Seem Tuff Stuff Sports Collector's Monthly is no more. Dammit I just sent in my subscription renewal. Well they haven't cashed the check yet. But now we're stuck with Beckett and only Beckett. I use to love the super sized issues of Tuff Stuff with their free promo cards inside. A few years back I decided to subscribe since I couldn't find it where I was living and for the price it beat subscribing to 4 different Beckett magazines. That was the time they changed their format to the SCM. I'm bummed.
I guess my next question is.. What about the Baseball Card Almanac? Is that soon to be gone too, and I was so hoping those guys would finally update the Football Cards Almanac as well.
It's a bummer. You would think in a world that has card companies putting out so much product that a magazine or magazines would do fairly well trying to keep up with it all. Look at all the publications that were around in the late 80's and early 90's. Tuff Stuff, Beckett, Baseball Card Magazine, Legends, ect ect.
But with a shitty economy and every changing card scape with exclusive production and scandals, it doesn't surprise me all that much. Every magazine put out relies on advertising revenue to run. Subscription and newsstand sales are moot points. Plus a printed publication is already 2 month behind in news when it hits the news stands. It's hard to compete with the internet when putting out timely articles, such as the whole Strasburg Mania. By the time Tuff Stuff had Strasburg on the cover and a feature story he was already out of the year. And I won't get into the debate over price guide pricing, both for Tuff Stuff and Beckett. What I hate is when you lose this diversity it seldom comes back.
I thought Sports Collectors Digest was still around too, albeit in a limited format.
ReplyDeleteAside from one stray Beckett issue when I got back into collecting, I haven't bought any of these publications since the mid 90s. I used to love reading them, but there just isn't that much need since we all started discussing the hobby online.
I hadn't heard this either until I ran across your post. That is a bummer. There free promo cards rocked!
ReplyDeleteBoth have been obsolete for over 10 years. The hobby loses nothing from Tuff Stuff going away. Same goes for Beckett.
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ReplyDeleteyeah there cutting SCD back to bi monthly and I'm sure after that doesn't work monthly and then done. I just wish maybe instead of them trying to do timely article they could do more interviews with players, rookies, vets, HOFer's I mean Tuff Stuff did all that too but I think in an age where I can get images of a new product as soon as it goes live and any fad is long over by the time you get the printed mag, you have to evolve into something that people want and want to pay for. Your right though with the web a magazine is pointless and when your website sucks like TF's kinda does it doesn't help.
ReplyDeleteyeah Adam that's true but I love leafing through an issue on the toliet, just not the same trying to do that online.
ReplyDeleteThe last comment the Buddha makes about leafing through an issue on the John, that was my exact thought to Adam. While I agree the magazines are obsolete, it does give some people fodder. For those that don't have laptops and iPads to carry around to reference at a moment's notice, a magazine does offer a worthwhile medium. Even to read while I'm at Barnes & Noble when my wife is taking two hours reading her stuff and enjoying a strawberry smoothie.
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