By Adam McFarland I am constantly scouring the internet for new and interesting sports collectibles sites. Sometimes it is to size up SportsLizard.com’s competition, or look for stories for our weekly news report, or to just increase my knowledge of the hobby, The other day I realized that I had hundreds of sports collectibles sites in my favorites, many of which I visit regularly and help me a great deal. I thought to myself - people that don’t spend hours scouring the net for sports collectibles websites would probably appreciate some of this knowledge a great deal. Below I have narrowed my list to five sites that the average collector probably doesn’t know about, but I couldn’t live without. 1. SportsPicksFigures.com (http://www.sportspicksfigures.com) A relatively new site, SportsPicksFigures.com is always posting the latest McFarlane Sports Picks news. Often I find info here that I don’t find (or can’t find) on McFarlane’s official site, Spawn.com. They have photos of yet to be released figures in packaging, shadow pictures of upcoming figures, a forum, and more. A site McFarlane collectors will want to check often. |
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2. Collectors Network (http://www.collectors-network.com)
I first found out about collectors network in Tuff Stuff a while back. They have a somewhat confusing navigation (you never quite know where you are or how to get back to where you started) but the information is awesome. They have sections for all sorts of figures (Bobble Heads, McFarlanes, Mattel, Headliners, etc) but their Starting Lineup section is absolutely amazing. There is a price guide, figure grading guide, and the irreplaceable list of (and photos of) most of Kenner’s unreleased Starting Lineups!
3. Customs by Jomo (http://www.customsbyjomo.com)
Ok, so most subscribers to this newsletter are aware of customs and are therefore aware of Custom by Jomo. Jomo is the godfather of customs and five seconds on his site will show you why. As much as I love hyping SportsLizard.com’s Customs section, it will never be more than a supplement to Jomo’s. I am always checking out the gallery of his work, the instructions are where I learned how to customize, and the ‘Logo’s and More’ section is where 99.9% of customizers get templates for their decals. That said, I still don’t think the average collector knows about customs, yet alone Jomo’s.
4. Upcoming Card Shows (http://www.upcomingcardshows.com)
Anyone who still attends card shows (even occasionally) will love this site. They have organized all of the card shows around the country. You can even get emails sent to you when there is an upcoming card show in your area. I get emails for five states in the Northeast. Even though I hardly ever go, it’s nice to know what’s going on in my area.
5. SportsCardInfo.com (http://www.sportscardinfo.com)
This site has current and unique hobby articles – mostly, but not exclusively, focused on cards. In my opinion, sites like this are rare. I check this site regularly to get their fresh perspective on the world of cards and collectibles. They have even allowed me to syndicate a few of their articles on SportsLizard.com (loyal newsletter readerrs will remember articles about Steve Nash’s Autograph and Comparing the Price Guides).