Nonsense Newsletter No. 75: The Chase for Lord Stanley's Cup, the NBA Postseason, autographed vintage cards, and increase in cards graded... and more!
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In this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter John Dudley takes a look at the NBA postseason. Meanwhile, I delve into the frozen pond and offer up some deep thoughts on the NHL playoffs. And, of course, the Quick Hits are so good there’s a chance they will blow your mind. So whatever you’re doing — stop. Grab your favorite beverage, kick back in your favorite chair, and enjoy this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter.
Contributor: John Dudley
It’s NBA Playoffs time which means it is time for all those lovely basketball cards you picked up in the offseason to skyrocket in price. Well, at least that’s the hope. The common narrative is that collectors buy cards cheap during the season and then sell them for massive profits when players perform well in the NBA Playoffs. It sounds nice, but the pricing boom didn’t seem to happen last year.
I’m not sure if last year was a fluke due to massive declines in the basketball market (likely) or if the Playoff pricing increases are just a myth. So, it is time to bring back an old goodie. It is time for the return of fact or fiction.
The Fact
The fact being tested here is easy enough to understand. Cards of players who play well in the Playoffs see their cards shoot up in price. This is the conventional hobby wisdom and it makes sense. Players do well, the public gets excited, and people flock to pick up cards. Simple, right?
Contributor: John McTaggart
I have an idea.
Let’s talk about the NHL playoffs.
Great.
Glad you agree.
I can imagine these six words — “let’s talk about the hockey playoffs” — could turn a few folks away from this column.
For some inexplicable reason, many would rather talk about the weather than the NHL, much less the hockey hobby.
That said, my quest to bring more of folks just like yourself into the hockey hobby is never-ending.
As a result, I will continue to fight the good fight, and today is one of those days.
The NHL’s regular season is basically over.
By the time you get this newsletter dropped into your inbox, the last games of the season will be played that night, ushering in what I believe is the best postseason in professional sports — the chase for the Stanley Cup.
A new episode of By The Numbers just dropped!
This week, Join John to talk about Wander’s value, Prizm Basketball and other new releases plus Hobby news!
Quick Hits
Grading News- The big four grading companies combined to grade 22% more cards in March 2023 than they did the previous year. For a market that has been in decline, this is amazing. Demand for grading continues to grow and is a sign of a healthy market.
Vintage- SCP Auctions has a unique selection this spring, as the company offers some of the finest examples of post-war autographed baseball cards on the market. Included in this year’s Spring Premier auction is a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle with a PSA/DNA 10 signature, along with a 1952 Topps Willie Mays with a PSA/DNA 9 grade — and these are just a couple of examples. For more information, check out the link here.
Pop Culture- Super Break has made a niche for themselves in the history market and now they’ve set their sights on the music and art worlds. Each box contains two relic cards from some of the biggest names in classical music and art. While the relics vary in quality between actual writing from the subject to just a book about the subject, the real treasures here are the cut signatures of artists like Picasso. At roughly $70 a box, this looks like a fun rip for the more cultured collectors in your life.
NFT News- To say the NFT market collapsed would be an understatement. Panini still sees a future for them tough and has unveiled a new NFT interface. So why are they investing in this space? The Athletic has an excellent article on this question that is a must-read for those interested in NFTs.
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.