The concept that gave us the internet turned 30 earlier this month. As with any new invention, there have been moments of greatness associated with this watershed change in communication and moments when we wish it had never been invented at all. It's changed how many of us live, how we shop, how we communicate and really changed how we learn. It's also … [Read more...]
Baseball Card Sorting Robot Could Be Wave of the Future
Fifteen years after giving up baseball card collecting, Jim Parker caught the Topps Heritage baseball card bug in the early 2000s when he saw Kerry Wood, a pitcher for his beloved Chicago Cubs, pictured on a 1953-style card. He has since amassed about a quarter million Heritage cards through buying collections and direct purchase of cases. Over the last decade, he has dealt … [Read more...]
Heritage Auctions Launches Mobile App
Heritage Auctions has launched a new mobile app, enabling collectors to browse and bid as well as access more than four million prices realized from a mobile device. The free smartphone application offers Face ID and Touch ID sign-in, free appraisals using your device’s camera, instant lot tracking and one-touch mobile bidding. The app is now available for both Android … [Read more...]
Notes: Shows in Toronto, Chicago; Tech Changes in the Hobby; Illegible Autographs
A couple of shows brought out autograph signers and collectors over the weekend. Some social media activity from the Sports Card Expo in Toronto and the Fanatics Authentic event in Chicago... Having a blast at the Sport Card Expo in the International Centre. #sports as far as the eye can see! We're representing #Barrie folks! #FanCave @sportcardexpo A post shared … [Read more...]
New App Aims to Help Collectors Navigate Auction Marketplace
Collectors who bid in sports memorabilia catalog auctions and use Apple products can now access a free app that helps them see everything in one place. Co-founded by long-time collector David Yoken, the free Collectable app for iPhone and iPad provides users the ability to view, search, and track auctions from 22 different companies from their phone or tablet. Users can … [Read more...]
Real Time, Mobile Friendly Sports Card Price Guide Launches
Sports card collectors, dealers and investors have a new way to keep track of up-to-the-minute price trends, even when their primary way to access the internet is via a smartphone. Technology industry veteran and avid collector Ryan Hoge and a team of developers have launched Elite Cards (www.elite-cards.com), a mobile-friendly online service with real-time pricing for over … [Read more...]
PSA/DNA Adds Embedded Holograms to Authenticity Letters
PSA/DNA Authentication Services is now using an embedded hologram in its letters of authenticity (LOA), a technological advance unprecedented in the field of third-party autograph and memorabilia authentication. A second watermark is also being added to the LOA. “The detailed, color-changing PSA/DNA logo hologram on the LOA is actually embedded into each sheet of paper used … [Read more...]
eBay Image Recognition App Could Make Card Shows Interesting
For about the last 15 years, dealers at sports card shows have had to compete with what collectors can get the same item for on eBay. Collectors with a smartphone and a little patience no longer have to wait until they get back to their PC or laptop to compare prices. It's often right there on a mobile app. Now, eBay is almost ready to add image-recognition technology to its … [Read more...]
Best Sports Photos For Sale and Cool New Concept Put Replay on Map
In the midst of an unstable economy, one North Carolina-based company is thriving with a product line that appeals to both collectors and fans. Replay Photos , a company staffed with 15 sports-lovers and run by former Duke women's basketball player Sue Hartnett, began in 2003 with an idea stemming from filing cabinets in Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. That idea – … [Read more...]
Georgia Dealer Now Faces Lawsuit Over Prints
Today's technology is making it easier than ever to sell reproductions that look a lot like the real thing. Knock-off photos, counterfeit sports cards and especially posters and lithographs. Serious collectors usually know the difference between a copy and the real deal, especially if autographs are involved. A copied print won't show the tell-tale signs of a Sharpie or … [Read more...]