Episodes

Dec. 2, 2019

102 - Tribute: Denny Eckes

A tribute to my friend and former book publishing partner, Denny Eckes, and his major impacts on our industry, before his untimely passing in 1991.

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Dec. 1, 2019

101G - Card Design Preferences: More Visible Serial Numbers (with Ric…

Rich and I "encourage" the card companies to make the serial numbering of cards more visible, and, in general, more recognizable, without distracting from the aesthetics of the card.

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Dec. 1, 2019

101F - Card Design Preferences: Facsimile Autographs (with Rich Klein)

Rich and I briefly discuss the merits of having a facsimile autograph on the front of the card.

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Dec. 1, 2019

101E - Card Design Preferences: Round Corners (with Rich Klein)

Rich and I discuss the discouraging difficulty of alter-ability of cards with rounded corners.

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Nov. 30, 2019

101D - Card Design Preferences: Second Photo on Front? (with Rich Kle…

Rich and I discuss the merits of having a second, non-duplicitous photo on the front of the card as an additional creative element.

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Nov. 30, 2019

101C - Card Design Preferences: Player Position (with Rich Klein)

Rich and I discuss how prominent the player's position should be on the card, if at all!

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Nov. 30, 2019

101B - Card Design Preferences: Vertical vs. Horizontal? (with Rich K…

Rich and I discuss why vertically oriented cards are more popular and present better in slabs than horizontally designed cards.

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Nov. 30, 2019

101A - Card Design Preferences: Team Names (with Rich Klein)

How prominent should the team name be on the card front. Does the particular sport matter in this consideration?

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Nov. 29, 2019

101 - Card Design Preferences: Size (with Rich Klein)

Rich and I begin a series of episodes discussing our opinions on card design preferences, beginning with a discussion of the now-standard size, 2 1/2" by 3 1/2".

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Nov. 27, 2019

100 - Recap: Podcast Episodes 079-098

I take a look back at the past twenty episodes, adding and clarifying what was talked about, in part based on your feedback. Any feedback can be sent to doctorjamesbeckett@gmail.com - thanks and Happy Thanksgiving to you - no episode …

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Nov. 26, 2019

099 - Origin: Bill Huggins

Sponsor Bill Huggins of Huggins & Scott Auctions joins me for a discussion of his origins within the sports collectibles industry as a collector, dealer, shop owner, and auctioneer - since 1979.

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Nov. 25, 2019

098 - Investment Fallacies: Counter-Example (with Jimmy Fisher)

I sat down with Jimmy Fisher, part-time dealer from Tulsa, at the beginning of the last day (Sunday) of the three-day show here in the Dallas area, and we discussed his collecting journey as well as his dealing philosophies, which …

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Nov. 24, 2019

097B - Investment Fallacies: Profit Maximization?

Counter-instinctively, "Profit Maximization" is not always the best tactic or strategy, especially for long-term success in this hobby/industry. Questions or comments about this or any other episode - please contact me at doctorjamesbeckett@gmail.com

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Nov. 23, 2019

097A - Investment Fallacies: Full-Time Best?

Full-time is not necessarily better or more profitable than part-time when it comes to this hobby/industry.

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Nov. 22, 2019

097 - Investment Fallacies: Supply OR Demand

I make the case that, in this hobby/industry, Demand is more important than Supply!

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Nov. 21, 2019

096 - LCS: Mike Fruitman

Sponsor Mike Fruitman joins for a discussion of what's going on in his local card shop in Aurora, CO, Mike's Stadium Sportscards.

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Nov. 20, 2019

095 - Interview: Topps 2020 Planning (with Emily Kless)

Emily Kless (Topps Communications Manager) lets us in on some of Topps 2020 planning in this phone interview.

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Nov. 19, 2019

094 - Player: Walter Payton (with Dave Sliepka)

We look at HOF running back Walter Payton, Dave Sliepka's favorite football player, and his cards, autographs, and memorabilia.

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Nov. 18, 2019

093 - Then and Now: SCD and Krause Publications (with Kevin Isaacson)

Kevin Isaacson and I have a phone chat (with him in Hawaii!) discussing the "then and now" aspects of SCD and Krause Publications from before Kevin got there in the mid-90's until now.

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Nov. 15, 2019

092 - Then and Now: Wrestling Cards (with Eric Norton)

Eric and I discuss professional wrestling and wrestling cards - when we were kids, up through now.

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Nov. 14, 2019

091 - Investment Fallacies: Buy Low, Sell High

Advice to "Buy Low and Sell High" sounds foolproof but there are counter-examples.

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Nov. 13, 2019

090 - Then and Now: Beckett Card Pricing with Brian Fleischer

Brian Fleischer, Manager of Beckett Media's Card Pricing team and Senior Market Analyst, compares and contrasts the evolution of card pricing processes and technology over the past sixteen years. We discuss the early strong contributors, many of whom ar...

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Nov. 12, 2019

089 - Tribute: Larry and Jeff Fritsch (with Pepper Hastings)

Pepper Hastings and I discuss our visit(s) up to Stevens Point, Wisconsin back in the day to meet with Larry and Jeff about their millions of cards - their setup was truly one of the seven wonders of the collecting …

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Nov. 11, 2019

088 - Origin: Veteran's Day (Lt. Beckett)

My Army officer personal story and how it intersected with my card collecting passion back in the day.

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