Current SCD is about Authenticity and............

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Posted By: J. McMurry

Coaches Corner is no where to be found in the mag. lol.
I guess that's why this issue only has 48 numbered pages.

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Posted By: Jim VB

<<Current SCD>>


I believe that phrase itself is oxymoronic. If I get them by the cover date, I'm lucky. I didn't renew my subscription, but I notice on the mailing label they extended it for two more years.

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Posted By: Matt

If they are trying to clean up their act then that's a good start.

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Posted By: leon

If Coaches Corner is not in there then that would be a huge step in the right direction, imo.....I hope for the best for them....

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Agreed. I wish they would pull out back issues of BCM and see what a good hobby magazine used to look like. Another positive step would be to dig up many of the BCM writing staff. That magazine was informative, at the same time reminding us not to take life too seriously. It was a publication never bested, before or since.

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Posted By: DJ

I think it's too late for SCD. They have spent years and years ignoring the general public and why would they listen now? We will see in a couple weeks when Coach's Corners new auction is advertised (or not) as the new auctions will be up later this week on their site. They concluded another "fan-freaking-tastic" auction this weekend and pretty much what you would expect from a CCSA auction goes. One of a kind items selling for peanuts.

I miss a good hobby magazine as well and BCM was the bomb. Why can't this collecting genre sustain one decent periodical?

I go to the newstands and there are fine periodicals for coins, stamps, comic books...but nothing for sportscards and collectibles. I think that's Leon's next venture.

DJ

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Posted By: J. McMurry

Yes I have no doubts CC will be back in the next issue of SCD. I just thought it was amusing for this issues' cover story to be about authenticity and OP-Bullpen, and SCD's golden boys are nowhere to be found.

It's been a long day, BCM?, Beckett publication? Please FYI me. Thanks.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Baseball Cards Magazine . A very popular publication (also by Krause) that had its heyday between 1987-91. I'm glad I kept all my old back issues. Whenever I find one while cleaning up, I'll always stop what I'm doing and take a five minute breather, re-reading the hilarious articles. Most of my issues now lack their covers, and some have even fallen apart. Sounds silly, but they're kinda like old friends these 20-odd years later.

Side note to a friend:

if you say anything about my "cleaning up", the chicken parm dies!

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Posted By: barrysloate

Baseball Cards Magazine debuted in 1983, and from 1983-87 there were some exceptional articles, my favorite being Ted Z's on 1949 Bowmans.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Would anyone be interested in posting their favorite BCM articles? All of my back issues are in Canada, but I would certainly have a few suggestions. I guarantee they will brighten everyone's day! Do you think that these articles could legally be reproduced on here? I'm sure the folks at Krause Publications probably wouldn't be the most cooperative, given some of the comments floating around on the board. Can anyone add any insight to this?

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Posted By: DD

Jodi,
Do these look good? sold in the last CC auction supposedly with PSA/DNA cert.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Would love a better scan of the Mantle to be certain, but the rest are definitely fine. The Mantle is a bit unusual, to be certain. I would want to see it up close.

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Posted By: DD

Thanks for the info.

There were actually 17 in the group that sold for $220. The Mantle sold for $555. If they were a legit organization, I am sure the group lot would have done better.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

You're telling me that a single Mantle plaque fetched $555? That's about $300 more than actual retail value! Even more astounding is that the auction was held by CC!

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Posted By: DD

http://myccsa.com/Lot.aspx?LotID=80915

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Unreal. It's also mind-boggling that any auction house (CC included) would post such grainy images.

Looking at that Mantle a litle closer, it appears to be OK. As stated previously, I only wish I had a clearer image of it to contend with. There are a couple of things I didn't like on initial viewing.

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Posted By: J. McMurry

Think that might be a sign of the knowledge of CC's clientel. They'll pay 75% below retail for a fake item, and 55% above retail for a legit item.

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Posted By: boxingcardman

April 1?

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: DJ

The Mantle Autographed Gold Hall Of Fame Plaque, authenticated by PSA/DNA sold for $555 (AMAZING!) and...with that logic, wouldn't you WANT PSA/DNA to authenticate all your items? After all, below is a sampling of items that sold for LESS than the very common Mantle HOF Plaque that could have used some help.

A Ty Cobb Tigers hand signed "Stat Authentic" Cooperstown cachet...$376
Lou Gehrig Autographed World's Fair First Day Cover from 1939-STAT CERTIFIED...$551
Charles Comiskey Autographed/Stat Authentic Certified Softball....$383
Greta Garbo Autographed/Stat Authentic Certified B&W Movie Photograph...$172
Lou Gehrig Autographed World's Fair First Day Cover from 1939-STAT CERTIFIED...$551
Marilyn Monroe hand signed "Stat Authentic" personal letter....$519
John Herbert Dillinger Autographed/Stat Authentic Certified Envelope Piece...$250
Annie Oakley Butler Autographed/CERTIFIED Check Piece...$116
Babe Ruth Autographed/CERTIFIED Cut Signature...$331
Ty Cobb Autographed/Certified Book Page...$355
Ty Cobb Autographed Baseball Glove from 1940's/50's...$184
John Lennon hand signed/custom framed/certified Beatles LP!...$320
Ernie Davis Browns hand signed "Stat Authentic" FB card...$194
John F. Kennedy hand signed LIFE magazine!...$210
Babe Ruth Autographed/Stat Authentic Certified Cut Signature...$546
1939 NY Yankees team signed baseball!!...$525
Ty Cobb Autographed Cut Signature...$203
Ty Cobb Autographed Magazine Photo-Page...$204

DJ

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Posted By: Richard S. Simon

Legit items in a CC auction???
What is the world coming to???
I think all the plaks are good, but the prices realized on those other items is laughable.
--

I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
Unknown author
--
We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.
No retreat baby, no surrender.
The Boss

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Posted By: JimB

Old Cardboard is holding the torch right now for excellent hobby periodicals.
JimB

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Posted By: DJ

Old Cardboard is great and the equivelant in the Autograph world is Sweet Spot News. If you could combine those, get some more geat people to contribute and work with honest sellers, I think we can accomplish something. After all, there are probably thousands of people who feel a need to throw $30 away each year when they renew their SCD subscription in exchange for three minutes worth of reading each week and a small reproduced Hartland bat boy.

DJ

P.S Jodi, I think I got the shout out. Did this person speak in class...today?

edit: spelling

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Posted By: CS Bolay

Ah, we're back on the ever-fascinating subject of Crook's Corner again. I must admit, I am a bit addicted to bashing on the Miracle Auctioneers (who have obviously made contact with John Lennon and Josh Gibson from beyond the grave) myself.

Anyhow, I just spotted an amusing little tidbit on the scd website, an article by the writer of the Operation Bullpen book...

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/article/operation%20bullpen

(partial quote)
..."I am trying to get in touch with someone about an East Coast auction house which I truly believe is doing the same thing as the Marinos and company. I have been an avid collector and really hate that forgeries have killed this passion of mine..."

"...I have been reviewing the message boards about (name of dealer). I have also followed a lot of their recent auctions and cannot believe the amount of items I truly believe are fakes."

~Hehehe, 'East Coast auction house', eh? Could it be? Nahhhh...

I'd be glad to see this once-respectable publication shed itself of CCSA for good, but as far as I'm concerned, I won't go back regardless. They had their chance years ago to stand up for hobbyists and fumbled the ball big-time. They have become a mere mouthpiece for the big auction houses and grading companies, trotting out a steady stream of gushing, boilerplate press releases in the guise of articles.

I've been meaning to subscribe to Sweetspot and Old Cardboard for some time, perhaps I'll give them a shot for my print fix.

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Posted By: J. McMurry

Therein lies my biggest frustration in this hobby. A good informative autograph mag. I've been a subscriber to SweetSpot for 7-8 years,but I've got to say, it wets my appetite,but leaves me unfullfilled. I've talked to charles about improvements,but he says it would drive up the issue price too high. I want info on autographs alot more than the prices realized at the last Mastro auction.

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Posted By: shelly jaffe

The Mantle is perfect.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I agree with "the other Jody's" opinion on Sweet Spot . They would really benefit from stepping it up several notches from its newsletter-like aesthetic. I would be a subscriber if so.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Oh, and DJ, you're right on the money! It took me a second to get the PJ reference.

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Posted By: Bob Lemke

Barry, FYI, Baseball Cards magazine debuted with a Spring, 1981, dated issue. It was the first-ever card hobby publication on national newsstands. It was initially published as a "one-and-done" trial balloon, but when the initial press run of 100,000 was snapped up, another 25,000 copies were rushed to the market. The mag remained a Spring and Fall pub for the first couple of years, then went quarterly, then bi-monthly, then monthly.

By the late 1980s I turned the editorial reins over to Kit Kiefer, whose unique personality created the image that most of you remember . . . fun, irreverent, and totally focused on the collector. Kit loved all sports and all sports cards and it showed in the pages. He was the real dirivng force behind expanding the repli-cards that were bound into the magazine into an every-issue thing. When a new stick-up-his-ass president took over at Krause, Kit continually butted heads with the guy and even began deliberately pushing the envelope in print. He wasn't long for the job after that.

I'll go out on a limb and predict that nobody at Krause will complain if members of this forum want to post their favorite aritlces, etc., from the magazine.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Bob,

Thanks for the info! BCM will always be the best!

Funny, there heave been two mentions of Kit on the board today! I always wondered what became of him!

Who was responsible for "Wierd Collector Q&A" that ran in a 1990 issue? Just thinking about it makes me laugh, almost 18 years later!

Q: I think the guy living next to me is Bombo Rivera! How do I know for sure?

A: Ask him.

******************

Q: Are YOU Bombo Rivera?

A: No.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Somewhere in my basement I've got a box full of old Baseball Card Magazines. Now you guys have me wanting to dig.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Dan,

If you can dig 'em up, can you find that "Wierd Collector Q&A" article? Other article requests would include:

"The Whitey Ford Clinic"

"_____&____'s Trip to Cooperstown" (sorry, I forget the exact title. I recall the author making fun of Canadian currency and King-B Jerky Stuff, as well as numerous references to "The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubblegum Book", which ranks as the funniest baseball book of all time. The staff at BCM obviously drew infinite inspiration from this volume.)

Edit: I should add that these articles all appeared between 1990-91.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I'll give it a look after work and see if I can find them.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Bob,

I should have mentioned that I vividly recall the period you speak of. It was easy to ascertain at that time that whoever was in charge really wanted the whole magazine to sound like it was written by Greg Ambrosius--a little more technical, financial and stodgy. Nothing against Ambrosius' style--it just seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the hijinks! I always thought Ambrosius' style was much more suited for a Beckett-like periodical.

Jodi

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Posted By: J. McMurry

"the other jody" ? lol

Just refer to me as the "Jody with a Y". lol

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Posted By: Chris Nerat

Guys,
Tell me the exact issue and article and I can send you any you need.

email me at chris.nerat@fwpubs.com

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Chris,

Thanks for the kind offer. I would like to say that at least one of the articles I mentioned was in either the July or August 1990 issue. I wish I could be of more help, but everything is stashed hundreds of miles from home.

Jodi