Non-Sport Update's Card Talk
Aug/Sep Issue Goes Live
August 04, 2020, 11:18 PM
Don NortonAug/Sep Issue Goes Live
Latest issue,with Outlander on cover came today. 1 promo, also from Outlander.
August 05, 2020, 04:45 PM
RavenGot the issue today. Yah, I'm back on the list.
Outlander promo P7.
August 06, 2020, 11:41 PM
stevetrekMine arrived today with Promo P8.
August 07, 2020, 06:06 AM
JOHN LEVITTquote:
Originally posted by stevetrek:
Mine arrived today with Promo P8.
As did mine with same promo.
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August 07, 2020, 07:48 PM
KennywoodNine pages of the price guide is dedicated to Star Wars cards? Doesn't that seem somewhat excessive? Trimming that down would free up space for sets that were omitted.
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Lucy Van Pelt: How can you say someone is great who's never had his picture on bubblegum cards?
August 08, 2020, 05:37 AM
Scifi CardsWell 10 of the 53 sets I tracked the release of last year were Star Wars.
So if the focus is on new sets, I can see that ratio being about right.
New sets take up a LOT more space the way they are constructed these days.
Ed
August 08, 2020, 07:03 AM
JOHN LEVITTA bit contraversial but as Beckett already publish price guides why not delete them altogether and replace with more articles on cards with perhaps a little more emphasis on the older card issues.
Personally speaking I ceased looking at the current price guide ever since Beckett changed its content as it does not provide the information I want to know.
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August 08, 2020, 11:02 AM
RavenNow that there is an annual Almanac that I hope is not just being copied, but is accurately reviewed and revised as appropriate, I really don't see the need for such a comprehensive price guide in NSU. Yes, 9 pages of Star Wars is excessive.
My opinion was different a few years ago, but three things have changed.
First, a current year Non-Sport Almanac is now available for each of the last few years.
Second, despite losing many good card makers, the number of new sets released monthly from at least the 5 major manufacturers has not really slowed down, even in this miserable 2020. The constant stream of new sets makes keeping the space for everything already listed impossible.
And finally, I'm sorry, but you still can't read the font in the NSU price guide comfortably. I know this has been discussed and Beckett is aware of it, so maybe there will be adjustments eventually. However unless they add pages, which I doubt they will do, you have to throw out titles/sets to make space if you want a readable price guide. If you can't read it, you may as well omit it entirely, but its a necessary tool for new releases and hot items.
I don't think it should just be old sets that are edited out. It should be sets with little current sales activity and if there is still good demand it should stay. If there are significant prices changes, up or down, it should stay. If its going to be exactly the same values as what's already priced in the Almanac, it doesn't need to be repeated in NSU. All new sets of major titles should be covered for at least one year, probably two years.
That would be my suggestions.
August 08, 2020, 01:02 PM
hammerI Got the P5 in my issue and an email reminding me that I need to renew despite my subscription running to May 2021!!!
I no longer read the price guide as it is not relevant to my needs.
August 08, 2020, 01:58 PM
RavenJust got the exact same email today. I sent back a reply that I renewed in April 2020 and am good till August 2021.
I'm sure I won't get a response, or maybe even have anyone read it, but if these are blanket subscription offers Beckett should halt it because it confuses people who are nowhere near their expiration dates.
August 09, 2020, 12:32 AM
catskilleagleHi John,
From what I've seen of how Beckett is running NSU, I think they like the idea of having a price guide with mostly newer cards and any older ones that are jumping around in value. It has become impossible to have a comprehensive guide stapled to each issue. It also doesn't appear that Beckett wants to expand the magazine. Forty pages of content and ads may be the sweet spot for a glossy-paged publication that is bagged with promos and retails at $5.99 USD.
I would like to see more articles especially about 70's to 90's sets with more about oddball smaller sets. NSU could also honor its own past revisiting articles/subjects from its first 10 years in publishing. I realize when one company buys another one there is a tendency to want to focus on the future and keep the past in a box marked "Legacy" but the trading card hobby is constantly looking forward to the next release while also opening that box and flipping through the pages of an old binder to relive a fond memory of opening something new back then.
Jess
quote:
Originally posted by JOHN LEVITT:
A bit contraversial but as Beckett already publish price guides why not delete them altogether and replace with more articles on cards with perhaps a little more emphasis on the older card issues.
Personally speaking I ceased looking at the current price guide ever since Beckett changed its content as it does not provide the information I want to know.
August 09, 2020, 01:08 AM
catskilleagleHi Raven,
I think the Almanac is being accurately reviewed and revised in the time allowed but it can always use more input from collectors. It is getting better every year. A couple of editions ago, I noticed the description of the "Dactyls" set (small factory set from 1992). It was clear whoever wrote it had never seen the set. The 2019 edition did not just copy the description and hope nobody noticed. With that said, I don't think one person can check price check/edit every single listing, fill in some older stuff not in previous editions and add another year's worth of listings in 12 months. The 2019 edition is the size of a medium-sized phone book and this year's is probably a little bigger. It is certainly at least a little more comprehensive and therefore a little more useful to everyone.
Yeah, if it was impossible to staple a comprehensive price guide to the magazine ten years ago, then its even more of a fantasy now. However, I have to disagree that 9 pages of Star Wars is excessive. If there are nine pages worth of actively-selling Star Wars cards, then there should be that many. That in itself is information a dealer and collector can use.
Beckett's other publications use tiny print so it appears the NSU price guide and the Almanac will be no different. I hear you, though. I can't make out any of the listings in Beckett's sports guides in bookstore lighting without some kind of magnification. How much smaller can they print? What's an exponent look like for the current type size?
Jess
quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
Now that there is an annual Almanac that I hope is not just being copied, but is accurately reviewed and revised as appropriate, I really don't see the need for such a comprehensive price guide in NSU. Yes, 9 pages of Star Wars is excessive.
My opinion was different a few years ago, but three things have changed.
First, a current year Non-Sport Almanac is now available for each of the last few years.
Second, despite losing many good card makers, the number of new sets released monthly from at least the 5 major manufacturers has not really slowed down, even in this miserable 2020. The constant stream of new sets makes keeping the space for everything already listed impossible.
And finally, I'm sorry, but you still can't read the font in the NSU price guide comfortably. I know this has been discussed and Beckett is aware of it, so maybe there will be adjustments eventually. However unless they add pages, which I doubt they will do, you have to throw out titles/sets to make space if you want a readable price guide. If you can't read it, you may as well omit it entirely, but its a necessary tool for new releases and hot items.
I don't think it should just be old sets that are edited out. It should be sets with little current sales activity and if there is still good demand it should stay. If there are significant prices changes, up or down, it should stay. If its going to be exactly the same values as what's already priced in the Almanac, it doesn't need to be repeated in NSU. All new sets of major titles should be covered for at least one year, probably two years.
That would be my suggestions.
August 10, 2020, 02:48 PM
Ted Dastick Jr.I've also not checked the price guide in some time. Not a knock on the magazine because it's awesome, but by the time the new issue drops all of the relevant information is already well known to anyone collecting the new sets. With the internet at our fingertips that's just the nature of any periodical.
I do like seeing the small Top Sales section each issue. Would an expansion of that be a good substitute for the price guide? Sales are happening all the time, from old sets to new. Expand the list to 100, including pics, and you'll have a good representation of many non-sports sets. And you know it will change with every new issue. So you'll still be getting a good analysis of cards that should appeal to vintage or current set collectors.
If there needs to be some kind of guide, I think a list of new promo cards updated each issue would be most welcome. And don't limit it to Topps, Cryptozoic, etc. releases. Include artist promos (not a plug, I swear!
), Kickstarter, Indiegogo, convention giveaways... basically any and all things from the promos included with the current issue to the most obscure cards to be found. There are always new promo cards, and they offer a great window into sets on the horizon.
August 16, 2020, 02:17 PM
RavenRegarding the Game of Thrones Season 8 cards, why does the price list look the same as what was published in the last June/July 2020 edition?
Pricing on the Valyrian Steel autographs are still mainly left blank and there is no mention of the many inscription autograph cards in Season 8, which were also omitted from the previous issue. I get that some activity may have been too light the last time, but sales should have been enough to update in this issue. Now it will take another two months to see NSU prices on really the main attraction of inscribed autograph cards.
August 17, 2020, 02:11 PM
Heroes For HireThey were probably too busy wrapping up the Non-Sport Almanac.
Now I’m curious about those Valyrian Steel autographs, maybe some people can post some prices here to give us some info until they are included in a future issue.
quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
Regarding the Game of Thrones Season 8 cards, why does the price list look the same as what was published in the last June/July 2020 edition?
Pricing on the Valyrian Steel autographs are still mainly left blank and there is no mention of the many inscription autograph cards in Season 8, which were also omitted from the previous issue. I get that some activity may have been too light the last time, but sales should have been enough to update in this issue. Now it will take another two months to see NSU prices on really the main attraction of inscribed autograph cards.
August 19, 2020, 04:34 PM
Heroes For HireSo with the Hot List being modified to include:
Top 5 Products
Tops 5 Autographs
Top 10 Sketches or Sketch Artists
Top 15 Key Sales
Is there still going to be a rotating topic like this month’s “Top 10 Music Superstar Autographs” on the Hot List, too?
August 19, 2020, 08:27 PM
Heroes For HireRyan Cracknell’s Top 10 Topps Allen & Gunter Non-Sport Autographs was good stuff
Enjoyed the pivot with the “Old & Noteworthy” feature
Was wondering about the upcoming changes to the price guide cutoff point. Would that be 2 to 3 years of products? Also, would older sets make an appearance to coincide with theme of the magazine cover and/or Hot Lists?
August 29, 2020, 03:07 PM
CurlerOutlander promo P9 was in my issue.
September 18, 2020, 11:59 PM
catskilleagleI went to a local Barnes & Noble today. It still had some magazines from April so I was surprised to see the latest NSU available.
I also liked the "Old and Noteworthy" pages though both of the "old" sets featured were from less than ten years ago. Did some teenagers get promoted at Beckett?
Jess
September 19, 2020, 08:13 AM
pcetoddquote:
Originally posted by catskilleagle:
I also liked the "Old and Noteworthy" pages though both of the "old" sets featured were from less than ten years ago. Did some teenagers get promoted at Beckett?
Jess
Heh heh! ""Those sets are ancient, brah!"
Where's someone from NSU to talk to these comments? And why no promo card info?
