Over the past few months, I’ve been reading the new Beckett and my anger has been building up. Over the next few days, I am going to break down what I hate about what Beckett has become. The first section I’d like to address is the great pull section.
As the “boxes” of wax have begun to skyrocket, and I quote boxes, because some of these so called boxes are really just one pack, I have noticed that the great pulls section has boasted more and more of these premium items. I don’t know about you, but my car payment is about $350, I just can’t justify buying a box that costs as much as my car payment. I can’t even justify half of that.
I realize that the prices have gone up for everything related to the card business. You have the ink, the card stock, the production prices and the licensing. You know what, it’s not cheap, I get that. Look at it from our perspective, a box of UD Black runs about $175 and you get 2 packs of 1 card each. The average Joe is going to pull two $40 cards. Meaning the average person is going to lose $95 everytime he buys a box. I don’t get it? I don’t understand how anyone can want to throw down half a car payment and get about half of their money back on cards.
The last issue was almost all pulls from $200 + packs, to me that is a kick in the jaw! A great pull is going to Walmart and opening up a pack of cards from a blaster box or a blister pack and hitting a 1 in 15,000 pack hit. It’s not buying a $90 pack of cards that are guaranteed, an autographed piece of game used, when your odds of hitting it are 1:1 pack. That is not a great hit. No pulling a Manny Ramirez World Series autograph from a Topps 2008 series one box bought at Target or Walmart, not that’s a great hit.
Also, and this has been bothering me ever since Beckett added this section years and years ago, why do the pictures have the hobby shop owner in there? He didn’t get the hit, he might have sold the box, but really he is just a middleman. To see his happy smiling face, kills me because of two reasons. He is grinning ear to ear because he now has a customer for life and since that customer is playing with “house money” he is going to spend even more money than he originally wanted to because he is on a baseball pack high. think about it though if you bought a pack from Manny’s Card Emporium and nailed a Babe Ruth autograph, you tail would be there weekly hoping to get that next high. So when you see that smiling hobby shop owner’s face, realize the windfall he is going to be getting from this collector in order for them to get thier next baseball card high.
Finally, why in the world would I care about what the people from the Beckett Forum thought about the hit, all I care about is how much the card is worth, the odds in hitting it, the price paid for the box or pack, the guy’s name and address, you know so he can get robbed (dumbest thing ever in my opinion). I could care less what Bob from Sheboygan thinks about the card. I don’t even care about how many big hits the hobby store has seen. Make it short and sweet and let’s see the people, not the card. After all their baseball high looks always make me laugh.
Sorry there haven’t been any posts the last 2 days, I’ve had a stomach bug that has had me lurking around the base of the toilet for 2 days. Finally had some buttered toast this morning and I feel halfway decent. The weather down here sucks it’s been almost a 100 with 95% humidity for 5 straight days now, with now rain, so I’m sure that had something to do with it. As far as Operation Topps goes, I will get another review on later today or tomorrow morning. Also I bought a ton of new autographs over the past few weeks that I can’t wait to share with you, keep in mind these are the 1 cent to 2 dollar variety, but still, not too shabby. Have a great Sunday and see you all bright eyed and bushy tailed on Monday!
I’m not a big fan of that either. My local card shop, with a great owner, doesn’t get a huge amount of business. A customer pulled a Babe Ruth card. It was featured in our local paper and the owner of RBI Sport Cards, Tony, sent in the story to Beckett. It’s a great way to showcase great pulls and give exposure to good card shops.
Most of it is just showboating, but occasionally it works out for all parties.
I never want to spend much on a box, only because the products are so freaking diluted these days. I think you are 100% correct here, although I would love to see half the magazine torn out and replaced with articles from real collectors. I wont support beckett either way after all the crap they pull, but at least someone would get some recognition.
Man you are dead on with this post. I’ve bought 4 blaster boxes of Bowman Football from Target. I pulled two autographs out of them (nobody special) and 3 numbered parallels. For me, I was cloud nine. I spent $80 for 4 boxes, not intending to make any money (and won’t) but not only beating the odds, flat out killing them.
i loved this article maybe the best you’ve ever written, part 2 is good as well, i hate Beckett so much.