Filed under: Beckett Media
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Filed under: Beckett Media
We pride ourselves on high-tech solutions to pricing software and collecting tools. So when Gean Paul Figari starts crunching the files for the upcoming Beckett Almanac book, he uses some Puruvian ingenuity.
To oversimplify, the files have to process continuously to flow the text onto the pages. We are talking about more than 100MB of files. In a world of iTunes and digital photos, this doesn’t seem like much. But we are talking about 100MB of TEXT only (card listings and pricing), NO PHOTOS. Huge, huge text files for the 1,000+ page book.
When left alone, computers go into sleep mode. Gean Paul figured that if he put the mouse on a speaker, played music just loud enough and used a stapler to keep the mouse from sliding off, the vibration from the music keeps the computer “awake.”
Whatever . . . it works. — ph
Filed under: Uncategorized
I was just browsing my checkbook register and realized that on Feb. 28, I filled up my truck for $2.82 a gallon. Today, I paid $3.83. — ph
Filed under: Upper Deck | Tags: Beckett, Clinton, Obama, Sports Cards, Upper Deck
Upper Deck has officially picked a winner in the Democratic race for the 2008 presidential nomination.
This is part of the second series of Presidential Predictor cards. They can be found randomly inserted into packs of 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Series Two. — ph
Filed under: Beckett Media
If you’re out enjoying your freedoms this extended weekend, please remember why.
Filed under: Beckett Media
Here’s the phone call we made yesterday to the lucky winner of the $1,800 in cards drawing for readers of Beckett Sports Card Monthly. Real people do win.
Filed under: Beckett Media
Beckett Behind the Scenes a few minutes ago collected its 200,000th view since Nov. 1, 2007. Coupled with more than 2,500 comments from our readers, Beckett Behind the Scenes is one of the hobby’s most active blogs. Keep those comments coming, and if you want to rip me, you’ve got about a week and a half left. So you’d better hurry. — Pepper Hastings ;-)
Filed under: Beckett Media
We picked a winner — and did a snow angel — in the $1,800 card giveaway extravaganza from Issue #1 of Beckett Sports Card Monthly. Get in on the random fun.
Filed under: Beckett Media
We got it rolling today with a box break new Topps fooball product. Official video is posted on Beckett.com. This is a bootleg behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Beckett box break.
When Asdrubal Cabrera turned major league baseball’s 14th ever unassisted triple play Monday night at Jacobs Field in Cleveland tonight, it was incredible from a memorabilia standpoint that he tossed the ball into the stands on his way to the dugout. No doubt, that created an ugly tussel in the box seats.
Jacobs Field also was site of an ugly incident in Beckett history.
Well, it wasn’t anything heinous. But in 2001 during the Cleveland National, Upper Deck hosted a gathering of hobby glitterati, including some Beckett editors and pricing analysts, in a luxury box at The Jake. UD trotted out hot dogs, drinks and a slew of boxes of products to open. Pack wars prevailed. Gluttony ensued.
Did I mention that we have some passionate collectors who work at Beckett?
Well, the combination of food, people and baseball cards was a bit much for one of our employees in attendance. Former Co-Worker Rich became overly excited, barked at a few people, and eventually spilled hot dog condiments all over a box of cards before he calmed.
His response was, “It’s better to have a food-stained box than food-stained cards.” I guess that makes sense. — ph
For those who attend the Hawaii Trade Conference (Utah Chapter, Mainland Edition, Landlubbers Club), here is a very familiar image: Scott Kelnhofer of F+W Publications, urging on the Meet the Industry presentations.
“Two minutes left, gentlemen, two minutes.”
Greatness, Scott. Greatness.
The guys from RotoWorld.com are here at Beckett HQ today putting the finishing touches on the stats and the Top 250 picks for Fantasy players, all to be published in Beckett Fantasy Football Guide (available in a few weeks).
We’ll be meeting with these guys tomorrow. Who are your Top 3 picks if you were to field a Fantasy Football team for the 2008 NFL season? We’ll pass it on to the experts.
Filed under: Upper Deck | Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Beckett, BGS, Gretzky, rookie card, SP, Sports Cards, Upper Deck
You never know what comes through the door here at Beckett. Today, a guy walks in with 101 A-Rod Rookies graded BGS 9.
Graded card investor Brad Englehart has amassed during the past eight months 101 BGS 9 examples of 1994 SP Alex Rodriguez. (Are you sure there are really 101? Click on the photo and count ’em for yourself.) Some were purchased at shows, some online and some were purchased raw and graded by BGS.
“I think that over the last 10 years, the grading companies have realized what a tough card this really is,” said Englehart, a Florida dealer who was at Beckett HQ on a business visit.
The full story of how Englehart ammassed the collection and what he intends to do with it will be revealed in the next issue of Beckett Baseball magazine and in Beckett Sports Card Collector.
The BGS population report for the card lists 1,137 of the cards graded 9.0 out of 10,324 total cards graded. Just 83 have attained GemMint 9.5 status. There is not currently an example of a BGS Pristine 10.
Englehart says the 101-card collection will stay intact at least until the National Convention in Chicago the last week of July. The card currently sells for around $350-$375 at BGS 9 condition.— ph
Filed under: Upper Deck | Tags: David Duvall, golf cards, sergio garcia, Sports Cards, The Players Championship, Tiger Woods, Upper Deck, Upper Deck golf
Upper Deck thought so highly of yesterday’s The Players winner that it make him the #3 card in its inaugural golf set. Sergio Garcia’s RC drew great interest back in the day. Now, you can buy it for 50 cents . . . or maybe $1 after yesterday. A look back at who UD thought were the top 10 golfers — at least for the pack-out of 2001 UD Golf.
1 Tiger Woods
2 David Duval
3 Sergio Garcia
4 Ian Baker-Finch
5 Joey Sindelar
6 Tim Herron
7 Fred Couples
8 Thomas Bjorn
9 Colin Montgomerie
10 Mark O’Meara
Filed under: Beckett Media | Tags: Beckett, BGS, Concourse Center San Francisco, San Francisco, Sports Cards, sports collectibles, TriStar
TriStar Productions on Friday announced it would not promote the annual San Francisco Labor Day collectibles show in 2008. TriStar will promote the annual February show at the Cow Palace near SFO airport.
Is the downtown show dead for good?
Since the mid-1980s, there has been a regional show on Labor Day weekend in San Francisco. Bob Rose was one of the earliest promoters to recognize that dealers from around the country saw a four-day weekend in San Fran as more of a vacation opportunity than a show grind. Bong Tongol picked up the slack after Rose, then TriStar jumped in and brought the show to the Concourse Center at 8th and Brannan streets, where collectors and dealers did biz for about a decade every Labor Day weekend.
One of the hottest — and I do mean HOTTEST — shows on record happened at the Concourse Center Labor Day 2004. The un-airconditioned building was subject to unseasonable, record 90-plus temperatures for four days. The record highs were up to 20 degrees above normal for that weekend. Dealers baked. BGS booth employees scrapped the corporate uniform for T-shirts. However, the unflappable Steve Garvey sat upstairs in what had to be attic-like 100-degree heat wearing a dress shirt and a tie, signing away for autograph seekers.
Will some local promotor attempt to revive the weekend show? Is it even viable anymore?
Any of you guys out there in attendance at the 2004 broiler? What about the inferno-like temps at the Cleveland “soccer field show” from June 2003? — ph
We found a goodie in the mail today, an early box of 2008 Playoff Prestige football. Product will be in stores May 14. We ripped these 24 packs between games of pong.
Filed under: Beckett Media
We are having a 30-minute conference call with some of our readers about Beckett Sports Card Monthly at 2:30 p.m. Central time today. If you are interested in participating, send me an email at phastings@beckett.com
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