Innholdsfortegnelse for August 1, 2023 i Sports Collectors Digest

When Jonathan Stone opened Blue Breaks LLC hobby shop in Venice, Fla. in July 2022, he didn’t have a direct buying account to receive products from Topps. Stone had to obtain all his Topps wax from card industry events such as the National Sports Collectors Convention, Industry Summit and MINT Collective. “That hurt my customers because my prices were higher since I was paying two, three, four different middle men before getting the product in my store,” Stone said. As a new business owner, Stone understood the importance of acquiring a Topps direct buying account to get products delivered to his door at a discounted rate. In January of this year, Stone was granted a Topps direct buying account. Had he not had a relationship with Topps, new rules recently…

The last time the National Sports Collectors Convention was held in Rosemont, Ill., the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center was jam packed. With the 2020 show cancelled due to the pandemic, the 2021 National was the place to be for longtime collectors, newcomers to the industry and investors. Thirst for the hobby was seemingly at an all-time high. After attendees came in droves to Atlantic City, N.J. for last year’s show, industry insiders, dealers and collectors are anticipating big numbers again this year for the 43rd annual National, despite a recent downturn in the sports cards market. “The National’s going to be buzzing and cranking,” said Jesse Craig, vice president, strategic partnerships at PWCC Marketplace. Derek Grady, Heritage Auctions’ Vice President of Sports Auctions, has watched interest in the hobby…

When Emmitt Smith was selected in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, his father had some sage advice for his record-setting son. “He told me, ‘Son, keep everything that you have because you never know your place in history,’” Smith recalls his father, Emmitt James Smith II, telling him. Little did they know that Emmitt Smith III would become the greatest running back in NFL history, rushing for a record 18,355 yards and scoring a record 164 rushing touchdowns over his 15-year Hall of Fame career. Smith followed the advice of his father, who passed away in February, and kept nearly every artifact, every piece of equipment and every memorabilia item he acquired during his legendary career. He now shares those historic items with…

Larry Larsen, who has been selling sports collectibles at shows since the late-1980s, likes the haggling, which is about as much of a show experience as comparing card conditions. He was selling cards on March 4 at a show in Oak Creek, Wisc. when a customer asked for a combined price for four cards. Larsen looked at each card and immediately replied, “$50.” The customer countered, “Would you do $45?” Larsen accepted the offer. “It’s a fun hobby and I still enjoy it. The haggling is the best part of it,” said Larsen, who lives in Hartford, Wisc. “I’ve seen a lot in the hobby over the years. Heck, the cards I used to throw in the dumpster, now they are being sold. Everything’s really changed.” Especially the prices. “The…

It was quite a week for collector Rob Gough. During a span of six days, the actor and entrepreneur, who has started and sold multiple companies, bought three jaw-dropping pieces of sports memorabilia to add to his ever-growing collection. On June 12, Gough outbid his competitors to win the jersey Wayne Gretzky wore in his final NHL game, when he scored the final point of his illustrious 20-year hockey career. The New York Rangers sweater, photo-matched to the game at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 1999, is also signed by The Great One. It sold for $715,210 through Grey Flannel Auctions. Two days later, Gough purchased Kobe Bryant’s jersey from Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals. The photo-matched Los Angeles Lakers home jersey went for $462,000 through Goldin…

The TRISTAR Autograph Pavilion at the 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention will be record-setting on numerous platforms: • With more than w150 confirmed autograph signers (as of press time), it will be the most-ever at The National. • With 60-plus first-time autograph signers, that too is the most ever. • There will be 18 professional wrestlers appearing (all from IMPACT Wrestling), the most-ever at The National. • An estimated 45,000 autographs will be signed in the public area, which TRISTAR said will be the most autographs ever signed at The National. • The 25 basketball signers are the most ever from that sport. “The 2022 National in Atlantic City was one of the most successful Nationals ever. There is still a lot of momentum from last year and excitement remains…

Chicago has always been a great sports town. From the Cubs and White Sox World Series teams of the early 1900s to the great Bears teams of the ’80s, the Bulls dynasty in the ’90s and the Blackhawks six Stanley Cup champions, Chicago sports fans have always had a team and legendary players to cheer for. But Chicagoans also have skin as thick as a deep dish pizza, enduring years of futility in most of the major sports. The 1970s, ’80s and ’90s were lean years for Chicago baseball, with the Cubs and White Sox producing few winners. The Bears, meanwhile, stumbled through the ’60s and ’70s until producing a Super Bowl winner and perennial contenders in the 1980s. The Bulls were good in the ’70s, but struggled in the…

It has been more than three years since JP’s Sports/Rock Solid Promotions has hosted a sports memorabilia show at the famous Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y. The show, known as the East Coast National, will be back on Aug. 18-20 as show promoters Jim Ryan and Brian Coppola return to the facility they call “home.” When large arenas were shut down during Covid in March 2020, the Westchester County Center was closed for approximately 18 months and used for the distribution of vaccines to New York City residents. Shortly after the pandemic, Hurricane Henri hit Westchester, flooding the basement of the facility and damaging all the equipment needed for big events, including a forklift and two elevators. After the hurricane, NYC officials replaced the basketball court/show floor, the…

Excitement for the 43rd National Sports Collectors Convention kicked into high gear on Wednesday night, June 28. Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville was the setting as the annual NHL Draft was broadcast live on ESPN. The Chicago Blackhawks — an Original 6 club that struggled this past season with a 26–49–7 record — held the first pick and seemingly everyone in North America knew what the Blackhawks were going to do, what they needed to do and what every National Anthem-screaming Chicago fan wanted them to do. Sure enough, Chicago picked Connor Bedard with the first overall pick. Chicago collectors and the whole city for that matter threw their sticks in the air to celebrate. Bedard, a 17-year-old center who skated for Regina in the WHL this past season, already…

A high school business teacher who also coached the baseball team, Tom Daniels expanded his passion for sports through cards and memorabilia in August 1973 when he pre-ordered five cases of Topps basketball cards. “I just wanted something part-time to do in the summer,” said Daniels, now 76 and living in Waunakee, Wisc. So started a collecting journey that will celebrate a 50-year run this summer. Tom and his wife, Anita, 75, are legends in the hobby. Just consider a few family facts: • They first started selling sports collectibles at a show in 1974. • They have attended every National Sports Collectors Convention since the inaugural show in 1980, which was held in a small hotel ballroom at the Los Angeles International Airport Marriott. They have set up in…

The 43rd annual National Sports Collectors Convention, the Super Bowl for sports memorabilia, is coming to Chicago July 26-30 for the 14th time. With over 750 vendor tables and 600,000 square feet of exhibit space the NSCC can be a daunting task for even the most experienced collector to navigate. Les Wolff has been collecting and selling sports memorabilia for over 60 years and has exhibited at more than 35 national conventions. He will be at booth 701-703 at this year’s show. “If you can’t find it at The National, it probably doesn’t exist,” Wolff said. “Our hobby has seen a lot of changes over the years. The growth our hobby has experienced over the past few years has brought new collectors into the hobby. New and inexperienced collectors can…