Innholdsfortegnelse for August 1, 2021 i Sports Collectors Digest

It’s nine weeks before the start of the National Sports Collectors Convention and Mike Provenzale is compiling a master list. One of the main jobs for the longtime production manager of sports and memorabilia at Heritage Auctions is to handle all the arrangements for the biggest trade show of the year for the largest auction house in the United States. It’s quite a chore. And it’s gotten more rigorous every year for Provenzale. The first National that he worked was at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemount, Ill. in 2008, and he’s been at every one since. Last year’s convention was cancelled due to the pandemic. This year’s show is back in the Chicago suburb for the seventh time in the last 13 conventions. “When I started, we…

Growing up in Fargo, N.D., Matt Strahm collected trading cards of Minnesota Twins greats Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter as well as North Dakota legend Darin Erstad. It wasn’t until after the 2018 Major League Baseball season that Strahm, a pitcher for the San Diego Padres, started opening hobby boxes with his brother. “He brought one of those Mega Boxes (Topps Chrome Update) home from Target, and that’s all it took,” Strahm said. “I felt 12 years old again. I’ve been opening cards probably every three days since.” Strahm never imagined his love for collecting would turn into a side job. With his passion for cards, Strahm was chosen as the host of the new broadcast television show “The Card Life,” which debuted on Sinclair Regional Sports Networks (mostly Bally…

The last time the Stadia Collectors column ran, I profiled the Stadia collection of my friend Richie B., who managed to shoehorn an incredible number of seats, signs and other ballpark memorabilia into a relatively compact space in his downstairs level. As he gave me the grand tour I kept saying, “You’ve got enough for a small museum here.” Alas, like many of us who are proud of our collections, Richie is not able to share his accumulation of memorabilia with more than a couple of people at a time and maneuvering through the tight walkways of his basement is a challenge. But what if you could open a museum to the public and proudly display your treasures? Would you do it? Bruce Hellerstein did. By day, Bruce runs his…

Goldin Auctions has made two big moves that should strengthen its position as one of the hobby’s leading auction houses, while Collectors Holdings continues to be a major player in the red-hot industry. Collectors Holdings, LP announced July 1 that it had acquired Goldin Auctions, the 10-year-old company that has enjoyed record sales this year with more than $200 million in sports cards and memorabilia. Owned by a group of investors led by Collectors Universe chairman Nat Turner, Collectors Holdings is a holding company dedicated to investing in the collectibles industry. The company, which owns Collectors Universe, develops tools and services for hobbyists and alternative investors. Its PSA and PCSG trading card and coin grading companies are among the top authentication services in an industry now valued at more than…

Topps National Baseball Card Day is Saturday, Aug. 7, and what better way to celebrate than with a truck filled and covered with baseball cards. Topps has created a month-long pop-up truck tour to help celebrate NBCD. The Topps Truck, which is wrapped in 11,000 baseball cards, will travel more than 7,000 miles, bringing baseball fans the ultimate baseball card experience. The tour began July 9 in Denver to help kick off MLB’s All-Star Week. It is traveling to numerous other cities, stopping at MLB stadiums, hobby shops and local events across the country. The tour will conclude Aug. 12 at the Field of Dreams game in Deyersville, Iowa. Throughout the month-long journey, on-site teams at each location will host trivia contests and cornhole games, along with free baseball cards…

COVID-19 turned the trading card industry upside down as new collectors entered the hobby and old ones re-emerged. Last year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. was supposed to quench the thirst of collectors. However, with the pandemic still raging, the annual show was delayed and ultimately cancelled. NSCC organizers turned their attention to the 2021 show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemount, Ill., a familiar site for convention goers. In early 2021, it didn’t seem likely the convention would be a go with the uncertainty that thousands of people would be able to inhabit a single indoor facility. But as the country started to reopen and restrictions slowly began to be lifted — including in Illinois — the convention became promising. On June 11,…

WWE star and professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan will be, without question, the most in-demand signer of all 100-plus signers — just as he was during his appearances at The National in 2018 and 2019. His 2018 National appearance was confirmed and announced only two weeks before the show opened, yet he still was the No. 1 draw. He hasn’t appeared at a show since the 2019 National in Chicago, further pushing the demand for Hogan. Hogan draws ridiculous lines, for his autograph or a simple photo-op alongside the pro wrestling icon. And, good for the fans, Hogan is the ultimate show guest: He is friendly, outgoing, personable, and very, very caring. “Hulk knows the National Sports Collectors Convention is the Holy Grail of sports memorabilia conventions,” said Darren Prince…

The last time the National Sports Collectors Convention took place in 2019, the top three grading companies in the industry offered on-site grading: Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS) and Sportscard Guaranty (SGC). This year, two new companies will make their presence felt at The National: Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG) and Hybrid Grading Approach (HGA). PSA and BGS made industry-altering news earlier this year when both companies had to halt part of their grading submissions because of backlogs. Both will offer on-site grading and authentication at The National. Sports Collectors Digest caught up with representatives from PSA, BGS and CSG about their plans for the granddaddy of all shows. SCG and HGA did not respond to SCD’s request for information. PSA EASES BACK IN On July 1, after…

Man, it has been a long time,” I said to myself as I drove over the Tennessee mountains to Wes Starkey’s Inside Pitch Promotions Sports Card Show at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. The June 19 show is always one of the bigger shows held in the Southeast each summer, and by my recollection it will be the first major show that I have attended since February 2020. I am fully vaccinated and ready to go, and it has been a long 17 months. A lot of the dealers are older, retired guys, and I hope they have made it through COVID without any problems. I enjoy the shows, especially the social aspect of it — just spending the day searching for cards, talking with dealers and friends,…

1. $100,000 on 1 bid: 1997-98 Skybox Essential Credentials Future Michael Jordan, #57/72 (BGS 8.5) 2. $90,100 on 45 bids: 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes II #30/99, auto patch (BGS 9) 3. $86,178 on 87 bids: 2000 Upper Deck SP Authentic Tom Brady, #1044/1250 (PSA 10) 4. $84,999 on 92 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 4) 5. $80,099 on 99 bids: 2017 Panini National Treasures Patrick Mahomes II, #58/99, auto patch (BGS 9) 6. $77,114 on 65 bids: 1963 Topps Pete Rose (PSA 9) 7. $75,600 on 70 bids: 2003-04 Topps Chrome LeBron James (PSA 10) 8. $67,124 on 102 bids: 2018-19 Panini Immaculate Acetate Luka Doncic Gold, #9/10, auto patch (ungraded) 9. $65,100 on 61 bids: 2012-13 Panini Prizm Damian Lillard Gold Prizms, #2/10 (BGS 10) 10.…

After a long night of partying with fellow hobbyists in Southern California in 1991, Darren Prince drove past the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center. From their limousine, they saw thousands of people waiting outside at 2 a.m. just to get into the National Sports Collectors Convention when it opened eight hours later. “That’s when we knew the industry [had] arrived,” Prince said. The 1991 National is still the standard bearer of sports memorabilia conventions. Not just of The National, but of all sports memorabilia conventions — ever. The 1991 National, run by the late Jack Petruzzelli and the late Mike Berkus, attracted an enormous crowd believed to exceed 100,000 for the five-day show. Free promo cards given away by card makers that year drew insane demand and sizzled when they were…

For many people these days, hitting the “reset button,” or at least trying to whenever possible, remains a common practice in the aftermath of COVID-19. With conditions dramatically improving in that arena, one indication of the reset: the return of The National Sports Collectors Convention after a one-year break. This year the big event, which started in 1980, takes place July 28-Aug. 1 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., about a half-hour from downtown Chicago. Whether it’s your first or 41st time attending the event, or somewhere in between, here are some tips, or perhaps gentle reminders, to make The National experience even more enjoyable: 1. Plan your lodging accommodations sooner rather than later, which often translates into more and better choices and a solid money…

Chatham, Ontario native Ferguson Jenkins came from a family of athletes, as his father was an amateur boxer and semi-professional baseball player. A multi-sport athlete, Jenkins’ first love was ice hockey, but he also competed in track and field, basketball and eventually baseball during his formative years. Jenkins was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 and made his Major League debut as a relief pitcher in 1965. The following season, he was traded from the Phillies to the Chicago Cubs and quickly became one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. The power pitcher's career spanned two decades and his accomplishments on the diamond measure up alongside the greatest pitchers in the history of the game. The three-time All-Star and 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner had a…

When you think of the current mecca for sports card shows, certain cities come to mind: Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston. How about Scottsboro, Ala.? Or Hickory, N.C.? Most would say, where? Scottsboro is known for the famous trial of the “Scottsboro Boys,” which spotlighted race and injustice in 1931. It is also the location of Unclaimed Baggage, where lost luggage goes for the contents to be sold. Hickory is the hotbed of furniture manufacturing and home to one of the oldest furniture makers in the country. But small towns like Scottsboro and Hickory are showing up on the card show map thanks to their growing attendance and interest. While the demand for shows has soared following the pandemic, the success of small-town shows like Scottsboro and Hickory are also…