Inside the Pack: My Least Valuable Card
I wrote last year of my most valuable card — a Steve Carlton autograph with little value on the open market but an enormous amount
Inside the Pack: 2019 Topps Review
The first truly great day of the year arrived last week, as 2019 Topps Series 1 was released. Release day for the flagship Topps product
Inside the Pack: Collector Spotlight on Aarron Minson
Most collectors spend time opening packs. For collector Aarron Minson, his endeavor is finding packs that are still sealed. Minson collects any sealed pack with
Inside the Pack: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Edition
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I always love the opportunity to meld baseball cards with holidays here at Inside the Pack. Fortunately,
Inside the Pack: The Deterioriation of Autographs
Recently, in an online forum I’m a part of, a member was complaining about the quality of the autograph he received of Robelin Lopez. The
Inside the Pack: Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons Revealed
After more than a month of nominations, discussions, and, yes, quite a few arguments, it’s time to reveal the Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry
Inside the Pack: Mount Rushmore Just Missed List
Editor’s note: There will not be a blog post next week. We will continue on January 3 with the big reveal of the four inductees
Inside the Pack: Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons Frontrunners
We are just a few weeks away from the big reveal of the 4 inductees to the Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons. We
Inside the Pack: Criteria the Key to Mount Rushmore
In the discussion about who is deserving to be enshrined on the Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons, an overwhelming number of deserving nominees
Inside the Pack: Do Players Belong on the Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons?
Since announcing the Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons, we have been flooded with responses, nominations, and comments. Of all the commentary I have
Inside the Pack: Mount Rushmore of Sports Card Industry Icons
You’ve heard the rumors, you’ve seen the hype, and now I’m here to confirm the exciting news. You — yes, you — are going to
Inside the Pack: Jim Thorpe Baseball Cards
Thanksgiving is typically a holiday associated with football rather than baseball, but I like to tie in holidays to blog posts here at Inside the
Inside the Pack: World War II-Era Cards
Happy Veterans Day, and thank you to all of you who served. Baseball has long been tied to the armed forces, due to the humongous
Inside the Pack: Buy the Card, Not the Holder
Third-party grading companies like PSA, SGC, and Beckett are run by humans and are therefore inherently subjective. Anyone who has ever looked at two of
Inside the Pack: How to Tell a Counterfeit Card
Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed a good amount of counterfeit cards being passed off as the real deal thanks to a bogus “certificate
Inside the Pack: National Sports Collectors Convention Sets Dates through 2023
Last Thursday, the National Sports Collectors Convention announced that the host cities for 2021, 2022, and 2023 had been decided. For those of us who
Inside the Pack: Major USPS Postage Increases Coming in 2019
Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and USPS price increases each January. The current proposed changes, released last week, are some of
Inside the Pack: The Unglamorous Life of a Baseball Card Show Dealer
When I was a kid, going to a baseball card show was the greatest thing I could possibly do. Walking around the room or a
Inside the Pack: Topps Heritage Enters the 70s
Last week, Topps released mock ups for its 2019 Topps Heritage set. And while I knew it was coming, I was still kind of shocked
Inside the Pack: How to Open a Graded Card Slab
Lots of people get cards graded. However, there are any number of reasons you may want to “ungrade” a card — that is, crack it
Inside the Pack: My Favorite Card of All Time
I have no ties to the New York Yankees. I have no ties to their former captain, Thurman Munson. I wasn’t alive to watch him
Inside the Pack: Baseball and Baseball Cards in the 9/11 Aftermath
Note: I’ve delayed the normal Monday morning entry to Tuesday for this week, in order to post this article on 9/11. Next week’s post will
Inside the Pack: Marvin Miller Labor Day Edition
The man who has singlehandedly done more than anyone in the past half-century to change the game of baseball — and the baseball card hobby
Inside the Pack: Relic Card Fatigue
I’ll never forget my first relic card. It was the year 2000, and relic cards were still fairly rare and exciting. Ebay was small enough
Inside the Pack: 2019 Topps Flagship Design Released
Last week, Topps issued mockups of the design for their flagship product. Many people love it. Many people hate it. Me? I’m torn, with some
Inside the Pack: Collector Spotlight on Steve Masyada
In the 2005 movie Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon plays Ben Wrightman, a Red Sox-obsessed school teacher with a Sox memorabilia collection — and wardrobe —
Inside the Pack: 2018 National in Review
The 39th National Sports Collectors Convention is in the books, and boy, was it a week to remember! The truth is, I’ve come to learn
Inside the Pack: Negotiating 101
In light of the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention, I started thinking about my least favorite aspect of collecting: negotiating. Whether I’m on the buying
Inside the Pack: Tips for Visiting the National Sports Collectors Convention
Next Wednesday, the National Sports Collectors Convention will take place in Cleveland, OH. This year will be my second trip — my first was two
Inside the Pack: When a Collection Meets Its End
This weekend, the online cardboard community got some surprise news: one of the Internet’s most popular supercollectors, Tanner Jones, announced his decision to quit collecting
