It's finally here!

This will be our final holiday giveaway this year and we've got some good prizes that we're giving away! Here they are:

2019 Art of TMNT unopened boxed set by Topps (containing 1 guaranteed autograph and sketch card)

2019 DC Comics Bombshells III One-of-a-Kind Jeff Ritchie painted figurine of Hawkgirl from Cryptozoic

There you go! Please leave a comment about anything non-sport or NSU related below. Let us know how we're doing with the magazine. What else do you want to see? What do you like? What don't you like? We are always looking for positive and negative feedback. Have an innovative suggesting for the price guide/editorial section/Beckett online database? Let's hear it! It helps us create a better magazine and give you a better collecting experience.

So, leave a comment below and you're entered! The contest will run a little longer this time. We will select two winners on Monday, December 30th after 5 pm. Also be sure to check out our NSU Instagram giveaway. We have some great stuff over there as well! Follow the link and check it out: NSU IG Page

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Thanks for all the great contests this year! Still love the magazine and get every issue!

Val

I have a suggestion. In full disclosure I've never been an NSU subscriber. But I try to buy around 2 issues a year (at least I used to). Now to my concern. When I see a new issue become available on your site that I'm interested in buying, I add it to my cart only to see a $5 shipping charge. Well, I don't care how much I want the issue, I'm not paying $5.99 + $5 shipping = $10.99. Now fast forward a month or so from the issue's release, I'll check your site again and see that same issue is now shipping FREE. But by that point it's too close to the next issue coming out for me to want the old one. So my suggestion is, why not make the shipping free on the current issue from the get-go? I would have bought 4 or 5 issues over the last 2 or 3 years if the shipping was free. But instead I have bought none. And there's still an incentive for those who want to subscribe, as the subscription price is 6 issues for less than the price of 5, plus the free shipping. So this idea might be worth the extra sales. Anyway thanks for the contest and I hope we're still friends.

For myself, I think Beckett has improved a great deal with the subscription delivery time and I am getting NSU quite early these days. Watch me put a curse on it now. I continue to enjoy reading NSU and like the hot lists addition.

To voice one complaint, I'm not 100% sure that its not my eyes, but the price guide font looks like its either getting smaller or lighter in the last issue. I know space is always an issue, but reading the columns has to be comfortable.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to the Beckett staff and all NSU and Card Talk readers!

I get the magazine with my comic book order through Diamond Previews and I continue to enjoy reading them.

I would like to see an article in an upcoming issue on the wealth of information that can
be found here, particularly the Box breaks section. While that Forum area isn't trafficked like it used to be, it contains an archive of useful information that can scarcely be found elsewhere, that is, what was actually in a sealed box or case, examples that are even more reliable than the odds stated on the pack wrappers.

Also continue to love the promo cards that are included with each issue, the very thing that first led me to NSU (and the other, long gone, card magazines) 25 years ago. Keep 'em coming!

Very Very Cool.
Best magazine in the business!
Cheers, all. -- Chris M.

Those TNT cards are really a nice prize. Thank you for running the contests.

The magazine is unique and Beckett has done an excellent job of keeping it that. I like reading the articles about what is new and/or what is old. Inside and out NSU is very attractive. The covers are usually based on what is hot. The old standard columns of Cardboard Conversation, Non-Sport News,Dateline, and New & Noteworthy keep us up to date. The newer stuff like Artist Remarques, and the Hot Lists are sections that I look forward to reading. The magazine is more than just getting a promo card inside (Although I wish there were more).

Many of us like the advertising as well. It is good see what new card series are offered by manufacturers, which dealers support NSU, and what supplies can be purchased.

The staff writers attend the Philly and/or the Chicago shows and provide good insight into what is happening in the hobby.

Good to see some card love for TMNT. Considering how popular they are, I'm surprised how little there has been in card collector terms for them.

Great giveaway love the free promos in NSU!

I would like to see more box breaks in the magazine after a set releases. I know it's not exactly new info due to the delay, but it still gives people an idea what to expect from a box they might be buying.

Ed

Love the magazine, been a subscriber for many years now. Good information, even if I don't go for every set that gets showcased. Also enjoy the coverage given to older sets, especially those that are considered "vintage" (even though 1980 does not seem to be that long ago...). The promos are a nice addition, and I wish there were more of those available, but I understand the current state of the hobby.

I have to admit that I don't use the price guide much anymore, mostly because either the type is getting smaller or my eyesight is getting worse. Plus, there are other ways to find out what something is going for, and fluctuating prices simply cannot be reflected in a print publication. I do use it to learn what cards may be included in a particular release, so it's not a loss of space.

The best of part of NSU, in my opinion, is this forum. It is great to meet and/or trade with other collectors, find out what is going on in the hobby, get other insights and information that may not be otherwise available, and just to keep up with everyone.

Happy holidays to all !

Will

I wish something could be done about the people in the UK getting the magazine without having to take out a second mortgage in order to buy it.

Great spirit of giving from a mag that has continued to educate new and experienced collectors.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
I wish something could be done about the people in the UK getting the magazine without having to take out a second mortgage in order to buy it.

There are some comic shops in Wolverhampton that should be able to start a standing order for you.

Love the magazine and have been picking it up or subscribing since 1991. Keep it rolling!

I am with Wolfie on this also wish there could be a cheaper overseas solution,I had to stop subscribing as it was costing me NZ$21 a copy.
But still a good magazine I miss being able to get it

I’ve been reading NSU since the first issue came out, but stopped subscribing last year because the customer service process is seriously broken and needs to be fixed! I keep reading NSU because I love the magazine, but it’s getting harder and harder to find locally and I refuse to subscribe due to the total lack of customer service. Also, this trend of having to buy multiple copies of the same issue to get the promos has gotten tiresome (and expensive).

I think it's a rather common practice to charge shipping for any periodical when it's new but when the new one is about to be released, a company will unload copies of the old one for a lesser price or ship for free (the 2018 Beckett Non-Sport Almanac dropped in price on Amazon when the 2019 was released). I certainly see your point, though. Ten bucks is a lot for a 40-page magazine plus a price guide. Do you have a sports card/memorabilia shop in your area? If that shop is already selling other Beckett publications, adding NSU to their order might be something the owner would be willing to do for you since it's a sure sale.

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
I have a suggestion. In full disclosure I've never been an NSU subscriber. But I try to buy around 2 issues a year (at least I used to). Now to my concern. When I see a new issue become available on your site that I'm interested in buying, I add it to my cart only to see a $5 shipping charge. Well, I don't care how much I want the issue, I'm not paying $5.99 + $5 shipping = $10.99. Now fast forward a month or so from the issue's release, I'll check your site again and see that same issue is now shipping FREE. But by that point it's too close to the next issue coming out for me to want the old one. So my suggestion is, why not make the shipping free on the current issue from the get-go? I would have bought 4 or 5 issues over the last 2 or 3 years if the shipping was free. But instead I have bought none. And there's still an incentive for those who want to subscribe, as the subscription price is 6 issues for less than the price of 5, plus the free shipping. So this idea might be worth the extra sales. Anyway thanks for the contest and I hope we're still friends.

Hi Wolfie,

My suggestion would be to try to work a copy into a card trade although the shipping cost is passed on to the person you're trading with. You could offset that cost by throwing in an extra card of that approximate value and the cost might be further diluted if additional copies were sent for other nearby collectors who would kick in to help on the shipping. I'm assuming shipping three copies, for example, does not cost three times the shipping of one copy and I'm assuming some UK card collectors live a short distance from each other.

I guess NSU/Beckett doesn't have an office in the UK nor does it have an employee going to the UK on business often enough to supply copies of even some of the issues every year.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
I wish something could be done about the people in the UK getting the magazine without having to take out a second mortgage in order to buy it.

I think the magazine is great. I'd love to see more interviews with the manufacturers and creators. There's an endless treasure trove of stories and insight to mine there.