Encore! Bitcoin Meets Baseball Cards: A Cryptocurrency Love Story


The Impact of Cryptocurrency on the Collectibles Market... 
(ORIGINALLY POSTED 12/22/2017. DUE TO MULTIPLE REQUESTS TO
RE-POST THIS BLOG ARTICLE, WE HAVE REMASTERED
IT AND SENT OUT THIS UPDATED VERSION) 

Hi Folks,

    For the sake of this discussion, I’ll assume you have some understanding of what Bitcoin is (a Cryptocurrency), or at least that it has become a popular new payment method

   The Hobby and Collectibles sub-category used to be the largest component of its parent category, the Antiques market Category. In decades past, people from all different walks of life compulsively accumulated large quantities of Antique collectibles. Baseball cards, sports cards, Pokémon cards, U.S Coins, and Comic Books (Sounds all too familiar for me!!). The market had been super-saturated first with collectors-turned-vendors, and then came the over-saturation by moonshot figures of overproduced products. The “Big Boom” of this ‘era’ ran between 1986-1993. During that time in the early 90’s, housewives covered their home furniture with Hummel miniature figurines, antiques and a variety of other shelf-sitters.  Their husbands collected U.S. Coins, vintage toys, and stamps.  Their daughters turned their rooms into shrines to porcelain horse figurines or seashells while their young sons avidly hoarded baseball cards, marbles, Pokémon cardsComic Books, or G.I. Joe action figures.

   There was a push and shove in the market as time went by, and the faith and love in the Hobby and Collectibles sub-category began to wane, in part, due to the result of over-production and dissatisfaction with where prices had gone (more commonly, prices had not appreciated due to excessive production). People held firm to their pride and refused to settle for less than what they wanted in terms of specifically needed items. Another issue was that folks naturally want things done yesterday, and quite often, desired items were almost never in the locations where they were needed. Stores with antique collectibles that were sought after by many individuals were not being found, as many shops had little or no publicity and even those with some publicity were confronting other issues occurring in a flooded market with wide distribution, namely, lack of trust.

   “What could make our market soar again?” folks wondered. Even the big boys in the market were losing, as a result of the fog of this era, due to the way things were going. So what was the way forward they pondered? Many ideas were put forward , all in a bid to awaken the somber giant. Some ideas were simple, like to slash production and offer more exclusive sets. Some examples during this time was the Topps Tiffany elite glossy offering, which was mimicked by Fleer on one level and by Score on a similar level. The increasing use of the Internet was a shot in the arm for the collectibles industry and the ability to find what you need wherever it is located. Some other ideas were more forward-looking, and ideas began brewing and had not truly percolated until many, many years later.

Then came Cryptocurrency:

   Out of these days, there was a need for something more substantial and wide-spread and effective.  Cryptocurrency, or for example, Bitcoin (or BTC, which is the most popular of all Cryptocurrencies), had a slow start. In it’s infancy, you could barely buy a snack using BTC, even as it boasted back then to already be what it is popularly known as today, which is “the universal currency”. In the present day, Cryptocurrency boasts the most reliable, fastest and efficient way to make payment and receive your items.

   The interesting thing is that ever since its inception, there has not been one breach in the servers nor any incidents with unforeseen circumstances occurring, which would have forced many of us to think of Bitcoin as unsafe. Based on the topic at hand, public domain blocks are created for companies with strict registration patterns which can always be trusted, placing them in a position where they can not only be seen by the general market,  but also trusted by all that see them.

   Building on this, there are very impressive developments, with some major players now accepting Bitcoin, for example, Overstock, Expedia, and Dish, are among many other retailers being added daily. This has started to catch the attention of some major players in the collectibles/hobbies sub-market, and they have started following the same path. The results have been stunning in terms of their profit, ability to bring on more staff, and the new-found trust of customers, as well as the influx of customers strictly preferring to use Cryptocurrency.

   The result? The collectibles market is once again rising to its rightful place in the world markets, again, with the help of Cryptocurrency at the foundation of it all. Many of us in the same line of business, seeing the trust and the exciting positive outcomes stemming from accepting payments in Cryptocurrency, began looking into the feasibility of implementing it as another option/form of payment. 

   This brings us to an exciting moment for us, where we are officially sharing our own Cryptocurrency news:


   We here at CardboardandCoins.com are glad to announce that we have decided to adopt Cryptocurrency as a form of payment, with an option to use Coinbase or some other method, directly to our Paxful Wallet. We already accept PayPal, Amazon Payments, Credit Cards, and various other payment methods, in addition to Bitcoin (we are amenable to even accepting Ripple coin/XRP and a few other Cryptocurrencies...just ask). Remember, in addition to any coupons you use on our site, you still get 5% off additional when using Bitcoins/Cryptocurrency.

  How do you pay for your order using Bitcoin? When you arrive at checkout, look for the payment option titled,
"*** BitCoin Accepted *** (with a 5% price discount!!)"

  From there, it's just 3 Simple Steps to easily make a payment securely and instantly using Bitcoin (BTC)...

Step 1: Remit Payment for the cart amount, less 5% discount, to our Paxful BitCoin Wallet (address provided at checkout screen).

Step 2: E-mail us at info @ cardboardandcoins.com with your reference #, the items you purchased, and any discount codes you have used.

Step 3: We confirm payment, securely pack your order, and Ship your items. It's that simple!

   We've always had the pleasure of offering you the best of everything in the collectibles market, and are providing you with the platform of not only viewing what you desire, but also paying for it with no worries or concerns about the payment used, as the Bitcoin option is now live and working on our site during checkout. Now you can get all you've ever wanted for the right price and at the right time, all in one place. So don’t let anything hold you back from getting the collectible items that you love, whether it’s baseball cards, sports cards, Pokemon Cards, U.S. Coins, or Comic Books…it’s all accessible at your fingertips and on your own terms!!


REMEMBER:
Have a great week, enjoy, and be safe!!

Many thanks and Regards,
Your friends at CardboardandCoins.com

CardboardandCoins.com - From Baseball Cards
to Wheat Cents, and everything in-between.

* * * * * * * * * * *
FREE U.S. Shipping Always
NO Minimum Order Size
www.CardboardandCoins.com



Tags:

bitcoin, btc, cryptocurrency, hobbies, collectibles, baseball cards, ripple, currency, coins, pokemon, comic books, doge, dogecoin

#bitcoin #btc #cryptocurrency #hobbies #collectibles #baseballcards #ripple #currency #coins #pokemon #comicbooks #dogecoin #doge


1975 Topps Mini Baseball Cards; Flawed, Scarce...& Enamored by Collectors




 

  




Hi Folks,
   Today, we are going to take a fun ride together back to 1975, no bell-bottoms or disco ball required! To that, I promise!

   What started out as a test across a few states, grew into a cult-like following, with popularity among investors that has spiked of late.

   It was literally a carbon copy of the main set, but the cards were approximately 20% the size of the mother/base set.
 
   What cards am talking about? The 1975 Topps Mini Baseball Card Set, of course!!

   Some notable cards stand out on the lips of any baseball card collector when they hear the words "1975 Topps Mini" uttered, and their thoughts sway to the mini George Brett and Robin Yount Rookie Cards. That's followed with a chaser of Jim Rice, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, and the Hank Aaron cards that start and end the set, in light of his major Home Run milestone accomplishment of passing Babe Ruth on the All-Time Home Run Leaders list in 1974.

   These scarce cards are tough finds to begin with, and even more-so in mint condition, because, similar to the 1971 Topps solid Black border that chipped and showed cardboard easily, the rainbow of colors that form the borders of the 1975 Topps Minis suffer the same existence. Add to that some bad color mixes and smudging, and also, the imprecise sheet-cutting of the time (making for off-center and diamond-cut cards), and you have a tough find if you are looking for Gem Mint Cards.

   Talk about a test run...you would think Topps would have been more careful, but a lot of these cards left the factory disheveled, in terms of cut and other factory flaws usually weeded out via the old "Inspector #5" method. I believe there was a certain color combination that was more likely to have issues, such as size, but I was not sure of which combo. I believe it was one of the combos with Yellow in it. If you know, please chime in with your comments below.

   One example, per PSACard.com, is the #647 card of Claudell Washington, which at the time they wrote their article, only one PSA 9 was found, and no PSA 10's. Another card is the #16 card of Frank Tanana, of which there are just two in PSA 9 or better. We have an amazing Tanana card, ungraded, and we have made that card available on CardboardandCoins.com

   Some other cards, per PSA, that have been scant in the high-level grades are the George Brett Rookie Card (#228), and also the last card, Hank Aaron (#660), the latter of which shows up often as diamond cut.

   Prices run somewhat higher than the standard size cards from 1975, yet, there are a few players that flip flop between being more expensive as a mini and more expensive as a base set card.

   Overall, there is an inverse relationship, because as more folks are investing in these, the scarcity increases.

   On a personal level, I love the 1975 Topps Minis, and they are truly an Epic part of the baseball card collecting landscape. Within a few more years, I am positive that these cards will be viewed in the category of "Elite" cards, in the company of the 1952 Topps Set and other such pillars of our hobby. Mini cards are issued each year now, but the imitations always pale in comparison to the real father of Minis, the 1975 Topps Mini cards.

   Per PSA's price guide, you can notice some of the more expensive commons, and we have listed a few NM & close to NM rare cards for your review, including:

#16 Frank Tanana (Rookie Card) 

#246 St. Louis Cardinals Team Card with Red Schoendienst (Deceased)

#253 Jesus Alou

#306 1974 Batting Leaders (Carew/Garr)

#545 Billy Williams, a HOF'er


What are your thoughts on the 1975 Topps Mini set?

REMEMBER: 20% Off + FREE SHIPPING (Use code 20LESS at checkout) 

Have a great weekend, enjoy, and be safe!!

Many thanks and Regards,
Rob Eisenstein and your friends at CardboardandCoins.com

CardboardandCoins.com - From Baseball Cards
to Wheat Cents, and everything in-between.

* * * * * * * * * * *
FREE U.S. Shipping Always
NO Minimum Order Size
www.CardboardandCoins.com



TAGS: #Topps #Mini #BaseballCard #1975 #Set #Brett #Yount #Carter #Hernandez #Rice #Aaron #Ruth #HomeRun #1971 #off-center #diamondcut #PSA #graded #factory #ClaudellWashington #FrankTanana #collecting #1952 #Cardinals #Schoendienst #Alou #Batting #Carew #BillyWilliams


Vintage Baseball Cards by Popular Demand, & $10 Graded Aaron Judge Cards?


                           1955 Bowman Yogi Berra
         1956 Topps Duke Snider



Hi folks,

   I have been receiving several messages from folks asking us to add more Vintage Baseball Cards. We are stocked to the teeth with Vintage cards, and so, it is our pleasure to do so. Right now, it takes time, but we are migrating from an archaic (totally 2017!!!) method, onto a new, efficient, Multi-Sim-Chan (Multiple Simultaneous Channel) system, and are in the final stages with our developer on this.

What does this mean for you?

   More products added more frequently, and more of a variety for you to choose from.

The Vintage

   OK, getting back to the vintage cards; We've added cards of Yogi Berra (a 1955 Bowman and a  1960 Topps), Duke Snider, Bob Gibson, Roger Maris, Rod Carew, Ted Kluszewski, and many more. The names/dates are hyperlinked to those specific cards, but there are far more than we have room to list here. Remember...Free Shipping, ANY ORDER.

New Feature


    $10 Graded Aaron Judge Cards? You heard that right! We are in the middle stages of adding a Flash Sale system, with rotating sales of items such as that of the Yankee Phenom, Judge (there are quite a few of those, actually).


                        1960 Topps Bob Gibson         1962 Topps Roger Maris


   Thanks for your business, thanks for taking time for reading this, and if there is anything you can do to help my New York Mets survive this season, please let me know. Signed, My Team is aging me Gray fast.

REMEMBER: 20% Off + FREE SHIPPING (Use code 20LESS at checkout)

Have a great weekend, enjoy, and be safe!!

Many thanks and Regards,
Rob Eisenstein and your friends at CardboardandCoins.com

CardboardandCoins.com - From Baseball Cards
to Wheat Cents, and everything in-between.

* * * * * * * * * * *
FREE U.S. Shipping Always
NO Minimum Order Size
www.CardboardandCoins.com



TAGS: #Berra #Snider #Gibson #Carew #Maris #Kluszewski #Vintage #Cards #BaseballCards #VintageBaseballCards #Graded #AaronJudge #Yankee #Mets #team

20 Athletes Signing Autos Inches Away From Our Booth




Card Show Appearance w/HOF Players Signing Autos

Plus...a Special Gift from CardboardandCoins !


Hi Folks,

   I hope everyone has been well!

   We are happy to announce that we will be making an appearance at the National Card show, a twice per year card show with the venue set at Hofstra University on Saturday 4/21 and Sunday 4/22. For the 1st 10 people that come over to our booth and mention they read this post, you will get a very nice surprise (OK....let's not get silly here....you know it's cards). Yet, some very cool cards, and we are positive you'll love them!

   Preparing for this show has been exhausting. A while back, I posted about the top 10 things you need when selling at a card show but beyond that, you are literally putting prices on 18,000 cards, and that is as time-consuming as anything!

   So, who's signing?

   Well, Saturday is very Mets heavy and Sunday is more Yankees heavy.

   Saturday 4/21, the signers will lead off with Hall-of-Famer Roberto Alomar, as well as Dale Murphy, Jerry Morales, Lenny Dykstra, Jerry Grote, Cleon Jones, Pete Falcone, Junior Ortiz, Elliott Maddox, Endy Chavez, Boxing Great Mark Breland, Iran Barkley, and Marlon Starling.

   Sunday 4/22 will feature the Hall-of-Famer Tim Raines, and also Kent Tekulve, Ruben Sierra, Luis Sojo, MEGA Football Super-Star Lawrence Taylor ("LT"), Hockey Superstars Pat Lafontaine, and Butch Goring

   For those that are curious, we will have baseball cards and rookies of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Scott Kingery, Mike Trout, and much more, plus Graded Cards, also, all other sports, with players like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, etc. We will also have some premiere U.S. Coins on hand (1909 VDB 1c, Silver Quarters, etc), as well as some hot Pokemon cards (Charizard, etc) and some high-end Comic Books (Fantastic Four #112, Amazing Spider-Man #252, etc). There is truly something for everyone.


Full details of the show are as follows:

April 21st and 22nd

Hofstra University
David Mack Student Center
100 Hempstead Blvd
Hempstead NY

300 Tables of Sports Cards and Memorabilia
Area's Largest Event!
Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm

Admission $10.00
Free Autograph for all Paid Admissions
Kids Under 10 are ALWAYS free.
Free Parking
More info at NYShows.org

   Don't forget to stop by and say you read about the show here on our Blog.
   If you're one of the 1st 10 that do, a gift awaits you!


REMEMBER: 20% Off + FREE SHIPPING
Just use code 20LESS at checkout on
www.CardboardandCoins.com


Have a great weekend, enjoy, and be safe!!

Many thanks and Regards,
Rob Eisenstein and your friends at CardboardandCoins.com

CardboardandCoins.com - From Baseball Cards
to Wheat Cents, and everything in-between.

* * * * * * * * * * *
FREE U.S. Shipping Always
NO Minimum Order Size
www.CardboardandCoins.com





Hofstra, baseball cards, Topps, Autos, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Scott Kingery, Graded Cards, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, Coins, VDB, 1909, Silver Quarters, Pokemon, Charizard, Comic Books, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spiderman, Autograph, Signature, MLB, Roberto Alomar, Dale Murphy, Mark Breland, Tim Raines, HOF, Hall of Fame, Lawrence Taylor, Pat LaFontaine, sports cards, memorabilia, PSA, Mets, Yankees, Mike Trout


#Hofstra #baseballcards #Topps #Autos #AaronJudge #GiancarloStanton #ScottKingery #GradedCards #MichaelJordan #WayneGretzky #JoeMontana #Coins #VDB #1909 #SilverQuarters #Pokemon #Charizard #ComicBooks #FantasticFour #AmazingSpiderman #Autograph #Signature #MLB #RobertoAlomar #DaleMurphy #MarkBreland #TimRaines #HOF #HallofFame #LawrenceTaylor #PatLaFontaine #sportscards #memorabilia #PSA #Mets #Yankees #MikeTrout





Update - Scott Kingery, New Mega Star for the Phillies......




Hi Folks,

   Just before Spring Training, I pinned my reputation on Scott Kingery as a superstar (http://blog.cardboardandcoins.com/2018/02/phillies-prospect-scott-kingery-might.html)


I UNDERESTIMATED him!

   He did SO WELL, he got an unprecedented contract offer to stay on for 6 years! (http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/scott-kingery-philadelphia-phillies-mlb-prospect-contract-best-position-to-win-20180326.html)

Next Prediction?
Kingery wins '18 NL ROY 

Is this "Mike Trout 2.0" unfolding right in front of our eyes?

Our Next Blog Post is coming up soon....stay tuned!

Regards,
Rob
http://www.CardboardandCoins.com


The Collectible Shift: Investing in Baseball Cards Amid Tariff Uncertainty

Hi Friends,    Recently, we've seen a trend with a lot of interest in collectibles coming from some new buyers who would not usually pur...