Puck Junk Podcast: Fanatics Fest NYC & 2023-24 Synergy Hockey Cards

Episode #197: August 23, 2024

In this episode, the guys talk about the first-ever Fanatics Fest, which was held in New York August 16-18. The show had its ups and downs and was a very different experience than traditional card conventions like the National. Plus, a long discussion about the 2023-24 Synergy Hockey card set. It’s 99 minutes of hobby goodness!

Show Notes and Links
Fanatics Fest NYC Delivers Glitz and Glamour (Sports Collectors Digest)
Why Fanatics Fest Was Better than National for Hockey Fans (Puck Junk)
“Heavy Metal” by Sammy Hagar (YouTube)
Four Hobby Phrases That Should Be Retired Now! (Puck Junk)
2023-24 Synergy Hockey Checklist (TCDB)

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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
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Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

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Clemente’s Corner: Why Fanatics Fest Was Better for Hockey Fans Than the National

It’s been quite a busy summer for card and memorabilia collectors. Over the span of just a few weeks, both the National Sports Collectors Convention and Fanatics Fest NYC took place in Cleveland and New York, respectively.

Many of you went to one of these big shows. Some may have even gone to both. I was among that group who walked thousands of steps in an effort to compare the two shows and figure out which one was better.  

So, which one was the better show?

The answer depends largely on what you were looking for. The National is a card and memorabilia show with autograph signers. Fanatics Fest was sold as the first-ever “immersive sports festival” that also had a card show as a part of it. They, too, had signers, but it was much bigger and the production value high enough to make it a first-class event.

Here are three reasons why Fanatics Fest NYC was better than this year’s National when it comes to hockey fans and collectors:

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Why Fanatics Fest Was Better for Hockey Fans Than the National”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2023-24 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey Cards

Plus: More Sport Card Crimes!
Episode #196: August 16, 2024

Sal, Tim, and Clemente talk all about the 2023-24 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey Card set, which has yet to catch on with collectors, despite all the good cards packed into it. Plus, a discussion about recent sport card-related crimes, and a look at the upcoming Fanatics Fest. It’s 104 minutes of hobby goodness! 

Show Notes and Links
$275,000 in Cash Stolen from Vehicle at National (Sports Collectors Daily)
2 Arrested for Bar Code Switching on Card Boxes (Sports Collectors Daily)
Preview of the First Fanatics Fest in NYC (Sports Collectors Digest)
Video: WKRP in Cincinnati Turkey Drop clip (YouTube)
Video: Sal Pulls a Bedard Auto from ’23-24 Black Diamond (Puck Junk)
Upper Deck Answers My Burning Questions (Puck Junk)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple PodcastsYouTube PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel

Support 
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop

Puck Junk Podcast: 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention Recap

Episode #195: August 12, 2024

Sal Barry, Clemente Lisi, and Tim Parish give their extended recap of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention. With half the show populated by old school card sellers and the other half filled with new bloods like breakers, the 2024 National felt like two card shows in one. Find out what was great about this year’s National – and what wasn’t – and why five is the new ten. It’s 93 minutes of hobby goodness! 

Show Notes and Links
Sal’s Recap of the 2024 National (Puck Junk Newsletter)
Upper Deck a Big Presence at The National (Sports Collectors Digest)
Security Tight at The National (Sports Collectors Digest)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube PodcastsAmazon MusicCastboxDeezeriHeartRadioOvercast,  
PlayerFMPocketCastsPodcast AddictPodchaserSpotifyStitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel

Support 
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop

Tim’s Take: Hobby Re-Packs in a Post-Pandemic Society

As Marvin Gaye once pined, “Life Is a Gamble.”

If you know that obscure song (more of an ambiance piece) from the Trouble Man soundtrack, kudos to you and your good taste in music.

But it’s true. Life IS a gamble. The phenomenon of re-pack products for trading cards has pushed its way to the forefront of the hobby over the last few years and surely tests that cliche.

If you want my personal, honest opinion on these right off the top, well, “JUST DON’T!”

There, done, article over.

But what’s the fun in that?

Continue reading “Tim’s Take: Hobby Re-Packs in a Post-Pandemic Society”

My Recap of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention

Last month, the 44th annual National Sports Collectors Convention took place in Cleveland, Ohio. And for the fourth year in a row, I set up at the National to sell hockey cards and Puck Junk t-shirts, and to promote the Puck Junk Podcast.

As much fun as it is to be at a five-day card show, it is also a grind. Continue reading “My Recap of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention”

Visit Puck Junk at the National This Week

Drop by Booth #700 and Get a Free “Bad Hockey Card” Set

I will be at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland later this week to sell some t-shirts and hockey cards – and to promote the Puck Junk Podcast

Are you coming to the National this year? Visit me at Booth #700 – with Memory Lane and AU Sports, near the entrance and across from the food court. Here’s an easy map that shows how to find me: 

Drop by Booth #700, say hi, and get a free set of Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame Trading Cards – All New Series 2! Continue reading “Visit Puck Junk at the National This Week”

Video: 2023-24 SP Game Used Hockey Box Break

Sal Barry opens a box of 2023-24 SP Game Used Hockey cards. Each six-card box contains one autograph or premium memorabilia card, two base cards, and three additional memorabilia or tech cards. Top rookies in the set include Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, Adam Fantilli, Logan Cooley, and Leo Carlsson. 

Will you be buying any 2023-24 SP Game Used Hockey cards? Leave a comment and let us know!

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group, listen to the Podcast, subscribe to the Newsletter and YouTube Channel, and support this site at the Online Shop

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Lack of Hockey Guests at the 2024 National is a Letdown

HOF Goalie Hasek Only Hockey Star at the NSCC

I’ve been thinking about the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention a lot lately, which will take place in Cleveland July 24-28. The annual, five-day sports card and memorabilia show is always something I look forward to. Although baseball cards make up the majority of what is for sale at the NSCC, you can always find hockey cards, jerseys, and other great memorabilia pieces if you look.

However, what you won’t find at the National this year are many former hockey players signing autographs. In fact, there will be only one hockey autograph guest at the National this year: Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek. 

While Hasek is an awesome guest, having just one hockey autograph guest at the biggest card show in the world is a huge letdown.

Continue reading “Lack of Hockey Guests at the 2024 National is a Letdown”