Dr. James Beckett: Sports Card Insights

843 - My Father and High Numbers

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's my dad's 97th birthday today - we're having dinner with him and my mom this evening - but reminded me how I came to ponder the hobby phenomenon o...

842 - Helping Friends Sell Their Card Collections

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With all the recent publicity and world record prices for cards, I have seen a big uptick in friends calling me about wanting to sell their sports car...

841 - Huggins & Scott Lot 570: Retail Reveal

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I won the lot in their latest auction and had great fun opening 60 blasters, hangers, and jumbos.  I got a big surprise in one of the packs - that's ...

840 - Interview: Clemente Lisi, Journalism and Soccer, Part 3

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The third and final part of our enjoyable conversation.  Look forward to seeing him (and many of you) at the National in Chicago next summer (2023).

839 - Interview: Michael Seguinot, ZiggyNo, Part 3

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The final (for now) exchange of sports card hobby questions between Michael and me - we are both looking for constructive ways to make the hobby bette...

838 - Dueling Questions with Mike Phillips, EVP, Upper deck

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike's chance to turn the tables on me with his hobby questions - but we both saw the hobby up close for the past three decades and more.

837 - Collection Accounting Records, with Brad Bethune and Rich Klein

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some collectors keep better records than others - some know how much profit they have made on a collection they bought and others have no idea - be ca...

836 - Job and Career Prospects, with Brad Bethune and Rich Klein

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jobs in the industry are now more available that they have ever been - we are all happy where we are, but see this as a good thing.

835 - Dueling Questions with Ray Cherry

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ray had apparently saved up 45 years of questions going back to the earliest days of the organized sports card hobby in the Dallas area - fond reminis...

834 - Interview: Clemente Lisi, Journalism and Soccer, Part 2

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our extended conversation ran afield covering many topics of our shared experiences in the hobby and academic worlds.

833 - Interview: Michael Seguinot, ZiggyNo, Part 2

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael and I kept going - it was difficult to separate and segment our interview as it was flowing - thanks Michael for your sports card insights.

832 - Interview: Mike Phillips, EVP, Upper Deck, Part 2

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Among other topics I asked Mike about his experience in the '90's with Fleer before they went sideways - the brands and designs were really good, but ...

831 - Origin: Ray Cherry

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dallas hobby veteran set collector Ray Cherry joins for his origin story as he has just recently retired from a long successful career in the security...

830 - Brad Bethune Questions 2.0 for Rich Klein and Me

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Rich were over here and Brad had saved up a number of sports card hobby questions for us - thanks Brad - and Rich too!

829 - Interview: Clemente Lisi, Journalism and Soccer

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Clemente is a Journalism Professor in New York City at King's College and an avid soccer fan and collector - we had even more in common as you listen ...

828 - Interview: Michael Seguinot, ZiggyNo

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I typically enjoy interviewing other content creators - Michael has also commented on my content (as well as others) - we had free-wheeling exchange a...

827 - Origin: Mike Phillips, EVP, Upper Deck

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike and I sat down (over Zoom) and discussed his success path in the hobby having worn the many hats that the really good hobby executives have eithe...

826 - Upper Deck AHL Hockey

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every sport has a farm system of sorts.  Minor League hockey coexists along with college hockey and junior hockey as a showcase for young hockey tale...

825 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 799-823

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Recap and reconsideration of the past 25 episodes over the last five weeks, including before and after the successful National in Atlantic City.

824 - Out-Takes from Personal Rips & Hobby Chat, Herman Bryant and Kin Kinsley

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I guested on Herman and Kin's live YouTube evening show for almost an hour but this is a small portion - go check their show out each week.

823 - Dueling Questions, with Herman Bryant, 3B Collectibles

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Herman and I have been co-hosts on Hobby Hotline together so I gave him advance notice to come up with some good questions for me - thanks Herman!

822 - Dueling Questions, with Brian Pirrip, Part 2

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and I got on a roll - turns out we had more than one episode's worth of dueling questions - thanks Brian!

821 - Dueling Questions, with Brian Pirrip, TikTok

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Each dueling questions episode is different depending on the backgrounds of those involved - thanks Brian for your great questions.

820 - Out-Takes from Hobby Hotline 080622

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Bethune, Rich Klein, and Victor Roman were co-hosts with me on this recent edition of Hobby Hotline - watch the whole show - it is live twice a w...

819 - Origin: Herman Bryant, 3B Collectibles

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Braves fan Herman Bryant shared his hobby origin story - his two faves are Dale Murphy and Freddie Freeman.  Hope to see you Herman at next year's Na...

818 - Panini Box Battle/Review

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Four different products from three different sports - all four hobby boxes around the $200/box price on the secondary market - enjoyed opening them an...

817 - Interview: Brian Pirrip, TikTok

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and I had a wide-ranging discussion of his hobby background and his entrepreneurial bent - we had some similarities and some differences - but s...

816 - Upper Deck Hockey: Premier vs. SP Authentic

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I surprised myself by actually preferring the box with fewer cards even though I loved the design of SP Authentic - I am becoming exclusively a player...

815 - Torsten Bauer Questions 2.0

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Torsten keeps sending me interesting data analytic questions and comments drawing on other fields of interest - you might learn something!

814 - Eight Listener Questions 6.0

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another interesting group of eight sports card hobby questions from listeners and viewers - send yours to [email protected] and thanks!

813 - Future National Management, with Rich Klein

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The management of the National Sports Collectors Convention going forward will no longer be spearheaded by the Berkus and Broggi families, who have ca...

812 - Out-Takes from 1989 Upper Deck Box Break, with Geoff Wilson and Rob Veres

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I explain how this came about and who was the lucky one - lots of fun opening this iconic hobby turning point baseball card box - thanks Geoff and Rob...

811 - Atlantic City National Aftermath, with Rich Klein

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I was there but Rich was not able to go at the last minute due to his wife's COVID (now fully recovered) so this was our discussion of how it went fro...

810 - Tribute: Bill Russell, with Rich Klein

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Russell has passed at 88 - dynastic winner who changed his hobby ways late in life and we are all beneficiaries of that - even though his playing...

809 - Out-Takes from Instagram, Part 3, with Rob Veres, Burbank Sportscards

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When I spent the afternoon at Burbank, we kept the cameras and recorders rolling covering a variety of sports card hobby subjects - this segment was d...

808 - Out-Takes from Instagram, Part 2, with Rob Veres, Burbank Sportscards

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When I spent the afternoon at Burbank, we kept the cameras and recorders rolling covering a variety of sports card hobby subjects - this segment was d...

807 - Out-Takes from Instagram with Rob Veres, Burbank Sportscards

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When I spent the afternoon at Burbank, we kept the cameras and recorders rolling covering a variety of sports card hobby subjects - this segment was d...

806 - Rebuttal to Negativity and Accountability Convo

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I got many responses and comments on past episode #761 - lots of strident opinions - appreciate the candor - let's be constructive to improve our spor...

805 - Leadership Failures

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of my consultant friends sent me the top ten reasons leaders fail - to be honest I did not get a perfect score - a cautionary note to other leader...

804 - Burbank Warehouse Tour, on location with Rob Veres

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rob saved the tour of the warehouse (a short block away) for last - one of the Seven Wonders of the Collecting World - the numbers are impressive but ...

803 - Burbank Showroom Tour, Part 2, on location with Rob Veres

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I spent the whole afternoon at Burbank Sportscards, never a dull moment with Rob and all the customers and staff - the place was hopping on a Friday a...

802 - Burbank Showroom Tour, on location with Rob Veres

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I visited Burbank Sportscards - I had been meaning to for twenty years - since my last personal visit had been to their previous smaller location - su...

801 - Out-Takes on The National Turning Points from Sports Card Nation, John Newman

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I have attended every National Sports Collectors Convention and have fond memories of all, but certainly there have been highlights ... and the Nation...

800 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 774-798

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The last five weeks of daily episodes summarized - upon further reflection for some of them - always eager to hear which episodes you enjoy the most a...

799 - Out-Takes on Early Nationals from Sports Card Nation, John Newman

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John interviewed me for his excellent show focusing on the earliest annual National Sports Collectors Conventions beginning in 1980 with the first one...

798 - Out-Takes from ”History of the National” with Ezra Levine, Collectable

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Collectable is piecing together a history of the National Sports Collectors Convention - I enjoyed my conversation with Ezra about the many high point...

797 - Out-Takes from Road to the National, with Ezra Levine, Collectable

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ezra interviewed me for Collectable's series, "Road to the National", since I have attended all 42 Nationals - this is an excerpted part, audio only -...

796 - Eight Listener Questions 5.0

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My fifth round of accumulating eight listener questions related to sports cards - keep them coming - send them to [email protected] and th...

795 - National Prep

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I give ten thoughts about the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City and detail my preparation for it - hope to see you there...

794 - Out-Takes on Dallas vs. The National from Hobby Hotline 070222

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The very successful, six times a year, Dallas card shows are an important part of the hobby's card show calendar, but there's only one National, this ...

793 - Out-Takes on International Trading Card Day from Hobby Hotline 070222

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Among other things we talk about the upcoming inaugural International Trading Card Day from Topps/Fanatics.  This is one way the hobby can dynamicall...

792 - Out-Takes from Hobby Hotline Hobby Palooza 062522, Part 2

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We were on for almost an hour, here's the last edited portion that I thought was worth sharing - thanks Mike and Ty for contributing again to collabor...

791 - Out-Takes from Hobby Hotline Hobby Palooza 062522

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bench Clear Media's annual HobbyPalooza involved a special edition of Hobby Hotline, essentially simulcast, and with a lively, expanded roster of co-h...

790 - Interview: Kunal Chopra, new Beckett CEO, Part 2

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kunal and I had an extended conversation, with then and now considerations.  Looking forward to his imprint on my old company.  He is in the process...

789 - Interview: Kunal Chopra, new Beckett CEO

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I had the pleasure of hearing Kunal's exciting plans for my old company - truly an exciting time for him to come into this industry with his strong te...

788 - 1952 Topps Mantles, with Roger Neufeldt, Sports Memories

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Roger is one of the very few who can say he pulled Mantle(s) straight from the pack back in the day.  He wishes he still had them, yes multiples, don...

787 - Dueling Questions with Ray and Ryan Schulte, Schulte Sports Marketing

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I thought I had some interesting "what if" questions for the Schulte's - son Ryan was fearless and Ray was the voice of experience after so many years...

786 - Dueling Questions with Jordan and Bob Hagedorn, For the Hobby

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan and I have been on each other's shows, but I had never met Bob until now - glad I did - father/son dynamics are powerful - it was great to hear...

785 - Dueling Questions with Rex, Max, and Owen Gotcher, Moco Sports

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of great questions from and for the Gotcher family - mainly about card store retailing and how they run their successful card shop in New Buffalo...

784 - Dueling Questions with Steve and Jesse Bachman

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After several years of spending significant time at their National booth, I was sure they had some good questions, and they did - thanks!

783 - OG Conversation with Roger Neufeldt, Sports Memories

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Roger is an old friend and veteran vintage sports card dealer who has helped many a collector complete their sets - along with some great stories - th...

782 - Dueling Questions, with Joe and Josh Davis, Got Baseball Cards

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Around the horn with questions coming in age order - really enjoyed my time with Joe and his son Josh - and will see them in person at the upcoming Na...

781 - 2021 SP Authentic Golf

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I break down a box of 2021 SP Authentic Golf - literally and figuratively - got the best result in terms of autos that I have ever experienced - thank...

780 - Father/Son: Jordan and Bob Hagedorn, For the Hobby

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan "For the Hobby" is actually "For the Bobby" as his dad Bob is dealing with colorectal cancer - thanks Bob for sharing your story and how you ha...

779 - Father/Son: Ray and Ryan Schulte, Schulte Sports Marketing

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last year was Ryan first immersion experience at the National following in his father Ray's footsteps.  At 12, Ryan has a bright future under his fat...

778 - Father/Sons: Rex, Max, and Owen Gotcher, Moco Sports

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Gotcher's are faithful supporters of the hobby and Hobby Hotline - I thought it would be great to hear from them Father's Day week as to their fam...

777 - Father/Son: Steve/Jesse Bachman

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The first booth I shopped at the National for the past several years has been the Bachman's - great selection with fair prices and personable service....

776 - Father/Son: Joe/Josh Davis, Got Baseball Cards

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joe and Josh discuss their father-son hobby dynamic now separated by 2000 miles - but I expect to see them both together at the National this year - h...

775 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 749-773

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another four weeks of daily episodes for your review in case you missed some - your episode ideas please send to [email protected] and tha...

774 - Out-Takes on National Party Bus from Hobby Hotline 052822

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of ways to get to Atlantic City - but where to stay is the question - some "what if" creative approaches to lodging and transportation at the Nat...

773 - Out-Takes on Parallels Explosion from Hobby Hotline 052822

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Newman (Sports Card Nation) and Corey Donovan (YamWax) were my co-hosts on Saturday morning's Hobby Hotline and this was our first major topic of...

772 - Content Convo 3: Epicenter of Hobby

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rob Veres suggested Southern California as the epicenter of the sports card hobby but he was shouted down and out-voted by the many Texans in the room...

771 - Junk Slabs, with Rich Klein

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Too many slabs are emerging of some high supply and low demand cards and players - how will the market handle this equilibrium with grading fees incre...

770 - Pre-BGS Hesitation, with Rich Klein

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rich asked me to take a second deeper look at the hesitation I had before starting BGS back in 1999 - yes, I wish we had jumped in faster in hindsight...

769 - Dueling Questions 3.0, with Grant Sandground

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant and I had an extended DQ session that spilled over because we both had some good sports card hobby questions - thanks Grant!

768 - Content Convo 3: Non-Physical Cards

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Non-physical cards conjured up many meanings - from NFT's to vaults to bank safe deposit boxes to fractionals - most collectors would probably rather ...

767 - Content Convo 3: Your Legacy

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Moynihan asked each of us what we wanted our sports card hobby legacy to be in terms of our content creation efforts - how we would be remembered...

766 - Content Convo 3: Code of Ethics

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This question was less controversial than I thought it would be - unfortunately the question submitter was not able to attend.

765 - Content Convo 3: Charitable Inclinations

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another dinner question that drew a wide range of responses from the content creators in attendance - thanks Kyle Robertson for securing a meeting roo...

764 - Worlds of Sport, Part 2, with John Canzano

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John has an impressive list of big corporate sponsors for this "cards plus much more" show in Portland, Oregon, over Father's Day weekend.

763 - Worlds of Sport, with John Canzano

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Go to worldsofsport.com for more info on John's inaugural event on Father's Day weekend in Portland - with cards and much more.

762 - Content Convo 3: Welcoming New Collectors

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our dinner panel discussed how to make the hobby more welcoming to women and other demographics and ethnicities through our podcasts and YouTube chann...

761 - Content Convo 3: Negativity and Accountability

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This was our first question as voted on by our content creator panelists that evening, even though the question was suggested by someone who unfortuna...

760 - Content Convo 3: In That Order

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I asked each of the 16 distinguished content creator attendees at the dinner to self-introduce and then declare their order of (content creator) colle...

759 - Dueling Questions 2.0, with Grant Sandground

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant and I go another round of sport card hobby and history questions - heavy on BGS this time - and some then and now stuff - thanks Grant!

758 - Eight Listener Questions 3.0

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another accumulation of eight interesting sports card questions from listeners and viewers - keep them coming to [email protected] and th...

757 - Baseball Card Hall of Fame 2022 Ballot, Part 3

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks Ray from Philly, Mike Steveline, and Victor Roman for your hard work on this worthy project that I enjoyed interacting with - every collector i...

756 - Baseball Card Hall of Fame 2022 Ballot, Part 2

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is excerpted from their hour-long YouTube show detailing and showing the ballot and my selections - thanks Ray from Philly, Mike Steveline, and V...

755 - Baseball Card Hall of Fame 2022 Ballot

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ray from Philly, Mike Steveline, and Victor Roman asked me to guest on their YouTube show, discussing this year's ballot of 40 excellent and iconic ca...

754 - 2021 Goodwin Champions, with Grant Sandground

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant has watched his conception grow and evolve into an extremely interesting and complicated product that has wide and eclectic interest - thanks Gr...

753 - Dennis Walker Unsolved Mystery, with Shwe Surendran

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shwe is investigating the curious and tragic case of collector/investor Dennis Walker - his mysterious death and the whereabouts of the rest of his wo...

752 - Tribute: Frank Barning, with Rich Klein

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Frank (and his surviving wife Vivian) founded and ran Baseball Hobby News, a very influential publication, which Rich and I, and many others, greatly ...

751 - Winning Football Boxes from Huggins & Scott Auctions

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I describe my auction winnings, namely a group of seven not-so-new football hobby boxes - I am a card collector, not a box collector - so I opened all...

750 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 724-748

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The last four weeks of individual daily episodes summarized along with further commentary (in case something was missed ... by me).

749 - Interview: Shwetha (Shwe) Surendran

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shwe is a journalism student and podcaster on assignment and we had a discussion about the exciting chase (that has always been) central to the sports...

748 - Out-Takes on Hobby vs. Retail Pulls from Hobby Hotline 043022

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to my co-hosts (John Newman and John Keating) and the live call-ins, another robust Saturday morning hobby discussion -listen to the whole hour...

747 - Discussing Re-Packs with Skepi

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Skepi (not his real name) has sent me many insightful questions about sports cards and this hobby - this episode is about the pros and cons of re-pack...

746 - Dueling Questions, with Ryan Nolan

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan and I traded sports card hobby questions and answers - I think I represent the past and Ryan represents the future - but Ryan is a vintage guy at...

745 - Interview: John Wie, Center Stage

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John is the co-founder of the mobile (free) card identification app, Center Stage, which is surprisingly fast, due to their clever approach - thanks J...

744 - Eight Listener Questions 2.0

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another eight different listener questions worth addressing - from eight different thoughtful listeners - send me your sports card questions about the...