Bi-Weekly Market Report - November 1, 2006
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| Sports Card Sales Fuel Topps' Q2 Growth |
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From Tuff Stuff: "Topps reported net sales for its second quarter of fiscal 2007 (ended Aug. 26) increased 9.9 percent over the previous year to $82.3 million, with almost all of the increase coming as a result of significant increases in sales of the company’s U.S. sports card products. Domestic sports card sales were up 75 percent compared to the same quarter last year, and are up 66 percent for the first six months of the fiscal year. Profit margins were also up for the company’s entertainment division (under which sports card sales are recorded), thanks to improved sales per release. The reduction in overall brands also helped with reducing costs and improving margins." My take: Wow, glad to hear that all of the changes seem to be working. It seems like a combination of simplifying the collecting process with the new rookie card designations and eliminating unnecessary brands, along with mass-marketing campaigns aimed at kids has really helped Topps and the hobby. It's good this worked, because the alternative (continuing to see a decrease in the number of collectors in the hobby and an increase in premium packs that cost $500) would eventually lead to the end of the hobby, in my opinion.
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| PSA Now Accepting Unopened Pack Submissions |
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From Tuff Stuff: "PSA is now accepting unopened sports and non-sport trading card packs for authentication and grading. The submission form and the company’s 10-point grading standards for unopened packs are available online at www.PSAcard.com. 'The hobby marketplace has seen a tremendous increase in interest for unopened packs,' said PSA president Joe Orlando. 'We feel we can expand that demand with our brand strength and the quality of our holder. We are also planning to incorporate packs into our PSA Set Registry program.'" My take: As I've said before, I'm not a huge card collector, but I'm shocked that PSA wasn't offering this already. Get ready for prices on graded packs to shoot through the roof on eBay. I suppose that it's good to know that the pack is in good shape, but I wonder how that correlates to the condition of the cards inside?
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| McFarlane MLB 19 Lineup Announced |
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From McFarlane: "McFarlane Toys salutes the boys of summer with our MLB 19 series, the latest offering in our collectible Sports Picks line. MLB 19 features sequel figures for three of baseball's best, as well as the Sports Picks debut for a trio of brilliant young stars. With superb detail, stunning poses and a lineup sure to please diehard collectors and new fans alike, MLB 19 is set to become one of our all-time favorites. Is it July yet?" My take: The lineup includes figures of McFarlane veterans Albert Pujols, Johnny Damon, and Pedro Martinez, along with first timer's Jonathan Papelbon, Scott Kazmir, and Prince Fielder. I like the mix of veterans and first-timer's, although I don't think Pedro deserved a figure - he was pathetic after the first month of '06 and he won't be back until mid '07. I'm sure Mets fans wished they had Kazmir back...
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