Dr. James Beckett: Sports Card Insights

Rich and I discuss the hypothetical situation whereby Heritage Auctions never moved into sports cards ; and Huggins and Scott Auctions perhaps stayed as a local-only live auction.  There would be a void - how would it be filled?

Joe Morgan, considered by Bill James as the best second baseman in history, had a long and storied career including many cards.  However his important role as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame has even more impact on our hobby and its future.

Bill Mazeroski is in the Hall of Fame because of his defensive prowess at second base as well as his historic walk-off home run in the 1960 World Series.  His cards are valued as a lower-demand hall of famer - but he had one of the most iconic memories of my childhood as I remember exactly where I was when he hit his home run!

Rob Veres (Burbank Sportscards) and I discuss strategies for effectively integrating a (very) large purchase of cards (such as the two pallets of cards he purchased at the National) into his already massive inventory.

For this first episode of the year I have decided to share some of my near-fatal heart attack story from back on October 6, 1996.  There were timely preparations the summer before in terms of my delegation, which kept this episode from being truly tragic for my family and friends as well as for the company (Beckett Publications) that had my name on it.  If you have indigestion, chest pressure, shortness of breath, and numb left arm, or any combination of some of those - go straight to the hospital.  I had all those symptoms and did not go directly to the hospital, and I almost didn't make it - three minutes to spare!

We recap and review the most recent 20 episodes, since many of our listeners do not listen to every episode in linear sequence.  If you have questions or suggestions about this podcast or sports card insights, please send them to [email protected] so they can potentially be addressed for the benefit of all.

With so many (different) cards in existence doe sit seem strange that there are just a few that capture the fancy of the public.  Sales of cards in the long tail are also an indication of health and strength of the hobby.  The velocity or probability of sales of certain lower-demand cards can be an important contribution to overall profitability for a dealer or collector.

Free labor is not always free!  What you would do without compensation (for your hobby) is frequently a task you would have to pay someone to do for you, so is that still free labor?  Your true costs and true profit should perhaps take into account your "free" labor.

Strategies for when to sell a card you just bought for a good price are like opinions - everyone has one.  But there are no hard and fast rules or "best" strategies for when to sell - it is your call and there are too  many factors to know exactly.

Memories and reminiscences of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with respect to sports cards - if you want to share yours, just contact [email protected] with your short story.  Thanks and Happy New Year!