October SMR

mrc32 · September 3, 2003 2:24AM

I just got the new SMR today. Babe Ruth is on the cover.

Now I hate to start another slam SMR thread, but I just had to share what I found to be the worst SMR to date.

There are 4 articles: Babe Ruth article, an autograph article on Joe Tinker, another autograph article about getting signatures through the mail, and the Collector Profile of a vintage basketball guy.

There was a one page quasi- article written by Joe Orlando about getting PSA 10s from modern football, then a 16 page population report update of the 1980-86 football sets (for the huge amounts of people that are active on the registry with those sets

DOH). Oh and do you know how many collectors are actually doing sets on the registry for those sets?

1980 Topps- 10 sets registered. The top set has only 15% registered
1981 Topps- 5 sets registered. Top set has 3.79% registered
1982 Topps- 7 sets registered. Top set has 10% registered
1983 Topps- 9 sets with the top one having 6% registered.
I could go on but I won't.

Come on why not write about something people are interested in....

Now, I don't know how many subscribers they have and how many editions they sell off the store racks, but I have to guess it is getting smaller each month. I think I put more time into typing this post then PSA does in putting out this magazine.

I won't even mention the other complaints about the out-of-date prices or the same advertisements every month.

I just hope that Joe and PSA realize that they provide a great service in grading cards, but doing such a wacky job on the SMR just hurts the company's reputation.

Southsider · September 3, 2003 2:40AM

I moved over 2 months ago and haven't received a SMR since. I've emailed PSA and Odyssey Group asking to change my subscription address, but I haven't heard anything back at all.
Guess I'm not missing much, though.

murcerfan · September 3, 2003 3:26AM

Yeah.
Next year I think Joe should skip the national and stay home writing important articles.

cmcclelland · September 3, 2003 3:32AM

Murcerfan - get back to work!

Basilone · September 3, 2003 3:35AM

Not to mention the same old game-used and autograph section. There is so much wasted space in that magazine its incredible. Then again, many free-lance writers do not work for free.....

John

mrc32 · September 3, 2003 4:00AM

I'd write an article or two for some free gradings....I bet there are a lot of collectors that would.

VCBC- Vintage & Classic Baseball Collector magazine comes out quarterly I think. All the articles are wonderful and informative. All those folks do it for free. I just think there is a general apathy when it comes to SMR. If Joe and co. wanted to make it better, why not sit down have a meeting and come up with ideas. Even with little to no money they could make it better.

Fuzz · September 3, 2003 4:06AM

I wrote a couple of series of articles for several other hobby pub's about ten years ago. I know others of you are in the same boat. Geez, I'd write for free if some of the others of you would just to get to read something of interest. For my needs, the SMR magazine gets about 5 minutes of reading and then is as useful as a phone book. I look up something when I need it. Would love to read some articles that I can learn something from. I even have a list of suggestions that i think folks would be interested in though I can't write some of them.
Fuzz

RobE · September 3, 2003 5:00AM

I got my first SMR a couple months ago.(The one with Pete Rose on the cover)There were enjoyable articles in there.For example,the prewar Golf collector cards and their owner.

It seemed endless when looking at the featured pop reports for only a handfull of sets.If they are going to feature certain sets pop reports perhaps the ones they are not going to they can do a total of 8,9,10, and so on?Just so the SMR has some use to others who are interested in Pop totals for a set they collect.

When I had to price a few things up I couldn't use it.For some reason I really wanted to open the SMR to price a couple sets up but had to refer to Beckett which I just had no choice anyway since the sets were raw sets.

I did like looking at all the SMR listings without having to turn on the computer.It appears that Thurman Munson is a Hall of Famer (HOF) which cracked a smile.

MyBigToe · September 3, 2003 5:35AM

I have not seen the issue yet but it sounds like PSA/Odyssey maybe suffering the same affliction as SCD. Now I am regretting that I paid the 90 to join. Joe or PSA really need to look outside for help. If he is really doing this on his own and holding title as pres. of PSA, it might be too much for one guy to handle. Each endeavor is a fulltime job if they are to be done properly. Joe strikes me as a capable guy but that is too much for anyone.

VCBC is good but its focus is mainly on 19th century and early 20th century issues.

MBT

Edited to place link for VCBC.

SportscardAdvocate · September 3, 2003 5:40AM

I was not impressed with the Goudey article a couple of issues back. Seemed like something a high schooler would write for a book report, just dry facts and no juicy tidbits. It looks like it was the owner of a major collection if I'm not mistaken. Get a ghost writer, please! If I were at PSA, I'd rethink how much I need the advertising I need from that magazine and maybe just bin the darn thing. Nobody is using it for anything other than reference.

I love the idea of a hobby journal, I know the people on this board are treasure chests of information. Anybody know a hobby publication that's worth its postage?

mrc32 · September 3, 2003 5:48AM

<< <i> Anybody know a hobby publication that's worth its postage? >>

If you like older cards VCBC is your answer

Basilone · September 3, 2003 5:53AM

SCD is not bad for 80 cents a week or so.....

John

Golfcollector · September 3, 2003 6:54AM

RobE, thanks for the shout out. I am glad you enjoyed my golf article.

Although some of the articles may not appeal to all collectors, I believe the purpose of them is to educate collectors about some other issue, or sport that they may not be readily collecting, and to learn more about it! I personally received 11 e-mails from folks who got my address off the set registry following the article last month. Many had questions regarding where to find some of these older cards, etc.

That is part of the fun of collecting......sharing your experience and knowledge with others. I have not gotten the new SMR, but am sure I will enjoy some of the articles.

I do agree that some of the advertising and price listings are a bit too much, I would enjoy more articles with some "meat" to them as well. The collector spotlight is always one of my favorites. I wish they could do more of this or regional or obscure sets being featured a little more in their pages. I would love to see King Kellog featured or some right up about someone collecting a 55 all american set.

Just my thoughts...

Dave

roastedcat · September 3, 2003 6:56AM

I'm still waiting for my SMR

PSAtan · September 3, 2003 6:56AM

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tolstoi, Didion, Camus, Orlando - but not in that order necessarily. These are my favorite writers of all time.

Another case of PSA/CLU not wanting to spend a dime to hire writers. It costs nothing. They're saving nothing. They could boost subscription beyond all us schmucks stuck joining gold and platinum coven programs. I've read a lot of the posts here and this group is much more qualified to write about cards. Heck, Murcerfan's cards are a few issues. It would be an honor to write about an area of expertise. Who would turn that down?

However, there's one important distinction that we lose sight of from time to time - PSA is a not an avid baseball card collector. PSA is a money-making entity. They are no different than Microsoft, McDonalds and the television sitting in your living room. Money is the passion. PSA clearly doesn't believe they could expand its subscription base or they would try to write articles that don't sound like third graders left back for a fourth time. They get a very clear idea of how many issues sell via newstands, supermarkets, hobby shops, etc... These numbers don't add up. This is too bad because if they hired three people to report on market news and keep the prices in the SMR updated, it would sell. Prices on popular sets go up a few percent every four months. PSA isn't in touch with what's going on. Instead, we have a big glossy cover and a tribute to Joe's ego every month. 250K invested in that magazine to hire some young writers, give out assignments to collectors on this thing and get some people to follow pricing trends would turn that magazine around. It's frustrating. However, so is the rest of life. When TJ Schwartz is the Herman Melville of your hobby, it's time to stop reading and get the books on audiotape. I recommend Mike Piazza's rendition of Catcher in the Rye.

Feeling gloomy. Need some company. Any volunteers?

Satan

MyBigToe · September 3, 2003 6:57AM

<< <i>SCD is not bad for 80 cents a week or so..... >>

I prefer Charmin and it is about 40 cents a roll.

RobE · September 3, 2003 7:09AM

Golf Collector - The cartoon character drawings led me to read the article.I really dig those cards and your accidental addiction that had led into the dedication of collecting them.

PSAtan - I nominate you to get on the horn and volunteer to take on that SMR job.I think you would really make the SMR and interesting read from the looks of things around here.Of course you'd have to water down the humor but I'm sure you would be an excellent candidate.

dbj77 · September 3, 2003 7:20AM

If I get the SMR at all, mine always come weeks after everyone else on here says they get theirs. As of today, I've been a Gold member since March, however, I've only recieved 3 SMR's. The Pete Rose, Gretzky, and Clemens covers. I don't even bother calling of emailing them about it anymore since I know it won't get anything accomplished.

Besides, I've read better articles in Better Home and Gardens than in SMR.

Skycap · September 3, 2003 7:49AM

Since the SMR, the pop report and most of the articles are available on-line, who needs a paper magazine? I don't. There's no worrying over when it's coming in the mail.

Skycap

RedHeart54 · September 3, 2003 7:55AM

<< <i>SCD is not bad for 80 cents a week or so >>

Is SCD even remotely worth reading anymore? I remember the days when I was excited to look through it (despite knowing I'd get 70% of the rag's ink on my hands). Or is it just all Mr.Mint ads, UD Authenticated ads, and 3-page card listings with print smaller than atoms?

Golfcollector · September 3, 2003 8:32AM

Actually the best part of the article they cleaned up a bit. The mint man was not near as friendly to the guy trying to sell the 1930's golf cards.......

jaxxr · September 3, 2003 8:41AM

Hey, Joe's a Jose canseco fan !!!,

The editorial type article this month tells a bit about Joe O's admiration and the following problems with Jose. I, being a big fan of Mr 40-40 myself, found the brief story interesting.

Several months back a story on Ed Walsh ( the all time ERA leader and last 40 game winner) was in the autograph feature. Since I am a big fan of Walsh , I enjoyed reading that one. Also quite entertaining to me are "interview" type articles about top notch collectors. It probably would take 400-500 pages of articles to give all collectors some interesting or new tidbit in each issue..

I do feel most readers are card collectors, the majority baseball, with primary interest from 1950 to 1980. Thus the more articles about BB cards from that time span, the more readers will be pleased percentage-wise.

October SMR

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