As I write this month’s column from my card store in Cullman, Alabama, the National Sports Collectors Convention is taking place in Atlantic City. The 42nd event is the biggest annual gathering of sports card enthusiasts, and with the growth of the hobby in recent years this event keeps growing. […]
Tag: sports cards
Card Collectors Corner: 2021 Still Releasing as 2022 Football Cards Sell Cheaply
It may be the heart of the summer of 2022, but some of the hottest football products – with the 2021 rookie class – are just coming out. Meanwhile, 2022 football cards beginning to release and the box prices are worth monitoring due to their lower cost to previous years. […]
PSA Reimplements All Card Grading Services — at Much Higher Cost
The sports card hobby’s leading grader has reopened all of its levels, but collectors must now pay much more for the same services. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) had to temporarily suspend some of its authentication and grading services last year due to overwhelming demand while working through a backlog of […]
Card Collectors Corner: A Primer on Sports Card Grading
One of the most common questions I get from relatively novice collectors who visit my store, Cullman Sportscards & Fun Shop, is about where and how to get their cards graded. Given the popularity of “slabs,†the term those in the hobby use for graded cards, and the boost in […]
Card Collectors Corner: Reflections on the First Year of My Card Store
As March gives way to April, baseball season (delayed just a week, thankfully) will soon be upon us. That month also represents a milestone for my card store, Cullman Sportscards & Fun Shop, as April 6 will mark one year that I’ve been in operation. On that day in 2021, […]
Tips for Buying Sports Cards on Whatnot
If you haven’t experienced the Whatnot app yet, let it best be described as collectible sales on steroids. The platform allows sellers to stream and host rapid-fire auctions (usually around 30 seconds each) in a number of categories such as video games, action figures, Funko Pops, and of course, sports […]
Mac Jones’ Rookie Card is the Most Submitted for PSA Grading
While the Buffalo Bills waxed the New England Patriots in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, Mac Jones became the king of graded cards. PSA, the market leader in card grading, released a graphic showing the top-10 most submitted cards for December, and the Patriots quarterback made the list […]
PSA Report Shows Millions of Cards Still in Grading Backlog
PSA, the market leader in sports card grading, announced this month the return of another of its grading tiers, but the December blog post shows that the company still has a long way to go to clear its backlog. PSA will reopen its Regular grading service level, although at a […]
Sports Card Podcaster Mike Gioseffi ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About Fanatics Deal
Fanatics, the company known primarily as one of the world’s foremost suppliers of sports team gear, shocked the trading card industry earlier this year when it scooped up the licenses to produce cards for the three most popular sports of baseball, basketball, and football. Likely soon to be out of […]
Opening a Sports Card Store Part 6: Reflections on the First Six Months
After more than half a year in operation, my store, Cullman Sportscards & Fun Shop, has already experienced its share of ebbs and flows, and I’ve learned lessons that I’ll take to heart here at the end of the year to carry over into 2022. Here are some things I’ve […]
Don’t Attend a Sports Card Show Without Reading These Tips First
Thinking about venturing away from online, high-stakes sports card auctions and attending your first card show? Good for you. But remember, a live show is very different than what you’ll encounter online and, for the uninitiated, the experience can be confusing and even a little overwhelming. We’re here to help, […]
Jordan Rookie Card Sale Sets New 2021 Low – But There’s a Catch
A 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan PSA 10 rookie card – perhaps the most iconic basketball card ever produced – set a record low sale for this year on eBay by auctioning for just $180,100 this week. While this could partially be an indicator of a softening card market after it […]
Beckett Grading Services Pauses Most Options to Clear Backlog
Following the lead of PSA, which also saw overwhelming demand, Beckett Grading Services will stop accepting most card grading submissions on Monday as it works to clear its backlog. The company made the announcement on its website this week, in a post discussing its plans for the National Sports Collectors […]
Babe Ruth Card Sets New Record With $6M Sale Price
With one Babe Ruth card going up for auction later this month expected to compete for the record sale price for a sports card, another Ruth card just set the new standard at $6 million – even if the exchange could be part of a marketing gimmick. Yahoo Sports reported […]
Opening a Sports Card Store, Part 5: Lessons Learned After a Month
They say that most small businesses don’t turn a profit in the first year. My sports card store turned a profit after my first month. The wild early success of my new store, Cullman Sportscards & Fun Shop, shows the demand for a card shop in north Alabama. And it […]
Opening a Card Shop Part 4: Opening Day for Cullman Sportscards
It took me several days to even start this column. Why? Because after I opened Cullman Sportscards & Fun Shop last week I became so overwhelmed by customers that I barely had time to breathe, much less write. The response shows the pent-up demand for a collectibles shop in my […]
T206 Honus Wagner Card Fetches $2.5M at Auction
Imagine owning a baseball card that not only features a big crease, but that’s lost some of the cardboard from the back after being pasted in a scrapbook – and then selling that card for more than $2.5 million. A famed T206 Honus Wagner fetched that price during a recent […]
Is the Sports Card Market in a Bubble? Mark Cuban Hedges His Bets
Dallas Mavericks owner and famed entrepreneur Mark Cuban entered the sports card market bubble debate on Thursday when he listed it among his assets on which he’s hedging his bets. Cuban appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box and said he’s adjusted his investment portfolio in a number of categories for fear […]
A Michael Jordan Rookie Card Sold for How Much? Sports Card Market Ready to Boom
Days before the opening games of the 2020-21 NBA season, the rookie card of perhaps the most popular player in league history sold for six figures at auction. Analysts say that could be a harbinger of an even bigger boom in the basketball card market. A Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer […]