Dr. James Beckett: Sports Card Insights
Episodes
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 ...
890 - Thanksgiving Thanks and More
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I give a shout out to my brother who has a Thanksgiving birthday and had a place in my hobby journey - plus an important announcement about the future...
889 - Prospecting Analytics, with Jade Aspiras, COMC
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The final part of my conversation with Jade involved analytics of recent rookies and the wisdom to know when to sell promising but unproven rookies.
888 - Kyrie Irving, Most Hated NBA Player?
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kyrie and Twitter have both been front page news lately - they are connected in that Twitter "says" Kyrie is the most hated player in the NBA - how do...
887 - Out-Takes on Autographed Cards from Hobby Hotline 111222
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last Saturday's Hobby Hotline is worth checking out in its entirety, but here is a snippet about autographed cards I hope you enjoy - if you have ques...
886 - Out-Takes on Pujols’ 700th Ball from Hobby Hotline 111222
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hobby Hotline with Danny Black, Sports Balt and Adam Palmer, Heros for Sale - we launched into a discussion of the true current and future value of Pu...
885 - Dueling Questions, with Stephan and Angela Loeffler, plus Rich Klein
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stephan and Angela were here on a Saturday along with Rich Klein and we had a fun afternoon of looking at and sorting cards and recording a couple of ...
884 - Tamer Maamoun Questions
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tamer has his own channel and had accumulated lots of interesting hobby questions for me for this simulcast - I appreciated his thoughtful approach an...
883 - Dueling Questions, with Jade Aspiras, COMC
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jade had saved up a few years of questions for me some relating to COMC and others about the sports card hobby, and I, of course, had some hypothetica...
882 - Alcardholics Anonymous, with John Keating
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Card collectors and investors can be an addictive behavior with respect to their connection with sports cards - what do you do when you see a collecto...
881- Dueling Questions 2.0, with Danny Black, SportsBalt
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Danny has had several interesting career paths outside the sports card hobby including sport teams and radio - this is our second battle of questions ...
880 - Dueling Questions, with Logan Ward, KingNascar
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Logan and I trade interesting questions about this great sports card hobby and he proposes a trade that I will not immediately accept but will conside...
879 - Tribute: Ray Guy, HOF Punter
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Football is quarterback-centric in terms of card prices - Ray Guy was the best at what he did, but not being a QB puts his card values not in disrespe...
878 - Married Couples, with Stephan and Angela Loeffler and Rich Klein
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
877 - Environmentalism, with John Keating
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John had a number of provocative questions - essentially how green is our hobby and industry? How big of a concern is this or will it be?
876 - Dueling Questions, with Danny Black, SportsBalt
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Danny and I exchange our hobby questions for answers and they were not all about Pittsburgh and Baltimore - thanks Danny and welcome to the Hobby Hotl...
875 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 849-873
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last five weeks of episodes summarized into a sentence or two in most cases. Let me know what topics or issues you would like to hear more of at...
874 - Origin: Jade Aspiras, COMC
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rich Klein recommended that I interview Jade, his associate at COMC - an enjoyable time focusing on Jade's sports card origin journey including workin...
873 - Autograph Auction Insights, with Mike Gutierrez
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I have known Mike for decades - this was a great autograph collection - even Mike was impressed - great to see an authentic baseball memorabilia colle...
872 - The Memorabilia Network, with Mike Gutierrez
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This auction contains a massive amount of iconic baseball autographed memorabilia from a non-hobby friend of mine - the catalog looks great - tmnaucti...
871 - Card Doctors, with John Keating, That Seventies Card Show
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of John's questions was about card doctoring and what my observations and experiences over the years had been - it's a controversial topic - and w...
870 - Origin: Danny Black, SportsBalt
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Danny has recently joined the Hobby Hotline team. When our HH group had dinner at the National, we decided to guest on each other's channels - thank...
869 - Keating Questions 3.0, with John Keating, That Seventies Card Show
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Keating is back with some more sports card hobby questions for me to ponder and address - thanks John for the stimulating discussion!
868 - Origin: Logan Ward, KingNascar
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Logan and I discussed his sports card collecting origin story, hitting the ground running as a serious collector right from the start - we are wonderi...
867 - Huggins & Scott Lot 1386: Multi-Sport Retail Reveal
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I won this lot and was overwhelmed - 63 blasters, hangers, and mega's - from baseball, basketball, and football - a learning experience indeed, but no...
866 - 2021 UD SkyBox Metal Universe Champions
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Got a box from Upper Deck of this beautiful product - alas did not open/get a PMG, but got many other aesthetically pleasing cards of athletes I colle...
865 - 2022 Topps Pristine Baseball
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I opened up a hobby box courtesy of Topps and was very pleased with the cards and the experience - when you really like even the base cards of a produ...
864 - Tribute: Bruce Sutter
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Sutter has passed at 69 years of age - Hall of Fame reliever and Cy Young winner - a worthy tribute to another star who has died too young.
863 - Mike Moynihan Questions 2.0
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike had enough good questions for at least two of my 15-minute (or less) shows - consider going to his Golden Age of Cardboard for the whole video in...
862 - Mike Moynihan Questions
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike saved up some tough and fresh questions for me and asked them on his longer YouTube format - this is an excerpt - go to Golden Age of Cardboard f...
861 - Hospitality Rooms vs. Trade Nights, with Rich Klein
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sports card show hospitality rooms are a distant cousin of today's trade nights - Rich and I talk about the relative strengths and fun of each after-s...
860 - Out-Takes on Percentages from Hobby Hotline 100822
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last part of Hobby Hotline last Saturday (check out the show in its entirety including video on YT) dealt with the growth percentages by sport tha...
859 - Out-Takes on Industry Summit and Ian from Hobby Hotline 100822
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I was joined by Brad Bethune and Victor Roman for last Saturday's Hobby Hotline and the conversation ranged from the recent Industry Summit to the eff...
858 - Series Distribution Anomalies, with Rich Klein
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rich and I explain why cards came in series back in the day - was that really simpler for collectors? Or is today's approach better in these impatie...
857 - My 2022 Summit Talk (Abridged)
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Industry Summit in Las Vegas had record attendance from local card shop owners and online retailers this year (actually last week) - I gave a shor...
856 - My Mom and 1961 Topps Baseball
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today is my mom's 97th birthday - 1961 was a pivotal year in my collecting and my mom (and dad) had a big part in that - thanks mom - Happy Birthday!
855 - 1948-49 Leaf Baseball Theories, Part 2, with Mike Moynihan
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A very complicated and misunderstood set that is worthy of further scrutiny. I was a serious collector of this set collecting it in the 1970's, and ...
854 - 1948-49 Leaf Baseball Theories, with Mike Moynihan
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I was responding to a recent episode of Mike's Golden Age of Cardboard where he discusses (with Bluejacket66, thanks Dave!) the iconic Leaf baseball s...
853 - Vintage Sports Cards and Fine Wine, Part 2, with Jim Telford
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Carrying over from yesterday, Jim and I discuss his new venture. I was especially interested in how there could be some positive father-son opportun...
852 - Vintage Sports Cards and Fine Wine, with Jim Telford
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Telford is starting a podcast and YouTube channel discussing vintage sports cards but also blended in some sense with his other passion for wine a...
851 - Out-Takes on NASCAR and SLU’s from Hobby Hotline 092422
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week's Hobby Hotline show was packed as usual - you should check the show out on its entirety - every week it's different topics and frequently l...
850 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 824-848
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brief recap and/or amplification of the previous 25 episodes including any second thoughts I may or may not have on the content - let me know what you...
849 - TCMA Cards, with Rich Klein
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
TCMA put out several types of interesting sets, old-timers, minor leaguers, etc. Very collectable now, but Rich and I discuss those early forgotten ...
848 - Out-Takes on Albert Pujols from Hobby Hotline 092422
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most of last Saturday's call-in live show centered on Albert Pujpls 700th homer the day before and what was going to happen to "the ball" and his card...
847 - Tribute: Maury Wills, with Rich Klein
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rich and I reminisce about base-stealer extraordinaire Maury Wills and his best cards, several of which are quite challenging - Maury made the game mo...
846 - Seven Listener Questions 8.0
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send your questions or comments to [email protected] and hopefully I can address them in a future episode - thanks!
845 - Seven Listener Questions 7.0
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My seventh installment of seven questions answered about the sports cards hobby and this podcast from my listening friends.
844 - Buying the Dollar Box
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lately on more than one occasion I have bought the whole dollar box - you bring the cards home and then the fun (and work) begins.