If SCD Died Tomorrow, Would Anybody Miss It?

scottsusor

For a while during the past year, I had hopes that SCD was making a comeback. I was seeing more advertising associated with the everyday sports card collector than I had seen in several years. But gradually, that ceased -- due most probably to advertisers failing to get results. Now its back to what it was before. The vast majority of advertising is devoted to vulture companies looking to buy collections and/or the sale of autographed this, that, and the other. Most ads for sports cards -- the few there are -- are for "junk" that nobody would want anyway.

I know the folks who publish SCD are still maintaining a "sunny" view of the hobby and their magazine's role in it. But honestly, if SCD died tomorrow, would anybody really miss it?

Scott

murcerfan

Griffins

Only the bottom of the guinea pig's cage would miss it.

KING KELLOGG

No...

Ripken

It's sad to see. I haven't renewed my subscription...and I've been getting it for over 20 years. There IS a need for a hobby publication, but they left the collector and small time dealer in the dirt when they jacked up ad fees several years ago. Even if most buying/selling is now on EBay or elsewhere on the internet, there are news, issues and features that could have become the focus. News of major finds, big auctions, columns of opinion, info on new issues (or old ones) and scam alerts are valuable enough to keep readers buying such a periodical, but they just don't do enough of it. They could have been a bi-weekly or nice monthly newspaper of the hobby with a ton of small classifieds and progressed with the times, but somewhere along the line, they sold out to big advertisers and lost everyone else.

mariner

Unfortunately, probably not. I used to eagerly await the next issue and spend several hours pouring over it. Now, if I get around to an issue, I can peruse it in 15 minutes or less. Too bad, I guess it has passed its prime.

Machodoc

What's an SCD? Never heard of it.

schr1st

It's still alive?

qualitycards

I would miss it!
When the baseball card revolution took off (when Donruss & Fleer challenged Topps in '81) SCD was such a great paper, w/ many issues topping the 300 page mark. And every page was either an ad for cards and memorabilia or articles about cards and memorabilia.
And it was great having our own paper that every page was savored.
It started to slide w/ the advent of the internet and eBay. Granted its just a shell of itself from a decade ago, but I still enjoy receiving the latest issue, and via subscription its about .80 cents a copy, so its affordable and I'll be there til the end! Either their end or mine! ...jay

ctsoxfan

This exact same thread was posted just a few months ago - and SCD is still just as worthless of a read today as then. I wish that were not the case, but every week I read my copy in about 10 minutes (or less). It's all advertising, and boring articles (mostly advertising).

RTB

I loved it in the late '80's. Since then I've subscribed a few times on short term specials, but it never again sustained my interest. Too much on new cards and autographs... I picked up an issue at my PO Box a few weeks ago and was able to read it and throw it away in the trash can in about 5 minutes before leaving the post office.

bobsbbcards

I would miss it. Even though most weeks I can page through it in the time it takes to eat a bowl of cereal, there is still the occasional surprise. The articles on Jefferson Burdick and Lionel Carter were great. The recap on the Mantle auction was a worthy read. Weekly auction top 10s are interesting, although very brief (and mostly inaccurate). Articles by Bob Lemke, either on new listings for the Standard Catalog or his football card creation projects, are often fascinating. I agree that most of the ads are by vultures (looking to buy complete sets of 1971 Greatest Moments in NM/MT for $1,000. Oooo, where can I mail them?), but there are sales ads in the back pages (Mike & Cindy Mosier, Steve Werley, etc.) with stuff that actually changes week to week.

That being said, the other 90% of the pages are absolutely worthless. But without something to replace it, what would I read during cereal time?

Vargha

Twenty years ago it was awesome. Today it is fish wrap on a good issue. The Internet sure has changed things.

jimtb

I've been getting it for at least 15 years. It's still good for seeing who's signing at upcoming shows and tracking obits from the autograph sets that I'm working on.
Jim

miami3

Nice Post Scott!

I vote NO, that I would not miss it.

I have been a subscriber since 1979 and used to spend a lot of time and money buying and selling baseball cards in SCD with Krause Publications and their other ventures during the good old days of the hobby (late 70's- mid 80's).

Too bad Chet Krause did not change the magazine to an electronic form when ebay was just getting started, he could still have the hobby by the balls.

I still keep my subscription active mostly out of habbit, but probably only spend 10 minutes per issue at the most skimming through them.

Jim

MorrellMan

<< <i>Only the bottom of the guinea pig's cage would miss it. >>



Fairly tough room

I, too, subscribed over 20 years ago and used SCD as my main connection to buying, selling and hobby info. For me, it no longer serves the purpose. For Mr. Lemke, it must serve some purpose or he wouldn't keep grinding it out every week. My guess is that he would miss it - I think that the availability of the pub on a weekly basis makes it possible for Bob to keep current on pricing for his price guide, which I would miss if it lost contact with the pulse of the hobby. Just my tusense.

Golfcollector

I personally would.

I get mine locally from a card shop here in Lincoln, NE. The store owner gives me my copy for free for being a regular customer and also referring business to him from time to time.

Once about every 3-4 months they actually have somehting worth reading. They have gotten a lot of mileage lately from articles about 2 pioneers of the hobby, Lionel Carter and Jefferson Burdick. If anyone has read these articles I would hope they would agree they are great reading and an extremely interesting look at the hobbies infant days.



Dave

helionaut

If they had started a newsgroup like this 5 years ago, they probably could have transitioned to an online magazine very sleekly. As it is, it's probabyl too late. I haven't read SCD in over 2 years, mainly because the local newsshop that used to carry it stopped.

Basilone

I would miss it. I read every article (good and bad) and learn a thing or two from each issue. Dave Bushing's column is pretty good read for anyone interested in memorabilia. The Lionel Carter series of letters was very good as well. At $0.80 a week....you cannot go wrong.

John

onegaucho

Nope.

Tipem

Who ????


Vic