Innholdsfortegnelse for September 1, 2024 i Sports Collectors Digest

As we are reminded each year at the National Sports Collectors Convention, kids are the lifeblood of the hobby. Whether ripping packs, chasing cards in live breaks, or joining their friends at Trade Night, young collectors bring the passion and enthusiasm that drives the hobby. Kids flooded the show floor in Cleveland, adding new cards to their cases and collections, participating in live breaks, and huddling in corners to trade cards. “When I came to Cleveland in 2018, there were no kids here,” noted collector and social media influencer Gary Vee said. “Now look at it, so I’m very happy about the future of the hobby.” SCD Editor Jeff Owens was joined at the 2024 National by his daughter, Emma, a young collector and digital content creator. As they share…

CLEVELAND—We decided to make an entire week out of our trip to The National with a pitstop in Pittsburgh to visit my daughter, who attends Duquesne University, catch a Pirates game and do some fun stuff around the Steel City. We made the trip to Cleveland and the I-X Center bright and early Wednesday morning for the early opening of the National Sports Collectors Convention. I was in attendance on behalf of Greg Morris Cards, recording and documenting their big consignings and purchases as well as compiling unique social media content all weekend. It didn't take long to get our first base knock. I met up with my boss, Drew Hester, who was completing a deal for a number of mid-1960s baseball sets with a purchase price in the low…

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.— “I’m just a baseball player,” former Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton humbly declared in his speech at the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on July 21 in Cooperstown. Two of Helton’s fellow inductees—third baseman Adrián Beltré and catcher/first baseman Joe Mauer—were just baseball players too. But when you are inducted into the Hall of Fame, something happens after your plaque goes up on the wall in that hallowed hall. You’ll never be “just” a ballplayer anymore, because you become immortal. That goes for baseball managers as well. Just ask Jim Leyland, the fourth member of the Cooperstown class of 2024. A recurring theme among those newly minted immortals is that no one reaches that peak without the help of many along the way. Helton, who…

Year after year, the well-attended Trade Night at the National Sports Card Convention has become a must-see event and a high-level card show in its own right. Initially piggybacking off big brother, with unofficial trade nights randomly breaking out in hobby lobbies surrounding the show, Trade Nights have become so important that they nearly rival the popularity of The National itself. This year was no exception, as collectors at the I-X Center experienced official Trade Nights on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. With over 40,000 square feet of swapping space, this was the real deal. Promoted as an experience, the event offered ample room to buy, sell, and trade as well as take part in various live breaks, brand experiences and educational offerings. As soon as the doors closed on…

Get ready for Cooperstown 2025—the year of Ichiro Mania. The only drama will be watching to see if Ichiro Suzuki, the Japanese superstar, will match former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in securing 100 percent of the baseball writers’ votes in his first year on the ballot. After Ichiro it’s a murkier situation when it comes to predicting additional inductees. Likely to eventually gain enshrinement is pitcher C.C. Sabathia, though I predict he’ll come up short the first time around. Support for reliever Billy Wagner, who will be in his 10th and final year of eligibility, has been steadily growing. His 2024 total was just outside the wire at 73.8 percent. Expect a Wagner induction in 2025. Others still on the ballot who scored over 50 percent of the recent vote…

CLEVELAND—The National broke Cleveland. The 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention saw a record crowd of more than 100,000 collectors and hobbyists flood the 500,000-square-foot I-X Center for the five-day collectibles extravaganza. The crowd, which show promoters believe broke the attendance record from last year’s show in Chicago, led to strong business for sports card and memorabilia dealers and big purchases for die-hard collectors. But the crowd was so big that it led to major logistical challenges, from heavy traffic and parking problems to long lines inside the building and spotty Wi-Fi and cell service. JBJ Corporation, the new management team that took over the show this year, worked day and night to address the issues and keep a steady flow of attendees on the show floor. “I can’t take claim…

CLEVELAND—Some of the backstage interactions in the TRISTAR Autograph Pavilion at the 44th National Sports Collectors Convention were priceless. For one, Bo Jackson and Reggie Jackson were talking and taking pictures with actor and comedian Chevy Chase. All were smiling and fans of each other. Then there was Carlos Baerga talking and filming video on his cellphone with some of the greatest baseball players ever, all together: Reggie Jackson, Pedro Martinez, Sammy Sosa, and Pete Rose. All wanted photos of the group. Many stars greeted each other, such as Roberto Alomar Jr. and Dave Stewart. And many wanted photos with other celebs, such as Michelle Akers and Briana Scurry. This year’s event had the most signers ever at The National and TRISTAR Vice President Bobby Mintz said the autograph sessions…

After a few hours at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention, I knew there was one card I had to find: the multi-colored 1975 Topps Bert Campaneris gem, with “AL All-Star Shortstop” in the lower right corner and the former Oakland A’s shortstop sitting on a dugout step. That is one of the first cards I recall being thrilled with when I scored it in packs. It is now sold for, oh, $1 or $2, though it was recently listed on eBay for $550 in a PSA 9 grade. I also thought I needed to buy one of those mega-sturdy Zion Cases like the thousands of cool kids, er collectors, I saw in Cleveland, toting around their priceless cards with countless crisp $100 bills inside. Yep, the Ziontoting young collectors…

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.— A visitor to Cooperstown on the weekend of July 20-21 might have thought they took a wrong turn and ended up in Minnesota from the sight of all the Twins caps and Joe Mauer jerseys that flooded the streets and shops of the small village. Although the Hall of Fame’s annual induction weekend featured fours new inductees—Mauer, Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton and Jim Leyland—it was Mauer, the popular hometown hero of the Twins, who drew the largest contingent of fans in a crowd estimated at 28,000 by the Hall of Fame. One fan who had a connecting flight on Saturday morning through Minneapolis-St. Paul reported that every seat on his flight was filled with joyous Twins fans sporting team colors and Mauer gear. Not so much for the…