Obama graces cover of next Beckett Baseball

Here’s a first look at the cover of the next issue of Beckett Baseball. It begins shipping today and should arrive in hobby shops next week.

While we know some collectors aren’t big fans of political cards, many others have spoken as President-elect Barack Obama‘s trading cards have been among the most popular in the hobby. His 2008 Topps card has vaulted all the way to No. 1 on The Hot List because of its dramatic surge in value and the volume of the cards sold in the wake of his election.

So to go along with his historic win on Election Day, here’s another historic first. Obama is the first President to prominently appear on the cover of a Beckett publication — and that’s 30 years’ worth of books and magazines.

While the World Series champion Phillies remain the focus inside, their star slugger Ryan Howard appears on the cover as one of the two victorious “teams” this fall.

Look for a few small items on new Obama cards in this issue and a much larger piece on political trading cards in the next issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, which will arrive in early December.

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.