Innholdsfortegnelse for December 1, 2025 i Sports Collectors Digest

Dodgers fan Carlo Mendoza couldn’t get into Dodgers Stadium for Game 4 of the NLCS. So, wearing his blue and white Dodgers jersey, he hung out in the centerfield plaza outside the ballpark. He was eating nachos when Shohei Ohtani launched a 469-foot home run that soared over the right-field pavilion and left the ballpark. Mendoza couldn’t believe it when the ball landed a few feet away and bounced into a set of bushes. “As I was taking a bite of my nachos, I saw Ohtani hit his second homer,” he said. “Then I see a guy in front of me look up—and I think, ‘no way the ball comes out here.’ Next thing I know, it bounces off the roof and into the bushes.” Mendoza quickly jumped into the…

With Topps returning to basketball with its new NBA license, the card maker is bringing its popular Rookie Debut Patch to hoops, along with a new NBA Logoman. Topps’ partnership with the NBA and NBA Players Association includes a Topps’ Rookie Debut Patch and a new Gold NBA Logoman. The one-of-a-kind Rookie Debut Patch is affixed to a player’s jersey during their debut game. The patch is later removed, authenticated and signed before being inserted into a #1/1 Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card to be included in a future Topps product. The jerseys of the NBA MVP, Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year will feature the Gold NBA Logoman Patch on the back, which will be inserted into trading cards. The Logoman program will continue…

“The Baseball Almanac 2025” (Baseball America, 528 pp., $32.95), by the editors of Baseball America. “Baseball Prospectus 2025” (Baseball Prospectus, 576 pp., $34.95), by the BP editorial staff. “San Francisco Giants: a Curated History of the Franchise” (Triumph, 256 pp., $25.20), by Alex Pavlovic. “Big Loosh: the Unruly Life of Umpire Ron Luciano” (Nebraska, 220 pp., $32.95), by Jim Leeke. “Baseball at the Dawn of the Seventies: the Major Leagues in Transition” (McFarland,, 199 pp., $39.95), by Paul Hensler. “Baseball Before We Knew It: a Search for the Roots of the Game, 20th anniversary edition” (Nebraska, 348 pp., $29.95), by David Block, forewords by Tim Wiles and John Thorn. “The Integration of Minor League Baseball: a History and Player Register, 1946-1959” (McFarland, 500 pp., $49.95), by Rick Swaine and Gary…

For a complete listing of upcoming shows, visit www.sportscollectorsdigest.com NOTE: If you have a show listing, follow the style below and send to jowens@aimmedia.com. ALABAMA Dec 13 AL, Huntsville. The Flip Sports Card & Collectibles Trade Show, Von Braun Center. 700 Monroe St. SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. SH: 10am-5pm. T: 250+ ($85-95). A: $7 Contact: Daniel TheFlipTradeshow.com Dec 13 AL Sheffield, Muscle Shoals Sportscards and Memorabilia Show, Clarion Inn 4900 Hatch Blvd., Sheffield, AL 35660. SH: 8Am-2Pm. T: 30. A: Free. Contact: Leroy Willis 256-412-2184; popandhoney@yahoo.com CALIFORNIA Dec 6-7 CA, Concord. East Bay Card Show presented by Tenth Inning Productions LLC. Concord Plaza Hotel, 45 John Glenn Dr, Concord, CA. 94520. SH: Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 10am-4pm. T: 125 ($250). A: $15 (under 12 free). Contact: info@eastbaycardshow.com; 415-470-2670; eastbaycardshow.com Dec 13-14 CA,…

Do you remember your first? The start of our hobby journeys may be similar. Maybe it was a non-sports card set that started it all. Cards from the popular movie “Jaws” were my first introduction to trading cards when my friend gave me some of his. Could it be that first pack of sports cards purchased by a family member or friend? The beautiful part is we always seem to remember how it all started. Through the years our tastes and interests may change. For me the Jaws cards were cool but I really was a sports kid, so eventually 1979 Topps Baseball became my true entry into the hobby. One of the great things about this hobby is we can change and pivot any time our heart desires. I…

It didn’t take long for a Topps Cooper Flagg rookie card to surface. And it was another NBA star who pulled it. New York Kicks center Karl-Anthony Towns pulled a Flagg rookie numbered to /50 on Oct. 23 at the Topps Basketball launch party in New York City, part of a series of events to celebrate the return of Topps Basketball and its first official hoops release in 16 years. Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, participated in a launch party in Dallas, where he bought a box of Topps Basketball cards for everyone in attendance. Towns was at the NBA Store in NYC, where fans lined up at 5 a.m. for the 6 p.m. event. He was joined by Knicks teammates OG Anunoby and Josh…

AI is creeping into many facets of our lives, with companies around the world experimenting with artificial intelligence and evaluating how it can improve production and customer service. Whether watching TV, streaming, surfing the net or browsing social media, we are constantly besieged with ads and marketing campaigns promoting the latest technology and the power of AI. The high-tech computer simulation of human intelligence is already having a big impact on the sports collectibles hobby, with card manufacturers, grading and authentication companies, market analysts and even card sellers using the technology to scan and track the production, grading and sale of cards and memorabilia. The rise of such technology is making it both easier and safer to buy and sell sports cards and collectibles. It's also a great way to…

It’s hard to believe that the Dodgers’ best pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was flying a under the radar all summer. But that’s what happens when your teammate is Shohei Ohtani, who combines similarly dominant pitching with perhaps baseball’s most feared bat. The international stage of the World Series, however, broadened the spotlight—so much so that Yamamoto easily earned MVP honors. And why not? Despite stellar performances by Ohtani and big moments by teammates Will Smith, Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas, Yamamoto was really the only choice. He pitched in three of the seven games and earned the win in all three. Along the way, he posted a 1.02 ERA and 0.68 WHIP with 15 Ks in 17.2 innings. The already legendary Fall Classic performance came on the heels of a remarkable…

ANOTHER JORDAN ROOKIE SETS RECORD Another rare #1/1 Logoman card featuring Michael Jordan topped $10 million as two more modern basketball cards set records. Seven weeks after a #1/1 Jordan/Kobe Bryant Logoman card set the all-time sports card record at $12.9 million, another Logoman reached eight figures. The 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection #1/1 Dual Logoman card of Jordan and LeBron sold for $10 million, making it the third-highest public sale of a sports card, trailing only the Jordan/Kobe Logoman and the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that sold for $12.6 million in 2022. According to Fanatics Collect, the card has been one of the most talked-about missing items in the hobby, “a true ghost.” It was purchased by investors Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank,” Matt Allen (Shyne150) and Paul…