tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282294172024-03-17T23:02:40.371-04:00Stale GumBaseball cards, and other stuff. (est. 1998)Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.comBlogger959125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-30192443274009170952023-07-10T16:46:00.004-04:002023-07-10T16:46:41.731-04:00NSCC Tips, Tricks, and Hacks.<p> My latest <a href="https://www.hobbynewsdaily.com/post/nscc-tips-tricks-and-hacks" target="_blank">Hobby News Daily column is up</a>, and it has to do with all things NSCC. I'll be there, will you?</p>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-30929274580904251842023-06-15T11:07:00.003-04:002023-06-15T11:07:45.370-04:00June's HND Column.<p>Over on Hobby News Daily, <a href="https://www.hobbynewsdaily.com/post/what-is-vintage-anyway" target="_blank">my column for the month of June is out.</a> In this month's issue I ask the question, "What exactly does 'Vintage' and 'Modern' mean?" I also call out the card companies for the constant back-dating new products.</p><p>Check it out.</p>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-14298991159305310572023-06-06T14:38:00.000-04:002023-06-06T14:38:15.604-04:00Stale Gum on the Sports Card Nation Podcast.<p>I recently sat down with my friend and Hobby Hotline and Hobby News Daily colleague John Newman for an episode of his Sports Card Nation podcast.</p>
<p>In this episode, I discuss my Hobby upbringing, how I became a collector, and how unlike many in my generation, remained a collector into adulthood. I also discuss the <a href="https://wwww.baseballcardpedia.com"> BaseballCardPedia project</a>, my role in it, how it was created, and what we hope for in the future.
<a class="spreaker-player" href="https://www.spreaker.com/user/sportscardnationpodcast/ep-234-w-chris-harris-call-it-like-we-se" data-resource="episode_id=54061487" data-theme="light" data-playlist="false" data-cover="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/images.spreaker.com/original/87c958a84750b8a51a46b7ae60ac0388.jpg" data-width="100%" data-height="400px">Listen to "Ep.234 w/ Chris Harris "Call it like we see it"" on Spreaker.</a><script async src="https://widget.spreaker.com/widgets.js"></script>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-21832739043299189022023-05-09T16:59:00.001-04:002023-05-09T17:00:18.090-04:00Hobby News Daily May Column.<p>My <a href="https://www.hobbynewsdaily.com/post/2023-bowman-baseball-feel-the-excitement-or-not" target="_blank">monthly column for Hobby News Daily</a> is out. (And if you haven't checked out Hobby News Daily yet, what's keeping you?)</p><p>In it, I have my thoughts on 2023 Bowman and why I may be the only collector left in The Hobby that could care less about this product. I also have a few words on the upcoming 2023 Topps Heritage.</p><p>Hobby News Daily: It's the most fun you can have with your pants on.</p>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-48437916595115097112023-04-17T10:57:00.001-04:002023-04-17T10:57:03.069-04:00Hobby News Daily: April, 2023<p>My article for April was (finally) posted on <a href="https://www.hobbynewsdaily.com/chrisharrisarticle2"> Hobby News Daily.</a></p><p>(It was supposed to be up last week, but that's neither here nor there.)</p><p>I have some comments on Topps' "big announcement" that was a but of a dud. In addition, there's my thoughts on the recently concluded Mint Collective, the unforced errors BGS keeps committing, and my thoughts on the reworked Topps Big League.</p>
Go check it out, there's a lot of neat stuff on there, and we're only getting started.Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-7141896565094092972023-03-15T10:50:00.003-04:002023-03-15T10:51:04.346-04:00Stale Gum on Hobby News Daily<p>A couple of months ago, I ran into my friend and fellow Hobby Hotline co-host Danny Black, who was starting a new Hobby news website. I asked him if he was interested in a bitter and cantankerous former baseball card blogger who could contribute one or two 800-1000 word screeds a month.</p><p>Surprisingly, he said yes. </p><p>Anyway, <a href="https://www.hobbynewsdaily.com/chrisharrisarticles" target="_blank">my first article for Hobby News Daily is up</a>, (I didn't come up with the headline.) and if you were familiar with what Stale Gum was in the pre-blog years (all six of you), you'll recognize the "Chris' Notes" style format immediately. Believe it or not, I actually praise Topps, before shitting all over them for the steaming pile that is <a href="http://www.baseballcardpedia.com/index.php/2022 Topps Chrome#Sonic" target="_blank">2022 Topps Chrome Sonic</a>.</p><p>And after you're finished reading my first article, check out the rest of what's up on HND. Technically, we're in "soft launch" mode for the rest of March, but there's some good stuff up there already from voices you may or may not be familiar with.</p>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-77419563595411039502023-03-02T15:00:00.008-05:002023-03-02T15:05:58.527-05:00Official Statement on the Future of Stale Gum and Other Concerns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyub4f1pJ0dyw3wjyb-mc1wbTTIXYdbL5bcFjIemtPyehKwaBJspXgcq7GpdjwvirH8iysZyij6zCHOXsc0gfNqnAPYEoEShn3co7jOh0DNA7Jgan5UYkyhDWlxwaRlxLvSnGXUbvdSiNPRx_RfXlu4KuZclT7VEwG75xvBNQuLXJPhCt8jA/s1550/ImBack.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="1550" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyub4f1pJ0dyw3wjyb-mc1wbTTIXYdbL5bcFjIemtPyehKwaBJspXgcq7GpdjwvirH8iysZyij6zCHOXsc0gfNqnAPYEoEShn3co7jOh0DNA7Jgan5UYkyhDWlxwaRlxLvSnGXUbvdSiNPRx_RfXlu4KuZclT7VEwG75xvBNQuLXJPhCt8jA/w400-h336/ImBack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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... stay tuned.</p>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-4678249664622120682021-08-23T12:33:00.007-04:002021-08-23T12:56:33.924-04:00A Few Thoughts on Fanatics Acquiring the MLB/MLBPA LIcense.<p>By now, unless you've been living under a rock, the biggest news story in the century plus history of sports cards broke last week. Major League Baseball and its Players Association have granted their exclusive trading card licenses to a new company to be formed by the sports licensing and e-commerce juggernaut Fanatics, Inc. The MLBPA will have equity in this new scheme, along with MLB, which previously (along with the NFL) invested in Fanatics years ago. As I write this, Fanatics has just acquired the exclusive NBA and NBPA licenses, and as with the baseball deal, also includes equity for the league and PA. It is expected, sometime shortly, that the NFL and the NFLPA will follow suit.</p><p>The MLBPA's current Group Licensing Agreement with Panini America expires at the end of 2023, while MLB's with Topps is through 2025. Meaning, for the next few years anyway, Panini will continue to produce partially-licensed baseball cards, as they have since 2011, while Topps will continue to print fully licensed baseball cards until at least December 31st, 2023. </p><p>As for 2024 and 2025, Topps has always operated differently when it comes to player acquisition. Because they predated that establishment of the MLBPA, they've always been exempt from their Group Licensing Agreement -- a blanket agreement that gives access to all players currently on a 40-man Major League roster, who are also PA members. By signing players to individual contracts (so-called "steak dinner checks"), this gave Topps a competitive advantage over their competition by allowing them to produce the first MLB-licensed trading cards (and therefore Beckett Definition "Rookie Cards") of dozens of Minor League prospects -- a loophole they exploited to great effect with their Bowman brand in the mid-90s and early-2000s, until the establishment of the current Rookie Card rules in 2006. They have missed a few players. (Alex Rodriguez did not appear on a Topps card until 1998. And in recent years Matt Wieters, Ichiro, and Madison Bumgarner have let their Topps contracts expire.) It is currently unclear if Topps will still be allowed to sign MLBPA members to Steak Dinner Checks, and include big leaguers in what will still be MLB-licensed products for 2024 and 2025.</p><p>I'll get to what this means later, but as of now, Panini America will be out of the licensed baseball card business on December 31st, 2023. The next day, Fanatics will assume Panini's MLBPA license and produce their first partially-licensed baseball cards in 2024. Topps will continue to make fully licensed baseball cards for 2022 and 2023. For 2024 and 2025, Topps may or may not be allowed to continue printing fully-licensed baseball cards, but they'll still have the MLB license. On January 1st, 2026, Fanatics will acquire Topps' MLB license and will be the exclusive licensor from then on.</p><p><br /></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><br />My thoughts when this news broke was, at first shock, and then Schadenfreude. Losing their exclusive baseball license is one thing. Losing it just days before Topps was to go public via a SPAC -- thus denying Michael Eisner a $600 million pay day -- is cosmic justice. For the last fourteen years, and especially since 2010, we baseball card collectors have had to put up with a lot of bullshit emanating from One Whitehall. Mediocre products, bloat, meaningless inserts, repetitive designs, appealing to the lowest common denominator, dead-horse beating reprints, dumb gimmicks, and an attitude towards collectors that just oozed with of contempt. Over the last dozen years, we collectors just didn't matter to Topps. They acted like any firm with monopoly power: What else are you going to collect?<p></p><p>(With that said, I'm still not a fan of exclusive licensing and I wish MLB and the PA would grant another company a second license (Upper Deck as a sub-licensee?) As long as it doesn't go to Topps. Because fuck them.)</p><p>With that said, with a new company -- essentially a start-up -- may come new ideas. Fanatics brings a lot of things to the table that could be positive to The Hobby (marketing, distribution, et al). However, it has never produced a trading card set before. It has been speculated by some that Fanatics might try to do what Panini did when they acquired the exclusive NBA rights in 2009. Back then, Panini did not have much of a presence in the USA, and did not have any experience producing an "American" style sports cards set -- just soccer stickers and TCGs like Panini Adrenalin. So, they went out and bought an American trading card company, Donruss-Playoff, and renamed it "Panini America."</p><p>Purchasing one of the existing card companies -- if only for their intellectual property and trademarks -- could be a wise move for Fanatics. I'm only speculating here, but I can see Fanatics cutting Michael Eisner a nine-digit check for Topps (although much less than $600mm), spinning off the candy and gum operations (or keeping it with Eisner), and continuing the Topps brand name in cards for 2026 and beyond. </p><p>If Fanatics decides to go this route, great. I think most in The Hobby will be happy. </p><p>(OBTW, ever since this news broke, I've been seeing a lot of folks lamenting that this is "The End of Topps As We Know It!" The Topps they're lamenting ceased to exist in 2007 when the Shorin family sold out to Eisner and MDP.) </p><p>What I hope Fanatics doesn't do, is keep around the same folks that have been responsible for much of the garbage products and gimmicks Topps has excreted over the last dozen years. (Especially Clay Luraschi. Kick that jabroni to the curb. Or if you have to keep him for contractual purposes, have him do something that'll keep him away from cards. Ship him to the candy and gum division, I don't care.) What this Hobby needs now, more than anything, is new blood. We need people in positions of product development and marketing with new ideas. It would help if these people, you know, actually collect baseball cards.</p><p>(If anyone at Fanatics is reading this, yes, I am available. <a href="mailto:chris.harris@stalegum.com">Enquire within.</a>)</p><p>2026 could give The Hobby a fresh start. A reboot, if you will. By then, if history is any indication, most of the "New Money" that's seeped into The Hobby over the last 18-24 months, will have exited, and The Second Junk Wax Era we are now living through will have ended. I don't put much stock into predictions, and I've been wrong many times. However, I believe that The Hobby of 2026 will resemble the way things were in the mid to late 90s. </p><p>Card manufactures were forced to appeal to a smaller audience -- the die hards. We saw innovation and creativity (etched foil! die-cuts! material inserts! Game-Used! DUFEX!), and products that were challenging, but fun, to collect (late 90s Flair Showcase!). Companies that relied on monotonous products and/or gimmicks (e.g. Pinnacle Brands) were kicked to the curb. Maybe, even under an exclusive license regime, could we be in for a repeat?</p><p> </p><span><!--more--></span><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I recently appeared on special editions of the About The Cards and Hobby Hotline podcasts to discuss Fanatics and their future in the baseball card business. The About The Cards episode was a special edition recorded Thursday, August 19th, the night of the announcement. Special guests included Beckett's Ryan Cracknell and Hobby legal analyst Paul Lesko.</p>
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<p>For Hobby Hotline, a show which I regularly appear on usually every three-to-four weeks, we had a special edition at our usual time (Saturday's at 11:00am Eastern; 10:00am Central; 12:30 in Newfoundland) with most of the rotating cast of panelists including Dr. James Beckett, Rich Klein, Jeremy Lee of Sports Cards Live, John Newman of the Sports Card Nation podcast, and others.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/QDaafefA8u4" width="480"></iframe></p>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-83690332981301502842021-02-23T15:23:00.011-05:002021-02-23T15:35:02.253-05:00Recent Appearances on Hobby Hotline.Over the past few months I've made a few more appearances on the Hobby Hotline. (I usually make an appearance every three or four weeks) We're on every Saturday morning at 11:00am Eastern, 10:00am Central (11:30 in Newfoundland). Just search for Hobby Hotline on YouTube or Facebook Watch -- or if you're on the go, the audio version is usually available a day or two later on most podcasting platforms.
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From December 5th ...
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The January 9th edition ...
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From Jan. 23rd, here I am with Rich Klein!
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And from the Feb 6th edition, Dr. Jim Beckett!
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KaKZOOBYmDc" width="480"></iframe></div>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-84936145604294145072020-11-17T21:40:00.005-05:002020-11-18T11:12:10.450-05:00Stale Gum on The Hobby Hotline Episode #41.Once again, this past Saturday I co-hosted The Hobby Hotline. Check it out.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FkkJOCXvHzw" width="480"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-51386658078317782772020-10-26T16:31:00.006-04:002020-11-18T11:13:06.188-05:00Stale Gum on The Hobby Hotline Episode #38This past Saturday, I made an appearance on The Hobby Hotline.
We discussed Upper Deck's return to golf cards. The entry of a new grading company. And a report on my visit to this past weekend's CSA cardshow in Chantilly, VA.<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fLYC-FCM8rk" width="480"></iframe></div>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-78765082298211035982020-07-24T10:05:00.001-04:002020-07-24T10:09:52.829-04:00Stale Gum on the About The Cards PodcastThis week I appeared as a guest on the About The Cards Podcast. Give it a listen, and thanks to Ben, Stephan, and Tim for having me on.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FteQWxmiazk" width="480"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-27525624965891122702020-04-15T12:14:00.000-04:002020-04-15T12:18:02.890-04:00No, Your Stash of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball Waxboxes are NOT Worth More than Microsoft Stock.So there's this meme that's been circulating on the card-Twittersphere the last few days that I just have to respond to. You've probably seen it, too. It looks like this ...<br />
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The claim is, if you purchased and squirreled away $1000 worth of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball waxboxes (you know, the one with the Michael Jordan RC) at the time of its initial release, it would be worth almost four times more than if you had taken that same $1000 and bought shares of Microsoft on the date of it's initial public offering on March 13th, 1986. The cards are (allegedly) worth $8.5 million vs. the stock which is worth around $2.25 million.<br />
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Now, if I were a little less sophisticated in the ways and means of The Hobby, this might make me consider taking that $1200 in Trump Bux most of us are about to receive and invest it in basketball cards -- the kind of cards, not coincidentally, some of the propagators of this meme just happen to have for sale. (Visa/MasterCard/PayPal accepted!)<br />
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This meme is false, dangerous, and not in the best interests of The Hobby.<br />
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Where to begin?<br />
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First, let's compare and contrast these two investments. Stock is, as they say, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_liquidity" target="_blank">liquid</a> asset. If you had $2.25mm, if you had $1200, heck, if you had $1.49 burning a hole in your pocket right this second, you can buy shares in Microsoft. But because there's so much $MSFT on the market, your individual purchase really won't affect the stock's price one way of the other -- maybe a few pennies here or there if your order was large enough. Microsoft stock is there, it's available, and you can buy it right now if you so pleased.<br />
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You can not say the same about unopened 1986-87 Fleer Basketball (henceforth abbreviated as "86-87F BK") boxes.<br />
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$85,000 for a full, certified, unsearched, box of 86-87F BK is a probably a fair price in 2020 The last documented sale of a 86-87F BK box I could find was $75,000 during the 2017 National. But just because you bought 100 boxes of the stuff at $10/box 34 years ago, that does not mean you can easily convert that into $8.5mm cash. That is because Hobby wax (and not just 86-87F BK wax, but any and all wax) is not as liquid as Microsoft stock.<br />
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<a href="https://beckett-www.s3.amazonaws.com/news/news-content/uploads/2018/04/1986-87-Fleer-Basketball-Pack-TGY-BBCE-April-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://beckett-www.s3.amazonaws.com/news/news-content/uploads/2018/04/1986-87-Fleer-Basketball-Pack-TGY-BBCE-April-2018.jpg" width="229" /></a>(Before I continue, I have a quibble with how the meme authors calculated the MSRP of 86-87F BK boxes. All of the packs discovered in the <a href="https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/bbce-discovers-7-store-original-1986-87-fleer-basketball-boxes/" target="_blank">"TG&Y Find"</a> were stamped with a $0.40 price tag. Since brick-and-mortar Hobby stores and weekly cardshows -- much less internet sales -- weren't as prevalent in 1986 as they would be just a few years later, let's assume that the vast majority of 86-87F BK was sold at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TG%26Y" target="_blank">mass-market retail outlets like TG&Y </a>who charged the "sticker price" of $0.40/pack. Since you're buying retail, let's also assume that you live in a state that charges a sales tax and for ease of calculation let's make that tax 5%, YSMV. This works out to a retail price of $0.42 per pack.<br />
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That meant that, in 1986, if you wanted to buy a full 36-pack box, you're paying $15.12/box, and that your $1000 bankroll would have only bought 66 boxes. At a current market price of $85,000 each, those 66 boxes would have a value of only $5.6mm For purposes of this article, however, I will use the $10/box price and $85,000/box values cited in the meme.)<br />
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Unlike Microsoft stock, Raymond James, J.P. Morgan, and Goldman Sachs are not going to buy your 86-87F BK packs. Not every Hobby dealer has the available cash to buy an $85,000 box of cards. Not every Hobby dealer who has $85,000 cash on-hand would be interested on a box of cards. And not every card collector collects basketball cards. So the market in potential buyers for an $85,000 box is limited. 86-87F BK boxes are not as liquid as Microsoft stock.<br />
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You can probably count on one hand (and have a few digits left over) the number of 86-87F BK waxboxes that are available for purchase at any one time. And it is this unavailability, and not necessarily the scarcity (and don't get me wrong, these boxes are scarce), that makes 86-87F BK boxes so valuable.<br />
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If you were to unload 100 shares of Microsoft stock, it's not enough to move the market. If you found 100 sealed waxboxes of 86-87F BK in you're late Uncle Larry's storage container, congratulations! Unfortunately, you've just increased the available supply by a factor of five, ten, even twentyfold, should you decide to dump them all. Sorry, but you're not getting $8.5mm for Uncle Larry's stash. Not even close.<br />
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(Hypothetically speaking, if 100, or even 66, 86-87F BK boxes were to come on the market in one fell swoop, I think fair price would be in the $20,000 to $25,000 range, making those boxes worth ... around the value of $1000 worth of Microsoft stock at the time of its I.P.O.)<br />
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Look, everybody wants to make easy money. Everybody wants to get rich quick. We all dream of hitting the Powerball, or going on Antiques Roadshow and discovering that grandma's old ashtray is actually a priceless artifact, or that "find" in Uncle Larry's storage container. We all think our card collections are worth more than they're actually worth, and that those last few cards we need to finish that set really can't possibly cost as much as that dealer across the hall -- the only dealer in the hall that has your card -- is selling them for.<br />
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I'm old enough to remember The Junk Wax Era and I'm old enough to remember the mentality that drove The Hobby in this era. The mentality was, if a baseball card of Mickey Mantle from 1952 can sell for $5000 in 1987, surely all the hot rookies of 1987 will sell for just as much thirty-five years from now. (Anybody need 1000 87T Andres Galarraga RCs?) We all know how that turned out.<br />
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(Interestingly enough, 86-87F BK was the exception to this because in 1986, there was no such thing as a basketball card market. There was a reason there was a five-year gap between the final Topps-issued NBA set and 86-87F BK, reasons too many to list. Needless to say, Fleer did not print as much 86-87F BK as they did 1987 Fleer Baseball because: A) The lack of an established basketball card market, and B) the NBA itself was only beginning its Bird/Magic/Jordan-fueled takeoff in popularity. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4-RNTsgHLw" target="_blank">NBA Action: It's FAN-tastic!</a>)<br />
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A generation later, and I see the same mentality infect The Hobby. Carnival barkers <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk" target="_blank">left and right</a> whipping up the moneymarks into a Get-Rich-Quick frenzy. <i>Step right up folks, and lemme tell you about a unique money making opportunity! It's shiny new basketball cards!</i><br />
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Thirty-five years ago, we saw the beginning of an era where much money was spent on cards by people who had little, if any, interest in actually collecting them. The last two-to-three years, we've seen a repeat of this. We know how this is going to end, and with COVID-19 prematurely hitting the stop button on pro sports and triggering a global depression, The Second Junk Wax Era may have just ended before our eyes.<br />
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But hey, did you know that you could have made four times as much investing in basketball cards than you could if you invested in Microsoft stock?Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-24988418205951694442019-10-15T09:03:00.002-04:002019-10-15T09:05:13.004-04:00The Stale Gum Podcast: Episode #2Here it is, episode #2 of The Stale Gum Podcast!
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/stalegum/embed" width="400px"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-1157984739243513352019-09-11T18:30:00.000-04:002019-09-12T08:30:52.193-04:00Where I was...<span style="font-style: italic;">NOTE: I posted this on the fifth anniversary of 9/11.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">I will continue to post this each September 11th.</span><br />
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<br />
Here's a story that, outside of immediate friends and family, I've never shared with anyone before. Indulge me for a moment, as it is, somewhat, card related.<br />
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After weeks and weeks of endless "phone tag," a date and time had been set. At 1:30 PM that afternoon, Lloyd Pawlak (the guy whose facsimile signature is on the reverse side on all of your Fleer autogamers) and Jim Stefano would be interviewing me for a potential opening with Fleer Trading Cards.<br />
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This was the opportunity I've been waiting for my whole life. I mean, me, the ultimate card geek, was about to interview for a card geek's ultimate "dream job." Not only that, but their headquarters were only a short twenty minute ride up I-295!<br />
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As the days slowly ticked away, I planned out everything I would do that day right down to the millisecond. First, I was going to get up bright-and-early (well, 6:30 AM anyway), and call my boss with some BS "I'm sick" excuse. Next, I was going to hit the Wawa for my daily cup of joe and a doughnut. Finally, I would pick up my "interview suit" from the dry cleaners.<br />
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I was so amped with excitement, that I was able to accomplish all of these items by 8:15 AM. Still, I had five hours to kill until the interview. What to do?<br />
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At around 8:30 AM, on a total whim, I decided to "preemptively celebrate" my all-but-assured future sports collectibles career, by treating myself to breakfast. But not just any breakfast, but breakfast at the greatest greasy-spoon in the whole world: the Waffle House in Elkton, Maryland. (Yes, we have Waffle Houses up North now, and from time-to-time, when I need my fix; I make the pilgrimage down I-95 to Elkton.)<br />
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I think it was around the time I was on the down slope of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, approaching the $3 toll, when Ba-Ba-Booey interrupted Howard with news that an airplane had just flown into the World Trade Center.<br />
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It was all an accident. No big deal, right?<br />
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I think it was around the time I was finishing off my waffle and about to tear into a ham-and-cheese omelet plate, that the Waffle House's manager informed his staff, and the half-dozen-or-so customers, that the other WTC tower <i>and</i> The Pentagon had been flown into as well.<br />
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It was at that moment it all started to sink in. These were no accidents, or isolated incidents. These weren't just merely acts of "terrorism," whatever that word meant on September 10th. This was an act of war against the United States of America. For the first time in my life, after hearing twenty-seven years worth of stories about Pearl Harbor, I now knew exactly what my grandparents felt on December 7th, 1941.<br />
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While I continued to sip on my half-full and quickly becoming half-empty coffee mug, contemplating what was happening a hundred or so miles to the immediate Northeast and Southwest of Elkton, it occurred to me. How the hell was I going to get home? I still had to cross over <i>that</i> bridge. If those bastards -- keep in mind we still didn't know al-Qaida was responsible, or if there were any other "flying bombs" still left in the sky -- targeted the Twin Towers <i>and</i> The Pentagon; then the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the keystone of the Washington-to-New York transportation corridor, might be the next logical target! What was I to do?<br />
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After a few moments of contemplation and reflection, I slammed down my coffee mug, left a $20 bill underneath my half-eaten omelet platter, and high-tailed it back to South Jersey as fast as my '91 Mercury Capri could take me. I had to get home before they closed that bridge. Or worse.<br />
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I think it was around the time I arrived back home and turned on Channel 6, came the news that a fourth plane had crashed in some place in Pennsylvania none of us had ever heard of before. And then the first of the Twin Towers collapsed. And then the other. The look on Marc Howard's face after seeing the WTC towers vanish in front of all our eyes, is an image that will be burned in my memory forever.<br />
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My mother, as well as the rest of the Eastern Time Zone's labor force, was let out of work early, arriving home at around Noon. I immediately gave her the biggest hug a son could possibly have given to his mother. Her immediate concern was that the Air Force might recall me back to active duty and send her oldest son off to war. (I left in '99, but the USAF had until October of '02 to recall me. I never got the call, but if Uncle Sam needed me, He knew where to find me.) I had never seen my mother acting this way before. I can't think of the right word to say it. I wouldn't call it hysterical, but not quite despondent either. But as we embraced, I just kept whispering to her, "It's going to be all right. We're Americans. They're never going to get us here. <b>It's all going to be all right</b>."<br />
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At around 1:15 PM -- minutes before I was scheduled to have my dream job interview -- I called Jim Stefano to cancel. I got his voice mail, which leads me to believe that Fleer closed shop early as well. A few days later, I attempted to go to what was being called "Ground Zero" to pay my respects, but got no farther than Jersey City as the Holland and Lincoln tunnels were closed. I rescheduled my Fleer interview for the next week, and wound up not getting my "dream job" after all. But that story is for another time. <br />
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Hard to believe that it's been five years, eh? I invite you to share your 9/11 stories in the comments section.Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-82931992704794606692019-08-26T10:13:00.001-04:002019-10-15T09:04:31.543-04:00The Stale Gum Podcast: Episode #1Everyone else is starting a podcast, why not me?
Give it a listen, tell me what you like and don't like about it. In this episode, I talk about my recent visit to the East Coast National and review three new products.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/stalegum/embed/episodes/The-Stale-Gum-Podcast-Episode-1-8252019-e525t3/a-aldbje" width="400px"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-48677588920749106742019-04-19T12:14:00.000-04:002019-04-19T18:48:37.576-04:00Some Thoughts on The State of The Hobby in 2019 and on "The 30-Year Cycle."There's a video going around that I feel I need to comment on. I know it's been a while since I've done one of these, so bear with me.<br />
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The video in question is a three minute snippet from <i>The Rich Eisen Show, </i>in which some guy calling himself "Gary Vee"is hyping up the investment potential of sports cards.<br />
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Truth be told, I've never heard of this guy before, so I had to do some research. According to his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> page:
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"Gary Vaynerchuk (born Gennady Vaynerchuk; November 14, 1975; Belarusian: <span lang="be">Генадзь Вайнярчук</span>, Russian: <span lang="ru">Геннадий Вайнерчук</span>) is a Belarusian American entrepreneur, author, speaker and internet personality. First known as a wine critic who expanded his family's wine business, Vaynerchuk is best known for his work in digital marketing and social media, leading New York–based companies VaynerMedia, VaynerX and VanerSpeakers."</i></blockquote>
I guess he's kind of a Big Deal, I mean, "Gennady Vaynerchuk" sounds like a stock villain in a Grand Theft Auto game. But "Gary Vee," well, only Important People get to give themselves a nickname, and Gary Vee is one of those Important People ... even though I've never heard of him until about 20 minutes ago, and we're roughly the same age. How many leather-bound books does he own? And does his apartment smells of rich mahogany? <br />
<br />
He is right about <a href="https://thepatterning.com/2017/02/13/the-nostalgia-pendulum-a-rolling-30-year-cycle-of-pop-culture-trends/" target="_blank">pop culture going in 30-year cycles,</a> and right now we are in the midst of what I'd like to call The Second Junk Wax Era.<br />
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Let me give you an example. <a href="http://baseballcardpedia.com/index.php/2019_Bowman" target="_blank">2019 Bowman Baseball</a> is out this week (or as the kids like to say "Streets" this week), and it's the same as it has been the last few years: 150 new
Prospects each with a dozen parallels, 20 Chrome Refractors, and another dozen and a half Autographed Chrome Refractors. As usual, there's always that one guy that everyone marks out on and this year, it's <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=franco002wan" target="_blank">an eighteen-year old who hit .351/.418/.587 in the Appalachian League</a> last year. I'm sure Cooperstown is already preparing his plaque ... right next to Ruben Rivera's, Brien Taylor's, Travis Lee's, and Todd van Poppel's.<br />
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Here's the thing with Bowman though. Year in and year out, with the hundreds of Prospects issued across the three Bowman flagship brands, (Bowman, Bowman Chrome, and Bowman Draft) you can count on one hand the number of players whose cards will ever be worth anything. If you don't believe me, check out the $1 and 50¢ boxes at
your local weekend card show. I guarantee you'll at least one dealer with monster boxes full of Bowman
parallels and Bowman Chrome Refractors, many of them low numbered, dating back years that will never, ever, sell at
any price. Just like the scores of Barry Larkin, Will Clark, and Rafael Palmerio rookies that clog-up many of the same $1 and 50¢ boxes. Who's going to want a Gold Die-Cut Shimmer NukeFractor serial-numbered to 50 of a guy who never made it past Class-A? How many Randy Johnson rookie cards does one need?<br />
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Now I know I'm dating myself here, but I'm old enough to remember the original Junk Wax
Era and jabronis like Gary Vee were dime a dozen. Oh sure, they bought a lot
of cards, but they sure as hell didn't collect any them. We tend to think that Junk Wax Era products were "overproduced," and by today's standards, they were. But somebody bought all those cases of 88 Fleer. They may not have been trying to find the last few cards to knock-off their 1987 Topps set, but Junk Wax Era products did sell well.<br />
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And that's the problem. Just like in the late-80s/early-90s (30 year ago), The Hobby is currently attracting an element that has no interest in collecting the cards, just accumulating them for speculative purposes. The card companies know this, which is why many of their products are no longer designed to be collected. I could write another 850-1500 words on this subject, but I'll save that for another time.<br />
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Let me finish with this: In the beginning of the video, Gary Vee casually mentions that he's bought and sold hundreds of Giannis Antetokounmpo RCs over
the past year. (Him lecturing a producer about how late-80s/early-90s cards are worthless is pure ironic gold, though.) Well, what do you think happened back in The Junk Wax Era?<br />
<br />
One summer when I was in high school, I had a job at a Hobby shop that did a lot of mail order business. My job consisted of ripping dozens of cases
of wax, picking out all the rookies and stars, and selling 25, 50,
100-count lots for "investors." This was commonplace in the time. Go read an old Sports Collector's Digest from the era and look at the ads if you don't believe me. How is that any different than what Gary Vee is doing with Antetokounmpo cards?<br />
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(Speaking of which, I have a 100-count lot of 88D Gregg Jefferies RCs I'm sitting on. Any takers?)<br />
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Fortunately, around
'92-'93, the Junk Wax bubble burst and these halfwits moved on to the Next Big Score: subprime mortgages, Medicare fraud, and social media influencing. <br />
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<hr />
<br />
Other thoughts on my mind:<br />
<br />
Going back to the 30-year cycle, we're due for another baseball
strike, the kind that cancels a World Series. And whaddya know, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2021! With <a href="https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2019/1/14/18181665/mlb-mlbpa-player-power-labor-strike-machado-harper-murray" target="_blank">a strike seemingly inevitable</a>, I wouldn't want to be
Topps and stuck with an MLB license (and nothing else) when another
World Series is cancelled (#ThanksExclusiveLicensing!). If Topps were still publicly traded, I'd sell short.<br />
<br />
Then again, another strike and another cancelled World
Series is what The Hobby needs. Clear out the rot. Purge all the gamblers. Give another company a license to kick-start things (just not Panini). Make products that appeal to collectors again. The period from 1993-1999 brought a series a innovative and collectible card sets. Maybe by 2025 (there's that 30-year cycle again) baseball card
collecting will be fun again?</div>
Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-80404921600586385032018-09-04T19:27:00.001-04:002018-09-04T19:30:49.935-04:00UNBOXING: 2018 Highspots ALL IN trading card set.36 cards commemorating the most historic wresting card of the decade. Not bad for only $20.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UU4oqiWRRGE" width="480"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-75875659874668508082018-08-10T14:09:00.000-04:002018-08-10T14:09:13.411-04:00Stale Gum on the Fat Packs PodcastAt the recently concluded 2018 National Sports Collectors Convention, I appeared on the Beckett Fat Packs (or is it just one word like "Fatpacks"?) podcast. Joining me, along with host Eric Norton, was my good friend, and a man who I am convinced is my long-lost Kanadian brother, David "<a href="http://twitter.com/longflyball" target="_blank">Long Fly Ball</a>" Wright.<br />
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We give our takes on how the NSCC can take a page from its past by "adding value" to The National experience with seminars, discussions, and social activities. We also give our state of The Hobby and how legalized sports gambling might affect the nascent group breaking industry. All with plenty of pro wrestling references thrown-in, for good measure. (Skip ahead to the 32:45 mark for our segment)<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/481892229&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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I also assisted Eric and <a href="http://packgeek.com/" target="_blank">Jeff The Pack Geek</a> in ripping open a 1987 Donruss waxbox. Yes, the collation was shitty, but at least we got Bipped.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbeckettmediallc%2Fvideos%2F2290453740981117%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-56756574277927353582017-11-27T20:16:00.002-05:002017-11-27T20:16:42.814-05:00Blaster Break: 2005 Fleer ShowcaseYeah, I know. It's been a while since I've done one of these.
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I think I shall do these more often.Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-2828184455077931482016-07-07T10:27:00.001-04:002016-07-07T10:29:58.231-04:00MAILDAY!You'd be pretty excited too, if you bought a lot of 1998-2000 Stadium Club Triumvirate/3X3's for only $22.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iS8gB01_spE" width="459"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-21046449582066526872015-07-21T12:02:00.000-04:002015-07-21T12:07:06.687-04:00The Flea Market $10 Sack o' Joy.I love flea markets. I especially love the flea market in <a href="http://laureljunction.com/index.cfm?ref=13100" target="_blank">Laurel, Delaware</a> -- about 20 miles southwest of the Stale Gum Southern Command. The Laurel Junction Flea Market is a socioeconomic experience that, if you're ever in the neighborhood, you need to see for yourself. Where else can you find: used power tools sold by a one-armed man; bootleg FC Barcelona and Real Madrid jerseys; multiple copies of Jerry Maguire on VHS; all the vaping supplies and glass pipes (for tobacco use only!) you'll ever need, all in one place.<br />
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And you'll find baseball cards, too. Granted, most are of the Junk Wax Era variety -- 50-count team baggies stuffed with 1987 Topps, 1990 Donruss, and 1991 Fleer commons for a dollar -- but on occasion, you might find something decent. This past Saturday, I think I found something decent. I found this ... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgPd4E9q_uTMB3mBR63Tred62I-G4MBcWNNFAUlRkFM1XSgsiP4SoGfob0mJjRHr35KhPJj1IirHWJOo-ZhrqBGzQ3EicBxShmMelIZgCmsjuoGbR0OSvezGu3jjntRxvJ-x3/s1600/IMG_20150720_201459497_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgPd4E9q_uTMB3mBR63Tred62I-G4MBcWNNFAUlRkFM1XSgsiP4SoGfob0mJjRHr35KhPJj1IirHWJOo-ZhrqBGzQ3EicBxShmMelIZgCmsjuoGbR0OSvezGu3jjntRxvJ-x3/s640/IMG_20150720_201459497_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Stuffed among shelves of second-hand kids clothes, already-been-read romance paperbacks, 90s butt-rock CDs, and accessories for antiquated cellphones, was a Ziploc baggie of cards. Easily, by a decade and a half, the Adam Dunn 2012 Topps "relic" was the youngest baseball card in this whole flea market.<br />
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Of course, I had to buy it.<br />
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Here's what I got in my $10 Flea Market Sack 'o Joy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9rvy4jd0MTFzaRyFFtlxXJzLlRKfu79gK0JH41X9fP4i0ympA5be8ff1j3cMzNz0OPkrTobyXdEVnLKFCoeBRXxtbA5lpOlezINZFn0qTfd1yd0ATAk-FsundF4FPhceMQkm/s1600/IMG_20150720_201517391_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9rvy4jd0MTFzaRyFFtlxXJzLlRKfu79gK0JH41X9fP4i0ympA5be8ff1j3cMzNz0OPkrTobyXdEVnLKFCoeBRXxtbA5lpOlezINZFn0qTfd1yd0ATAk-FsundF4FPhceMQkm/s400/IMG_20150720_201517391_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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A second-year common from the Busch Light of grading companies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIz6VooMx8qhEy5QI9TaQCV4l6yJvHrKgwpIu7TsOpn5gEwWe4KxaFAyr6q_sWllT7jL1cu3OBmBiIc2K1E1K_VzhEDkVJ4qgqBD3-LdUJSZ3PXJ2w3IhHeo7SJQeH3wnnEUDA/s1600/IMG_20150720_201525696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIz6VooMx8qhEy5QI9TaQCV4l6yJvHrKgwpIu7TsOpn5gEwWe4KxaFAyr6q_sWllT7jL1cu3OBmBiIc2K1E1K_VzhEDkVJ4qgqBD3-LdUJSZ3PXJ2w3IhHeo7SJQeH3wnnEUDA/s400/IMG_20150720_201525696.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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A second-year card that used to be worth something. But now, is worth about the same as the Glenallen Hill card above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUQbuWtR4Bcwk8oRaNAcbuU7kee3AMSeGlkuFCyRg5W7Z8W8d9d22OqVJuNJu7Cw8EEhOitm_Z7qXM1YupIxlzuVNmkYAiaOFMLunl8NE7ctT-IvYdaqz6xFlWKyz36Nm9pHV/s1600/IMG_20150720_201543676_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUQbuWtR4Bcwk8oRaNAcbuU7kee3AMSeGlkuFCyRg5W7Z8W8d9d22OqVJuNJu7Cw8EEhOitm_Z7qXM1YupIxlzuVNmkYAiaOFMLunl8NE7ctT-IvYdaqz6xFlWKyz36Nm9pHV/s400/IMG_20150720_201543676_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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In 1993, this was a BIG MJOOJ HIT, and goddamn, <a href="http://baseballcardpedia.com/index.php/1993_Flair" target="_blank">1993 Flair</a> was an awesome set. Hard to believe now, but this was a legit $40 card in 1993.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf06us9c0_zpyYzY_1a6CmHi4txQk_4Sl-TrmRz3c3Hdc8QxKnve0WelpqEMNR0ziUNK6nczEOuK_CwsycRfGyTEY-ztvFw-ap76S5kVBaiWyaU648oUqZdM-Mx22FBGOZApkK/s1600/IMG_20150720_201622812_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf06us9c0_zpyYzY_1a6CmHi4txQk_4Sl-TrmRz3c3Hdc8QxKnve0WelpqEMNR0ziUNK6nczEOuK_CwsycRfGyTEY-ztvFw-ap76S5kVBaiWyaU648oUqZdM-Mx22FBGOZApkK/s400/IMG_20150720_201622812_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
What caught my eye initially were these jersey cards. Yeah, they're
filler and ain't worth shit. But one of these is, well, interesting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKGNUHgqBDiyhEfEFIRC77Gw-aTy6bJhQAtuVyOWAusy0h5YK9d1WFDjMH8L_9j__t2Zv9JjP_3oDT2Zl9k2Hx7JtlJ83PKq_zSg65YyoOjOxkD0cgfPhgDhgbvuJJcH9DYtP/s1600/IMG_20150720_201637351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKGNUHgqBDiyhEfEFIRC77Gw-aTy6bJhQAtuVyOWAusy0h5YK9d1WFDjMH8L_9j__t2Zv9JjP_3oDT2Zl9k2Hx7JtlJ83PKq_zSg65YyoOjOxkD0cgfPhgDhgbvuJJcH9DYtP/s400/IMG_20150720_201637351.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Why is there a white pinstripe on this Adam Dunn game jersey card? Obviously, it's not from a White Sox jersey. It could be from a Washington Nationals shirt, as Dunn did play for the Nats in 2009-10 when <a href="http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/090417/GAL-09Apr17-1897/media/PHO-09Apr17-158521.jpg" target="_blank">they wore navy alternate jerseys</a>. Unfortunately, those alternate jerseys were solid and without pinstripes. If only there was a way for card companies to put <i>something on the card </i>that identifies the relic's provenance -- like a picture of the bat/jersey <i>before</i> it gets carved up -- that would prevent such confusion in the future. "Not from any specific game, even, or season," indeed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2Pc2FfFbhMx7SGTRuG85RjPSmO5a7fc1mGVswZnwJTYJjRtkEKeXsa50kW_5LtCWh1tL_0JxNbJ0iipsNqIKfwtYwZH-ajKMyoGNz-AytLCFdY2I-vRF_Ea6Q-xXkQt5tsU5/s1600/IMG_20150720_201651876_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2Pc2FfFbhMx7SGTRuG85RjPSmO5a7fc1mGVswZnwJTYJjRtkEKeXsa50kW_5LtCWh1tL_0JxNbJ0iipsNqIKfwtYwZH-ajKMyoGNz-AytLCFdY2I-vRF_Ea6Q-xXkQt5tsU5/s400/IMG_20150720_201651876_HDR.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<a href="http://baseballcardpedia.com/index.php/2009_Topps_Ticket_to_Stardom" target="_blank">2009 Topps Ticket to Boredom, errr ..., Stardom</a> was an awful product with some dumb concepts. Considering this was the era of awful products like Moments & Milestones and dumb concepts like the Barry Bonds/Mickey Mantle/Alex Rodriguez mirror inserts, I think the dumb concept in Ticket to Stardom might have them beat: Ticket Stub Relics. <br />
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I may not look like it, but that thing surrounding the orange frame is a ticket stub from a <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN200808290.shtml" target="_blank">2008 Padres game</a>. The Padres were 32 games under .500 at the time, and lost to the Rockies 9-4, although Kevin Kouzmanoff did go 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Naturally, this was worth commemorating with a "Relic" card serial-numbered to 110 copies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyUGx0UuBpt0cBVBVQO4oi0PkNhUF2ydlV3rJVtfgFoFzYfYMZPi9U_7X3Dh3wOo7nJqyV7Pf1umoCaUz220PFIMFJ3EOowIawEiMjlqcPv2XpUe9V6Zg9FD8RqxdTeU0FJ5e/s1600/IMG_20150720_201707098_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyUGx0UuBpt0cBVBVQO4oi0PkNhUF2ydlV3rJVtfgFoFzYfYMZPi9U_7X3Dh3wOo7nJqyV7Pf1umoCaUz220PFIMFJ3EOowIawEiMjlqcPv2XpUe9V6Zg9FD8RqxdTeU0FJ5e/s400/IMG_20150720_201707098_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And finally, a pair of 2013 Topps Blaster-exclusive Manu-Relics. Nope, these ain't going to be worth shit either.<br />
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So for $10, I got exactly zero cards I needed or wanted, and I'm only going to keep the two Manu-Relics. With that said, this was the best $10 I've spent on cards in quite some time.Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-4677759544460635512014-12-23T14:33:00.003-05:002014-12-24T17:34:32.910-05:00So yeah, Topps just made this totally inapproriate Relic card.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVO8tRL9FM1vQwMa136D5pAFOC-f-9GlshQ0-XH_mj8JkEciuOMBSJQCNbVt7Y-yvDgalWNxXusARi6zqeY5lDb5pB_feEl5Mcbs01Ee8IkzNDYTe4yjB3isQlRw3x7-TVKt0e/s1600/Rousey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVO8tRL9FM1vQwMa136D5pAFOC-f-9GlshQ0-XH_mj8JkEciuOMBSJQCNbVt7Y-yvDgalWNxXusARi6zqeY5lDb5pB_feEl5Mcbs01Ee8IkzNDYTe4yjB3isQlRw3x7-TVKt0e/s1600/Rousey.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been a while. Most of my action has moved over to<a href="http://www.baseballcardpedia.com/" target="_blank"> BaseballCardPedia</a> and Twitter. If you haven't already, I'd appreciate a <a href="http://www.twitter.com/stalegum" target="_blank">follow.</a><br />
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I just wanted to post this card -- and yes, this is a REAL card that <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-UFC-KNOCKOUT-RONDA-ROUSEY-AUTO-RELIC-MEM-ED-1-18-/261694665024?pt=US_UFC_Trading_Cards&hash=item3cee37b140&nma=true&si=7KeWdx8siPw65X8w4UH3LfpSYEg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557" target="_blank">sold on eBay for $259</a> -- to preserve it for all posterity.<br />
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Greatest card since the Billy Ripken 89F? Yeah, I think so.<br />
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Greatest Relic fuck-up since the ManRam "corked bat" card? That, too.<br />
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<br />Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-74285512950354471962014-08-14T11:47:00.002-04:002014-08-14T12:50:08.686-04:00Box Break and Review: 2014 Donruss Series 2<iframe width="500" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mgg_hfAr5tg?list=UUEXPq_yZ-gV1d83lTAmcJZQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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My thoughts on <i>2014 Donruss Series 2 ...</i><br />
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1) The base set violates The First Commandment of Baseball Card Product Development.<br />
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(In case your wondering, Our Lord and Savior, Jefferson Burdick, was given these Commandments by God Himself one day while he was out on a stroll on the banks of Lake Onondonga. It's in The Bible, trust me.)<br />
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The First Commandment of Baseball Card Product Development: <i>Thou shalt not short-print thy base cards in a Flagship product.</i><br />
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Between the 30 Diamond Kings (of which there were already 30 in Series One), and 25 Rated Rookies, over a third of the base set is SPed. And we're not talking one-per-pack SPs either. You only get ten in a 24-pack Hobby box. Which brings us to point #2<br />
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2) The base set is way too small for a product like this.<br />
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155 cards (100 if you subtract the SPs) for a flagship product. I mean, really? Why even bother with it then?<br />
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MEMO to Panini: If you want collectors to keep ripping packs, don't gimmick-up the base set. MAKE THE BASE SET BIGGER!<br />
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3) Haven't we seen these guys before?<br />
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As I document in the video, many of the same players who had base cards in Series One, also have base cards in Series 2 -- which kind of defeats the whole purpose of a second series, doesn't it?<br />
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Look, I see where Panini's thoughts were. Series One was such a hit with collectors, it made sense for them to release a second series -- even though they had no plans for S2 originally. And since there are only so many players who switched teams in the interim, and only so many rookies that got called up, they couldn't just fill out the rest of base set with a bunch of Ham & Eggers.<br />
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Hopefully for 2015, Panini will plan out their checklist better and avoid a repeat of this year's repeats.<br />
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4) Donruss Elite needs to come back as a standalone product.<br />
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In lieu of releasing it as its own distinct product, each pack of S2 has one card from a 100-card Donruss Elite set. These foil-fronted cards are, hands-down, the highlight of Series 2 and it makes you wonder why Panini didn't release Elite on its own. Maybe for 2015 we'll get a proper <i>Donruss Elite Baseball.</i><br />
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Speaking of Elite ...<br />
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5) Did we really need four different "Elite" inserts?<br />
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In addition to the one-per-pack "Elites," there's also "Elite Dominators" and "The Elite Series" ( continuations of the Series One inserts), and "Elite Series." I get that The Elite Series is the "Donruss" insert and Elite Series is the "Elite" insert, but come on! They couldn't think of anything different? And it's not as if there aren't any Donruss Elite inserts from the past collectors wouldn't want to see back again (Title Waves, Primary Colors, Passing the Torch, Back to the Future, et al), am I right? <br />
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6) Tracy Hackler is The Man, and you know it.<br />
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For one week, I want to be Tracy Hackler.<br />
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Or two.<br />
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Or ten.<br />
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Or 1000.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I like this product. It's not the "flagship" product I would have preferred -- it's more "Donruss Archives." But for all it's faults, <i>2014 Donruss Baseball</i> is still better then anything Topps has made this year.<br />
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RATING: 3 Gumsticks (out of 5).<br />
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Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28229417.post-32855579178254793552014-08-10T22:57:00.001-04:002014-08-10T22:57:29.506-04:002014 NSCC Pick-Ups: 2002 Flair Hobby BlasterZOMG!!! I POSTED A VIDEO BREAK!!!
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cIVNW95-JWw?list=UUEXPq_yZ-gV1d83lTAmcJZQ" width="560"></iframe>Chris Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04603530412835276148noreply@blogger.com0