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
Rich Klein
Rich Klein: Volunteers Invaluable at Show
Plano III is in the books and yes the show on Sunday was again quite a success. We did have a few bumps along the way but fortunately nothing which took away from the collector or the dealer experience. We were a bit shorthanded because some of our Adat Chaverin Brotherhood board members were away for various reasons. We had some rain early in the day and we were coming … [Read more...] about Rich Klein: Volunteers Invaluable at Show
Ramblings: Dawn of the Hobby Shop vs. Retail Battle
Everyone has a different opinion as to the most important card set relating to a specific sport in a certain era. In baseball we can debate the most important 1980’s set, which does not necessarily mean the most valuable set. In the world of 1990’s basketball, many will throw out the 1996-97 Topps Chrome set as the most important set issued during that decade because the … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Dawn of the Hobby Shop vs. Retail Battle
Ramblings: Where Have All the Nicknames Gone
A constant theme I always like to bring up is that we enjoy the present day while continuing to honor and remember the past. That is sure true for trading cards which have changed a great deal over the past few years but sometimes changes come so gradually over time we don't even realize it. Take a look at some of those old baseball cards. Then grab a handful of today’s … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Where Have All the Nicknames Gone
Rich Klein’s Ramblings: Sorting to a Science
There is one aspect of the baseball card hobby/business which looms over us but yet we would all truly prefer to avoid. That is, the sheer amount of work we need to do in this hobby for what is often a limited return. It's why some companies have carved a niche based on their ability to organize and process huge quantities of cards. The first example has to do with sorting … [Read more...] about Rich Klein’s Ramblings: Sorting to a Science
Rich’s Ramblings: Projecting Hall of Famers Has Never Been Easy
History is a great tool. As we discovered with the recent Hall of Fame voting, players we once thought to be slam dunk Hall of Famers become nothing of the sort. Rafael Palmiero, one of a handful of players with the combination of 500 homers and 3000 hits is not even eligible to be voted in by the writers after Wednesday’s results. That got me thinking of some years past and … [Read more...] about Rich’s Ramblings: Projecting Hall of Famers Has Never Been Easy
Rich’s Ramblings: Secret Santa Edition
As many of our readers know, I enjoy nothing more than joining various birthday groups and Secret Santa exchanges set up inside the various online hobby message boards. There is always a real joy in opening up presents for the holidays from another collector with the assumption you never know what you are going to get. So come along with me as we go through various presents I … [Read more...] about Rich’s Ramblings: Secret Santa Edition
2014 Topps Winter Olympic Box Break/Review
When the 2012 Olympic box came out we discussed how tricky this specific type of release can be. The first edition from Topps was on the Summer Olympics which meant Michael Phelps, the US gymnasts and other notable names. However, in the less "shared experience" present time, winter sports are not covered to the same extent they were even 20 or so years ago. Nowadays, the only … [Read more...] about 2014 Topps Winter Olympic Box Break/Review
2013 Topps Update Box Break
There are few constants in the baseball card business, but one of them involves Topps Update Baseball. At this point, this is one of the most consistent products Topps makes with the emphasis on rookies, players who switched teams and a recap of the All-Star game. For Topps Update, that means there will always be a large cadre of star cards as so many really good players … [Read more...] about 2013 Topps Update Box Break
Rich’s Ramblings: Let’s Make Some Better Base Sets
I received this email From Bobby Davis of Winter Park, Florida recently. I have some comments of my own after you read his thoughts on collecting current sports card sets. "I have collected cards for 45 years and am an unabashed set builder. I want as many "common" cards as I can get, because I know and care about the players, whether stars or role players. I love getting my … [Read more...] about Rich’s Ramblings: Let’s Make Some Better Base Sets