Innholdsfortegnelse for August 1, 2022 i Sports Collectors Digest

I attended the National Sports Collectors Convention for the first time last year and it was such a thrill I can’t wait to see what the 2022 show in Atlantic City has in store. I have covered some of the biggest sporting events in the country and, as I wrote last year, The National in Chicago ranks among the best in terms of passion, enthusiasm and general buzz. I was blown away by the size and scope of the show floor, the long lines at PSA, the frenetic activity in the Case Breaking Pavilion and, of course, the tremendous volume of amazing cards and collectibles for sale and up for bid, including the Honus Wagner card that ultimately sold for a record $6.6 million. But my favorite part of the…

The competition for “America’s Best Card Shop” has been narrowed to four finalists. Sponsors Loupe, Topps, Blowout Cards, All Sports Marketing and PSA launched a contest in March to name the best trading card shop in the hobby. After receiving nearly 1,400 submissions, four hobby stores remain. The four finalists for The Loupe Presents: America’s Best Card Shop are: • Baseball Card Connection, Effingham, Ill. Baseball Card Connection is a family-owned card shop that has been in business for 30 years. The 6,000-square-foot store in downtown Effingham has more than 10 million cards in stock. • The Card Vault, Foxborough, Mass. Located across the street from Gillette Stadium where the New England Patriots play, The Card Vault bills itself as “the ultimate sports card experience.” The store is a modern…

Sports has had several kings over the years. There’s King James, King Felix and King Henrik. Even Arnold Palmer was once known as The King of golf. But one of the first sports kings came from auto racing, and he is aptly named. For decades, seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty has been known simply as The King. Petty, 85, won a record 200 NASCAR Cup races as a driver and is considered the most legendary name in all of racing. Now he is being honored by Candy Digital with the launch of the first-ever digital collectibles featuring Petty. The Track Titans: Richard Petty Collection showcases iconic imagery of the legendary champion. The collection, part of the company’s new Hall of Fame Digital division, features a range of limited-edition digital collectibles,…

If presale tickets are any indication, this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention (NSCC) could be one of the largest ever. According to NSCC Executive Director John Broggi, as of mid-June, ticket sales at all levels — VIP to general admission — were double the amount at that same point last year. In Rosemont, Ill. in 2021, attendance figures were recorded as the second highest mark in the convention’s 41-year history, approaching 90,000. “As big as last year’s show was in Chicago, we’re well ahead of that in advanced ticket sales right now,” Broggi told Sports Collectors Digest. “Our biggest preparation the last couple weeks has been making sure that we can deal with the number of people who will be walking into the convention center during the week. We think…

Lance Parrish has long been hooked on the sports collectible hobby. He’s collected a variety of items from his playing, coaching and managerial days, and has used collectibles to raise funds for various causes, including his son’s amateur baseball programs. “When I was playing and coaching and my kids were growing up — and I think every player goes through this when their kids are old enough — my boys were high school and college players, and I got involved raising funds for the [school baseball] programs,” Parrish said. “There are so many golf tournaments, memorabilia auctions and other events [with celebrities], so I would run around, take it upon myself to get guys to sign baseballs, bats, etc., so we could auction those items to help raise funds for…

Ronnie Joyner was an artist. A true artist in every sense of the word. Whether he was plying his trade as a graphic designer, writing songs and playing music with his popular rockabilly band or drawing Baseball Art for Sports Collectors Digest, Joyner poured his heart and soul into his creative passion. Joyner, whose signature bio-illustrations appeared in SCD for more than 25 years, passed away on March 28 at the age of 58. He is survived by his wife, Carla, and three sons. "Ronnie was an immensely talented artist with a keen eye for detail and a passion for sports,” said Paul Kennedy, editorial director for SCD. “His work was joyful and timeless. We will miss his presence in our pages." Joyner combined his love for sports and art…

Born in Williamsburg, Va., Lawrence Taylor took his late-blooming but immense football talents to Chapel Hill, N.C. and became one of the greatest college football players in history while suiting up for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Taylor laid the foundation for his legendary career in college. What he did for the New York Giants in the NFL solidified that beyond compare. LT's impact was immediate as he is the only player in NFL history to win Defensive Rookie of the Year and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in the league. The defensive force won an NFL record three Defensive Player of the Year awards and won the NFL MVP Award in 1986, joining Alan Page, who accomplished the feat in 1971. No defensive player…

Bruce Springsteen, originally from Long Branch, likely tops many lists of “Famous New Jersey Natives.” In the mid-1980s Springsteen and The E Street Band delivered one of the most successful albums ever — “Born in the U.S.A.,” with “Glory Days” one of the project’s hit songs. “Glory Days” begins with “The Boss” singing about an actual New Jersey high school friend, “a big baseball player” who “could throw that speedball by you.” And, apparently, make one look like a fool at bat in the process. A few decades after Springsteen’s teenage baseball struggles, another famous New Jersey son, current MLB superstar Mike Trout, made several batters look foolish as he pitched a no-hitter at Millville High School, near his birthplace of Vineland. Trout, a three-time American League MVP winner, who…

PSA will once again be providing on-site authentication and grading at the National Sports Collectors Convention, with a special pricing option for the show. Collectors, PSA’s parent company, also will be on-site along with other divisions of the company to offer show attendees an up-close look at all the services the multifaceted company has to offer. “This will be a great chance for Collectors to show off not only what PSA brings to the table every year, but what its other entities like Card Ladder and WATA have to offer as well,” PSA President Kevin Lenane said. “We’re really looking forward to a great show.” PSA is offering an $18 per card “July National Special” for PSA Collectors Club members through July 31 as a drop-off option at the show.…

Beckett is undergoing a fresh start by rebranding its image, adding a technology-first CEO and moving into a new, state-of-the-art building. A lot is changing with one of the top third-party grading companies in the industry. Kunal Chopra was hired as CEO of Dallas-based Beckett Collectibles and Beckett Group in early June and has jumped right into the job. “Fresh start, fresh brand, fresh office, new products and services,” Chopra said. “Exciting times.” Chopra’s background doesn’t stem from the hobby — far from it. He brings an entirely different element and perspective that Beckett has never had from its top leader. “I’ve been in the tech space for pretty much all my career, computer science graduate when I started off,” Chopra said. “I’m excited to bring some of those technical…

A 1-of-1 LeBron James Triple Logoman card sold for $2.4 million during the June Elite Auction at Goldin Co., but fell far short of the all-time record. Billed as the “holy grail” of modern cards, Goldin expected the rare, highly sought-after 2020-21 Panini Flawless card to challenge the all-time record for sports cards. Though the $2.4 million sale was impressive, it fell far short of the $6.6 million record, which still belongs to a SGC 3 version of the iconic 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card. The card features NBA logo patches from jerseys of the three teams James has played for — Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers. It had been the subject of a year-long search before being pulled during a live break on social media platform Whatnot…

The 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention rolled into Chicago last summer at the perfect time: The hobby was hot, hot, hot and the world was, to some degree, getting back to normal after a 16-month downward spiral from COVID-19, including the cancellation of the 2020 National. The 2021 National was a home run by most accounts. Organizers for the 2022 National are expecting an even larger crowd this summer than the 2021 totals, which was one of the best ever. Will 2022 be the best National ever? “I never thought I’d say this … we expect an even larger crowd in Atlantic City than we had in Chicago in 2021,” The National Executive Director John Broggi said. “Advance ticket sales are substantially higher than last year. We boosted the number…

An estimated 40,000 signatures from about 140 autograph signers will be inked for collectors inside the TRISTAR Autograph Pavilion at the 42nd annual National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. This year marks the first time The National has been held in Atlantic City since 2016 as the 2020 event, scheduled for Atlantic City, was cancelled due to COVID. The 2021 National, held in Chicago, brought out the largest number of National attendees in years, plus strong sales, hype and more. Optimism is sky high that this summer’s National also will be a home run. “With half the country’s population within an eight-hour drive of Atlantic City, this year’s event looks to be very well attended and, based on [autograph ticket] pre-show sales, it looks to be bigger than…

One of the ornate ballrooms inside the ground floor of the Embassy Suites by Hilton in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill. was bustling with activity. Collectors packed the room, many of them lugging around black or silver cases loaded with slabbed cards. Others were laying their cards on the large round tables eager to trade or make a deal. This get-together, advertised ahead of time as a “Trade Night” featuring Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson, was an extension of the opening day of the Chicago Sports Spectacular June 16-18. An entire afternoon of perusing tables and lining up for autographs at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center across the street had given way to an even more casual setting featuring some 100 collectors, their cards and a few…