bigger smash.
Vintage- If you’re like me, you’re drawn to the quirkier side of the hobby every so often. I, for example, enjoy collecting NFL kicker autos. Others may prefer collecting error cards, while others… you get what I mean. Well, if the quirky is what you’re about, 1960 Topps baseball has a unique facet to it — coaches cards. Check out this article on the topic here.
Hobby News- The big chase is on for the SPs in 2023 Topps Series 1. The newly rebranded Gold Mirror SPs are a variation for EVERY one of the 330 cards in the set. Blowout has upped the ante and offered to buy the first complete set of SPs for a stunning $250,000! If that’s not impressive enough, they are offering a full $1,000,000 for a complete set of SPs from Series 1, Series 2, and Update. More info here. The $1,000,000 bounty does require the cards be graded PSA 10 which will be a substantial hurdle.Â
College News- 2023 Bowman Chrome University Football is out next week. Last year’s product was interesting with its mix of players drafted to the NFL and players still in college. I’m curious to see if the concept of a 1st Bowman card can pick up steam with the continuation of this set for a few years. If so, some of the earlier releases might be hidden gems.
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.