Nonsense Newsletter No. 68: Series 1 rookies, local card show shenanigans, Fred Biletnikoff, Topps baseball and more!
Sponsored by SGC Cards gosgc.com
In this week’s edition, John Dudley takes a glimpse at the rookie batch in this year’s Topps Series 1 baseball. I recount a strange event at a local card show, and we break down the rest of the hobby happenings! I know, mind-blown… yet again! Plus, Card Shop Live is giving away a CUSTOM SLAB and JALEN GREEN PSA 10 2021 PRIZM! All of this is yours for the taking in this week’s Nonsense Newsletter!
Contributor: John Dudley
2023 Topps Series 1 is out, which means a new rookie class to evaluate. Luckily, this might be the deepest rookie class since 2018. Note I said deepest, not the best, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Topps did everyone a favor and did not reserve many players for their debut in Series 2 (looking at you Corbin Carroll and Francisco Alvarez). The result is a product that is being ripped at prodigious rates with collectors who are overwhelmingly positive about the release. Everyone is buzzing about this class, including the Card Shop Live Instagram account, wondering who will be the top rookie.Â
Since release, 14!!! different rookies have had their Topps Gold parallels sell for over $30. Last year, that list would’ve been maybe four or five players long. This year Michael Harris, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Riley Greene, Nolan Gorman, Miguel Vargas, Vaughn Grissom, Brayan Bello, Oswald Peraza, Triston Casas, Christopher Morel, Brett Baty, Vinnie Pasquantino, Hunter Brown have all seen decent sales. That’s a deep list and several others warrant attention too.Â
Unlike last year, the rookies in Series 1 are young (not many 26-year-olds here), primarily hitters, and much more heralded overall. It’s an embarrassment of riches that poses a wonderful question: with so many rookies to choose from, who is the best? That’s where this week’s column lends a hand as I set out to choose my Top 10 Topps Series 1 Rookies. Importantly rookies had to have base rookies in Series 1 to be considered.
Contributor: John McTaggart
There are few things in life I enjoy more than a local card show.
A small hall lined with a few rows of 8-foot tables, each one holding little cardboard treasures, hobby stories and a sense of community.
Back in the day, that’s all there was to these local shows, with the exception of the occasional signer from whatever local team.
Things have changed.
This past weekend I visited one of these local shows, traveling about 45 minutes from my house to a destination, a VFW hall, I’d visited at least 10 times over the years.
It’s one of the rare shows that has had longevity, spanning more than a decade (with a year or so break due to Covid), and one that had a solid foundation of dealers, many of whom had been at the game for years and years.
When this happens, you get to know these folks as well, you craft a relationship with them, and in many ways they become hobby fiends.Â
The show was usually crowded on a Saturday morning, and this particular Saturday was no exception.
GIVEAWAY ALERTÂ
In case you missed it, we are giving away this CUSTOM SLAB and JALEN GREEN PSA 10 2021 PRIZM!
All you have to do to be entered is spend $250 or more on the app between 2/23 -2/28 to be entered to win.
The winner will be picked on 3/1.
Plus, until the end of the month, you'll earn DOUBLE loyalty points for every purchase you make.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps Series 1 is off to a fast start. In addition to the deep rookie class, the continuation of the popular Topps Home Field Advantage set is a welcome development. It’s the only Topps insert set one sees a lot of collectors attempting to complete. Flying under the radar are two other new case hit or rarer inserts though. Watch out for Heavy Lumber and AKA cards as they are legitimately tough pulls.Â
Vintage- Okay, this may be a bit obscure, but Sports Collectors Daily recently published an article about one of the NFL’s greatest — Fred Biletnikoff. And although Raiders fans would be particularly interested in this, it’s a good read for any football fan, vintage football hobby lover as well. Check it out here.
Pop Culture News- Midterm elections are historically unpopular low-turnout events. What better subject for a card set? Decision 2022 at least, is focusing on a relatively high turnout midterm, but it also looks like it will irritate (mildly put) members of either party and frustrate those that just want to stay away from politics. On the other hand, I can see some of the autos in the set being sought after. If you can’t get enough of politics, this might be the set for you.
Grading News- With a few days to go the SGC 7 1916 Sporting News card is already at 1.77 million at Heritage Auctions. It’s a stunning card and one has a hard time imagining a higher grade surfacing. Where will it wind up? I honestly have no clue but I’d guess north of 2.5 million. If you’ve got a few million burning a hole in your pocket, or just want to window shop, check out the auction here.
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.