SCD Hits All Time Low

Stone193 · April 3, 2006 9:32AM

at only 60 total pages!

I'm surprised they didn't number the cover sheet!

This doesn't look good.

They did try to "beef up" the edition with a picture of father and son Fritsch.

Just havin a bit of fun with them but this really isn't good.

My suggestion is that they consider changing the pub to bi-weekly or monthly?

mike

Boopotts · April 3, 2006 9:40AM

Hey Stone-- Have they abandoned the price guide yet?

If they haven't, I think they could really find a niche if they just got rid of that and focused on hiring freelance writers to put together interesting pieces on hobby related subjects. Stuff like '1961 Topps Dice-- The Toughest Set of All Time?', or '1981 Donruss-- Why It's So Tough In Mint Condition', or even pieces where astute hobbyists predicted who would be the next hot RC's and provided empirical evidence to support their predictions (i.e., stuff other than 'Buy Ryan Zimmerman Cards, He's the Man!)! I personally don't buy Beckett mags because it takes less than 5 minutes to read one and the price guide is totally useless. I just don't feel like I need to spend 5 bucks on a Hot List and Reader's Write. But a magazine that really explored the nuances of the hobby would be a fascinating read, IMO, and well worth the subscription fees.

jad22 · April 3, 2006 9:43AM

At some point I hope they become aware that they are fat and might be in trouble unless they start drinking hard booze instead of beer

bobsbbcards · April 3, 2006 9:49AM

Mike,

SCD is thin this week because there aren't 12,000 pages of Coaches Corner advertising.

Bob

baseballfanatic · April 3, 2006 9:56AM

I cant get enough of those Coaches Corner zillion item auctions where the title doubles as the description.....

Stone193 · April 3, 2006 10:08AM

<< Mike,

SCD is thin this week because there aren't 12,000 pages of Coaches Corner advertising.

Bob >>

LWMM · April 3, 2006 10:59AM

So that's why they are selling the vending boxes on Mastro---They, uh, need the room.

smallstocks · April 3, 2006 11:00PM

Wow! That is a dude on the left?

bishop · April 3, 2006 11:32PM

At least the Dude does not have a big cigar in his mouth like he does in their catalog

theczar · April 4, 2006 1:18AM

here is their other son (the good looking one)

NewJerseyMeatHook · April 4, 2006 2:41AM

I thought that was his wife . . . Are you sure that's a dude?

Stone193 · April 4, 2006 3:20AM

You guys are cruel.

Cubfan · April 4, 2006 3:23AM

I just got a subscription ad in the mail and, if I remember correctly, the annual cost was under $30?? I remember 10-15 years ago when I would read each issue cover to cover. Thats too bad.

Stone193 · April 4, 2006 3:35AM

Keith
I still think, for the money, the pub has merit.

I can't go around the corner without spending 10 bucks, so what's less than a buck a week - there's usually at least one article per week that I learn something.

mike

jrinck · April 4, 2006 4:01AM

I just started a sub--it was something like $24 a year. You can't go wrong at that price.

felix76 · April 4, 2006 6:42AM

NewJerseyMeatHook · April 5, 2006 2:52AM

Felix . . . That is AWESOME.

No joke. Seriously, I thought that the son was his wife.

FifthScaleRacer · April 5, 2006 3:19AM

Why is pops frowning???

bishop · April 5, 2006 4:12AM

Maybe because he is on the cover of a magazine with someone who some think is his wife and others his son. Who could smile in a situation like that ?

Writer11 · April 5, 2006 4:52AM

Good one, Bishop!

carew4me · April 5, 2006 4:53AM

These guys look exactly like 90% of the dealers at the good ol mall shows back in the day.

The only thing that is missing is the special sauce stain on the shirt.

Stone193 · January 7, 2007 3:50AM

January 12, 2007 Issue 1368:

52 Pages!!!

And that includes the BACK page.

Wow!

ripkenintheminors · January 7, 2007 4:05AM

Did I make the newest issue?

schr1st · January 7, 2007 5:18AM

How many pages were Coaches Corner auctions?

SDSportsFan · January 7, 2007 5:26AM

I've subscribed to SCD for over 25 years, and have been thinking about canceling for the last 2-3 years. I've never been able to cancel though, since I've always been afraid I'd miss something if I did. Now however, I'm finally letting my subscription expire this month. SCD has finally for me anyway, become absolutely irrelevant.

Steve

TheCARDKid · January 7, 2007 5:31AM

I wonder what the lowest page count that they'll accept is?

If the magazine is more than Coaches Corner auctions and Mr Mint ads, its gotta be more than 8-10.

From a business POV, they've stilll got a great brand. But they're in the business of delivering hobby information once a week, and it's limited to 50-60 pages.

How do you compete against hobby information 24x7 with unlimited pages on the internet?

I'd sure hate to be in the newspaper or magazine business right now....

gonzer · January 7, 2007 6:19AM

That family tree has got no branches.

fiveniner · January 7, 2007 6:36AM

I have subscribed to SCD since who knows when.Its not what it used to be for sure however it would be very difficult for me to cancel the sub.Even if only one or 2 things grab my attention I still look forward to recieving it.

Griffins · January 7, 2007 6:57AM

This can be a continuing thread, since the rag keeps dropping in size and stature.
Better still lets do a death watch on it, I'm going with 16 months.

Stone193 · January 7, 2007 7:38AM

<< This can be a continuing thread, since the rag keeps dropping in size and stature.
Better still lets do a death watch on it, I'm going with 16 months. >>

Anthony

I got a letter from them offering a signed Rose with a 3 yr sub.

I'm not really that interested.
mike

spazzy · January 7, 2007 8:20AM

I almost threw mine away one day thinking it was my local pizza coupn insert. This rag could be a good mag if they just concentrated on the the stuff we talk on the boards here. We should just start up our own mag here. We can give away the same crap for subscribing that they do. I still get ticked off at their sister pub..Tuff Stuff in their price guide of unopened stuff. The packs and prices and wax boxes are way off...I have complained but no one seems to listen....Spazzy

RedHeart54 · January 7, 2007 8:31AM

Gone are the days of blackened finger tips and highlighters from extended SCD reading.

Stone193 · January 7, 2007 8:56AM

<< Gone are the days of blackened finger tips and highlighters from extended SCD reading. >>

I know we've talked about this but...

I remember when I couldn't wait to get it!

It was 200 to 300 pages at times - and loads of ads and articles!

This is before internet/ebay - they had sportsnet - but that was early on and no where mainstream.

Those were fun times.
mike

TheCARDKid · January 7, 2007 9:09AM

Is anyone else tired of magazines in general?

They are so tired and bland and myopic. One of the reasons why I like message boards is that you never know what'll pop up, what story or find, or link. It's unpredictable.

SMR had a good article this month on PSA graders, that's something I had never read before. But the rest of it on Gwynn, or players in general...I read the same thing 10 years ago. You know what the articles will say word for word.

As for the death watch....I'd say within 18 months, it's make or break. SCD will look like Nicole Richie, wasting away to 85 lbs, lol.

Not everybody is on the net. What if they shifted their whole strategy to cover whats happening on the net each week. Cut a deal with net 54, the CU boards or Beckett and highlight the top threads, the funniest, the most informative. Cover whats going on with ebay (fee structure). Maybe have a weekly article on helping small businesses. That's a huge gaping hole.

They could analyze different strategies and see what makes sense. Ebay store vs listed. Auction houses vs private sales. Or discuss other marketing or promotional strategies.

Radical overhaul.......18 months.......the clock is ticking......

schr1st · January 7, 2007 11:41AM

If SCD were to go totally On-Line, they'd probably save themselves a ton of production dollars, and possibly become a factor in the hobby again. They could still sell ads for the site, and move their print auction ads to Tuff Stuff (that is if they aren't already doing that - I have no clue since I haven't bought a Tuff Stuff in at least 10 years).

Stone193 · January 7, 2007 11:59AM

I've talked about this numerous times.

There's plenty of info in SCD that's not talked about here and is extremely informative.

Some of the better hobby minds contribute for SCD and Tuff Stuff.

They're a dinosaur - not because of lack of info - contributions - knowledge etc - but because of what makes a publication go...advertising.

In one of the SCD's they interviewed McFarlane who said - I can advertise in Sports Illustrated for 150K.
Or I can take 10K and blast the internet - and the number of hits my site gets is close to a million a month.
Sports Illustrated won't get me that kind of exposure.

So, for people advertising, it gets down to ROI - return on investment - every company has a finite amount of advertising bucks.

IMO, SCD "is" in touch with the readers and the hobby - lack of advertisers is killing them.

mike

Lothar52 · January 7, 2007 1:02PM

they got the worst genetics possible...wow...looks like the line ends with junior or gets uglier, cause i dont see any poor decent gal with that freight train!!! Looks like ALL they care about is cards if ya ask me!!

Loth

Ripken · January 7, 2007 1:45PM

<< Not everybody is on the net. What if they shifted their whole strategy to cover whats happening on the net each week. Cut a deal with net 54, the CU boards or Beckett and highlight the top threads, the funniest, the most informative. Cover whats going on with ebay (fee structure). Maybe have a weekly article on helping small businesses. That's a huge gaping hole.

They could analyze different strategies and see what makes sense. Ebay store vs listed. Auction houses vs private sales. Or discuss other marketing or promotional strategies.

Radical overhaul.......18 months.......the clock is ticking...... >>

"Cutting deals" like that isn't as easy as it sounds. Each group has it's own self-interest. And message boards aren't exactly free of reckless, often borderline libelous comments, many directed at hobby businesses dealers, etc. Not exactly a comfortable proposition for any media site, especially not one that's advertising-based. Meantime, click the link below and you'll read some decent stuff on a regular basis.

Onlypsahockey · January 7, 2007 1:50PM

Why do I hear "Dueling Banjos" in my head every time I see the Fritschs?

sando69 · January 7, 2007 2:02PM

"Gone are the days of blackened finger tips and highlighters from extended SCD reading."

was thinking about how much i missed those days with "the trader speaks"...
dog-eared pages, highlighted auctions & a stack of usps postcards for bidding...

then i remembered how MUCH better off i have it now!

TheCARDKid · January 7, 2007 3:07PM

<< 

<< Not everybody is on the net. What if they shifted their whole strategy to cover whats happening on the net each week. Cut a deal with net 54, the CU boards or Beckett and highlight the top threads, the funniest, the most informative. Cover whats going on with ebay (fee structure). Maybe have a weekly article on helping small businesses. That's a huge gaping hole.

They could analyze different strategies and see what makes sense. Ebay store vs listed. Auction houses vs private sales. Or discuss other marketing or promotional strategies.

Radical overhaul.......18 months.......the clock is ticking...... >>

"Cutting deals" like that isn't as easy as it sounds. Each group has it's own self-interest. And message boards aren't exactly free of reckless, often borderline libelous comments, many directed at hobby businesses dealers, etc. Not exactly a comfortable proposition for any media site, especially not one that's advertising-based. Meantime, click the link below and you'll read some decent stuff on a regular basis. >>

I don't know who actually owns the content of web message boards. If I set up my own message board, as the moderator/owner, can I set up a deal with SCD or Tuff Stuff and send them entire threads or individual replies? Would I need the permission of each individual poster? I really don't know how it works.

I haven't thought about it much, but it seems like....

-On the one hand, there's alot of great threads and replies that would be of benefit to hobby readers. Great information, an insiders perspective, hobby stories (I remember Marshall Fogels '52 Topps stories posted on here).

-On the other hand, not everyone is able to go online, some don't have the time, some don't want to search through years of archives. Not everyone wants to go to a half dozen different message boards.

You could consolidate them and give them some more life in a place like SCD. Just a hypothetical.

Writer11 · January 7, 2007 9:46PM

Writer11 · January 7, 2007 9:47PM

Sorry, I'm laughing at the Fritsch dueling banjos comment. That was classic.

Stone193 · January 7, 2007 11:59PM

<< On the one hand, there's alot of great threads and replies that would be of benefit to hobby readers. Great information, an insiders perspective, hobby stories (I remember Marshall Fogels '52 Topps stories posted on here). >>

Very true.

But to be frank, there's very little that these guys don't know about or haven't written about in SCD and Tuff Stuff.

I'm kind of inferring from some comments in general - that some don't have much respect for these pubs and their writers.

I'm not an apologist for Krause - but I think it would be unfair to suggest these guys don't know what they're doing or that they're uninformed. IMO, one would be making a big mistake.

As it goes for people looking for information - if one Googles a topic - many times one will get a link to one of our threads.

mike

SCD Hits All Time Low

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