12.23
As newspapers continue their unstopping transition into the digital age, often times their relics get forgotten about.
Often times, their pieces of history, their memorabilia — photographs, old books, media guides, etc. — get discarded or lost or piecemealed through the years and their present-day collections are found in dark old rooms, basements, cubby-holes in corners of buildings as well as in digital formats.
However, the entire printed photo archive of the Chicago Sun-Times, a publication with its modern lineage dating back to 1948 but with ties to publications from much earlier, has been sold to a memorabilia collector and businessman.
His name? John Rogers, a 36-year-old Arkansas-based entrepreneur with a name some might recognize — he bought a high-grade copy of Honus Wagner‘s infamous T206 baseball card in 2008 for $1.62 million.
His company will sort, scan and archive the newspaper’s images and he will then own the prints and negatives, however not the copyrights in many cases.
Read more about the deal here.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Graded Card Investor. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
12.22
Although 2009 Playoff Contenders won’t officially be live until Jan. 6, we were lucky enough to get our hands on two early boxes today. We ripped through one for an episode of Box Busters. The other one we opened so we could provide you with an extended look.
Thanks to its melding of Rookie Cards with autographs way back in 1998, Contenders has earned a reputation over the last 12 years as one of the preeminent football brands released every season. And while this year’s version, delivering four autographs a box including many on-card, is sure to be as hotly pursued as the last 11, it’s got a lot more going for it than just autographed Rookie Cards.
Read More »
12.22
Here’s a little something that should get the card collectors abuzz as we head into the holidays … a little something we’ll throw out there from time to time called The Hobby Rumor Mill.
Are all of the items legit? Maybe not, but even the ones we think are true haven’t yet been confirmed or officially unveiled.
Until then, chew on these …
– Rumor has it … that Beckett Media’s Tracy Hackler will have a certified autograph card in a 2010 product (but it will, of course, be fulfilled via a redemption).
– Rumor has it … that Topps will be bringing its National Chicle line — a historic football brand coming soon based on the 1935 set of the same name — to baseball as well in 2010.
– Rumor has it … that more than one company will be getting patriotic with USA sets in 2010 and that Upper Deck is first out of the gates with its USA Baseball set in January.
– Rumor has it … that Pro Set is making a comeback. (Who owns that trademark, anyway?)
– Rumor has it … that there will be a Michael Jackson trading card set coming soon. (Bet that’ll be a thriller.)
We’ll bring you more from The Hobby Rumor Mill soon.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Graded Card Investor. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
12.22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vabOBud_Ao
Join Beckett Media’s Tracy Hackler and Dan Hitt as they rip into the first box of 2009 Playoff Contenders football cards from Panini America in this super-fast and unedited hand-held edition of Box Busters. (Our normal cameraman is out for the holidays, but Contenders just couldn’t wait.)
The image quality will improve once YouTube finishes processing the video.
What will they find inside the box? Watch and find out …
12.22
Sportkings officials on Tuesday released preliminary information on the fourth installment of the living-set concept known as Sportkings.
Although the release date for Series D has yet to be finalized, the multisport product will go live in 2010 with several new checklist additions, including MMA legend Royce Gracie, professional wrestling icon Argetina Rocca and superstars such as Duke Snider (baseball), Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor (Olympic beach volleyball), Scotty Nguyen (poker), Jim Craig (hockey), and Wilt Chamberlain and Bobby Knight (basketball).
For more information on the product, visit the Sportkings Website. For a sweet preview of some the new additions, click ahead.
Read More »
12.22
Topps has signed an exclusive memorabilia deal with No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg.
The multi-year deal grants the longest-running manufacturer of baseball cards and the lone fully licensed maker of cards for Major League Baseball exclusive rights for autographs, game-used memorabilia cards as well as Strasburg’s image use on packaging and advertising.
In addition, Topps will also offer a line of autographed memorabilia.
It’s safe to say that landing Strasburg was likely not easy as other companies have tried to land the Washington Nationals pitcher, but instead have gone without him or made cards without using his name and image and included a small number of cut autographs in products.
Read More »
12.21
Join Beckett Media’s Tracy Hackler, Chris Olds and Brian Fleischer as they crack a box of 2009 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects baseball cards for this episode of Box Busters.
They pull not one, but two autographs from the box… what are they? Watch and see.
How can you win a vintage-style leather baseball glove? Watch the video to find out.
12.20
Hockey card collectors should have it marked on their calendars right … about … now.
Set for Jan. 30, National Hockey Card Day is an event that will take place at Rexall Pharmacies, Toys R Us stores as well as a few other corporate locations and select hobby stores in Canada (A list will be found here.) Sorry U.S. residents, you will lose here — unless you cross the border. Canadian residents often lose out on giveaways and contests here in the states so now they have the upper hand.
Read More »
12.18
By CHRIS OLDS | Beckett Baseball Editor
Some days, I wonder what the hobby would be like if all packs were made alike. You know, if there was no divide between hobby and retail.
Would improved odds in retail boxes — ideally, the same as hobby boxes — be the end of the world? Undoubtedly, some would scream “yes” — but others would emphatically say “no.” It really depends on what crowd you’re in — the manufacturers, the hobby dealers, the collectors.
Some might argue that such a move might help collectors buy more packs and boxes. I remember the days before the divide when dealers would often buy up the hot products at retail to re-stock their shelves — and obviously charge more for their packs in the process. But when one found “that box” at retail? It was worth buying … but times have changed in the hobby.
These days, the mark-up comes often — but there’s supposed to be a trade-off as hobby boxes often deliver more. (That is, if you can find a hobby shop.)
Sure, times have changed in many ways for the hobby but many times those retail shelves don’t — and that same stock of blaster boxes at your neighborhood Target or Walmart seems to be older than ever before. And that’s exactly where I recently noticed something that seemed a bit unusual.
Not even all retail packs — especially those for one new brand — are made alike.
Read More »
12.18
How important is Danica Patrick‘s foray into stock-car racing for Press Pass, the lone trading card manufacturer for NASCAR?
It’s big — big enough she’ll be appearing on the boxes and wrappers of 2010 Element, the set that arrives with her first cards in January — well before she makes her ARCA debut in February at Daytona International Speedway and her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on Feb. 20 at the at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
And it’s notable that a driver with little-to-no experience driving stock cars running a part-time schedule in one of NASCAR’s lower levels will be gracing the packaging of a product she just signed on to appear in little over a week ago.
But then again, Patrick isn’t the typical driver. Despite winning just one race in her five-year Indy Racing League career she won the IRL’s Most Popular Driver award four times.
And that isn’t lost on Press Pass.
“We ran into some approval issues with the original artwork [on the boxes] and had to go back to re-design,” said Nick Matijevich, Press Pass’ Director of Product Development. “So with the Danica deal now finalized, we decided to completely change direction. ”
There should be some added interest from non-racing fans as a woman competes with men in a professional sport — and NASCAR touts a fan base demographic that is at least 40 percent female. Throw in the buzz that will come with her arrival and it makes sense from Press Pass’ perspective.
“Once the Danica deal was finalized, it became evident that shifting to Danica made sense due to the release timing [as] Element releases at retail in late January; just before Daytona,” said Press Pass’ Tom Farrell. “The NASCAR buzz around Danica is big now and she’ll likely be the lead news story in Daytona, too. We’re excited to bring collectors the first NASCAR cards of Danica and feel confident that we’ll create a wide variety of cards throughout 2010 that will deliver collectors both fun and value.”
However, Patrick is not a social pioneer as the first woman to drive in NASCAR — that was Sara Christian in 1949 — and 14 others have competed regularly in NASCAR events, including Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise, Shawna Robinson, Erin Crocker and Tina Gordon.
However, there’s no question that Patrick just might be the most recognizable one of the bunch from a marketing standpoint. And with the backing of one of the biggest names in NASCAR behind her in team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., she just might have the chance to be the most successful.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Graded Card Investor. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
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See the creative design for the hobby box — something this writer doesn’t previously recall seeing for any racing product despite it being so simple and appropriate — after the jump … Read More »
