Thursday, January 31, 2008

Card of the Day: 2006 Topps EA Sports Reggie Bush


One of the most interesting card innovations in recent years was the mixing of video games and trading cards.

Topps and EA Sports teamed up in 2006 to try to make video gamers more aware of sports trading cards by putting Madden stats on the backs of the cards and real screen shots on the front.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Mantle Bowman RC Sells for $600K


Memory Lane, Inc. has announced the brokered sale of a PSA 10 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle RC to a west coast collector for $600,000.

The $600,000 sale price makes it the second most expensive card in history. The most expensive card ever is the PSA 8 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner card which sold for over $2 million twice in 2007.

PSA has graded over 1,000 1951 Bowman Mantle’s but this is the only one that has ever been processed as Gem Mint. The card was graded during the 1990s and used to be owned by former Major League pitcher Tom Candiotti.

This card has changed hands in the past though. The initial sale ten years ago was for less than $100,000 and later sold for $325,000.

However, one other Mantle could bring even more cash in for someone.

A Memory Lane representative says that if one of the three PSA 10 1952 Topps Mantles were to hit the market, they would sell for over $1 million

Card of the Day: 2000 Fleer Tradition Update Johan Santana RC


Being a Cleveland Indians fan, I was very happy to see that Johan Santana was traded away from the Minnesota Twins.

Even though Cleveland beat him five times last year, he is still good enough to no-hit you on any given day.

That being said, Santana's popularity in the hobby is a little bit understated. He hasn't gained the followings that Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson had during their primes.

Sanatana rookies do, however, sell for a good amount and probably will see a spike in value as his new New York Mets fans buy his cards up.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Coming Soon: The New Beckett.com


Beckett has announced that promotional material for its new website will be featured in next month's Beckett Baseball magazine.

The advertisement (seen above) shows the four categories that will be implemented in Beckett's new site.

Things will also be easier to use on the new Beckett.com. Beckett gave this example:

"Let’s take 2007 Bowman’s Best Baseball as an example - on the current site you have to hunt through the marketplace to buy it, search through editorial to read reviews or watch videos, go to My Collections to ad it to your collection, dig through online price guides to figure out what it’s worth. On the new site, you’ll be able to do ALL OF THAT in one place."

Sounds exciting. Beckett very much needed to this as a lot of their site hasn't changed in years and is outdated.

Fighting Cancer One Card At A Time


Babe Ruth would wear a Jimmy V logo on his uniform given the chance


I'm sure many of my blog readers have come from or heard of the great trade site The Bench Trading. It's a good place to buy, sell, and trade cards with almost 6000 members. But right now, they are attempting a massive undertaking: complete the 2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy set.

If they do indeed build the entire 6500 card set, they will auction it off on eBay and 100% of the proceeds will go the V-Foundation for cancer research.

The site hopes to build this set through its members. They ask that members donate any of the cards they get to the project, and hopefully any duplicates can be used to acquire ones they need. The site can not buy them from members though.

A bonus to donating members is a contest. Each card a member donates, they will receive one entry into a drawing for prizes that include lots of game-used and autograph cards.

The set itself is a chronicle of every game every played at Yankee Stadium and will be seeded 1:4 packs of 2008 Upper Deck products. Other significant events such as Lou Gehrig's Luckiest Man speech, Babe Ruth's final appearance, and famous boxing matches will also be included.

Guinness World Records is also ready to mark this set as the largest ever baseball card set, but only after all of the products that will include it are released. These products are:

Upper Deck Series 1
Spectrum
Piece of History
SPx
Upper Deck Series 2
SP Legendary Cuts (Hobby-only)
SP Authentic
UDx
UD Masterpieces

Outside of the 6500 regular cards, there will 42 Yankee greats featured on memorabilia cards. There are also 1000s of buyback autographs that will be utilized in UD products to promote the set.

Ambitious collectors like The Bench will be able to catalog their sets online using the alphanumeric codes on the backs of cards at http://www.OwnTheLegacy.com starting on February 1st.

For more information on the set or The Bench's efforts please visit the following sites:

The Bench Trading
The Bench Trading Project Website
The Bench on MySpace
The Bench on Facebook
Stale Gum Reports
Yankee Legacy Release
Yankee Legacy Sell Sheet
V Foundation

If you need more information, feel free to leave a comment and I will try to find answers. Or, you can join The Bench and PM intelliracer or Taliasen.

Card of the Day: 1993 Flair Wave of the Future Tim Salmon


Decided to go old-school on two accounts: an old-school insert and an old-school player collection of mine.

Back when I was a kid, I played on a Little League team called the Angels and began collecting Angels cards with Tim Salmon being my favorite. I have acquired over 400, maybe even 500, of his cards over the years.

The Flair Wave of the Future sets were some of the nicest and most remembered inserts from the 1990s. It all began in 1993 with these cards and they got better as time went along. So much better that the 1998 version had water inside the cards.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Topps to Offer Custom Cards


It takes is a digital photo and a few dollars to make your customized Topps trading card. Three steps later, you have a personal trading card.

1. Choose a design (classic or contemporary)
2. Upload a photo and enter your own stats
3. Make your payment and wit for the cards to ship

This cards are just like the real thing.

1. Press Quality Full Color Printing on Both Sides
2. Double Sided High Gloss Lamination for Durability
3. Heavy Weight Acid Free Card Stock
4. Size of Trading Card Fits Standard Trading Card Album

They generally ship in 3-5 business days, but larger orders make take longer.

Pricing:

Quantity - Price
8 - $12
15 - $16
30 - $23
45 - $33
60 - $42
75 - $49
90 - $59
105 - $66
120 - $75
150 - $88
200 - $112
250 - $133
300 - $153
500 - $230
750 - $330
1000 - $420

How the times have changed


We all remember back when Luis Gonzalez's chewing gum was put on eBay. But now, a seller has done one better: an autographed game-worn Ryan Braun jockstrap and underwear.

The seller says he helped clean out Braun's locker and got to keep these "treasures." In a second auction he says Braun is an exclusive client to his company.

The current bid is at $36.

An autographed pair of game-worn batting gloves currently sit at $61.

My guess on the jockstrap auction: anything for a few bucks.

But here is what I wonder. Why would anyone buy that? It's disgusting. The auction makes no mention of the item being washed you know.

Card of the Day: 1997 Grand Slam Ventures - The Masters Tiger Woods RC


There is no argument that Tiger Woods dominants his sport like no other athlete.

With a 19 under par, 8-shot victory this past weekend at the Buick, Woods tied Arnold Palmer on the career wins list with 62.

And he says the best is yet to come including a year better than his 2000 season when he won three majors and nine overall tournaments.

That being said, perhaps it's time to invest in Tiger Woods cards again. Woods put golf cards out there after his 2000 season. Many consider the 2001 Upper Deck set the first real golf set.

However, Woods' first card hails from 1997 Grand Slam Ventures - The Masters and is a worthy investment if Tigers come true with his statement. You may also want to try to find his 1996 Sports Illustrated for Kids card before it gets too much higher in price (graded versions are already in the $200 range)

Friday, January 25, 2008

Be Back on Monday

Thanks for reading and see you then

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Topps To Produce Special NBA All-Star Set


At the 2008 NBA All-Star Jam Session, the Topps booth will be giving away one special Mystery Mini Card sequentially numbered to 999 in honor of the 1980-1981 Topps NBA set.

Collectors who open three packs of 2007-08 Topps or Bowman Basketball will receive the cards.

The checklist is:

Chris Paul
Dwyane Wade
Gilbert Arenas
Carmelo Anthony
Yi Jianlian

Card of the Day: 2001 Playoff Honors Game Day Jerseys Randy Moss Fake Patch


With as big of a year as Randy Moss had, it's no surprise that patch artists are trying to create multi-color Moss patch cards.

But, a keen eye can spot them easily. As you can see on this particular card, it says Game-Worn Jersey rather than Prime or Patch.

See it on eBay

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Card of the Day: 1988 Topps Ron Karkovice


Not that Ron Karkovice is in the news or anything, but he was the first random player I thought of to search on eBay for a random COTD.

So here you go, a seemingly useless piece of cardboard from 1988.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Card of the Day: 2007-08 eTopps Rashard Lewis


Rashard Lewis made me happy last night.

Being a Cavs fan, I naturally hate the Pistons kind of like how a Red Sox fan hates the Yankees.

With the Magic and Pistons tied at 100 last night, I was worried Detroit would roll in overtime. However, Lewis stepped in and a made a last second shot to win the game for Orlando. This was the first win over Detroit for Orlando in eight games (including playoffs).

While, this is Lewis's first year in Orlando, most of his key cards feature him in a Super Sonics uniform.

However, his 2007-08 eTopps card shows his doing what he does best in an Orlando uniform. And the design is gorgeous as well.

BGS in the News Too


The new BGS rates

Beckett Grading Service has announced that effective March 1, there will be a rate increase for submissions.

This will be the first increase for the company since its introduction to the hobby world in 1999 and is attributed the rising costs of transportation and the products needed to grade your cards.

Beckett has previously eaten these fees, but they have gotten to be too much for the company to handle. However, they are minimal at just $1 per card. Shipping and insurance will also be raised minimally.

However, the other aspects of BGS's service will remain the same. Turnaround times will continue to be guaranteed, and there will be no changes made at this time to Autograph surcharges, Graded Card Reviews, Case Removal fees or JSA/BGS service fees according to Beckett's website.

BGS is encouraging customers to make submissions in the next six weeks to take advantage of the current price-scale.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Card of the Day: 2005 Upper Deck Lawrence Tynes


The New York Giants hero who kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime to vault the Giants into the Super Bowl doesn't have many cards, but this particular one shows him doing what he does best with his first team.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

PSA Introducing Half-Grades


A sample of a PSA grade 8.5

For those of you who haven't heard yet, the PSA grading company will not stand even with BGS and others by implementing half-grades into their scale.

PSA cited gaps in card values between a grade 7 and grade 8, for example, as one major reason for the change.

An example they provided is:

Example Card PSA 7 - PSA 8 - PSA 9
1909-11 T206 Christy Mathewson Portrait $4,300 - $14,500 - $75,000
1915 Cracker Jack #30 Ty Cobb $9,250 - $30,000 - $75,000

They hope that by filling in a half-grade, collector's will be able to better determine the true value of their card.

This is because a card that graded just below grade 9 would be labeled as a grade 8 and potentially lose thousands of dollars in value. However, with half-grades, a grade 8.5 could be used on the card and split the price gap between a grade 8 and a grade 9.

However, don't expect to receive a 9.5 card back from PSA as it will not exist. Rather than producing a third mint category, the company will fore go it. It would probably be too difficult for them to regrade all of the previous PSA grade 10s as Pristine.

And why do I say regrade? Well, that is because PSA will regrade old submissions. But, there are some regulations.

1. The card should be submitted just like an ungraded card
2. The collector must submit the card under its declared value (which means the value of the card in its current grade)
3. These cards will never be downgraded
4. You are not assured that your card will gain a half-grade

This change is obviously causing a lot of talk among collector's from all over. PSA understands that and will try to please everyone who wants to take advantage of this new service.

1. PSA will be doing more on-site grading at shows
2. Collector's should expect longer turnarounds following submissions, but will post updates on their websites when they figure out how long submissions should take
3. They are open to feedback

The biggest downfall from this new policy is the regrading. I firmly believe PSA should allow previous submissions to be submitted for regrading at a reduced rate.

If a collector resubmits 50 cards and only gets a half-grade bump on four of them, do you think he/she will look to PSA for their future grading needs?

However, the new system does benefit PSA as it was falling behind other companies who had half-grades. It will also give those collectors who get bump-ups a better idea of the value of their collection. And thirdly, it will make the set registries more competitive.

What's your take on PSA's new system?

For more information about PSA's new policy: Click Here.

Card of the Day: 1999 Stadium Club Kevin Faulk RC


A person who did not watch the game may answer the following question with Randy Moss or Wes Walker:

Who was the leading receiver for the Patriots against the Chargers today?

But they are wrong. It was Kevin Faulk.

Faulk caught eight balls for 82 yards and added another eight yards on one carry. He has contributed to the team's success in every game this season, but never to the extent that he did today.

Whether it will continue in the Super Bowl is hard to say. You would have to think so.

Faulk was drafted by the Patriots in 1999 and has filled the back-up halfback role very well. His best season was in 2003 when he ran the ball 178 times for 638 yards. He also spent time as kick returner and has caught at least 200 yards in all but two seasons.

His rookies (including game-used and autographs) can be had for a relatively low price, but have seen a spike in value due to the Patriots success.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Card of the Day: 2006 SP Authentic Sidney Crosby Auto/Patch RC


Today's superstar Sidney Crosby has redefined the hockey card market as well as present-day hockey itself.

But last night, the mighty fell.

With a high-ankle sprain expected to keep him out of action for at least a month, Crosby will miss the All-Star Game and only watch as his team continues to battle for a divisional title.

Crosby's injury probably will not affect his card demand. The SP Authentic card is in the top tier of his cards and sells for over $1,000 on eBay.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Card of the Day: 2007 Donruss Classics Carson Palmer Error


A simple search on eBay for error cards yielded this interesting piece. Carson Palmer, quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals is very erroneously labeled on a card that features St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson.

While it is not as famous as some other errors in the history of trading cards, it is still interesting to see that in today's age people are still human.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Continuing to watch the Upper Deck Employee Card

There are now eight of these on eBay. The highest bid remains $100 with a second card at $89. One that ends in seven hours from this post has a starting price of $200.

Beckett Release Info on Two More T206 Cards


After announcing yesterday that they had graded an "attic collection" of 550 T206 Sweet Caporal cards and providing an image of a grade 1 Honus Wagner, Beckett has released two more images.

The first is a grade 7.5 (presumably one of the if not the top grade of the lot) of Vic Willis in a batting pose.

The second is another legend of the game: Christy Mathewson. The grade 4 card featuring the pitching pose and dark cap should fetch quite a sum at auction despite its low condition.

Beckett's Pepper Hastings also said that he figures less than 100 people have actually seen these cards and that the rubber band used to hold them together had disengrated from age.

More info on this collection as it becomes avaliable.

Card of the Day: 1999 SP Signature Autographs Jason Garrett


Once the NFL coaching carosel started spinning this offseason, Jason Garrett's name popped up.

As the genius behind Dallas' potent offense this season, Garrett was a prime candidate for head coaching jobs in Baltimore and Atlanta.

But today it was announced he is staying offensive coordinator of the Cowboys (perhaps staying to overttake Wade Phillips in the near future).

Many don't know though that Garrett was Troy Aikman's back-up for much of the 1990s. He then bounced around to the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Miami Dolphins. After retiring in 2004, he was quarterbacks coach for the Dolphins for two years before rejoining Dallas.

The SP Signature autograph is probably Garrett's nicest autographed card. It is an on-card autograph and includes his jersey number. Put that on top of a fine Upper Deck photo and you have a great card.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Beckett Finally Grades a T206 Wagner


Beckett Grading Services recently has been verifying and grading a private collection of 550 T206 Sweet Caporal tobacco cards.

This collection includes the famous T206 Honus Wagner card which was graded a 1 in poor condition. The card has obvious rounded corners and a crease, but should still fetch well in excess of $100,000 at auction according to Bekcett's Grant Sandground.

But the Wagner is only part of this collection's story. The collection is believed to be the biggest ever personal collection found within the past 30 years. According to Beckett's blog, this collector has the cards in a box for decades.

It has not been released how the other HOFers graded or what the highest grades were, but the cards will be auctioned off through Beckett from March to April 10th when the Wagner will be sold.

Card of the Day: 2003-04 Exquisite Collection LeBron James Patch/Auto RC


As a high-schooler, he was all over the national news.

As a rookie, he proved he belonged.

Last year, he carried his team to the NBA Finals.

This year, he is a one-man show on that same team, which is struggling just above .500.

He is LeBron James, and last night, his 51 points in an OT victory almost weren't enough. While he leads the NBA in scoring, it will mean nothing if he doesn't help his team get at least as far as last year.

Right now may be a good time to buy LeBron cards. Everything is the NBA is focused on the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and more recently the Los Angeles Lakers. Cleveland is flying under the radar as the fifth seed in the East.

And while the Exquisite Collection patch/auto is arguably his best card (and maybe not the type you can afford to buy to resell later if you are on a low-budget), you may want to chase his low- to mid-end rookies, autographs, and game-used while the focus is on other NBA stars.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Tracking the 2007 Upper Deck Employee Card - 2

Thus far, seven cards have been posted to eBay:

The highest bid is currently $100.

I will continue to post updates on the status of this particular card when big news happens.

Card of the Day: 2000 Leaf Limited Billy Volek RC


I have to give the crusher of my dreams credit.

Billy Volek played a nice game backing up Philip Rivers and helping the Chargers upset the Indianapolis Colts.

Volek led the Chargers down the field for the winning and got the one-yard touchdown run.

With Rivers listed as questionable for next week's game at New England, one can wonder if Volek will pull out an A.J. Feeley and give the Patriots a scare.

But with the attention Volek drew to himself, card collectors decided it was a good time to buy/sell his few cards. While he only has about 25 eBay listings, it's 25 more than he had before Sunday.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Tracking the 2007 Upper Deck Employee Card


Thus far, two cards have been posted to eBay:

A seven-day auction and a ten-day auction.

I will continue to post updates on the status of this particular card when big news happens.

A New Wave: Political Sports Cards


In the early 2000s, baseball card companies found it more and more acceptable to put non-sports stars in their card sets. Cards of Elvis, Malcolm X, James Dean, and many others started to pop up in sets like Topps American Pie, Allen & Ginter, and Donruss/Playoff Fans of the Game, among others.

But with an upcoming election in the U.S. this November, companies are moving towards producing political cards.

It all began with the Mike Huckabee RC auto/relic in Donruss Americana. As Huckabee's popularity increased, so did the value of his card with the highest auctions closing for over $100. And Donruss isn't worried about any flack they may take over the release:

"We have no concern over putting Huckabee in the set, he is a celebrity, a political figure and at the time we chose to put him in the set, last summer, we had no idea he'd be doing so well. We'd like to say the release of the product at the same time as the Iowa caucuses put him over the top but we can't really say that." ~ Scott Prusha director of Marketing for Donruss/Playoff

But, Topps is also joining the "political party" for 2008. While they have produced presidential sets in the past, including a card with George Washington's hair and presidential cut signatures, their newest 2008 release will be different from anything ever produced.

The 12-card insert set from Topps Series One baseball will feature six democratic and six republican presidential candidates along with a Hilary Clinton cut signature card.

Now I am just wondering where the independent candidates are in this set?

Card of the Day: 1955 Bowman Johnny Podres


The hero and MVP of the 1955 World Series, Johnny Podres, has died at 75 according to a spokesperson for the Glens Falls Hospital.

The Brooklyn Dodgers won their only World Series in 1955, and it was Podres who became a local hero after finally defeating the Yankees after a decade of trying.

Tied at 3, Podres toed the rubber for the deciding seventh game. Legend has it that Podres told his offense to get him one run and he would do the rest, but he later said he was unsure if he really siad that.

Whether or not it was said or not, Podres shut the Yankees out that game, 2-0.

Podres' career record was 148-116, and he stayed in baseball as a picthing coach into the 1990s.

The above card was from the last series of Bowman from the 1950s. The 1955 Bowman Podres shows the young pitcher the year he made it to the World Series.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Card of the Day: 1992 Topps Brett Favre


In 1992, Brett Favre was a young player for the Green Bay Packers. Fifteen years later, he is a living legend.

This is one of his first Pakcers cards and his first ever Topps card. The 1992 Topps football set didn't feature many stars because of contract issues. Therefore, Topps released a small set at the end of the year featuring the stars that were left out.

While this is nothing compared to his 1992 Stadium Club high series card, which routinely sells for over $100, it can be had for about $10.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Upper Deck Releases 2007 Employee Card


On Jan. 14, Upper Deck will once again reward its employees with the Upper Deck Employee Card. And this year's is nice.

A quad-jersey card featuring UD exclusive spokesmen Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant.

Older Upper Deck employee cards have featured Jordan, Bryant, James, Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire, Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, Sidney Crosby, and Reggie Bush.

These cards should surface on eBay Monday and probably will top out around $100-$150 as they are not numbered this time around.

Card of the Day: 2002 Bowman Uncirculated David Garrard RC


Here's to upset hopes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the 16-0 New England Patriots in New England tonight in an intriguing playoff battle. Jacksonville has been dubbed the team no one wants to play, but after their poor second-half showing against Pittsburgh, that may all have changed. Despite, a great run play by David Garrard to seal the victory at the end of the game, the Jags might still have lingering after-effects from the game.

Garrard is finally getting his due after being drafted some six years ago and sitting behind Byron Leftwich. He has led to Jags to the playoffs, and with the help of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, may make history on this evening.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Card of the Day: 2007 Leaf Rookies and Stars Longevity Game-Used Terrell Owens


With worries of Terrell Owens' health status coming into Wild Card weekend, the Cowboys now have good news coming into their first playoff game of the year.

Owens practiced Thursday by catching balls, running routes, and only showing a slight limp at times.

TO was originally hurt on Dec. 22 against Carolina and sat out the season-finale in hopes of being healthy for the playoffs.

With the season he has had, Owens card values have inflated like his stats. This 2007 card is yet to be priced in Beckett, but should see a rise in market-value if the Cowboys make a long playoff run.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Card of the Day: 1998 Bowman's Best Atomic Refractor Auto Fred Taylor RC


While previously known as the best player never to make a Pro Bowl, Fred Taylor is finally getting his due.

With an injury to Pittsburhg Steelers halfback Willie Parker, Taylor earned his first trip to Hawaii. Taylor finished fourth in the balloting and was the first alternate for the AFC squad.

Despite the honor, Taylor is still focused on this week's playoff game against the New England Patriots.

Taylor was drafted in 1998 out of Florida University and his 1998 Bowman's Best Atomic Refractor Auto RC is one of his best cards available. The on-card autograph adds to the beautiful design of this card which is currently selling for around $70 on eBay.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Card of the Day: 1973 Topps Rich "Goose" Goosage RC


Falling short of the Hall of Fame for eight years now, Rich "Goose" Gossage looks to finally have his chance in 2008.

With a "weak" crop of players on this year's ballot, Goosage looks to be finally getting his due. He fell just 21 votes short of induction last year and has been gaining votes the past several years.

Goosage was called the most dominant closer ever by ESPN's Jayson Stark .

His 1973 Topps card shows a young, unfamiliar Goosage, but is still his most sought after card.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Superstar Topps Sets For The Super Bowl


Topps has introduced a 16 card-set to commeorate Super Bowl XLII. Topps Super Bowl XLII will be released by dealers at the Topps Super Bowl Card Show in Glendale, Arizona. The set will be limited to 1,000 and features a completely new design. The checklist is:

1 of 16 Tom Brady
2 of 16 Brett Favre
3 of 16 Tony Romo
4 of 16 Peyton Manning
5 of 16 Vince Young
6 of 16 Willie Parker
7 of 16 Larry Fitzgerald
8 of 16 Willis McGahee
9 of 16 Frank Gore
10 of 16 Adrian Peterson
11 of 16 LaDainian Tomlinson
12 of 16 Randy Moss
13 of 16 Chad Johnson
14 of 16 Plaxico Burress
15 of 16 Calvin Johnson
16 of 16 Dwayne Bowe

On top of this set, Topps has also produced four cards of local favorites Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner, and Matt Leinart available at the show through the Super Bowl XLII Wrapper Redemption Program at the Topps Booth. You can get one of the four cards by opening three packs of any Topps/Bowman football product at the booth.

Topps also has redone the 2007 Topps base set. 2007 Topps Football Complete Set Super Bowl XLII Edition will also be available in Glendale. The set includes two extra inserts sets. The first being a Rookie insert set featuring:

-Adrian Peterson
-Brady Quinn
-Calvin Johnson
-JaMarcus Russell
-Marshawn Lynch
-Ted Ginn Jr.

The second set is a Super Bowl XLII Gift Set numbered to 1,000. This set includes current NFL superstars:

-Adrian Peterson
-LaDainian Tomlinson
-Peyton Manning
-Randy Moss
-Tom Brady
-Tony Romo

These sets are sure to high sellers both at the show and following the show. eBay auctions for these types of cards are usually high right after the show. However, they tend to slow down in the waning months.

If you have some patience and live too far from Glendale, you may still be able to get these cards at a somewhat decent price.

Card of the Day: 2007 Topps Chrome Xfractor Ted Ginn Jr. RC


While there's no one on Ohio State's 2007-08 football team as good at returning kicks as the opening star of last year's BCS National Championship Game, the Buckeyes have made a return to the same game. On the very first play of last year's game, Ted Ginn Jr. ran a kickoff back for a touchdown, but proceded to injure his foot during the celebration. This forced him to watch from the sidelines as Florida racked up the points in a landslide victory.

However, the injury didn't hurt his draft status as he was taken with the #9 overall by the Miami Dolphins. His rookie year was solid as he scored a receiving touchdown and a return tochdown. Ginn had two other return TDs called back after penalties.

Topps Chrome Xfractors are some of the most sought after non-autographed or game-used rookies every year due to their attractive style. And 2007 was no exception with this Ginn bringing a book value of $20.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Card of the Day: 2006 Press Pass GU Omar Jacobs


Although, BGSU is getting rolled in the GMAC Bowl at the time of this post, I still stand strong to my university. And this is one of the nicest Press Pass GU cards I have ever seen. I currently own three orange swatches and two brown swatches. I am always looking for more too.

The Latest Photoshop Job From Topps Revealed


Click Image For Super Sized View

A few days I posted an odd looking Topps Stadium Club card of Ray Allen. He was obviously Photoshopped over a crowd scene, but after I blew the image up and with the help of some fellow traders, we discovered some abnormalities in the crowd. Each colored cirlce on the image below shows the same person on opposite sides of Allen.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Card of the Day: 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols RC Auto


Here's one of those cards everyone wishes they could own. Whether it be for a personal collection or to sell, this card provides a great investment.

Numbered to just 500, this card became a hot commodity when Pujols broke out of his shell in 2001 as an unknown. It has continued to gain value as he has posted MVP-type seasons in every year since and became one of the best offensive players in the game.

Listed in Beckett for $3500, two copies of the card recently sold on eBay for $2100 and $2259. If you have one of these, it is hard to say whether you should keep it or sell it.

What would you do? Or, what are you doing if you own one?

Friday, January 4, 2008

Gridiron Gear 4-Pack Break


I bought one of those $10 four packs from K-Mart today, and wasn't overly impressed. The design is nice, but I got several duplicates within the four packs.

Pack 1:
-Tony Romo
-Ahman Green
-Matt Schaub
-Eli Manning
-Mike Bell

The Romo makes up for the subpar rest of the pack. If I were a Houston fan, I'd be a happy customer.

Pack 2:
-Matt Leinart Playbook /500
-Ahman Green (Again)
-Mike Bell (Again)
-J.P. Losman
-Alge Crumpler

In the end, Pack 2 had three dupes. The Leinart is nice but doesn't quite make up for them.

Pack 3:
-Vernon Davis
-Alge Crumpler (Again)
-Jeff Garcia
-Jay Cutler
-Deuce McAllister

Just a poor pack overall. Cutler was the only worthy card, and it's not even that great.

Pack 4:
-Reggie Bush
-Marvin Harrison
-Laveranues Coles
-Terrell Owens
-Frank Gore

Excellant player selection. I kind of wish the Leinart would've been in this pack instead of Coles. That would've made for a nice $2.50 investment.

Now while I didn't get any cards to keep from this break, I won't knock Gridiron Gear too bad. The dupes make me skeptical about the Vintage brand four packs of cards, but not Gridiron Gear in general.

I feel Donruss/Playoff delivered a quality product at an affordable price even in retail stores. The decoys are huge. I thought I had a hit and it was just a big old white decoy.

Topps Celebrity Seek and Find



While it is no 2007 Topps Derek Jeter , the obvious Photoshop job on this card brought back memories.

Let me know if you see any celebs in there.

Card of the Day: 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady RC Auto


In what quickly became the hottest card of 2007, Tom Brady’s 2000 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket RC Auto is now selling for over $1,000.

It seemed that with every touchdown came an up arrow for the card’s value.

Just before the football season started up, the Brady card was listed in Beckett for $700 with an up arrow. The November/December Football Plus listed the card for $800 with an up arrow. Currently, a copy resides on eBay with a high bid of $1,025 with one day and four hours left.

And if Brady can carry the Pats to a Super Bowl victory and a 19-0 season, one can only imagine how much this card will sell for.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Card of the Day: Absolute TOTT Tim Hudson Fake Patch



In today's sports card market, a multi-colored patch card of even minor stars can bring in over $100 on eBay. The above Tim Hudson card is an example of such.

The sad thing is that the Hudson card is an obvious fake along with several of the seller's other listings. The seller dmarcus8, a well-known patch faker, has several cards registered within the Fake Patch Registry.

But how do we know this card is fake? Well it is easy.

Take a look to the left of the left of the patch window. It says "Game-Worn Jersey." But with Donruss/Playoff and the Tools of the Trade set, that means a standard jersey swatch. "Game-Worn Prime" would grace the patch window of an actual patch from this set.

See it on eBay

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Beckett to make magazine changes in 2008


For years, Beckett has made minor changes to its magazines to make it look more modern. But, in 2008 that all will change as Beckett is revamping its entire publication line.

Beckett Sports Card Monthly will be a compilation of all the current monthly magazines. It will put all the newest, hottest information and releases in one place and benefit collectors who deal in all sports.

The new magazine will not completely eliminate the monthly magazines and pluses, rather it will combine the two into one bi-monthly magazine called Beckett Baseball, Beckett Football, etc.

The big drawback comes in with collectors who specialize in only one sport. The Sports Card Monthly then becomes a desired magazine with little use. They would get a sport specific magazine six times a year with all pricing rather than just new pricing. However, it is not bi-monthly. More issues will come out during a sport season and maybe one during the offseason.

This is an odd move by Beckett because collectors may be going 3-4 months without updated pricing and new release information from Beckett.

Another complaint may be that Beckett is becoming Tuff Stuff, but that complaint holds little validity. Beckett is still making an attempt to please the specific sport collectors unlike Tuff Stuff.

Here are the prices of the new magazines:

-Sports Card Monthly, $7.99 (compared to $20 to buy all four current sports monthlies).
-Beckett “single sport” bi-monthy, $9.99 (compared to $15 for the current single sport monthly AND the PLUS).

Welcome to Cardboard Mania


Hello and welcome to Cardboard Mania, a blog all about sports cards. I will cover a variety of topics on this blog from current card news, fake cards, my investment strategies, and much more.

I can't guarentee this will get posted every single day of the year, but I plan on featuring one card every day. Whether is be an error, hot rookie, fake, or something else is hard to say, but it should start tomorrow.

Leave me your blog in a comment and I'll add you to my blogroll.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you come back soon.