Show promoters who were hoping months ago that COVID-19 would drift away when the new year unfolded are facing more challenges in the months ahead. With many communities still seeing large numbers of cases and vaccines not expected to be widely available for the general population for months, more events that typically attract hundreds or thousands of guests may be on the … [Read more...]
Arozarena Rookie Cards a Late Season Sensation
Randy Arozarena has rocketed to prominence during this baseball postseason. But Arozarena’s journey was long and difficult. It included a treacherous trip on a boat five years ago from his native Cuba to Mexico and a positive test for COVID-19 earlier this year, but now the Tampa Bay Rays’ 25-year-old outfielder is living up to the nickname he earned in his native Cuba — El … [Read more...]
2020 National Sports Collectors Convention Cancelled
The 2020 Atlantic City National Sports Collectors Convention, which had been postponed from its usual late summer date to December has now been cancelled. Organizers cited concern for the safety of attendees and exhibitors and the uncertainty over COVID-19 federal and state guidelines as the major reasons for the cancellation. The National is sports collecting's … [Read more...]
Is The Show a Go? Depends on Where You Live, Size of Event
The hobby’s sports card show calendar remains, in a word, “fluid.” Some areas have been able to hold smaller events while others remain on hiatus because of restrictions on public gatherings and the status of some facilities. The JP Sports/Rock Solid Promotions show normally held at the Westchester County Center in New York is off for the remainder of 2020. … [Read more...]
September Philly Show Cancelled
It won't come as a surprise to most at this point, but the fall edition of the Philly Show has been cancelled. The second show of the tri-annual series had been scheduled for September 25-27 at the Valley Forge Casino Resort. Dealers were notified of the move last week. As of now, indoor gatherings of 25 or more remain prohibited in Pennsylvania and anyone … [Read more...]
eBay Sports Card Sales Have Skyrocketed During COVID-19
We've all seen comments that a lot of sports cards have been selling during the COVID-19 pandemic. We've heard from regular hobbyists, dealers and hobby shops about increased business. We've even gotten a few cold hard facts about sales of Michael Jordan items. Now, though, we're getting a much deeper look at just how significant the increase has been compared … [Read more...]
PSA: Ultra-Modern Price Hike Temporary; Hiring Continues
Faced with continued unprecedented demand during the ongoing pandemic, PSA is now grading and authenticating deep into the night, has hired 45 new employees since early April and expanded its weekend hours to try and reduce an ongoing backlog of trading card submissions. The company says it has also added more than a dozen temporary employees while expanding its … [Read more...]
Revisiting Pandemic Impact Hobby Questions
Back in mid-April when the quarantine orders had taken hold, shows and shops shut down and the hobby was beginning to feel noticeable impacts of COVID-19, I posed a boatload of questions about what the future might hold in the days, weeks and months to come. There weren’t many easy answers in the days that followed but with more than two months behind us, I thought … [Read more...]
Notes: Hobby Hot Down Under, Too; Virtual Expo Wrap; Panini’s ‘Welcome Back’ Kit
The sports card market isn’t just enjoying a boom period in North America. The Sunday Age in Australia spoke with some hobby shop owners and others there about the hot market in basketball, football, baseball and Australian Rules Football. The first Virtual Sport Card Expo is in the books. Promoter Steve Menzies put the two-day event together as an online … [Read more...]
Plans for 2020 Industry Summit Still in Place
Covid or no, the Industry Summit is a go. Beckett Media announced Wednesday that the annual gathering of hobby shop owners, distributors and others will take place as scheduled September 13-16 in Las Vegas. “Throughout the nationwide pandemic we have been in constant contact with key partners,” stated Co-Chairman Ted Barker. “We have monitored the Covid-19 statistics … [Read more...]