Innholdsfortegnelse for September 15, 2025 i Sports Collectors Digest

As you will see throughout the pages of this issue, The National is all about special moments. It’s about finding that special card you are looking for, whether it’s through a trade or a good deal. Or maybe it’s about selling a card or collectible you are looking to flip, so you can buy another card you covet. Or maybe it’s about scoring an autograph from a sports hero you followed for decades, just hoping to get his signature on a card, ball or jersey. The National is all about making memories and collecting bucket-list moments. Like actor John Jordan, who flew from Los Angeles to Chicago to see Bill Laimbeer, the center of the 1989 NBA champion Detroit Pistons, or as Jordan calls them, “the baddest team to ever…

RROSEMONT, Ill.—For the first time since 1981, the National Sports Collectors Convention will head to Detroit. On Aug. 2, JBJ Corporation announced that the 2028 NSCC will take place at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit. The dealers voted for Detroit over Atlanta. “Both facilities are awesome, they really are,” said Joe Drelich of JBJ Corporation, which manages The National. “We’ve had Atlanta on the ballot quite a few times; we still believe in that facility. … But Detroit seemed to really have the heartstrings of the dealers. We try to stay out of it.” The 2026 and ’27 shows were already scheduled to return to Chicago for a third straight year. At the 2025 event, the dealers voted on the 2028 location. “It is a dealers’ show. The dealers get…

ROSEMONT, Ill.—First it was Miguel Cabrera, and then Albert Pujols. David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, asked Cabrera and then Pujols to autograph a baseball at the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention that had been signed by all other 500 Home Run Club members except Jim Thome and Mel Ott. “It’s surreal; I don’t know of any other [500 Home Run Club baseballs] that have this many [signatures],” Hunt said. The ball, which is on consignment, was acquired decades ago by a collector when it had only the signatures of Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx. Steadily, over the years, all others have been added, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and many others. “Think about it … every one of these greats has held this baseball. It really is such a…

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Attending my first National Sports Collectors Convention in 32 years reaffirmed two things: the premier sports card event remains a massive, overwhelming endeavor; and most important, the hobby is embedded in my soul as a collector of all things Cubs. As a contributor to Sports Collectors Digest, SCD editor Jeff Owens invited me to tag along to The National to help with the magazine’s coverage of the big show. It was my second time at the event. The first was in 1993, when it was also held in Rosemont. At the time, I worked as a sportswriter at the Aurora Beacon-News, a suburban Chicago newspaper. Looking back four decades ago, I remember vividly the endless tables of sports cards and memorabilia, which blew my mind. Nothing's changed on that…

Another National is in the books and I thought I'd use this column to share some things I observed and learned during my five days in Chi-Town. ✔ AC and Wi-Fi. The air conditioning was on point this year. There were even a few times I wish I had brought my hoodie from the hotel as that thing was a blowing. Kudos to the staff for correcting past years issues on that front. Wi-Fi was also not a problem for me and definitely better than in past years as well. I did hear a few dealer complaints, but much less than in year's prior. ✔ Trade Night. While not my bag, Trade Night was a hot ticket. The wristbands were a prestigious commodity and in high demand, and the events…

CHICAGO—Tom Brady was front and center as plenty of smiles and laughs lit up the room. Alongside nearly half the Chicago Cubs team, the NFL legendary quarterback tore open a case of 2025 Topps Chrome Baseball. Cubs pitcher Justin Steele—who is a huge card collector—hit paydirt on his first pack; the top card was a case hit. That was an omen for a good night ahead. “Daddy got it,” Steele joked with a teammate. Brady was in Chicago on July 31 to open up his sixth CardVault by Tom Brady shop in Wrigleyville, right across from historic Wrigley Field. Brady and his business associates held a preview event and ribbon-cutting to celebrate the store’s grand opening. “It’s a very special night,” said Chris Costa, co-founder and managing partner of CardVault…

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Welcome back, Chicago! Things seemed to go much smoother than last year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. All in all, with a record crowd of around 150,000, the management and staff of the show did a commendable job. At the first NSCC I attended in Chicago in 2015 the main floor of the convention center was completely full and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Even then, it seemed impossible to get to all the tables and I learned a valuable lesson the hard way—if you don’t write down the booth number of a dealer you want to go back to see, you might never find their table again. As the show returned to Chicago every other year, some dealers were moved off the show floor…

NOTE: If you have a show listing, follow the style below and send to jowens@aimmedia.com. ALABAMA Sept 20 AL, Scottsboro. Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, Scottsboro Goose Pond Civic Center, 1165 Ed Hembree Dr., Scottsboro, AL 35769. SH: 9am-2pm. T: 150. A: Free. Contact: Stephen Moore 256-599-0989; Stephen@jacksonssportscards.com; jacksonssportscards.com Sept 20 AL, Dothan. The Flip Sports Card & Collectibles Trade Show, Dothan Civic Center, 126 N. St Andrews St. #214, Dothan, AL 36303. SH: 10am-4pm. T: 125+ ($75-85). A: $7 Contact: Daniel TheFlipTradeshow.com ARKANSAS Sept 13 AR, Conway. Conway Card Show, ELITE, 1400 Old Morrilton Hwy #3513, Conway, AR. SH: 9am-3pm. T: 90. A: Free. Contact: Clay conwaycardshow@gmail.com ARIZONA Sept 19 AZ, Glendale. Diamond in the Ruff Sportscard and Pokemon Show, Comfort Suites, 9824 W Camelback Road Glendale, AZ. SH:…

He’s nicknamed “The Big Dumper,” but for Cal Raleigh, “The Big Thumper” would work just as well. The Seattle Mariners’ third-round pick in the 2018 MLB draft has shown impressive pop ever since his first full big-league season in 2022. He blasted 27 home runs that year, then followed up with 30 in 2023 and 34 in 2024. But who expected the barrage of homers he’s produced in 2025? Through mid-August, the switch-hitter had an MLB-leading 46 homers as he chased Salvadore Perez’s single-season record (48) for catchers. Besides Raleigh and Perez, the only other catchers to reach or surpass the 40-homer threshold were Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza (two times each), along with Javy Lopez, Todd Hundley and Roy Campanella. Raleigh’s slugging puts him in the lead for the…

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Chicago Cubs legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was on the minds of collectors and dealers alike at the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention. On July 28, Sandberg died of prostate cancer. He was 65. Sandberg was a fan favorite and a regular TRISTAR autograph guests at The National and at other card shows. Sandberg played 15 seasons with the Cubs and became one of Major League Baseball’s greatest second basemen, compiling a .285 batting average with 282 home runs and 1,061 RBIs. On defense, he holds the MLB record for the highest career fielding percentage of .989 at his position. Those are impressive stats for one of the most heralded players in Cubs history—amazingly, Sandberg was a throw-in from the Phillies in the Larry Bowa-Ivan DeJesus…

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — It seemed like old times. Ichiro delivered, as always. CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner had their best stuff. Dick Allen and Dave Parker, “The Cobra,” reigned supreme one more time. And the crowd cheered, as all five players were given their rightful place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the shrine’s induction ceremony July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown. What more could you ask for on a hot Sunday afternoon in late July than to spend time with thousands of baseball fans and a roster of diamond legends in Cooperstown? And there were some surprises. Wagner, the consummate closer with 422 saves over his 16-year big-league career, got the start (even though he never had one in the majors), giving the first…