Sports Card Publications

[JollyElm]

I don't want to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I have probably become the world's foremost 'expert' on 1962 Topps Green Tints. Over the years I've logged countless hours researching the GT set, from the ever so slight differences in the cropping of the photographs to the specific woodgrain patterns used in that series. I can now say with complete certainty that there are precisely 88 cards in this subset and I have solved many of its mysteries, including the 'Reniff conundrum' and the 'checklist enigmas,' as I have humorously come to call them.

It's too much to go into here, and I'm honestly not even sure there are too many people who even care about this set of variations (based on the virtual zero interest in my many posts seeking GT traders in the B/S/T), but I want to publish my findings in a sports card publication for everybody's edification. This would include my breakdown of the woodgrain usage as well as an official checklist for the series.

Many people have seen screenshots of pages from my 'Official 1962 Topps Green Tints Guide' here and there in various threads regarding the GT's. It details the specific 'tells' of both version of the cards, making it simple as pie to instantly tell the difference between the two. I was in contact with PSA about it, sending them samples and what not, because I know they can use it due to the excessive number of cards mislabeled by their organization. They have shown great interest in the guide.

I was also exchanging e-mails with Tom Bartsch at SCD about my research and my guide, but I haven't heard from him in a very long time, so I assume that avenue has dried up. Does anyone know of any other publications that I could approach with this project? For vintage collectors, this is actually pretty damn cool, because I've cleared up the issues regarding the specifics of the set and I want to publish my results!!

Anyone have any advice and/or information for me??

Thanks!!

[ALR-bishop]

I told Bartsch that I thought it would a great item for SCD to publish, and a big aid to the grading companies. Don't give up on him. When Carlton was trying to get his Milton Bradley article published by SCD it seemed to take forever to get it scheduled

[DaClyde]

Start a blog. The sports card publications are all dead or dying. Don't waste the effort on a publisher trying to edit and control your work only for a couple dozen people to get to read it. That's my $0.02.

[toppcat]

Publish it yourself via lulu or Amazon. .Or maybe Lyman would want it for Old Cardboard if it's article length?

[brian1961]

Hey JollyElm,

My advice to you is to give Tom Bartsch a buzz at his office. His platter is awful full these days and your email may have accidentally dropped from his memory. He's a very nice family man and truly cares about the hobby.

Moreover, the print publications are not all dead. I don't consider a subscriber number just shy of ten thousand dead. True, it was once over twice that. By the same token, the amount of good threads here and the number of avid, serious respondents has dived a bit over the last few years. In no way is that Leon's fault; it is very much up to us to help the hobby continue to thrive.

That said, Tom Bartsch may be reached at 1-800-726-9966, extention 13815. I sincerely hope it goes well for you, bro.

How well I remember the spring of '62. Upon peeling open my first few second series Topps wax packs, the Babe Ruth Special cards were so cool, but I was hot about those green tints--"What's this ugly green? Hey, somebody messed up here. I don't like these cards." Make sure you put a loud, bratty whine in your voice when you say the first and last sentence of my brief vignette. Just as Curly remarked to Moe's insistence that he eat his spinach in the 1941 3 Stooges classic, "All the World's A Stooge".

---Brian Powell

[Rich Klein]

Moreover, the print publications are not all dead. I don't consider a subscriber number just shy of ten thousand dead. True, it was once over twice that. By the same token, the amount of good threads here and the number of avid, serious respondents has dived a bit over the last few years. In no way is that Leon's fault; it is very much up to us to help the hobby continue to thrive.

Actually SCD's subs base was nearly 40K at it's peak. Just an FYI

[DaClyde]

Despite a 10k and falling subscriber base, once that particular issue has come and gone, the story is lost somewhere on paper )or buried behind a paywall for the electronic copy), and anyone who missed the issue is basically out of luck. Or maybe do both. I guess it depends on the restrictions placed on you when/if they accept your work for publishing. Shocking though the thought is to me, there is still a significant portion of old school collectors who haven't found the Internet. I'm not anti-print, I just think it is a fast way for a story to disappear after the monthly issue has passed.

[brian1961]

OK, so I was off more than "a bit" regarding the high point of SCD's subscriber base. The entire landscape of the print media has been changing, mightily, since I don't know, Y2K.

I recognize that I am a 60-year-old dinosaur. I am very glad that I subscribed to SCD when I did, particularly when I consider some of the interesting articles I might have missed. At this point, I am no longer a subscriber. When I way laid off from my job years ago, I chose not to renew my subscription.

Fortunately, freelance contributor George Vrechek has put some of his best stuff on the Net. His feature articles on pioneers Buck Barker, Lionel Carter, and Bruce Yeko should not be missed by anyone who is a serious student of this hobby.

A striking attitude among people immersed in the wired world is that they expect and insist that others, no matter how gray, come up to their wired world to meet them, lest they be ignored, ridiculed, and downright despised. I was very slow at adapting, and by no means have completed the transition. My point however is that us dinosaurs have much hobby knowledge, and some wonderful collections. We work with people who will treat us with dignity, respect, and show some good manners. Treat us with smug contempt and we tend to shut up tight as an oyster, and you'll get nothing from us.

I recently read a Yahoo News segment (we don't subscribe to the major area newspaper, either) that New York City human resource personnel are at their wit's end because so few of their job applicants are able to carry on an intelligent conversation. Nor do they seem capable of articulating their thoughts well on a job application, be it written or on-line.

Returning to the atmosphere of our little hobby, I'm rather certain your prepared article on the 1962 Topps "Green Tints" would find an eager audience among the several thousand subscribers of SCD. I'm sure they'd be delighted with it. Moreover, since you're free-lancing anyway, you are most free to publish via Lulu and Amazon as well. It might be so good that one of the SCD subscribers may just decide to get their grandchild to help them get on Amazon, set up an account, and purchase your work! Now wouldn't that be something.

Of course, you'll have to very carefully express to your SCD readers exactly how they may obtain the breadth of your work, but if you can somehow keep in mind the discussed fact that many of us gray-haired do not normally use the Net, you'll do fine. It's all about good communication and thoughtfulness.

Have a great week, guys. ----Brian Powell

[ALR-bishop]

Hey Brian--I still subscribe to SCD...and I am older than you . They have some very good articles from time to time. I especially like those by George Vrechek, another variation guy . Olbermann has had a great series in SCD on Topps proofs and an article on the 3 D set. And Carlton Miller's recent article on the 68 3D set was great.

I save those articles related to sets I have and put them in their associated binders. But I am glad most are also available on line these days for easy access and sending them to others.

The blogs by Dave Hornish and Bob Lemke , who both post here, are great hobby resources, and widely used. The Fleer Sticker Blog project is also great resource if you are a Fleer collector


Heck, I still get three newspapers every day, even though I know most folks now get their news on line.

Darren's article/guide would be a great hobby resource and hopefully SCD and or other publications will help get it out there and on line as well. I put together my 62 set, including the green tints, years ago, but remember it as a slow slog. Darren's guide would be a big advantage to both collector's and grading companies. I have used his several posts of portions of it here to double check my own set

[Leon]

I would skip the SCD and go to Lyman at OldCardboard. They still do a good vintage magazine and are always looking for good research articles. Good luck.

[Volod]

If the goal is to find the largest audience, I think Jason makes a good point about the ephemeral nature of print articles versus a blog. It also seems that the cloak of "authoritativeness" that attaches to publication, as opposed to the more open and accessible quality of a webpage, is diminishing each year with the changing attitudes of the public. Hell, a decade or two from now, all mass communication might be electronic, and most of it might be limited to audio because the masses find reading and writing tiresome and antiquated.

[ALR-bishop]

Can not argue with any of this, but these are variations, and if you want variations officially recognized in the hobby today from a value standpoint it helps if they are listed in SCD, Beckett or The Registry, and the Registry seems to take it's cue from SCD and Beckets....for good or bad. Whatever it's readership ( many of it's articles are on line), it is still a good venue for an article like this. But if they won't move on it, I agree Darren needs another avenue to get it out there