Beckett Media
Encyclopedia
Beckett Media is a privately held company. Founded in 1984 by James Beckett
as Beckett Publications, the company focuses on the collectible industries, especially in the area of sports collectibles.
In January 2005, Beckett sold the company to Apprise Media, which wanted to expand its niche and enthusiast media holdings. The company was renamed Beckett Media as part of the sale. On January 26, Apprise Media hired Peter A. Gudmundsson as the company CEO.
Less than four years after the Apprise Media acquisition, Beckett Media was rumored to again be for sale in May 2008, with five unspecified companies considering purchasing the company.
In 2010, the company began an overhaul of its online presence. On March 8, 2010, the company announced that it was partnering with SeatGeek
as part of its website enhancement. Through the partnership, sports ticket search engine SeatGeek links will be included on all of the site's major sports team and leagues pages that allow viewers to directly access SeatGeek's ticket search system for that team.
The company also publishes four magazines covering non-sports collectible card games, such as Magic: The Gathering
, and hobby/entertainment topics such as anime
and manga
. In 2005, the various titles had a combined circulation of 800,000 copies. In 2008, the circulation varies between 500,000 and 700,000, and the company began cutting back on its monthly publications to reduce overhead. While the plan was successful, it also earned the company flack from consumers and caused a continuing decrease in sales. In 2003, virtual pets site Neopets
selected Beckett Media as the publisher of its new monthly Neopets: The Official Magazine. The bi-monthly magazine premiered in September 2003, and was canceled in January 2008 after 26 issues. Beckett replace the issues remaining in pre-paid subscriptions with their new bi-monthly magazine, Plushie Pals. Aimed at plushie collectors, Plushie Pals includes pricing guides for a range of plushie lines, including Neopets, Webkinz
, Shining Stars, TY Beanie Babies, and Pokémon
. In October 2009, Beckett replaced Plushie Pals with a new magazine, FUN! Online Games
, which focuses on various kid and family oriented online game
sites, including Webkinz
, Club Penguin
, Neopets
, Disney Online and Wizard 101. According to the company, in its first month it had 100,000 readers.
The company made its first foray into the video game arena in 2006, with the creation of Beckett Massive Online Gamer. The first issue was released in May 2006 and included information for players of various massively multiplayer online games (MMORGs), products related to the games, and articles on lifestyle and entertainment topics.
to poor condition. Beckett Media runs a sports card grading service, Beckett Grading Services, which is the exclusive grader and authenticator of Topps Vault
trading cards.
. By the end of the month, the site had 1800 registered users. Unfortunately, the site didn't hold the same traction with fans that Beckett's principle website held with collectors. By the end of 2008 user activity on the site ceased completely, though the most parts of the site are still active.
James Beckett
James Beckett is a statistician, author, editor, and publisher. His publications are well known in the hobby of sports card collecting.Beckett earned a Ph.D. degree in statistics at Southern Methodist University in 1975 and then joined the faculty of Bowling Green State University as an Associate...
as Beckett Publications, the company focuses on the collectible industries, especially in the area of sports collectibles.
History
James Beckett, considered to be one of the world's leading authorities on sports memorabilia cards, was a statistics professor before he decided to turn his love of sports cards into a business. In the 1970s, Beckett was responsible for some of the baseball card industry's earliest price guides, which offered more detail on the prices of specific cards than the newsletters that had previously been read by collectors. He founded Beckett Publications in 1984.In January 2005, Beckett sold the company to Apprise Media, which wanted to expand its niche and enthusiast media holdings. The company was renamed Beckett Media as part of the sale. On January 26, Apprise Media hired Peter A. Gudmundsson as the company CEO.
Less than four years after the Apprise Media acquisition, Beckett Media was rumored to again be for sale in May 2008, with five unspecified companies considering purchasing the company.
In 2010, the company began an overhaul of its online presence. On March 8, 2010, the company announced that it was partnering with SeatGeek
Seatgeek
SeatGeek is a website that provides search and price forecasting for consumers purchasing sports, concert, and theater tickets on the secondary ticket market...
as part of its website enhancement. Through the partnership, sports ticket search engine SeatGeek links will be included on all of the site's major sports team and leagues pages that allow viewers to directly access SeatGeek's ticket search system for that team.
Magazines
Beckett Media publishes numerous price guides and other books related to collectibles and distributes sports memorabilia. One of the company's early publications was Beckett Baseball Card Monthly, which had a peak readership of around one million. Author Dave Jamieson has written that "Jim Beckett's valuations served as the foundation for all card trades". In 2008, Beckett converted its four monthly price guides for football, baseball, hockey, and basketball cards, into seasonal titles. Beckett Sports Card Monthly became its only monthly sports related magazine with its premiere in April 2008.The company also publishes four magazines covering non-sports collectible card games, such as Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
, and hobby/entertainment topics such as anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
. In 2005, the various titles had a combined circulation of 800,000 copies. In 2008, the circulation varies between 500,000 and 700,000, and the company began cutting back on its monthly publications to reduce overhead. While the plan was successful, it also earned the company flack from consumers and caused a continuing decrease in sales. In 2003, virtual pets site Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
selected Beckett Media as the publisher of its new monthly Neopets: The Official Magazine. The bi-monthly magazine premiered in September 2003, and was canceled in January 2008 after 26 issues. Beckett replace the issues remaining in pre-paid subscriptions with their new bi-monthly magazine, Plushie Pals. Aimed at plushie collectors, Plushie Pals includes pricing guides for a range of plushie lines, including Neopets, Webkinz
Webkinz
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that were originally released by the Canadian Ganz company on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "Secret Code" printed on it that allows access to the "Webkinz World" website...
, Shining Stars, TY Beanie Babies, and Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
. In October 2009, Beckett replaced Plushie Pals with a new magazine, FUN! Online Games
FUN! Online Games Magazine
FUN! Online Games as it is more commonly known, is a magazine that is published by Beckett Media. This bi-monthly publication focuses on the online gaming world, with feature articles on games such as Webkinz World, Free Realms, Build-A-Bear Online, Neopets, Club Penguin, Toontown Online, Shining...
, which focuses on various kid and family oriented online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
sites, including Webkinz
Webkinz
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that were originally released by the Canadian Ganz company on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "Secret Code" printed on it that allows access to the "Webkinz World" website...
, Club Penguin
Club Penguin
Club Penguin is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities, by Club Penguin Entertainment . Players use cartoon penguin-avatars and play in a winter-set virtual world...
, Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
, Disney Online and Wizard 101. According to the company, in its first month it had 100,000 readers.
The company made its first foray into the video game arena in 2006, with the creation of Beckett Massive Online Gamer. The first issue was released in May 2006 and included information for players of various massively multiplayer online games (MMORGs), products related to the games, and articles on lifestyle and entertainment topics.
Internet sales
Beginning in 1995, Beckett used the Internet to facilitate sales of collectibles and sports cards. The company had affiliations with dealers of collectibles, and its website contained a searchable inventory of products, which consumers were able to buy from the sellers through links on Beckett's site. As of 2005, $13 million worth of products were sold through this system, and 165 dealers had affiliations by the following year.Sports card grading
The company's publications introduced an early grading system for cards, which provided a way to gauge their condition. Six levels were spelled out, from mintMint condition
Mint condition is an expression used in the description of pre-owned goods. Originally, the phrase comes from the way collectors describe the condition of coins. As the name given to a coin factory is a "mint", then mint condition is the condition a coin is in as it leaves the mint...
to poor condition. Beckett Media runs a sports card grading service, Beckett Grading Services, which is the exclusive grader and authenticator of Topps Vault
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
trading cards.
Fanspot.com
In November 2005, the company began working to create a social networking website for casual sports fans. In April 2006, they launched the resulting site, FanSpot.com, at the 2006 National Sports Collectors ConventionNational Sports Collectors Convention
The National Sports Collectors Convention is an annual trade show held in the United States devoted to sports memorabilia. Also known as The National, the convention has been held annually since 1980 when a small handful of sports card collectors convened at a hotel located adjacent to the Los...
. By the end of the month, the site had 1800 registered users. Unfortunately, the site didn't hold the same traction with fans that Beckett's principle website held with collectors. By the end of 2008 user activity on the site ceased completely, though the most parts of the site are still active.