Beckett unveils new pricing 💳

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Rise and shine, card enthusiasts! This is Penny Sleeve, your personal sports card chef. We cook up the best stories and serve them to you, piping hot and on a silver platter.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Beckett unveils new pricing 💳

• $3.7 million O-Pee-Chee case is on thin ice 🧊

• Auctions ending soon 🔎

• People to follow in the hobby 👥

• Meme of the day 🃏

BECKETT UNVEILS NEW PRICING 💳

Here we go again with yet another Beckett story! It’s probably been decades since they’ve gotten this much media coverage.

Beckett recently announced new pricing for their grading services. Their base service is now $18 per card with subgrades, and $15 without. The base turnaround time is 45+ business days (9 weeks). If you’re in more of a hurry, the standard service costs $35 per card and promises a turnaround time of 20-25 business days.

Based on the new pricing model, if you’re grading a card with Beckett, it doesn’t make much sense to opt out of subgrades. It’s only a $3 upcharge and cards with subgrades definitely trade at a premium.

This new pricing is slightly more competitive than PSA’s, given PSA is currently charging around $19 per card, plus the cost of a Collectors Club membership if you want the lowest rates. Beckett doesn’t require any membership to access the new pricing, which is a plus.

My take: While this is a step in the right direction, Beckett is still going to have to compete with SGC’s faster services and PSA’s broader market appeal. SGC often returns cards within two weeks, which makes them appealing as a grading option. PSA’s market appeal means PSA-graded cards generally command higher resale values than Beckett-graded cards, which makes it a better option for high-end collectors and anyone hyper-focused on return on investment. Nonetheless, it’s great to see this move by Beckett to try and reclaim the second spot in the grading hierarchy, ahead of SGC and behind PSA.

$3.7 MILLION O-PEE-CHEE CASE IS ON THIN ICE 🧊

An unopened case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey sold at Heritage Auctions this past February, but the sale is on thin ice. The buyer, Jack Arshawsky, a real estate agent from Vaughan, Ontario, is currently trying to offload the case after only paying $3 million of the $3.72 million hammer price. He funded the purchase through an inheritance he received from his late uncle, but now wants to sell the case to someone “more passionate“.

My gut is telling me this is a classic case of buyer’s remorse — imagine dropping nearly $4 million on a case of cards that you’re not even passionate about. Arshawsky reportedly has reached out to Daryl Katz (owner of the Edmonton Oilers), Drake, and even Wayne Gretzky himself, in an attempt to move the case.

Heritage currently has possession of the case, and Arshawsky is retaining a lawyer to help him a find a buyer. The story gets even crazier — if he can’t find a buyer, Arshawsky says he’ll gift the case to a girl from elementary school who loved hockey and was his “true soulmate“. Does anyone here love me enough to gift me a $4 million case of cards?

AUCTIONS ENDING SOON 🔎

• Steve Novella: ends April 15-16 (ends tonight)

• PWCC: ends April 18

• Sirius Sports Cards: ends April 18

PEOPLE TO FOLLOW IN THE HOBBY 👥

• BREAKfast: Breaking and reviewing soccer products

• Sage The Collector: Longtime basketball collector

• Fair Weather Cards: Former card shop owner

MEME OF THE DAY 🃏