STASHED IN THE CLOSET - Beckett #1

With the imminent launch of the 'new' Beckett website, I thought I'd pull a little blast from the past out of the closet to remind me of the good ol' days.

Beckett Hockey Magazine #1
Sept/Oct 1990

Remember when the Beckett magazines were fun to read? Remember when the Beckett magazines actually had content that was useful? Remember when Beckett magazines were monthly? Remember when you used to buy them?

I do. Although it's been quite some time.

This magazine was the launching point for card pricing the way we see it now. Rarely will you go to a card show and not see a Beckett magazine behind each and every dealer's table.

This first issue was not the one I originally bought - and thrashed as I would be constantly leafing through it. Instead, I picked this up a few years ago when I bought a box full of 'stuff' from off an ebay auction. It had a couple other items that were the keys ones for me. This Beckett was a very nice surprise.


Why? Because this magazine is MINT! And I mean that in both contexts of the word. It is a great piece of hobby history, and it is in gorgeous condition. It doesn't even look like it was opened (except for me bending the spine so I could scan it). :)

The front cover is an obvious choice - Gretzky. He has been (and still very much is) one of the most desired players when it comes to collections.

The back cover shows Patrick Roy - who had by this point developed into the top notch goalie everyone knew he would be. Right? We all knew that?

The magazine has a number of articles inside featuring players like Gretzky, Hull, Lafontaine and Orr as well as some insight into the huge landscaping change of the industry. After all, Pro Set had just hit the scene.


Who remembers the 'Weather Report' (nice name)? I still never understood how you could be on both the hot and cold lists at the same time. Clearly foreshadowing the debacle that Beckett has now become.

Let's look closer at the Hot list. I'd say the top 8 are no-brainers......even today. They'll always be right up there. Lafontaine, Neely, Savard, Turgeon, JANNEY? What gives? I think Janney only had 3 or 4 cards total at this point in his career. Wow!


But what this magazine was all about at the time was the pricing. I loved the fact that there were some actual prices for cards in the guide. And take a look at some of them. I tell you, if I knew then what I know now........


This was my favorite find when looking back. Maybe Roy wasn't as big as he thought by this point. Again, if only....


I thought it would be fun to post one of the articles from the first issue. This one is a very VERY brief history of hockey cards. In my opinion, it's the best article in the mag.


Heed the advice of the mag! Beware of the bogus cards! Bogus! I can't believe someone would use that in an article. Ha ha ha.


This was the part of the magazine that gave me the biggest laugh. Some of these questions are so contrived, that it's clear they came up with them all by themselves. Clearly bogus.

Whoops.

All in all, a real fun read and if you ever come across one of the early issues, pick it up and take a look at how cheap some of your cards once were. And if your cards are from the early 90's, you can check what they currently go for as well.