Beckett Sports Card Hot / Cold – October 23, 2023
Welcome to a spooky edition of Beckett Sports Card Hot/Cold where we take quick and fun look at what’s and what’s like the little box of raisins amidst the Halloween plunder in the worlds of sports and sports cards.
The march to the World Series continues and the legend of Bryce Harper grows. He’s still hitting those home runs and coming up clutch. The two-time National League MVP also achieved a much rarer feat this weekend, stealing home. From a collecting perspective, the bigger thing is that people are starting to address Harper’s legacy. Having just turned 31, he still has a lot of baseball left in him. But the stats are starting to stack up. While not quite Trout-ian, they are comparable in many regards. The discrepancy in their card prices suggests the opposite. But Trout’s cards are starting to soften thanks to several years of injuries and rough seasons for the Angels. Harper’s got a big advantage in postseason moments, something that will go a long way 10 or 15 years from now when we look back on his career.
This past week saw the release of one of hockey’s biggest set, 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 1. While there’s no Connor Bedard Young Guns RC on the checklist, the super prospect does have a special draft picks card that wasn’t announced ahead of time. As far as Easter Eggs go, it doesn’t appear to be all that rare but being the first (and so far only) Bedard card available in packs, it’s drawing lots of attention.
Here’s hoping we see Adolis García on next week’s list. (5HR in the ALCS, Rangers advance to World Series)