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Sunday, August 4, 2019

Recap of the National Sports Collectors Convention

I was able to attend the National Sports Collectors Convention on Saturday and I found some interesting things as I looked at all the tables. If you have not been to the show before I recommend going. Its a cool event and the whole industry is in the building. Here are some key takeaways. 

1. The prospects I saw the most across the tables were: 

Wander Franco (Saw Tons) 
Alec Bohm
Nolan Gorman
Marco Luciano 
Bo Bichette 
Kristian Robinson

Tons of Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuna. Not a ton of Gavin Lux, Alek Thomas etc. Only pitcher I saw was Casey Mize. 

Takeaway: People are starting hold prospects instead of sell them after breaks. The old days are over. An argument against this statement may be because the main goal of the show is to make money but I thought it was interesting. Making money on current MLB stars seems to be a new trend as well. I saw a few people buying a ton of Acuna. 

2. PSA vs BGS. The tide has turned. I saw way more PSA graded prospects than BGS graded prospects. PSA seems to be hotter now and sells for a little more than BGS graded cards. BGS graded cards are still good but PSA is the hotter slab right now despite all the issues with PWCC. 

Takeaway: PSA graded cards are the hot ticket but only buy PSA 10 for a prospect. 

3. Mike Trout is the new long term investment. I saw a few tables with his Topps Update PSA 10. These cards were selling for 1K easy. He is easily the safest investment right now. 

Takeaway: If you can afford it. I would buy one and lock it up. Maybe look into his Bowman Sterling Rookie. The print run is lower.

Hope this helps. The market has changed for sure. Be smart. 

11 comments:

  1. Thanks for this insight. Very interesting take on PSA vs BGS. Would have never imagined that just a few years ago but I've noticed less and less BGS and more PSA on ebay lately. I had two cards- a Nico Hoerner purple auto I pulled out of a pack and a 2011 Bowman Draft Baez auto I pulled years ago (that were both pristine) not come back 9.5 from BGS. I showed them to a local card owner who has an excellent eye and he was shocked. I think people are tired from the inconsistent grading, prices, and long wait times from BGS.

    That really changes my strategy as I used to only get ungraded autos or BGS 9.5. But it looks like focusing on a PSA 10 for prospects is the new way to go.

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    1. No problem Crow. I will also be targeting PSA 10 cards. BGS seems to be falling behind.

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  2. I agree with seeing a lot more prospects under glass. I did notice a number of tables that had Alek Thomas. Hands down Luciano was the most seen. I was really disappointed in asking prices for prospects. Deals did not want to negotiate and it seemed like ebay was a better buy. I only spent 1 day there though.
    Love your site keep up the good work!
    B

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    1. It seems with the National the best day for deals is Sunday. I went on a Saturday and it was tough to do business. I only went one day too.

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    2. Thanks for the kind words B.

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  3. I was there for a day. Luciano was the most common that I saw. I did see a lot of Alek Thomas cards. I was unimpressed by the prices for prospects and ended up spending my money on boxes. Ebay still seemed like a better deal, but I was only there for a single day.
    Love your site! keep up the good work.

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    1. Maybe I should of bought some boxes. I was worried that they may be marked up. I had a good time despite not getting as much as I hoped. Did find some Moniak PSA 10s

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  4. You mention that PSA is hot, does this mean that a PSA 10 Bowman 1st Chrome base of a good prospect could be a solid investment or do you reckon there's only upside in colour/autos?

    Love the blog by the way man, keep doing your thing.

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    1. Thanks Tom. I appreciate the love. PSA 10 Auto is always fine. Color has more upside cause of the limitations (numbered to 99, etc). I still like Base and Refractor. For non auto cards same approach. I have always felt that Blue was the easiest color to move. People have the cash on hand to buy. Unless its a high ranked prospect and the price is through the roof. Hope that helps.

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  5. What are your thoughts on investing on Wander Franco ? Tampa is such a bad market for any player and that's my biggest concern !

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    1. Sorry for the delay. It is also my biggest concern and I would suggest taking profits while he is still in the minors.

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