quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
Sad to see the end of one of the greatest things that ever happened to this hobby, a reliably on-time, high quality publication that was instrumental in increasing the growth of non-sports cards during the boom years and helped to keep them going during the leaner times.

I've always considered my collection of back issues to be an indispensable reference tool, and this forum, as well.
Thanks to all who have contributed to one, the other, or both over the years.

quote:

Originally posted by hammer:
Has anyone heard anything from Beckett about refunds? Their silence over the closure of the magazine and the refunding of prepaid subscriptions has been deafening!

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Hello everyone. As some of you regulars may know, I have been off Card Talk for more than a year now. I thought back then it would be my very last post because I had kind of moved on. I continued to read NSU. I still monitored this website occasionally. I still bought new/old autograph cards and non-sport boxes that I liked. I still enjoyed parts of the hobby, just not enough of it to keep up or care to talk about it. I am well and I hope you are all well too.

I just saw this thread and had no idea that this was indeed happening. It's depressing. Simple as it was, waiting for the next NSU had become a habit with me, as I'm sure it was a habit with all of you. So, I feel I have to post one last time by way of official mourning.

I guess part of it is just the death of paper magazines and that Beckett never seemed to put that much effort into promoting NSU after it got it. The non-sport hobby certainly seems to cost enough. The collectors seem to be there. You would think the market was healthy. But maybe we just never really recovered from the pandemic and the changes it brought to the collector base. And maybe the whole thing is just one big pyramid scheme. Maybe that's what it is to the investors and the flippers and the speculators. Not to the true non-sport card collectors though. Not to us.

Somebody could write a whole article about the WHY of it, but it looks like there might be nowhere to print it. Who knows how long Beckett stands? We should have known something was up when they couldn't print a 2025 Non-Sport Almanac. Who knows how long Card Talk is active after this? It is the end of an era, that much I do know.

I want to take this final opportunity to thank the Toser family and all the writers and editors who worked on NSU over the years. I wish them the best and all of you reading this the best. It's been a great ride. I no longer feel bad for having retired from the scene, as there is now nothing left of the scene.

That just means we will have to remember the glory days and smile. Now I'll quit while I'm ahead, as this is a subject that has kept me rattling on too long already. Best of luck to you all and for one last time, Vaya con dios everyone.