Dr. James Beckett: Sports Card Insights

Rich and I talk about our experiences with public relations within and outside the hobby, especially our days working together at Beckett Publications long ago.

I was Jeremy Lee's guest on the first hour or so of Sports Cards Live the week before the National - this is 14 minutes excerpted from that longer live show.  Thanks Jeremy!

Jordan interviewed me for his "For The Hobby" podcast and here is a brief excerpt form his longer interview, which can be caught in its entirety by his fans on his platforms.  Thanks Jordan!

A brief recap of the past four weeks of short daily audio episodes in case you missed some - each episode stands on its own and hopefully most are evergreen.

Sad to report dealer Rich Altman, mainstay of the sports card show circuit, including promoting his own large shows, has passed away.  This brief tribute will not suffice, but please check out some of the other statements circulating made by his many friends in the industry. 

As soon as Brad and I signed off, I realized we had not addressed some concerns that were worth adding to the discussion on this timely topic for baby boomers, and it's an important topic for all, as no one lives on this earth forever.

The first Dueling Questions on this topic - Brad and I have had time to reflect since our last conversation and each of us has additional thoughts to share.

Brett asked some excellent questions during his longer Stacking Slabs interview of me - here are two threads I thought I would pass on to you but I certainly encourage you to check Brett's full episode(s). 

This is the third and final installment of our conversation about COMC and its nuances.  Hope you have learned something helpful.

Rich and I compare and contrast these two popular Topps baseball card products - we mostly agree!

Anyone with a side gig should know some basic do's and don't's as applies to doing your Federal income tax return, where documenting basis and expenses may be critical to your case.

The show was terrific - extremely crowded - and ran smoothly for me - the dinners were festive - but my airport experiences were another story.

A recap of my experience at this year's National in Chicago, arguably the best ever with people and cards galore.

Mike and I went back and forth with a few more suggestions of how users can optimize the COMC platform for more profit and enjoyment.

Jordan is planning the opening of his new "For The Hobby" local card shop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for later this fall.

I reveal some of my (long-honed over the decades considering hundreds of thousands of cards) speed sorting tips - no copyright, no trademark, no patented processes - sort away!

Mike and I sit down for a discussion of how to get the most out of the COMC experience for buyers and sellers and flippers.

What was Topps thinking with this three-year run of slightly oversized veteran-centric baseball cards?  Rich and I try to reverse engineer their thinking at the time and the hobby's lukewarm acceptance then. 

Hobby Hotline, the live call in show ranged over a variety of topics in this episode, which aired the week before the National; my co-hosts were Rich Klein, Jeremy Lee, and Sam Shuford.

Fred Reed brought editorial structure to Beckett Publications at the onset and during the high growth years.  His legacy includes the amazing people he hired and mentored, many of whom have gone on to enduring great success in the hobby.

John Keating had enough interesting hobby questions that we made a whole episode out of our dialogue.

Irrepressible Jordan Hagedorn returns with some interesting questions and answers for this Dueling Questions segment.

Tim, Chad, and Ricky were joined by John Newman for this special HobbyPalooza edition of Pack to the Future.  I joined in for the last half and here are some of the things we talked about.  Enjoy.

I am leaving tomorrow - here are my last minute thoughts on how I am preparing differently than any other prior year - see you there!

Long-time National dealers and card shop owners, the Gold family from the Chicago area, have passed but are not forgotten - an amazing family - Rich and I have fond remembrances.