Collector's Corner #2
Top collectible industry news, more from Blake Jamieson, and Caitlin Clark record breaking card
Welcome!
Welcome to Collector’s Corner, your weekly pass to sports collectibles insights. THANK YOU to the over 3,500 (!) subscribers who viewed last week’s edition. We know there is a lot of content out there, so we truly appreciate you being part of this growing community. In this week’s edition, we highlight 5 latest news stories from the past week in our “Fast Five” section, show some really cool pieces from Blake’s collection, and showcase the $78,000 Caitlin Clark card that sold last week!
Have feedback or want to see other elements across the industry incorporated into our weekly newsletter? You can reply directly to this email and we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Let’s dive in!
This newsletter takes ~4 minutes to read
Fast Five
Catch up on the latest news from around the industry
Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. named 2024 Topps Series One cover star; hits retail Feb. 14. (article here)
"It's humbling and crazy to think about [kids getting introduced to the hobby and baseball and seeing me]," Acuña told ESPN via an interpreter. "I never thought someone would want a piece of my jersey or my autograph -- and to think it would be worth money and wanted is even more of a reason for me to try harder each and every day."
Cubs Legend Sammy Sosa appearing at Chicago Sports Spectacular convention (article here)
Sosa, 55, is set to return for what is being labeled as his “first-ever public autograph show appearance” for Chicago Sports Spectacular. The former Major League Baseball right-fielder will appear at the convention the weekend of March 16-17 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
Topps Pauses Fulfilling Wander Franco Redemptions Amid Investigation (article here)’'
In a notice to impacted customers, Topps recently announced that it would be pausing the fulfillment of all Franco redemption cards amid a sexual abuse investigation. While customers are allowed to wait for Franco cards, Topps has offered substitutions or store credit for Topps.com. Replacements will be valued between 200% and 400% of the card’s current market value.
Heritage Auctions Celebrates Its Most Successful Year With Total Sales of $1.76 Billion in 2023 (article here)
Among the many record-setting results achieved by Heritage Auctions in 2023, none looms larger than the one set by the auction house itself. Last year, Heritage reached $1.76 billion in total sales, the highest ever for the 47-year-old company following record-setting years in 2021 and 2022. Heritage experienced an extraordinary 21 percent growth over 2022.
Fanatics Live Announces ‘The Ten’ Chase With $10,000 Credits (article here)
Hunt the Hottest Cards in the Hobby on Fanatics Live, and get rewarded with $10,000 in Fanatics Live credit for big hits. Starting January 24, all Fanatics Live collectors will be eligible to participate in The Ten, an always-on quest to find the ten hottest cards in the hobby.
Blake’s Corner
Did you miss our livestream last week? Here is a clip of some work I did on the stream before sending the item out to auction for all to bid on!
If you missed us last week don’t worry, I will be going live on Whatnot monthly so stay subscribed for more details to come.
In other good news for all my art collectors, I’ve put a handful of select paintings up on Whatnot for sale and it could be yours if you buy now!
For Sale
Derek Jeter Original Painting by Blake Jamieson. This artwork was used to create Topps Project 2020 card. Spray paint on poster board.
Jackie Robinson Original Topps Card Art by Blake Jamieson
This artwork was used to create Topps Project 2020 card. Spray paint on poster board.
Also from Blake…
RECENT WORK
Check out some sports portraits I made for a few clients recently.
Recent Commission for Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys
Are you interested in a commission? I’ve opened up 3 spots in February so click the link before it gets filled!
Click the link below and put in your information and we’ll get back to you shortly.
Showcase of the Week
Caitlin Clark 2022 Bowman University Superfractor Rookie Auto DNA 10 1/1 #50 PSA 10
CAITLIN CLARK QUICKLY CRUSHES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CARD RECORD
From @PWCCmarketplace
“Clark’s 2022 Bowman University Superfractor Rookie Auto DNA 10 1/1 #50 PSA 10 set a record for the most expensive publicly sold women's basketball card of all time when it netted $78,000 in the PWCC January Premier Auction (payment pending). OThe New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu became the first WNBA player to have a trading card publicly sell for five figures when a copy of her 2020 Panini Prizm WNBA Black Gold rookie sold for $10,800. That mark was broken by a Diana Taurasi 2004 Ultra Platinum Medallion rookie a few months later.”
The all-time record for a women’s card is this Serena Williams card that sold for $266,400 in May 2022. Do you think this card is worth the price? Will it’s value go up or down over the next 5 years? Reply directly to this newsletter and give us your thoughts!
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