Weekly Market Report - April 12, 2006

A Fresh Look at Sports Collectibles News

The first exclusive and fully licensed sports card set available in a magazine debuts this June in Tuff Stuff Magazine. The 12-month, 48-card set will be produced by Upper Deck. The first month will include cards of Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Jay Cutler. The second month will have cards of Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter. Cards will be on a perforated sheet for removal.

I absolutely love this for two reasons - one, I always hated how subscribers to a magazine seem to get the shaft. How come when you buy a magazine in the store it always includes something extra (like a card or cd rom or extra booklet)? Shouldn't the subscribers be the ones who are rewarded? Finally someone else realized this and is rewarding loyal subscribers.

The second reason is that it will get more people back in to cards. Who would subscribe to Tuff Stuff that isn't into cards? Well, me for one. I am admittedly not a card collector anymore - I switched to SLU's and then McFarlane's a few years back. Due to the lack of a figure-only magazine, I suspect that many figure collectors who don't collect cards subscribe to Tuff Stuff. In total honesty, I am looking forward to this set and these cards. It might, and I stress might, actually get me back into collecting cards, we'll see. Regardless, it's a great move by Tuff Stuff and Upper Deck. [read release]

Amazingly, Beckett graded it's first BGS 10 1986-1987 Fleer Michael Jordan Rookie Card earlier this month. The highest sale of a BGS graded Jordan Rookie Card was a BGS 9.5 Gem Mint card in the spring of 2002 for $77,200 to a collector in Australia. "This Jordan rookie card is likely the single most important card ever graded by BGS, and a landmark card in the hobby. There is no telling what the market will bear on this card," said Mark Anderson, Senior Manager of Beckett Grading in the article.

When I first read this I was shocked. How could a card this recent and popular not have a perfect 10? The article mentions that this is only the fifth out of 16,000 cards in that set to be graded a 10, and obviously the first Jordan! Apparently the edges are typically chipped, centering is usually off, the corners are white, and there are surface problems abound. Amazing.

Also, take notice of how Beckett rips PSA and asserts themselves as the top grading company:

The owner delivered the previously PSA 10 graded card to BGS and requested that the card be "crossed over." The owner's aim with crossing this card over was to increase the recognized value of the card on the secondary market by having the recognized leader in the grading industry slab or encase the Jordan rookie card. BGS has been recognized by consumers for the last six years in a row as the industry's top grading company.

Subtle Beckett. Very subtle.

How much do you think that MJ will sell for? 100k? [read article]

McFarlane will be kicking off their football line this year with a Super Bowl XL two-pack featuring Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The two-pack will hit stores in late July.

As much as I (and everyone else) likes Polamalu and Hasselbeck, couldn't they have found a way to work in MVP Hines Ward...or Jerome Bettis. How about a special piece commemorating Bettis, his career, and his Super Bowl win. A Bettis Steelers/Rams two-pack from his first and last seasons maybe? Drop a Lombardi Trophy in there and you are all set. That would be sweet... [read release]