Making an effort to stand out from the crowd has paid off for collector Dan DeCosta, who launched a breaking platfrom under the name Maine Sports Cards a couple of years ago. “We’re growing like crazy.” A long-time collector with a background in IT, DeCosta has just relaunched with a new website and a new name: The Break Exchange. The move was done in part to … [Read more...]
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Notes: Jeter SP Soars; MHCC’s New Auction; Live Case Break Opens Shop
A PSA 10 1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter rookie card is on the auction block and has already set a new record for the grade, sitting at $66,200 with the auction not set to conclude until mid-week. The SP Jeter has become the future Hall of Famer’s most popular—and pricey-- rookie card and ranks is among the most valuable cards of a modern era in high-grade. There … [Read more...]
Notes: Paper’s Story on Box Breaking; Roquan Smith Ripped Off; Big $ for LeBron; Singer Trades Tix for Cards
Work crews have torn up the street in front of his shop but as long as there’s an internet connection, Steve Palmer of BreakRoom Sports Cards and Autographs in Cape Coral, FL can get through the day. He’s one of a legion of online case and box breakers who are helping keep the modern collecting hobby afloat. Breakers tear open newer products and the cards are … [Read more...]
Break and Flip: Box Breaker Launches Instant Inventory System
Call it “no fuss, no muss” breaking. A newcomer to the game has launched a new way for collectors to sell cards pulled from its daily box and case breaks within minutes—without ever touching them. The concept is the brainchild of Maine Sports Cards owner Dan DeCosta, a long-time collector and former shop owner who launched his site in May of this year. While … [Read more...]
Notes: Case, Set Breaks at NSCC; ’55 Koufax Giveaway; Shop Owner Profile
The National Sports Collectors Convention will have a Case Break Pavilion again this year, this time keeping some longer hours and including an area for vintage set breaks. Show organizers say the area will open for a “Preview Night” on Tuesday, August 2 from 6:30 PM -12:30 AM. Attendees interested in joining breaks or there to watch and/or learn will be admitted free. The … [Read more...]
US Distributor, Case Breakers Look to Asia for Business
A crew of case breakers from the United States is bringing the concept to Asia this month. Eight representatives from GTS Distribution, along with Ripping Wax Inc., which encompasses Ripping Wax, Jaspy’s HobbyLand and Nasty Breaks are currently spending eight days in the Asia-Pacific region in an effort to further develop breaking initiatives and expose shops in those … [Read more...]
Case Breakers: Good or Bad for the Hobby?
Last week, in our discussion on Case Breakers and the Value Cycle, we noted how the rapid emergence of the case breaker has created increasing pricing pressures on the initial secondary market for new releases, squeezing case breaker profits. Worse, combined with Topps' “print to order” policy, increasing case breaker demand has also pumped up the supply of new issues, … [Read more...]
Case Breaker Stays Busy All Day…All Night
The margins can be tight. The hours are long. The competition is everywhere. The success of the products they're selling is often based on factors out of their control or even who happens to be online at any one particular moment. Still, it's sometimes a lot easier than selling cards the traditional way. Case breaking has become a cottage industry and for trading card … [Read more...]
The Four Basic Types of Ungraded Strategies
Editor’s note: What follows is an excerpt from Jeff’s new book The Modern Baseball Card Investor. When it comes to ungraded cards, players in the game generally employ at least one of four basic types of strategies: 1. Case breaker 2. Case breaker/grader 3. Boxes 4. Singles It should go without saying that in a game where autographs often come at a rate of one or … [Read more...]
NSCC Will Have Case Breaking Pavilion
The National Sports Collectors Convention will add a ‘Case Break Pavilion’ when it sets up shop at the I-X Center in Cleveland this summer. Amazon.com Sports Collectibles is the title sponsor for the pavilion, which will be housed in a 12,000 square foot arena, adjacent to the Corporate Pavilion and across from the autograph area. Show Manager Mike Berkus says the special … [Read more...]
