Q & A Episode Hobby Quick Hits E224

0:01 Probably not Quick Hits, delivering that breaking hobby. News directly loads. You want to know those. Josht Hard shaft Shaff, You've got your cover here. Hosts John new Name name, Hello, everyone, Welcome to episode to twenty four of Hobby Quick Hits. I'm John Newman, and today's episode will be a Q and A episode. And I almost was going to do our annual Major League preview Baseball previews show, but I'm going to put that off till the next time. On the twenty third, closer to the start of it really ramping up, and I had some questions that were kind of building up. I actually probably have enough questions to do three of these type episodes, so look look for a couple more down the turnpike. So today will be some of your questions that folks ask me, you know, whether it's via d M or email, and as always I answer them as soon as as possible, and then I always ask if I can use it for content obviously on the podcast platform to do these episodes. So that's that's what this

1:36 episode will be. So we'll get to that after we get to the news. Although it's fairly quiet news cycle week and the next two weeks of product releases. Also keep your questions coming. As always, we we appreciate them, we like them, we love sharing knowledge, and you know again we use it for content like this, so always important to get some new questions as much as possible. Okay, now a quick word from our great sponsor, followed by the new product release schedule. Then we'll go around the hobby verse to tell you all the latest hobby happenings and news. Then we'll tackle today's topic of discussion.

2:22 Hi, this is Pat Hughes, Cubs announcer, coming to you from the Sports Card Shop in beautiful New Buffalo, Michigan. The Gocher family has built an incredible place here for collectors to buy, sell, and trade cards and memorabilia. Be sure to stop buy and let them show you around the Sportscardshop dot com, connecting sports athletes, the hobby and collectors around the world. Hi, this is Alan Pinkett and I'm here to tell you the Gocher family has done it again. They've just opened up the Sport Card Shop in downtown Valparaiso, Indiana, and it is awesome. If you're a collector, you need to check this place out. Tell them Allan sent you and get a free gift on your first visit.

3:14 All right, let's go over the releases for the next couple weeks, starting with March eleventh, twenty twenty five, Bowman's Best Baseball, also twenty twenty five, Keepsake, Rolling Stone, Bob Marley Collection on the twelve, twenty twenty five, Tops Chrome McDonald's All American Basketball Regular Regulars and Megas also on the twelfth, twenty twenty five, Tops MLS Chrome Soccer, Blasters on the thirteenth, twenty twenty five, Panini Won and one WNBA Basketball. Also on the thirteenth, twenty twenty five, Tops Disneyland seventyeth Anniversary Hobby and Blasters twenty Also on the thirteenth, twenty twenty five or twenty six Yugi Oh Legendary Modern Decks on the eighteenth, going five days after that, twenty twenty six Leaf Metal Football, Hobby and Jumbos twenty twenty five, Panini Prison Black Football, twenty twenty five, Slash twenty six, Tops Chrome Bundesliga Soccer, and the Breaker's Delight version staying on the eighteenth of March twenty twenty six. Tops Heritage Baseball Reglars, Blasters and Megas. Also twenty twenty five Tops Major League Soccer, Chrome Soccer, Sapphire, twenty twenty five Tops

4:50 Star Wars Smugglers outpost from Upper Deck on the eighteenth Batman, the Amidated Animated series, going to the twentieth, twenty twenty six Leaf Pop Century, Pokemon First Partner Illustration Collectors Series one, Pokemon Mega Evolution, Ascended Heroes, First Partners Deluxe Pin Collection and Premium Poster Collection, and that wraps up the next couple weeks of product releases. Choose your Weapon, Happy Ripping. Let's go round the hobby verse and catch up on this week's hobby news.

5:31 All right, let's talk about something I personally enjoyed, and I have a feeling a lot of American Americans like myself did as well. The US men's and women's hockey team winning gold in dramatic fashion in both gold medal games. In both gold medal games against the Canadian national team, jack Hughes both ended in golden goals in overtime. Jackie Hughes for the men, Megan Keller for the women. Both of those pucks are going to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ironically enough, obviously in Toronto, Canada, along with a lot of other equipment and memorabilia from the Olympic Hockey event, including from other teams not in the gold medal game.

6:24 So some new displays and new items on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada. Check that out, and I got, I got. I've been to Toronto, but I haven't been to the Hall of Fame. I gotta definitely get there at some point soon. So let's talk about the World Baseball Classic going on as we speak, and Folco is making WBC bibleheads with limited print runs. Most players will be on only one hundred to three hundred bibbleheads produced each day, will vary in price. They also have an eighteen inch individually numbered series only numbered to twenty six at nine hundred dollars a player, so pretty limited. Even the regular editions are not, you know, prevalent, So grab your favorite player while you can. I believe Otani is already sold out. That's through FOCO staying on the WBC front. Tops now is making team sets. The United States is sixty bucks. Again, will vary in price based on what country and what team, So like the US is sixty, Japan is fifty. You're guaranteed one parallel

8:00 numbered card or one auto per set. They're obviously sealed until you open them. And on the fanatics side, they're offering WBC autographed memorabilia. Let's go to some auction sales Heritage. In a recently concluded auction, the T two six Honus Wagner, which was previously owned by former Major League player Joe Gargiola, which was graded an authentic by SGC, brought three point six million dollars. And that's coming off the recent Golden sales of a PSA one Wagner that brought five million.

8:46 So the A brought three point six at Heritage, D one brought five million at Golden. Also in that Heritage sale couple big ticket number ticket item Michael Jordan's the nineteen ninety seven Flaer Ultra Masterpiece one of one, which was grated PSA eight that brought two point one million dollars. The ninety eight version of the same card, the following year's Fleer Ultra Masterpiece one on one, which only got a PSA five, still brought six hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. So some interesting unique and hive dollar price items as always. Right, that's that's not really new. And let's close with a positive story. You know me, I love these positive stories. Nick Barton of Mean Daddy sports Cards out of Maryland is only mean in his business name and what he's been doing. He's a a sports card dealer. He's been eighteen Listen near and dear to my heart. If you know what I do in my day job in special education, he's helping special needs kids attend a card show. You know, if you know anything about you know, special needs kids. Sometimes loud noises, crowds

10:18 give them anxiety and pause to be able to attend a show, let's say, and he's been you know, paying for entrance free tickets, going with them, you know, kind of comfort in them so they can enjoy the show, see what they want to see, maybe pick up some stuff. And I really I read this on Sports Collectors Daily, and you know, we don't talk about these positive good stories enough. So I'm gonna I'm gonna try to reach out to Nick and get them on sports cardination somewhere down the line. But I don't know if Nick listening, but if you are, kudos to you, Nick, and kudos to everybody out there who are doing positive things in the hobby for folks, especially maybe less fortunate folks even more special. So thanks to Nick, and thanks to those of you doing things along those lines and no features.

11:27 All right, let's go to a few questions that have come in via DM email, maybe even direct in person. Obviously I answer these. I don't make people wait till I put out a Q and a episode, but I also asked them, with their permission, can I use your first name and your question and use it for Mike Q and A segments that I do. So we have a few questions. I've actually got some kind of built up, so there'll be a few at ease coming down the turnpike in the future as well. But that being said, please, by all means, we welcome feedback and we welcome your questions for episodes like today. So our first question comes from Andy, who says, I heard your thoughts on hill bidding, on Hobby Hotline and on your own programming. What are your thoughts on individuals like Probstein who has been accused of doing that. Well, I don't know Rick Propstein personally.

12:37 I haven't had him on the podcast. I'd be lying if I probably said that wasn't on purpose, because I would ask a lot of tough questions, and if he reached out to me and said, hey, man, I want to come on and you can ask anything you want, then I would definitely do it. So I don't know him personally. A lot of the stuff I read and have talked to other people in person who you know, are have their finger in the post of the hobby. They believe that he's involved in chill bidding. I can't say that with one hundred percent. I don't think that's fair.

13:17 But I also believe where there's a lot of smoke, there's got to be some sort of fire. I mean, I guess there's exceptions to the rule. You know. I'm not going to rehash my thoughts on chill bidding. I've made them pretty transparent and evident. So if that's what's going on that you know, that is not something I condone. As far as I know, he has a lot of auctions. I don't believe I've ever purchased anything, you know. I do buy quite a few cards online, so I don't want to say I've never you know, was a high bidder on a prosting eBay auction. But I will say this, there's times where there is a card I'm interested in and maybe I see he's the proprietor and it doesn't get saved to my watchless. I'll just go that that far.

14:13 So hopefully that answers your question there. Question number two comes from Kenny. He says, John, I assume you've seen Hoj's state, Ryan Hoj's statement from PSA about future plans for the entities that collectors just acquired. Do you believe him? Well, I mean when you go out there, anyone go out there and say one thing and then another happens. Right, But he didn't have to go on on the PSA podcast, which I'm assuming is widely listened to, right, and make those statements about future enhancements and improvements to SGC and Beckett you know, SCC maybe getting expanded buildings and Beckett, uh, you know, better grading flips and and different things that uh he said. So uh, I'm gonna I'm gonna tend to lean towards that being the truth. You know, a lot of people, let's look at this way. A lot of people thought SGC would be uh defunct by now, I've watched uh and heard a lot of content where people buried SGC and they're still around. I'm still boke uh subbing form now? Could that still happen again? Anything?

15:33 Uh is possible, right, especially more so maybe in the hobby. So but I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. Uh. You know, but I think at the end of the day, right PSA is the number one grading company. They're gonna look out for that first. And I had someone else you know that, I say, hey, man, SGC is still around that locally that said, h you won't be doing this John, And in a in a few months, you know, when they close up shop at SGC. And nice guy. He wasn't being mean, he was just making a prediction. I saw him at a show recently and I was like, hey, still going And he goes, well, I think the only reason you know you're still going is because with the purchase of Beckett now and if they close and the whole Federal Trade Commission monopoly won't look good. And I'm like, what, I don't you know. I didn't get into semantics with him.

16:27 I'm just glad you know SGC is still functioning. I'm still involved. There's still a sponsor of sports Carnation, and you know that's where we are. The biggest change, truthfully, has been much slower turnaround times. That's probably the saddest part, if you will. So I'm gonna give Ryan Hosch the benefit of the doubt that you know he stands behind what he said. All right. Next question comes from Frank kind of funny. Uh, you know, we had just had two serious ones. Let's have a little fun. What do you think as John Manginie as Hobby President? I know, I know John. He's a nice guy. Probably you know, if there was a best dressed guy in the Hobby Award, he definitely would probably win. That won't be me, although I do dress nice sometimes again to give myself some credit, but and I clean up fairly well. John's a great guy, right, who cares about the Hobby's passionate about that? I don't you know a president would you know? I'm sure doesn't pay well, if at all. I'm kidding. I know it doesn't pay and it's just a title. But John's a really good guy, and it's it's a it's a funny you know, it's a funny thing. To do, fun thing to do. And uh so, any any problems you have

18:00 with the hobby, you gotta take it to the top, right to the hobby President. So reach out to John Mungenie and we'll see if the president can solve the hobby first world problems. I kid, don't bug, don't bug. Man Genie's a busy guy as well. But no, I like John. It's funny. I don't think I was on the ballot anyway, so it would be hard pressed to find a better guy who cares about the hobby as much as Man Genie. So all right, let's see next one from Chris who says, uh is fanatics. We'll stay on the funny tip here. I'll read this one is fanatics going to buy your podcasting? Like, no, I have no reach outs from Fanatics or anyone else for that matter about acquiring the podcast. Everything has the price, including myself.

19:03 I'm half kidding there, But funny question. But you know what we do have. Truth be told, we do have a slot or two for potential sponsors. So you could buy a sponsorship slot on our you know, and be on our website and have maybe a commercial airing on our content as well. But no, the show itself is not for sale. And let's get one more from Jesse's Could we lose out? He asked, could we lose out on early buying of Patrick Mahomes? And he didn't put this, but I'm guessing, you know, maybe, you know, not having a Super Bowl ring and the Chiefs not making the playoffs this year, Patrick Mahomes is not the reason for that.

19:55 Patrick Mahomes. You know, if we redrafted the whole NFL, there's a very good possibility that Patrick Mahomes might be the number one overall pick in the current NFL players. So I'm not scared off as far as acquiring some Mahomes cards, even though you know it has it. You know, he's not on that Brady trajectory as much as he was previously. I still believe there's another ringer too in the mix for him. I think he's gonna be I don't want to jinx it, but I think he's gonna be like a lifetime Kansas City Chief with multiple rings, even if he doesn't get another one now. And you know, even in these like this year without the playoffs, I know he got hurt, but when he plays, he generally produces.

20:49 He's not the reason for any kind of stumble or set back. So yeah, my feelings on Mahomes hasn't changing. Look look at it this way, Jesse. You know, not making the playoffs or not winning the Super Bowl title. What happens to cards that fall under those conditions, right? They generally we've seen his prices go down. I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that's a buying opportunity. So did you lose? It's way too early to say you lose. You can lose. I mean maybe if you sell now and you bought earlier, you lost. But I think in the long term it's way too early to panic Patrick Mahomes. And someone has quite a bit of Patrick Mahomes inventory. Some that makes my showcases, some that doesn't.

21:43 I am not panicking as on listen. I don't want him to win a super Bowl. I'm a Steelers fan, so if he wins the super Bowl means the Steelers didn't. But he's that good, you know, it ain't going to be me wishing that he doesn't. That he that he wouldn't. So I have no problems still buying Mahomes. And maybe now's even a better time to buy mahomes because there's gonna be more successes, probably more MVPs along with Super Bowls, including in the regular season, and he's generally a likable guy. There's not gonna be a controversy there. It's probably not gonna be in the Alva plane doing knee ups and knee lips. You know, you don't get that weird factor really from him, So I'm all good with Patrick McK holmes.

22:34 Don't panic, hang in there, you know, hold if you have to hold. But nope, I'm not worry