Dr. James Beckett: Sports Card Insights

Lots of changes from the card grading companies - restrictions and increases - how should collectors and submitters react and respond?

Rich basically interviews me on what I like to do when I am not collecting or handling sports cards.  Helping solve the problems of others is easier than solving your own!

As you recall, Rocco has been totally blind for the past 15 years, but that has not slowed his sports card collecting passion.

The economist, Chris Harris, asks the statistician, me, questions, and I reciprocate.

Rich and I discuss the relative merits of magical years vs. dynasties vs. superstar-dominated eras across all the major sports.

Frank Nagy was a hobby icon from Detroit who had on of the top collections in the world but was very willing to share first-hand information and promote this great hobby.

Using basketball as an analogy - here are six considerations for an avatar that might fit the way you collect during this bull market on basketball (and other sports) cards.

Another six questions (with answers!) submitted by listeners, all concerning the hobby we all love.  Your questions can be submitted to doctorjamesbeckett@gmail.com as an email and thanks!

This Hobby Hotline show (a weekly live show but I am on as a recurring guest once a month) featured John Newman (Sports Card Nation) and Rich Klein as well as the questions and comments of all the live viewers.  Hope you like these excerpts as much as I enjoyed the actual full show.

I give specific details on how I would configure an interesting sports card product/set that I believe could be a winner - especially intentionally for kids at a lower price point.

I make a case for the Anaheim National of 1991, the largest attendance and the first to really feature corporate promos.  Rich, on the other hand, has a sentimental favorite.  Finally, we both hope the next one is the greatest! 

Golf professional Frank Guastella and I compare and contrast returning to playing golf after a long hiatus, with returning to sports cards collecting after decades off.

A Dueling Questions episode with Joe's first question to me being about PSA's latest shocking news with regard to their backlog, and how it will be preferentially addressed for the next three months.  Then my first question to him was about how I should feel being called the author of the "bible".

There are 14 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame calass of 2021 - I don't have a vote, but I obviously have an opinion - here are my seven, who I think will get in later this year, starting with Paul Pierce.

Six fresh new listener-submitted questions - the easiest way is sending email to doctorjamesbeckett@gmail.com  for your question to be considered.

Today is Good Friday, and Joe and I discuss how "evangelism", that is, the sharing of "good news" could be applied secularly to this, the greatest hobby, and how "making disciples" can be co-opted in the context of training up new collectors to fully enjoy the hobby.

Why does BGS have subgrades explicitly shown on the label?  Are all of this past year's new grading company entrants going to survive?  And if not, why not?  Just my opinion.

It sure seems that prices are fluctuating faster and faster lately - although mostly up.  Why is this happening?  Is there a downside? 

Ken Capell invited me and our other distinguished guests (Jason Granet, Jordan Hagedorn, Jeremy Lee and Mike Sommer) to weigh in on his dilemma, of how, where, and when to sell his 1993 SP Jeter RC in RCR 9.

A brief recap of the past four weeks of episodes in case you want a refresher or missed some.  Send your suggestions for future episodes to doctorjamesbeckett@gmail.com and thanks!  

Elgin Baylor was one of the greatest players I ever saw - he has surprisingly few basketball cards to chase, but well worth the pursuit.

I enjoyed being on Hobby Hotline this month along with John Newman and Rich Klein - and I noticed that the recurrent theme of the week seemed to be the bold, decisive judgment of some of the key players in our industry - that were headline grabbing. 

Rich and I continue our discussion, as it seems there was more to the story than what we could fit in our standard episode size.  Your ideas for episodes?  Try doctorjamesbeckett@gmail.com  and thanks!

Rich and I discuss why we find it enjoyable to work our way through big boxes of random cards at a show knowing all are being offered at the same price - we find we are looking for different "bargains" mostly non-overlapping.

Brian Flinn, Frank Guastella, Eddie Healy, Kevin O'Keefe, and Jim Telford took turns asking questions about the vintage sports card collecting hobby we all love.