Should I subscribe to SCD again?
 

I used to subscribe to SCD for years when it was a much better magazine than it is as I last remember. The last couple times I got it, it became paper thin, came out weekly, and had literally just wasted away. I could make paper airplanes out of each one.
I preferred it best when it was a bi weekly issue and a lot thicker. I know that the internet had a lot to do with it but am just curious if anyone here still gets it and can share some input on it?
I haven't renewed a subscription in years and was recently thinking about doing so. What are your thoughts?
I appreciate any and all comments!
Thanks again,
Rick

Scd
 

I get it. It will never be what it was. One reason it is smaller is there is much less advertising. Like print media in general the internet in undermining it. I get it because they sometimes have good articles on Topps sets and general hobby updates. I am glad I get it but do not highly recommend it

Thanks a lot Al! I may end up getting it again after all.

I don't recommend subscribing. It is very poorly written and full of empty articles.

I canceled about five years ago while SCD was still carrying 10-page spreads for the Coaches Corner auction house, which somehow managed to come up with a Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig autographed baseball for sale every month. Those balls would sell for about $350.

Beyond that, I found the magazine to be way too cozy with advertisers in the industry it purportedly covered. The magazine portrayed Bill Mastro (now facing jail) as a God among Gods and every third "news" article was a puff piece about No. 1 advertiser Mr. Mint Alan Rosen.

Made me want to retch.

I appreciate all the comments guys. Seems there has been no improvement.
Rick

Yes the Internet is the main cause for the near collapse of the SCD but other collectibles such as coin collecting publications faced the same fate. However, Coin World seems to be doing quite well. It was changed to a full color magazine and has about 200 pages of interesting news, articles, columns, advertisements and price and show guides monthly.

As with any business - good management is the difference.

Several years ago I was a subscriber. I had gotten married and let the subscription lapse since I had no money at that point anyway. About a year ago, I signed up for it again. When the first issue arrived, I thought the other half must surely be arriving the next day! It was/is a shell of what it once was. Other posters have already explained how digital and web based opportunities have diminished it. Honestly, there isn't much in there these days outside of numerous advertisements. The auctions they advertise are often for crazy high dollar stuff. Every now and then, there might be an article that interests me but not very often. I have known for a while that I need to cancel, but I just haven't yet. This is partly because I have some good memories associated with receiving SCD and tearing through it and enjoying it. I also remember a buddy of mine spending a bunch of dough on Coaches Corner auctions...not exactly a solid investment. . Anyway, I will most likely cancel. I can't recommend it to anyone.

This thread certainly rings true. It is just a shell of what it once was. They used to have writers like "Red" Wimmer and the like who actually "knew" the hobby and shared a lot of pertinent knowledge with the rest of us.
Now your just as likely to read about the death of somebody's pet gerbil as anything related to sportscards. A total waste.

Yeah it appears to me that there isn't any improvement. I guess I was just hoping for too much.
Rick

One of my favorite writers was Dan Even who gave updates on the team issued postcard sets each year. I followed his advice and would send whatever seemed to work for him.

I wonder what ever happened to Dan?

I wonder what happened to Red Wimmer?

Dan still publishes a quarterly(?) newsletter on team-issues, postcards, etc.

He may have gone all digital recently.

I no longer have contact information but he should be able to be found with a google serach.

Scd
 

I mentioned earlier that while I do not recommend it to others, I still get it. The most recent issue, May 16, has articles on the Topps 1967 high number series, players who had both baseball and basketball careers/cards, and players identified in a dealer poll about future investment potential.

I saw Dan Even at the last Baltimore National in 2012, not sure if he was in Chicago last year.

Dan had some medical issues a few years back but was doing much better in recent years. His wife is part of the National Convention Committee so he still sets up each year

as for SCD, you can read many of their articles through their on-line newsletter which I recommend signing up for.

Rich

Rick, like you, I haven't renewed my SCD subscription in many years, nor do intend to again. But, I do have fond memories of what SCD was back in the 1980's and 1990's! If you are into pre-WWII cards, the pub you want to subscribe to is Old Cardboard. I wish there were a pub comparable to OC for post-WWII cards - or, better yet, that OC would expand to include post-WWII cards, which should enable OC to return to being a quarterly pub, which it was in its early years, instead of the semi-annual pub that it is now.
Val

Dan will be at the National in Atlantic City next week, although for the first time in many years he won't have a table.
His email is: jmeven@yahoo.com

Yesterday I received my latest issue of SPORTS COLLECTORS DIGEST. It was the National Convention issue, traditionally their biggest of the year. It was a whopper---100 pages. Full of good articles---on the 1950 Philadelphia Phillie Whiz Kids, Connie Mack, 50-60s star and original Met Frank Thomas, a nice Bob Lemke piece, a National Convention article, Tristar Productions and the more than 130 autograph signers they're gonna have at the National, part one of a two-part article by George Vrechek on 70s collecting, where he interviewed Jeff Escue, a former collector who avidly pursued the hobby at the time (lots of other well-known 70s collectors are woven in--an absolutely delightful article), and a nice excerpt of my own book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. Stunning major auction house ads, and more.

Ten years ago, SCD's National issue wasn't anywhere as long. They're doing really well, considering they can't have the extra 200 pages worth of ads now to be found in eBay, and a few other places.

I recently spoke with Tom Bartsch and he said they'll be giving out the National Convention issue at the show. If you're planning to attend, stop by their booth. This definitely is an issue you won't want to miss!

As for "should I subscribe to SCD again?"

A resounding, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

---Brian Powell

Overall, I have to agree with the above.

I got it until about four years ago. Then I woke up to how the articles were interwoven. Much to the concern of their advertisers.

No, not for me.

Much has changed in the hobby and SPORTS COLLECTORS DIGEST since four years ago. All Coaches Corner advertising is long gone. T. S. O'Connell is long gone. Alan Rosen is now gone from SCD. The magazine never shied away from reporting the investigation and conviction of Bill Mastro. It is not illegal nor unethical to try to back your advertisers, though I do not recall that SCD ran articles lauding Coaches Corner. When it finally became known they were selling bogus memorabilia, they were dropped, period.

SPORTS COLLECTORS DIGEST has essentially had to reinvent themselves almost several times in this swiftly changing hobby world. As under-staffed as they are, they are doing rather well, and the free-lance articles keep coming, with many of them being pertinent and very worthwhile reading.

If you choose not to forgive them for past transgressions, that's your choice. I hope you're as tough on yourself as you are on them. If you won't give them another chance, maybe that's just as well---for you and them.

Me? I'm sticking by them! I like what I'm seeing and reading!:D ---Brian Powell

Scd
 

I posted when this thread started that I still get it and enjoy some of the articles, particularly by Lemke and Vrechek.

But a couple issues back they ran a rather long article by some guy ( do not remember name) who gave a lengthy opinion about why two bats thought in the hobby to be genuine, the bat used by Ruth to hit the first home run in Yankee stadium and a bat used by DiMaggio during the hitting streak, were likely not genuine. I know nothing about bats other than what I learned at the Louisville Slugger bat museum, and do not collect them. But I found the article interesting

In the next issue Bartsch had a very short note saying he had failed to adequately fact check the article and author. Nothing more about what he had discovered wrong with the multi page article/analysis. Pretty disappointing. In his defense I think his resources are slim there these days.

I was a long time subscriber for many years through the mid 1990's, but let my subscription stop. I have decided to subscribe again recently, since it was very affordable. Obviously, it is not as good as it had been, but I find it a somewhat (a little) useful nowadays.

Funny the topic has come up as I had been considering the same question. I had been a subscriber from 1980 up until just about 4 or 5 years ago myself. Seems others did the same thing at about the same time. I had been, as you always do from Krause, getting the letters in the mail to give them another chance. I really wish there was a way to return it to some of the old glory. I used to read that cover to cover, every issue, from the time I was 11 years old. We need a good old hobby magazine back in fashion.


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Until there are enough advertisers to go back to print, then SCD will never be what it was. And if you are a big dealer, why advertise there when your customers are buying on line.

Advertising on on-line sites such as this is a much better value for most dealers.

And, I receive many of the articles via email so I don't feel as if I'm missing anything

Rich

Yes I made a mistake. It occurs. I did them for years and did not as well as I could have on that one. Unlike some people, I do admit my errors

I also need to add, this SCD referred to in this thread is Sports Collectors Digest, the SCD being referred to in the previous comment is Sports Collectors Daily (a net 54 Advertiser BTW)

Rich

[QUOTE=Rich Klein;1567672]Until there are enough advertisers to go back to print, then SCD will never be what it was.

THAT IS TRUE, RICH, BUT SPORTS COLLECTORS DIGEST KNOWS THE 200 PAGES OF CARD LISTINGS FLEW AWAY TO EBAY FOR GOOD A LONG TIME AGO.

And if you are a big dealer (OR AUCTION HOUSE), why advertise there when your customers are buying on line.

I WOULD IMAGINE THERE ARE STILL SOME MASSIVE, LUCRATIVE COLLECTIONS RESIDING AMONG THE 8,000 SCD SUBSCRIBERS. IT WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THOSE DEALERS AND AUCTION HOUSES TO ADVERTISE ABOUT BUYING COLLECTIONS OR WHY SAID COLLECTOR SHOULD CONSIGN THEIR COLLECTION WITH THEM...

Advertising on on-line sites such as this is a much better value for most dealers.

And, I receive many of the articles via email so I don't feel as if I'm missing anything

YOU'RE MOSTLY RIGHT, RICH, THOUGH SOMETIMES I GET WIND OF AN ARTICLE THAT I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE DEVOURED, AND IT'S LONG GONE. NOT EVERY SCD FEATURE WINDS UP ON THEIR WEB SITE. GEORGE VRECHEK GRACIOUSLY ALLOWS US TO SEE HIS WONDERFUL PIECES ON HIS OWN WEB SITE. AGAIN, SOME OF THOSE FREE LANCE ARTICLES ARE SOLELY ON AN SCD.

I WORKED LONG AND HARD ON A RON SANTO FEATURE SCD LIKED ENOUGH TO RUN IN THEIR 2012 NATIONAL ISSUE. EVEN GOT A COUPLE EMAILS OF APPRECIATION FROM READERS. NOT SURE HOW I COULD USE IT AGAIN--IT'S TOO LONG FOR SPORTS COLLECTORS DAILY. MY POINT IS SIMPLY THAT THE SANTO ARTICLE WAS EXPRESSLY FOR SCD.

RICH, HOPE YOUR GOOD WIFE IS IMPROVING, AND I SEND YOU BOTH MY BEST REGARDS. TAKE CARE, RICH. I MISS YOUR ARTICLES, BRO!!:) ---BRIAN POWELL

Brian, do you have a link to Vrechek's site?
Thanks!
--elm

Vrechek
 

Darren-- George puts his email contact in all his articles. vrechek@ameritech.net.

I have corresponded with him and a small group of other collectors about variations for some time. He is pretty good at answering inquiries about his articles or hobby issues.

I'm looking for the website Brian referenced.

ELM --Sorry, I cannot remember now how I found them on the web. I lazily assumed he had his own web site. Perhaps one does not exist. I just recall seeing some of his great stuff on the web. The OBC site has the one on Lionel Carter.

When I have heard he did a piece on, let's say, Bob Solon, and I wasn't taking SCD at the time, I typed his name and Bob Solon on the web. It came up, via the OBC site. I just did it. Looks like there may be some of his other pieces there---Buck Barker, Irv Lerner, Bruce Yeko, and several others.

Excellent reading.

I apologize for misleading you. Hope this helps, bro. ---Brian Powell

Ha ha. Misleading. The next knock on your door you hear will be the authorities coming to take you away and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law!!!

Vrechek
 

His SCD articles do appear on line. I can usually find them by a search for
"Vrecheck SCD".

Many of the SCD articles can be picked up with a similar search by author's name. I think Lemke's articles show up on his blog pages. I still like getting the magazine, otherwise I often would be unaware of the articles to begin with. Plus as an old guy I still like to read something in hand rather than on line. I am an unwanted demographic among marketers :-)

While I am a big fan of yours, Brian, I believe this statement to be factually untrue. SCD took Coaches Corner's money for years AFter they had been exposed as a fraudulent business. It was years.....A lot of people really got turned off by that. We talked about their ads for YEARS on this board and nothing was done about not letting them advertise.

I sit corrected, Leon. Maybe it's time I read more, and shut up more. I would sure like to sell more books, however!:rolleyes:

Thanks for letting me down easy, bro. ---Brian Powell

As a matter of fact, this board truly helped to eradicate CC from SCD. When F&W realized the PR Debacle with a big group of vintage collectors, they knew the money CC was giving them was not worth the outrage from this community.

Rich

Rich, I wonder if the Coach's Corner controversy and eradication of said firm had anything to do with T. S. O'Connell's departure from SCD.

As Al Richter pointed out, current SCD editor Tom Bartsch has very few resources to turn to, on top of having to undertake extreme multi-tasking at the magazine. I'm very proud of Tom Bartsch and the hard work he does at SCD. ---Brian Powell

Brian:

I don't even want to venture on that -- that is between TS and F & W and that information can stay private

However, what is without question is Tom B has a brutally tough job in both editing SCD and being responsible for the Standard Catalog (even if just Vintage and even if not much is being changed).

We have communicated a couple of times when I sent him my show listings and he is always professional and helpful and as I explained -- with Beckett I can list my shows on line and they can basically go right in. For F&W the process is more cumbersome and some easily done technological work can help in that

Rich

Best wishes Rich. ---Brian Powell

SCD articles now predominantly cover 1950s to 2000's sports subjects undoubtedly matching their major readership desirers. A change from the more dominate vintage subjects of the early SCD editions. My article on Sporting Life Cabinets appears in the current National issue, one month short of two years between submission and publication.

In the latest issue their editor Bartsch announced he is leaving. Will it keep going and if so with whom at the helm