Ken Karrson
Sports Memorabilia
Once upon a time, your postal carrier risked a strained muscle just by lifting it out of his bag.
OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, unless the mail guy was Tom Thumb-sized and weaker than ballpark soft drinks. But the truth is, it contained enough heft that one would have to set aside an hour or so to give it a thorough going-over.
"It" refers to the most recognizable periodical among sports memorabilia enthusiasts, Sports Collector's Digest. Currently in its 34th year of publication, SCD has been a primary source of information for collectors during most of that time.
Like other magazines and newspapers, though, SCD has taken its lumps from the Internet. The number of pages has dropped off dramatically, from one-time highs of 270-plus to the current average size of between 60 and 70.
The amount of classified ads is a fraction of what it once was and readership is down. Needless to say, the good old days are long gone.
But SCD publisher Jeff Pozorski isn't spending any time pining for a bygone era. In fact, he pretty much carries a not-to-worry attitude.
"In its heyday, SCD had more subscribers," Pozorski said, "but there were a lot more people (reading it) who were what you would call 'casual' collectors. Now, we have hard-core collectors, which is a pretty stable base.
"We've leveled off (readership-wise). Since 2003 or 2004, in general, it's stayed pretty steady."
Pozorski didn't reveal exact circulation numbers, but he insists SCD still is a "profitable magazine," even in the face of the Internet. However, he doesn't try to mitigate the negative impact the technological superhighway has had on both SCD and print media as a whole.
"The Internet changed the way everybody does business," Pozorski said. "(SCD) was the biggest way to reach the market fast; now it's eBay. Not only do you get it quicker, you have exposure to the whole world instead of just subscribers."
SCD has offset some of the reduction in classified ads with a heavier amount of auction advertising. Pozorski says vintage materials -- those predating the 1980s -- are now the driving force behind SCD and a major part of its editorial focus.
Sister publication Tuff Stuff is geared more toward new card issues, and Pozorski reports that magazine's readership numbers have tailed off in recent years. However, he remains confident in SCD's ability to stick around and maintain a notable presence.
"I don't want to sound biased, but it's a decent product," he said. "It's not a glamorous, four-color thing, but it provides information and is a valuable part of the hobby.
"The magazine's thinner and not what it used to be, but neither is Newsweek. (SCD is) 50 cents a week delivered to your mailbox, so it's still a pretty good value."
This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at kkarrson@nwitimes.com.
