Stop me if you’ve heard this before… The title of “most hilariously stacked basketball set of the twentieth century” comes down to three names: 1961-62 Fleer (Wilt, West, Oscar, Elgin rookies, plus those of seven other Hall of Famers), 1969-70 Topps (99 cards, 15 Hall of Fame RCs, led by Lew Alcindor’s), and 1986-87 Fleer (Jordan, Barkley, Ewing, Olajuwon, Isiah, Dominique, … [Read more...] about Rare, Relevant and… Anonymous?? Michael Jordan’s 1985-86 Star Card
Beckett Grading
Beckett Investigating Fake Holder Scam
Beckett Grading is trying to find out who has been creating fake copies of its holders, putting lesser quality cards inside and passing them off to unsuspecting collectors. The company was recently alerted to the issue by an Instagram account that’s been tracking the phony graded cards, including a Michael Jordan Fleer rookie card. The owner of the account has … [Read more...] about Beckett Investigating Fake Holder Scam
Notes: Topps 3D Set; Beckett Grading Price Hike; Lucky Zion Pull; Auction Updates; Ali Torch Donation to IOC Not “The” One
Topps has produced a 3D set, featuring 100 cards from Series 1 and 2. It was posted on the company’s website Thursday afternoon and 12,500 packs of eight cards sold out in less than an hour. Like similar issues of the past, the cards are printed using lenticular technology, giving the illusion of movement. There are image variations for ten of the base … [Read more...] about Notes: Topps 3D Set; Beckett Grading Price Hike; Lucky Zion Pull; Auction Updates; Ali Torch Donation to IOC Not “The” One
Beckett Grading Open With Smaller Staff in Place
Beckett Grading is back to work on a limited basis. The company says it is accepting shipments to its Dallas offices, but warns that because of reduced staffing in place until at least April 30, processing times may be slower than they had been before the Coronavirus outbreak. In a statement posted on their website, Beckett stated it will be “working with a very limited … [Read more...] about Beckett Grading Open With Smaller Staff in Place
Beckett Grading Suspends 10-Day Service Option as Orders Pile Up
Due to a backlog of orders, Beckett Grading has suspended its 10-day guaranteed service for trading cards. A message on the company’s website reads, “Due to a historic number of orders/cards being submitted, and our growing wait times with our non-guaranteed service level, Beckett Grading will temporarily suspend their 10-day service level starting June 7, 2018.” With … [Read more...] about Beckett Grading Suspends 10-Day Service Option as Orders Pile Up
Notes: Mantle Hits a Million; Topps & Trump; Beckett’s China Trip; Mattingly Auction
The eventual winner of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded PSA 8.5 will pay more than $1 million for it. Bidding in the sale being conducted by Heritage Auctions has now hit $900,000. With the buyer’s premium factored in, the card is assured to sell for at least $1.075 million but will likely push higher before the auction closes at the end of next week. The card … [Read more...] about Notes: Mantle Hits a Million; Topps & Trump; Beckett’s China Trip; Mattingly Auction
Beckett Hires 2; Opens Autograph Authentication Division
Beckett is now in the autograph authentication business. The company said Wednesday that it had hired former PSA/DNA authenticators Steve Grad and Brian Sobrero and would begin accepting submissions immediately. Grad left PSA/DNA at the end of September after 15 years with the company, including the last several as principal authenticator. He will continue in his role … [Read more...] about Beckett Hires 2; Opens Autograph Authentication Division
BGS to Offer Single Grade Option
Beckett Grading Services (BGS) is offering to grade your modern era cards without sub-grades. The company announced Monday that it would offer the new single grade option at a lower price than its usual service that features separate sub-grades for corners, edges, centering and surface. Those ratings are used to determine and help explain the overall grade of the card. The … [Read more...] about BGS to Offer Single Grade Option
Ramblings: A Few Stories from Recent Show Travels
Odds and ends from my travels over the last couple of weeks… When you go to a show, you never quite know what is going to occur. During the National I went to drop in on the Beckett graders who were behind the curtain (yes, I had permission from the head grader to do so especially since I had no cards being graded). Many of these guys are collectors themselves and some are … [Read more...] about Ramblings: A Few Stories from Recent Show Travels
New Record Price for BGS 9.5 1984-85 Star Company Jordan Rookie
One of the great hobby ironies is that the most popular basketball player of all-time doesn’t have a true rookie card from a wax pack. Michael Jordan made his NBA debut in 1984, three years after Topps bowed out of basketball card production and two years before Fleer picked up the torch. Jordan does have a card from that first NBA season, though, and it may finally be picking … [Read more...] about New Record Price for BGS 9.5 1984-85 Star Company Jordan Rookie