Dr. James Beckett: Sports Card Insights

989 - Out-Takes on Podcasting from John Newman’s Sports Card Nation

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John and I talked on Zoom for an hour - here's 12 minutes on different topics - seemed like most of it was about podcasts and perhaps mine in particul...

988 - Father/Son: Mike/Nick Jaspersen, Jaspy’s, Part 2

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The final part of my catch up with Nick and Mike hearing about the latest in their sports card hobby journey as a father and son working together.  T...

987 - Sports Autographs with Jimbo Spence, JSA

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I go way back with Jimbo's dad as you know from my recent Father/Son podcast with them - this episode is just mainly Jimbo and I talking hobby.

986 - Grading Conversation with Rick Probstein, Part 3

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The final segment of our time on Zoom together including some of how her thinks graders operate - I can only speak for BGS during the time I was in ch...

985 - Vintage Inserts, with Mark Hoyle and Rich Klein

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark is trying to get every Boston Red Sox card - as such, going for vintage inserts, has been a worthy quest for him - we talk about how the hobby's ...

984 - Torsten Bauer Questions 5.0

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The last round of my responses to Torsten's insightful questions and comments largely about hobby-related issues raised in previous episodes of this p...

983 - Grading Conversation with Rick Probstein, Part 2

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of my conversation with Rick Probstein, about crossing over his 30 PSA 10 Jordan RC's to try for a BGS 10.  He also laments whether, ...

982 - Greg Morris, Greg Morris Cards, Part 2

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of my interview with Greg - it is still important to know the implicit grade of the card even if (and perhaps especially if) the card ...

981 - Test Issues, with Mark Hoyle and Rich Klein

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I zoomed with Mark Hoyle - test issues can be a huge challenge to the consummate team collector - these are the cards where if you see them a...

980 - Grading Conversation with Rick Probstein

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Major eBay consignor Rick Probstein sat down with me over Zoom to talk about Beckett Grading, specifically BGS 10's and BVG vintage issues.

979 - Father/Son: Mike/Nick Jaspersen, Jaspy’s

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Generational transfer is heart-warming - three generations of Jaspersen's with the latest iteration culminating with their popular card shop and thriv...

978 - Father/Son: James/Jimbo Spence, JSA

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The father-son team at JSA autograph authentications have been working together for 16 years - Jimbo grew up in the business and obviously has his fat...

977 - Tribute: My Dad, James Beckett Jr.

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My dad passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 97 after a very full life - we are sad, especially my mom, but we know he is in Heaven now - I w...

976 - Greg Morris, Greg Morris Cards

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Greg is one of the largest consignors on eBay especially for raw vintage cards.  We talked about the growth of his business, and all the things we bo...

975 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 949-973

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My last 25 episodes synopsized for your review and recollection - send me your suggestions ([email protected]) for episode 1000, as well as...

974 - 2022-23 Upper Deck Hockey Series Two

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is an audio review of Upper Deck's Series Two hockey product, featuring Young Guns and much more - I got lots of Dallas Stars (that's good) but t...

973 - Dueling Questions with Cage Lawyer 2.0

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I knew Cage and I would not be able to fit all our questions into one episode - could barely fit into two 15-minute episodes - thanks Cage.

972 - Ramblings with Rich Klein 5.0

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the format where Rich and I just see where our sports card hobby conversation takes us - completely unscripted as always - thanks Rich!

971 - Torsten Bauer Questions 4.0

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All the way from Frankfurt, Germany - Torsten is Shaq's biggest fan - but our conversation today was much wider than that - thanks Torsten!

970 - Mark Hoyle, Red Sox Master Collector, with Rich Klein

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I hear from Mark Hoyle a passionate team collector (Red Sox and New England) who is well along in his hobby quest - congrats Mark.

969 - Dueling Questions with Cage Lawyer

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps you have watched or listened to Cage - always interesting when trading questions with a attorney - especially one with a hobby background - th...

968 - Out-Takes on Trimming from Hobby Hotline 051323

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the segments on this multi-topic show happened to be card trimming - which is perhaps getting more controversial or at least more discussed.

967 - Tribute: Jim Brown, with John Newman

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Legendary GOAT running back Jim Brown passed away on Friday at the age of 87 - John Newman and I remember his greatness during his nine-year career of...

966 - Torsten Bauer Questions 3.0

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My third round with Torsten across the Atlantic Ocean discussing his insightful questions and comments going deeper into some of my past episodes.  T...

965 - Out-Takes on Kevin Isaacson and BGS from Hobby Hotline 051323

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last Saturday's Hobby Hotline was focused on the recent hiring of my friend (and long-time hobby veteran) Kevin Isaacson as CEO of Beckett Media and m...

964 - Out-Takes with Dick Perez and Marq Evans

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dick Perez, The Diamond King, is being featured in Marq's documentary film to be released next year - this was our discussion after we talked about th...

963 - My Grading Origin Story

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This time I told my sports card hobby origin story from the perspective of modern grading - as I was presenting live to some grading trainees at BGS -...

962 - Dick Perez and Marq Evans, The Diamond King Documentary

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dick and Marq came on for a discussion of their upcoming (next year) feature-length documentary film.  Having already just listened to them on severa...

961 - Ramblings with Rich Klein 4.0

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More ramblings with Rich - we were responding to some interesting listener questions - thanks Rich and thanks listeners.

960 - Ramblings with Rich Klein 3.0

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Another 15 minutes of ramblings about our great hobby - thanks Rich and thanks listeners - send your suggestions to [email protected]

959 - Personalization

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Various aspects of personalization in our sports card and collecting hobby are discussed, including several you might not be expecting - thanks for yo...

958 - Ramblings with Rich Klein 2.0

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I enjoyed the first ramblings so much we re-upped for another spontaneous session - we both rambled!

957 - Interview: Danny Black, Hobby News Daily

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Black has launched Hobby News Daily along with a distinguished group of contributing writers - at this point it is free, so definitely check it ...

956 - Ramblings with Rich Klein

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I had accumulated a few different hobby topics for each other to chew on and this episode resulted - if you like it, we will do it again.  T...

955 - Upper Deck Hockey Box Battle Insights

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I did a fantasy tournament of four different Upper Deck hockey boxes evaluating each by non-standard criteria as befits an audio podcast - thanks Uppe...

954 - Five Listener Questions 6.0

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Five more listener questions and comments some from late last year as I got behind in responding, but please keep your questions coming, send them to ...

953 - Five Listener Questions 5.0

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You would not think a funeral is a place where sports card hobby questions come up but there are exceptions ... and exceptional people.

952 - 1966 Topps Baseball

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I followed up our discussion of the previous two years with this much tougher offering from Topps, challenging primarily due to the difficult...

951 - Tribute: Chandy Greenholt, Season Ticket, with Rich Klein

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Longtime respected National dealer from North Carolina, Chandy Greenholt has passed away - he will be greatly missed by Rich, myself, and so many othe...

950 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 924-948

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Getting closer to 1,000 episodes!  This has been fun.  If you have episode suggestions, send to [email protected] and thanks!

949 - Cards I Should Have By Now

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is inspired by John Keating's new podcast of that same name - I have my own list of cards (not just baseball) I should have gotten by now...

948 - 1964 and 1965 Topps Baseball, with Rich Klein

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I compare and contrast these two unremarkable mid-decade Topps baseball products.  Nevertheless we find interesting aspects to share about e...

947 - Near Death Experiences

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Near Death Experiences discussed in terms of how you "hobby" when death is nearer, but perhaps not imminent.  Every year I am simplifying, and you sh...

946 - Out-Takes from That Seventies Card Show, with John Keating, Part 2

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The final portion of our longer conversation about the hobby with his particular emphasis on the Seventies - thanks John for an enjoyable ride through...

945 - Reductio Ad Absurdum

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the day before April Fools, we take a look at some extreme and/or absurd examples of hobby aspects that could be stretched beyond recognition.  Ha...

944A - Out-Takes on MINT Collective from Hobby Hotline 032823

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Newman, Chris Harris, and Jeremy Lee joined in for this segment discussing the upcoming (today!) and expanded MINT Collective in Las Vegas.  Hop...

944 - Next Big Thing?

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Collectors frequently ask me what will be the next big thing.  Just within the world of sports there are so many types of collectibles that have yet ...

943 - Out-Takes from That Seventies Card Show, with John Keating

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Keating has completed his 80-episode run of That Seventies Card Show - I was honored to be his guest on his episode 79 and here are some highligh...

942 - Out-Takes on NIL and Etiquette from Hobby Hotline 031823

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Black and Adam Palmer joined me last Saturday for the hour-long Hobby Hotline live call-in show.  Check out that show directly, as this only ab...

941 - What If: No Flippers?

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Flippers come in many flavors and persuasions.  Misconceptions abound - we take time to address this interesting hobby phenomenon, which would not ha...

940 - Dueling Questions: Tim Trout, Panini Director of Product Development

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tim and I had some industry-related questions for each other based on the many different things we have each done in this great hobby.

939 - 9.5 Insights

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hear my opinions, perspectives, valuations, and interpretations about the perceptions in the marketplace of the sometimes-misunderstood grade of BGS 9...

938 - 2020-21 Upper Deck The Cup (just released)

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I try to give a different perspective using recent and past history, taking a closer look at why this excellent hockey high-end card product is curiou...

937 - Origin: Tim Trout, Panini Director of Product Development

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tim and I sit down for a chat about the hobby and his origin story as a baseball player (still), coach, and collector - truly a lifetime hobby - thank...

936 - Sustainability, with Rich Klein

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich and I were joined by Matt Galvin as well as Angela and Stephan Loeffler for a Saturday afternoon of sorting baseball cards and discussing cards, ...

935 - Basketball Card Fanatic Interview, with Adam Gray, Part 2

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the last half of our interview - most of the best stuff was in the article, but there are a few interchanges here that you might enjoy, especi...

934 - Basketball Card Fanatic Interview, with Adam Gray

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Adam had asked me to answer his basketball specific questions for publication in his excellent monthly publication, Basketball Card Fanatic.  The iss...

933 - Out-Takes on Prospecting and HOF from Hobby Hotline 020423

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Black and Logan Ward joined me on this hour-long original episode of Hobby Hotline from which this has been edited down to less than 15 minutes ...

932 - Dueling Questions, with Bobby Baseball

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bobby had teed up his first (excellent) historical question for me in advance so I could be thinking about it, but after that we both went free form -...

931 - Dueling Questions, Keith Hower, Panini Basketball Brand Manager

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keith had been saving a question/answer/story for just this opportunity - in the end we both gently shot down each other's story as way more fiction t...

930 - Out-Takes from Victor Roman’s Rookie Card Specialist, Part 2

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the last part of Victor's interview of me regarding all things "Rookie Card" - check out his YT channel for more depth - I expect these defini...

929 - Out-Takes from Victor Roman’s Rookie Card Specialist

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Victor interviewed me for an hour about rookie cards, his favorite topic and research area.  One of the advantages of being older now is that I was t...

928 - Origin: Bobby Baseball

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I interviewed Bobby Baseball (not his real name) and heard first hand about his fabulous collection - but coincidentally, some of the ways he goes abo...

927 - Tribute: Bill Huggins, Huggins & Scott Auctions

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My friend Bill Huggins passed away on Valentine's Day from heart failure - very sad day for me - his auction however will live on keeping the same ide...

926 - Origin: Keith Hower, Panini Basketball Brand Manager

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keith shares his hobby origin story beginning with working in a card shop before joining Beckett Publications for twelve years and now Panini for twel...

925 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 899-923

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The last two months of thrice-weekly episodes quickly summarized or commented on based on the passage of time - most episodes are intended to be everg...

924 - Upper Deck SP over the years

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I opened a couple of this year's Upper Deck SP boxes and reminisce about the origins of the SP brand and its extensions and coverage across various sp...

923 - Panini Football Box Battle

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I opened three boxes of different brands of this year's Panini football cards - the distinguishing feature was that each box had 15 or less cards - ce...

922 - Origin: Matt Galvin, Young T206 Collector

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matt came over a couple of Saturdays ago and we turned on the recorder - Rich Klein as well as Stephan and Angela Loeffler were here too - to find out...

921 - Out-takes on Grading and GemRate from Hobby Hotline 010723

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Stuczinski, founder of GemRate, actually dropped in virtually to join my co-hosts John Newman and Victor Roman for this weekly rotational live ca...

920 - Football Card Hall of Fame, Part 2

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of my conversation with the Hall's founders, Ray Fonio, Bart Batholomew, and Scott Nathan.  Just google Football Card Hall of Fame to...

919 - Football Card Hall of Fame

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ray Fonio, Bart Bartholomew, and Scott Nathan join me to review the inaugural candidates for their Football Card Hall of Fame - the ten cards selected...

918 - Sale Anniversary Thoughts from Card Mensches, Part 2

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday was the eighteenth anniversary of Beckett Publications being sold.  So  much has happened since.  John Newman and Danny Black ask me abou...

917 - Sale Anniversary Thoughts from Card Mensches

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Black and John Newman invited me on their Card Mensches show to discuss my retrospective thoughts on (18 years ago) selling the company I founde...

916 - Adam Gray on the PWCC Iconic 100, Part 2

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Adam and I spent time on the ins and outs of the survey itself as well as the results, which have been broadly published and are indeed provocative, a...

915 - Fixing NFT’s, with Patrick Ryan

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick and I have a wide-ranging conversation primarily about the future.  As entrepreneurs we think about how things could be different and how we ...

914 - Selling Platforms, with Mike Sommer, Wax Pack Hero

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After acquiring a larger collection, even priced right, what are the appropriate selling platforms for getting the excess cards into the hands of some...

913 - Skepi Questions

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Long-time contributor Skepi (not his real name) sent me a bunch of interesting hobby questions - I answered many of them in this episode but reserved ...

912 - Origin: Patrick Ryan

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick shares his hobby origin story and how he has amassed a terrific collection and he is not done as he has lofty goals that are exciting and are ...

911 - Steve Taft on Star Co. Basketball, Part 1, with Rich Klein

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve, Rich, and I have talked basketball cards seemingly every year at the National for decades.  Steve has the inside scoop and has always been wil...

910 - Secret Santa, with Rich Klein

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich Klein came over along with Angela and Stephan Loeffler and Matt Galvin and we sorted cards and recorded this podcast about their recent experienc...

909 - Sports Deaths 2022

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many more than expected deaths in 2022 including many Hall of Famers and several who had not been tributed but were very deserving - understanding the...

908 - Pricing Plateaus, with Patrick Ryan

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick had some questions for me concerning the seemingly slow adoption of past products that are now absolutely iconic.  Patrick shares his strateg...

907 - Out-Takes on Vaults from Hobby Hotline 120322

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The discussion of vaults - pros and cons - short term and long term - was discussed during this live show along with co-hosts Danny Black and Cousin T...

906 - Adam Gray on the PWCC Iconic 100

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Adam joins me to discuss his brainchild, the PWCC Iconic 100.  In spite of Adam's obvious passion for basketball cards, the Iconic 100 survey results...

905 - Mike Sommer Questions

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Sommer, Wax Pack Hero, and fellow podcaster, had accumulated some questions for me since the last time we had seen each other.  Send your questi...

904 - Out-Takes on Pre-Grading from Hobby Hotline 120322

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Not smart to just send in random cards to a third-party grading service.  Not just the player, but the expected condition, needs to be considered and...

903 - Fanatics’ Future, with Patrick Ryan

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick and I had an extended conversation over here at my office and this segment dealt with our somewhat corporate speculation on what and how Fanat...

902 - Steve Taft on Star Co. Basketball, Part 2, with Rich Klein

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve, Rich, and I caught up on the phone yesterday for an hour - mostly talking about obscure basketball sets and especially Star Company of which St...

901 - Tribute: Mark Anderson, with Rich Klein and Joe White

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend and colleague Mark Anderson sadly has passed away - Joe White and Rich Klein join me in honoring his memory and his significant part in the...

900 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 874-898

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Now that I am releasing only three episodes a week, MWF, these recaps will become less frequent, but still something that allows me to further reflect...

899 - Collection Assimilation, with Mike Sommer, Wax Pack Hero

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike and I both recently bought larger collections this year and we explore the methods we used to break down the collection into manageable and sella...

898 - NFL Senior Committee Hall of Famers

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Future Hall of Fame status is harder to predict with football players - and is not a guarantee of sky-rocketing demand post-announcement.

897 - Out-Takes on Real Estate Comps and Bounties from Nascard Radio

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks Val and Logan - rarely do I get so much new material (and never-before-asked questions) from my guest appearances on other shows - look forward...

896 - Out-Takes from Danny Black’s Show

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Danny had lots of questions for me and since it was his show he asked away - enjoyed his quick wit and penetrating questions - thanks Danny.

895 - Out-Takes on Type Cards from Nascard Radio

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Type card collecting has been a huge part of my collecting experience over the decades - yes, even Nascard, Indy, and F1, I pursued them all in hopes ...

894 - 2022-23 Upper Deck Hockey Series One

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Broke a box of this year's hockey - thanks Upper Deck - as always my audio set reviews are a reflective combination of my past, present, and future th...

893 - Baseball HOF Veterans Committee

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On December 4th at the Winter Meetings the Contemporary Era Committee will vote on which if any of the eight finalists will make the Hall of Fame - I ...

892 - Music and Cards with Tamer Maamoun

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tamer's background is in music - I love music too, and we both love sports cards - we draw on some of the similarities and structures common to both -...

891 - Out-Takes on Beckett Racing Monthly from Nascard Radio

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Val Marz and Logan Ward had me on as a guest on their Nascard Radio show last month and their racing-centric hobby approach led to some new questions ...