The Hobby Experience Newsletter WEEK 3 - Powered by The Grading Club

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hobby Experience! We’re bringing you the latest updates on grading, special offers, product releases, and what’s happening in the UK card market, along with a preview of upcoming shows you won’t want to miss.

This week we look into:

- This weeks special offer
- The new 2023 Panini Select Fifa (soccer) Product
- Upcoming card shows in September
- What products are releasing this week
- Card of the Week
- Top 3 sport card sales from last week

Submission
Find our latest pricing and special offers below

To submit cards, head to our website www.thegradingclub.co.uk. Here, you can use our pricing calculator to see how much a submission would cost, and it will also tell you when the cards are due to be returned.

Here’s a guide on how to submit cards through the portal if you’ve never done it before.

SPECIAL OFFER

PSA Pokemon Offer - This is the lowest ever offer we've done for Pokemon. £12.50 per card! The offer will be on until 10th September. If you're submitting 30+ cards it will only be £11.50. Max declared value for each card will be £150. Great for the bulk collector. You can place orders through the website. Make sure to use the “PSA POKEMON OFFER” option.

CGC Cards - CGC have announced that they are working on a 1 week turnaround for the bulk service, which is the quickest of any grading company. We'll be trialling it this week, to see how true it is. Cards for this service will only be £10 per card. However, we will need cards in hand by this Friday. Great for if you just want to get something quickly slabbed for an upcoming show.

PRODUCT REVIEW
2023 Panini Select Fifa Soccer - Hobby

The FIFA Select checklist combines players from the Premier League, national teams, and a few clubs from around the world (like Palmeiras). Each box contains 60 cards (12 packs of 5 cards). You’ll find 3 autograph or memorabilia cards, which means you’ll get two of one and one of the other. Additionally, there are 7 inserts and 14 parallels, with 5 of these numbered to /199 or below.

If you’re looking to purchase, you can buy boxes directly from the Panini website: Panini Select FIFA Soccer Trading Card Box. The price hasn’t been released yet, but you can expect to pay less than the retail price (£350-450). However, if you’re buying directly from the website and shipping to the UK, remember you’ll need to pay additional import and customs charges (I’d estimate 25-30% on top of the purchase price).

Checklist

There have been many products released recently, and the last couple of years have seen a rise in football/soccer product releases. Subjectively, the checklist is decent. It features the players you’d want and expect, and there are a few rookies that will help carry the product. Estevao, a promising talent who has signed for Chelsea, is one such rookie. Since he hasn’t played for Chelsea yet, he’ll be in very few products this year. This means his rookie cards could be worth a small fortune if he lives up to his potential.

The Chase is On

There are some highly desirable cards that collectors will be chasing. After a slew of Topps products, this will be the first in a while to feature Kylian Mbappe autographs. Additionally, Lamine Yamal appears in both his Spanish national kit and his Barcelona kit. Maradona fans won’t be disappointed either, as he has more autographs in this set! The staple chases, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, are, of course, included as well.

Final Thoughts

Panini Select is a favourite for many collectors. The sideways field level cards are a particularly nice feature of the set. While the product doesn’t introduce anything new, it still ticks a lot of boxes for what collectors are looking for. I don’t believe the product will see a meteoric rise in price like some others. It might be worth entering a few breaks to see if you like the product, and after the initial hype dies down, the price will likely decrease, allowing you to pick it up for less than what resellers are asking for now.

CARD SHOWS

Upcoming Card Shows In September

This is not an exhaustive list of all the card shows that may be happening. These are just the ones we’ve attended and found major value from going.

14th September

The Sport Card Social - This show is based in Milton Keynes and is easily accessible from all parts of the country. It boasts over 100 tables and is unique as it’s an all-sports show with no TCG! Head to thesportcard.social on Instagram to find out more. Tickets can be purchased from the link below. Tickets are £9.99.

21st September

The Midland Card Show - Run by a UK hobby legend, this show is a must if you’re in or around the Midlands. It’s a mixture of TCG and sports, and a great show to take the kids to. To find out more, contact Skcardsuk on Instagram. We’ll be here taking in submissions and offering free pre-grades on site. Tickets can be purchased below. Tickets are £6.00, and kids under 16 go free!

28th September

The Southampton Card Show - One of our favourites on the show calendar. Again, a sports-only show with a true collector vibe. Here you’ll frequently see cards being traded and prices being haggled, but the best part about the show is the atmosphere created by the vendors and the attendees. Very welcoming to new collectors and seasoned collectors. Although Southampton may be a bit of a travel for some, once at the venue, the show, the hotels, and the trade night are all within a 30-second walk, so it’s very easy to pitch up for the weekend.

We’ll be here returning cards, taking in submissions, and offering pre-grades. Ticket prices start from £6.00. Contact Cardsails on Instagram to find out more.

PRODUCT RELEASE

Sport and Non Sport product releasing this week

4th September

- 2023 Panini Select Fifa Soccer
- 2023 Upper Deck Ice Hockey

6th September

- Pokemon Paradox Destinies Tin

CARD OF THE WEEK

HIGH VALUE CARDS

Top 3 Sport Card Sales From Last Week

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Thank you for being a part of our growing community! We’re thrilled to have you with us on this exciting journey through the world of sports cards. Keep an eye out for next week’s edition, packed with more insights, tips, and offers. And as always, we’re here to help you make the most of your collection – happy collecting!

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