SCD Subscriber Update/Survey - If you don't mind, I just wanted to update the survey Again, thanx

Stone193

I was just wondering how many people still subscribe to SCD? We have discussed, in the past, reasons why it is less popular. But, I would like an update and stats. I believe forums like this and ebay play a major part but there are other reasons also.

Your input is valued by me. I am just curious.

Thanx
your friend
Mike

Stone193

Thanx for the input so far, if you would like to say why you no longer subscribe, plus do.

Thanx
your friend
Mike

pandrews

I used to get em all every month.. (beckett, tuff stuff, scd and anything else).. now i dont get anything but the SMR.. and i wouldnt get that except i'm a PSA member.. reason being, i pretty much can find whatever i need to online..

jvineyard

I still buy it at my local card shop every week. More from habit than usefulness. I can't remember the last time I actually bought something from an ad.

fsjeter

I still find useful information other than card values in the different magazines. I subscribe to SMR, SCD, and Tuff Stuff. I try to buy Becketts on occasion just to stay abreast of what's going on in the Hobby.

Scott

Stone193

My ongoing criticism:

Not enough journalistic quality - they should be critical of all the activity in the hobby but can't because they have advertisers to please and they have a major conflict of interest by having a division that grades athletic equipment.

Thanx for the input!

Stone

GoBravesGo

<< <i>I still buy it at my local card shop every week. >>

do those still exist? local card shops, I mean. I have not seen a real one in years

Southerncards

I get my SCD every week...have done this for several years now. If you dont read SCD, you are not informed as to what's happening in the hobby, imho.

bowdowntome

I've never subscribed to any hobby publication, mostly because I don't follow prices and I've never been one for mail order. I use to buy Beckett on occasion, when they still had actual articles on players and colorful artwork on the insde covers. I just recently bought my first Beckett in about 5 years, just to see how it's doing. Going down hill fast is what I see.

I did use to get SCD, but through a local dealer I could get about 2 months of back issues for next to nothing. They had some good articles, but way too many ads to shuffle through, so I stopped about 8 years ago. I buy it occassionaly still, about once every 6 months or so, just to take to work with me so I can have something to read during breaks. The quality just isn't there anymore, especially if, like me, you are only interested in vintage football.

Stone193

For those who don't subscribe to SCD anymore - what would be the single most reason for not taking it?

your friend
Mike

ROCKDJRW

I still subscribe. I don't buy things very often, but often I see things I want to buy and purchase them on Ebay. The colums have gotten better the last couple of months,

Stone193

<< <i>I still subscribe. I don't buy things very often, but often I see things I want to buy and purchase them on Ebay. The colums have gotten better the last couple of months, >>


I gotta say Rock, for what they charge, per copy, it's nice to receive some tid bits of information and as you said, see something you might want.
Actually, this week Steiner Sports is selling a real nice 15 ball display piece - in glass! - for half off! When I went to their web, it wasn't in there - and I was looking for something like that.

About once a year, I like to see how people feel about SCD - I link it to SCD to view but have never heard back from them. They do surveys and stuff, but it doesn't hurt to hear from the people who aren't responding since they are lost to them - perhaps for life!

Thanx for input
your friend
mike

divecchia

<< <i>I was just wondering how many people still subscribe to SCD? We have discussed, in the past, reasons why it is less popular. But, I would like an update and stats. I believe forums like this and ebay play a major part but there are other reasons also.

Your input is valued by me. I am just curious.

Thanx
your friend
Mike >>



I just started subscribing again, but I agree with most here that it is not the same quality that it was 10 years ago.

Donato

bowdowntome

<< <i>For those who don't subscribe to SCD anymore - what would be the single most reason for not taking it?

your friend
Mike >>



My single reason is because of the storage space required (I'm a packrat) for back issues, combined with too many ads and not enough articles about vintage football. Ok, so it was 3 sub-reasons that combine into 1 main reason.

CollectorChris

SCD's time has come and gone. I faithfully subscribed for many years until the mid-1990's, when it was rendered obsolete by the internet. It's a shame that trees continue to sacrifice their lives for this piece of garbage. I would not waste my time reading it even it was free, as has been the case when it's been given out at conventions. Maybe they'll put it out of its misery. If it were a horse, they'd probably shoot it.

Stone193

<< <i>SCD's time has come and gone. I faithfully subscribed for many years until the mid-1990's, when it was rendered obsolete by the internet. It's a shame that trees continue to sacrifice their lives for this piece of garbage. I would not waste my time reading it even it was free, as has been the case when it's been given out at conventions. Maybe they'll put it out of its misery. If it were a horse, they'd probably shoot it. >>


Chris
I agree - SCD may have gotten a bit old but they are trying and have revamped the content over the last few years and they're attempting to address their relevance to the hobby in the 21st century.

Their viability may lie in the vehicle that contributed to their downturn and potential demise - the internet!
The publication may just have to go on-line and save a bundle and some of those trees you were talking about.

Let's see what happens.
Thanx for you input
I am doing this out of curiosity again and will forward it to SCD
perhaps this year they will actually read/get this message?
your friend
mike

jaxxr

SCD used to be quite informative and interesting.

The internet's rise and acceptance certainly hurt, but not everyone is computer gung-ho . It is nice to have hard copy of some ads or articles. If a magazine is a bit unique it may still be popular.

I feel the real downturn came when they started grading cards. They even used a 1 to 11 scale ! Besides the old "conflict of interest" comcept, they ruined their independent postion as a hobby information source.

They used to produce a CERTIFIED ( Graded or Slabbed ) CARD PRICE GUIDE. This could have eventually been a true un-biased, independent guide, info could have been gathered from their many advertisers, readers, internet research, auctions, and so forth. They were in a great position to become "THE Guide" for graded cards. When they figured more income might come from their own outfits' gradong, they became just another publication.

Wouldn't it have been very interesting to compare prices, service quality, accuracy, etc. for the top companies, PSA, SGC, GAI, and BGS ?? Even some information on lesser companies ?? This could have come from a large, nationwide, veteran, and fairly well-respected major hobby publisher. Probably more depth than a website, message board, or club could ever produce.

It's a shame they chose not to be the "voice of the hobby", but rather a seller of their own hobby products.

Stone193

<< <i>It's a shame they chose not to be the "voice of the hobby", but rather a seller of their own hobby products. >>


jaxx
Not to mention a pandering slave to their own advertisers! I think they jumped the shark when they let Kenny Goldin take out full page advertisements pushing garbage with all the hype of a carnival freak show barker!

Thanx for the input.

your friend
Mike

Knuckles

I've never heard of SCD until this thread.. Just to make sure I looked around google for Sports Collector Digest which I assumed is what SCD stood for.. and yeah.. I've never seen it on any of the magazine stands in Chapters/Idigo/card shops.. or have ever heard of it. I guess it's not available in Canada or maybe I'm just blind.

bowdowntome

I'm in the middle of the U.S. and can't hardly find it on the newsstands here either. I have to drive 50 miles (to the BIG city) and go to one of the large chain bookstores, like Barnes and Noble, to find it.

baseballfanatic

It was, at a time, the ironclad voice of the hobby. Not only with card news both past and present, but news on game used equipment such as bats and jerseys, sports movie posters, and whatever at the time ran the gamut. I used to love the ads for Texas Sportscards selling nm-mt sets for 150.00, and having a BUY price in the the same ad for the same set for 250.00 in nm-mt. If you didnt subscribe 20 years ago, you didnt know squat about what was actually happening in the hobby. SCD didnt fall by the way of the internet, they fell by being stale. A magazine or paper should hold true to journalism with new stories about finds in the card and memorabilia industry and provide knowledge of full sheet layouts to determine what was actually an SP in the days of old. It became a bi-weekly Beckett of new release prices and a want ad forum of overpriced and unwanted junk. I believe it could still be revitalized, but it would take some effort to give the true collector what he truly wants and thats something he doesnt know already. It would be nice to see some stories on Topps Plaks and Plaks checklists with some pics, some Num Nums, Home Run Derby cards and stuff that used to make us drool.....

kimo75

I have been a subscriber for the better part of the last 10 years. I do miss the size of the issues of the past(sometimes 300 pages). I still subscribe for the same reason I go to the small mall card shows....you never know. Before ebay I ordered about every week from SCD. Now about 2 times a year. About 2 months ago I was able to find a 1974 Deckle Proof of Stargell for $50! They have been doing vintage articles lately which helps. Still not a bad deal at less than $1 per issue to subscribe.

Stone193

Good input guys
As I said, I'm still subscribing and that's 14 yrs. continuous.
On the issue of stale - they are trying - but now it's a vicious cycle - they no longer have the ad base they used to be able to hire/pay for writers and articles. Investigating costs money - if they have to rely on
"2nd hand info" - it's harder to corroborate and they can be sued. I'm not an SCD apologist - just trying to see it from their perspective.

In the end, a financial decision may be in the making which will chloroform the publication. But, I will say, they are trying with what they have.

thanx for the input
your friend
mike

charliehustle14

SCD got bought out by F&W Publishing a couple years back, didn't they? The Funk & Wagnall Encyclopedia guys? I know the editorial content has declined as the ads have over the years, and I bet they are even more accountable now as part of a large corporation. It doesn't seem that long ago that SCD used to come in two sections and was chock full of ads. Ah, the good old days when you could buy lots of 1000 1989 Topps Chris Sabo Rookies in SCD...

greenmonstaaaah

i've subscribed to scd on and off about four or five different times over the last twenty five years. i first started to subscribe to it in the fall of 1980 as an 11 year old who was collecting modern--and vintage--cards. i used to buy lots of 50 or 100 diff 1958 topps baseball cards from various dealers for probably 30-50 cents apiece. i can thank scd's ads back then for helping me to complete the 58 set a couple years later as a thirteen year old--some twenty three years later i'm going for the same set psa graded--boy how times change! (show me an eleven year old today who's attempting to put together a 22 or 23 year old set--i doubt any kids today could pick out a 1982 topps card in a police lineup). so, like i said; scd and i have had an on again, off again relationship over the years. back in 1980, it was a big, fat magazine that had hundreds and hundreds of pages. today, as i begin my fourth or fifth marriage to it, it seems as if each issue has less and less pages. by the time i receive issue # 52 at the end of my current subscription, it'll probably be a two-page newsletter. but back in the early 80's, the pages were smaller, so there were more of them. i guess if the pages were the same size today as they were back then, the magazine would probably have a lot more pages. but every time i havent renewed over the years, they try to suck me back in with a plethora of offers--two years ago it was their 30th anniversary special--30 issues for 19.73 (the year the mag started)--so i took em up on that offer. each issue profiled a different year in the hobby, going all the way back to 1973. there were some interesting stories to be read in those issues. when those 30 issues were up, i didnt renew--its def not worth spending 40 or 50 a year for. but a couple months ago they made me an offer i couldnt refuse--a whole year--52 skinny issues--for only 26.98--with a hartland limited edition "coach" statue thrown in (which i havent received yet--maybe they just want to wait and make sure i dont cancel my subscription before they send it!) anyhoo, the content has def gotten better--at least theres articles on vintage and ebay, etc (which is good b/c i collect only vintage graded and am not a big fan of new cards altho i love those topps heritage beauties.) and i can honestly say that i believe that the last time i bought something from a dealer in scd was back in 84 or 85, when i was in high school, and the dealer--neil hoppenworth, who was out of michigan, i believe (neil, if u're out there and u're reading this, gimme a shout!)--he was selling 500 card vending boxes of early-mid seventies topps (of course--no fleer back then) basketball, as well as some unopened wax boxes and complete nm-mt sets for dirt cheap prices. i bought vending boxes from 73-74, 75-76, 78-79 and 79-80, as well as complete sets from 76-77 (the tall boys) and 77-78. all the cards are simply gorgeous--i'd get 8's and 9's back if i had em graded-- a few oc's and rough cuts here and there, unfortunately. i still have all those cards. the vend boxes were loaded with stars--got 3 or 4 each of all the big names from the 73-74 box. my only regret is that i didnt opt for an unopened wax box of 72-73's (dr j's rookie year)--i think he was asking like $40 for a box, maybe less (remember, this was the mid eighties, when nobody gave a crap about non-baseball stuff)--wait, what was my point? oh yeah-- LONG LIVE SCD!!!!!!! (or, at least long enuf for me to get my free hartland coach!)

Stone193

green
I hope you get the hartland!
Over the years SCD has changed - format, content, amount of advertising and the omni-present auction ads and results - they have tried to make the content better.

They have added more "collector" articles about "real" people and what they collect and stuff. So they get the A for effort but perhaps a B- to C+ for overall presentation. The "thickness" of SCD is not their fault - economics - less ads - therefore less of everything - still not a bad pub - after all how many good pubs are there?

thanx for the input
your friend
mike

ROCKDJRW

Sorry to bring back an old post but I was thinking of this thread yesterday while reading my SCD. I like getting the auction catalogs included with the magazine. It was cool to see pictures of all the packs from Mr Mints upcoming auction. BTW someone needs to tell Mr Mint that Davey Jones was not on The Partridge Family.

ZodiacMindwarp

<< <i>BTW someone needs to tell Me Mint that Davey Jones was not on The Partridge Family. >>



And that "Welcome Back, Carter" was never a TV show.

Stone193

<< <i>

<< <i>BTW someone needs to tell Me Mint that Davey Jones was not on The Partridge Family. >>



And that "Welcome Back, Carter" was never a TV show. >>

Stone193

Just a quick update - this week's SCD is only 60 total pages!!!

Does anyone remember when some issues were 2-300 pages!!!

mike

Cubfan

Thats incredible that SCD has shrunk like that (a steroid comment could be inserted, but will not be). I used to look through each issue twice in the 80's and it could take hours.

I thought they were handing them out for free at a recent Chicago show. But the guy said they were only for sale so I kept walking.

Stone193

Since SCD and it's size was brought up again by other than me, I thought I would look for anyone who didn't respond to this survey.

mike

ajw

I thought I responded the first time, but I don' t see it.

I subscribed to SCD for years back in the 80s and early 90s and would take each issue everywhere I went. I tried one of their free four issue trial subscriptions several months ago but canceled before I got my first bill. I have very fond memories of the old SCD but don't really see a purpose for the current magazine.

fsjeter

I will admit they've slipped over the years. They seem to be doing better as of late. I still like to read Bob Lemke's articles on errors, variations, and new catalog finds. Also, they no longer authenticate cards or memorabilia so, hopefully, they can get back to the business of the hobby news. They've been running a series of articles called "Authenticating the Authenticators" where they interview various authenticators about their qualifications, the direction of the hobby, and other collector concerns. It's actually been interesting IMO. For now, I'll keep my subscription going!

Scott

Stone193

Very interesting

I don't expect people to write - so I am impressed that we have had 90 respondents - and only 1 in 5 currently subscribe.

If this were the height of the 90s, it would probably be 95%!

thanx
mike

baseballfanatic

Rather than subscribe, I like to drop in to a new local card shop that opened about a year ago and just recently started carrying SCD. It gives me a chance to just look around a bit and talk with the owner for awhile about stuff, past and present, which is about the only interaction I have with card people anymore. Even though its the only thing I walk out with (I think I'm probably one of a handful that pick one up since he leaves the unsold issues out also) its worth the extra money over a subscription to just get out and see whats out there anymore. The articles have been improving, which is what the issues have to thrive on since all of the ads and most of the auctions have been replaced with web pages (I dont know if the Bob McCann auctions have a web site yet?). I'll continue to pick one every now and then until the year 2510, but it would take a major overhaul to become a subcriber again........

FYS

I have subscribed to SCD about 8 of the last 20 years. I have been on hiatus from SCD for about 5 years and received a letter for a one year subcription for $27 about a week ago. Needless to say, I am back on the wagon. For 50 cents a week, there is almost no excuse not to buy it. From 89-91, I remember the weekly SCD with two large sections and I think three sections happened from time to time. It would take a good couple of hours to really check it over. I also remember many dealers during this very speculative 89-91 period buying right out SCD for their show material. That was probably pretty common, but the funny part was that many of these same people did not want the general consumer to know SCD existed. If they did, they could simply bypass the middle man. It was funny watching dealers hide their SCD's at shows and asking other dealers not to sell them or keep them out in the open. This may sound strange, but many of the Beckett zombies really did not know SCD existed.

Stone193

<< <i>I have subscribed to SCD about 8 of the last 20 years. I have been on hiatus from SCD for about 5 years and received a letter for a one year subcription for $27 about a week ago. Needless to say, I am back on the wagon. For 50 cents a week, there is almost no excuse not to buy it. From 89-91, I remember the weekly SCD with two large sections and I think three sections happened from time to time. It would take a good couple of hours to really check it over. I also remember many dealers during this very speculative 89-91 period buying right out SCD for their show material. That was probably pretty common, but the funny part was that many of these same people did not want the general consumer to know SCD existed. If they did, they could simply bypass the middle man. It was funny watching dealers hide their SCD's at shows and asking other dealers not to sell them or keep them out in the open. This may sound strange, but many of the Beckett zombies really did not know SCD existed. >>


Welcome FYS!
I have had a continuous subscription since 1992.

For the money, I still think I get value.

What do you collect? Thanx for responding.

mike

FYS

<< <i>
Welcome FYS!
I have had a continuous subscription since 1992.

For the money, I still think I get value.

What do you collect? Thanx for responding.

mike >>



Even for $40 a year, it is worth it for nothing more than some the interesting auction listings.

I collect everything, but mostly baseball and mostly 1980 and prior.

Stone193

Hi
I brought this back to get a few more responses to the survey. The larger the number, the better the sample and the stats!

Thanx
mike

HoofHearted

Stone,

I was a subscriber for around 7 years ('82-'89 or so). I moved from MN to OR in '89 and, instead of putting in a change-of-address, I let my sub run out. It was a great source of information for me, though. I still have pages I tore out pertaining to Kirby and the Twins stuff. They gave me inventories of team-issued sets, etc. that I had never seen before -- I guess that was done by some of the guest writers. I was surprised to see it was still around when it was mentioned recently.

I'll have to search for the website and maybe sub again...

hh

Stone193

<< <i>Stone,

I was a subscriber for around 7 years ('82-'89 or so). I moved from MN to OR in '89 and, instead of putting in a change-of-address, I let my sub run out. It was a great source of information for me, though. I still have pages I tore out pertaining to Kirby and the Twins stuff. They gave me inventories of team-issued sets, etc. that I had never seen before -- I guess that was done by some of the guest writers. I was surprised to see it was still around when it was mentioned recently.

I'll have to search for the website and maybe sub again...

hh >>


Mike
Did you actually respond to the survey at an earlier time? The number didn't change this time?

mike

HoofHearted

I definitely clicked the radio button for "No, but I used to". Maybe I didn't complete the transaction.

Do you want me to try again??

hh

eyebone

I live in Canada and it is just not available up here. I have picked it up a couple of times when I have been in the USA and quite enjoyed leafing through it. Inquired about receiving it once, but the postage rate to get it up here was extortionate, so I passed. Get the SMR, Tuff Stuff and the Canadian SportsCard Collector (great for hockey collectors) instead.

Eyebone

Stone193

Sorry to hear that Eyebone.

Mike
From what I can see - you only get one chance to vote and that's it - no matter how many times you enter the thread.

I just forwarded this "live" thread to SCD - did it last year too with no response.

I offered them an opportunity: I told them I would forward names and addresses if they wanted to send those interested a complimentary copy to view and make their own decision.

44% of the responses have never subscribed - how many have read the thing at all? I don't know - but it's a start.

Personally...for less than a buck a week...it's worth the tariff IMO.

mike

fsjeter

Let me just say that SCD has it's moments. I read an article in the August 18th issue by Rocky Landsverk where he interviewed longtime dealer Rick Taft about counterfiet '80's cards. In particular, Star Cards, Sportscaster cards, and minor league cards. They had full color pictures of some of the real cards side-by-side with their counterfeits. It was very informative. I don't currently collect these cards but it's nice to have an idea to know what to look for when I do! Or, just to keep abreast of what the counterfeiter's are doing these days. This is just one of the reasons I continue to subscribe to SCD.

Scott

Stone193

Scott
That was a good article and not just for the info on the Star Co. cards but also relating to the impact that counterfeits have on the hobby.

I took the time to do a write up on the article since only 20% here subscribe, and was hoping for a discussion on the fact that grading companies have to validate these cards.

In fact, I emailed a note to Rocky about the fact that the owner of Gem was kind of misleading him with his answers. The fact is, that the guy is more like a distributor than a grading company since he sells the same cards that he grades.

I will continue to subscribe to SCD for the info and heck, it's really cheap!

mike

rbdjr1

It's been soooooooooo long since I subscribed to SCD,I thought SCD was just another garage grading company?

rbd

orutulsa

Krause published both SCD and Tuff Stuff, right? Content-wise, what's the general difference between the two? I looked on their website and couldn't really find anything that differentiated one magazine from the other. Thanks