We still haven't gotten official confirmation that Topps has lost its NFLPA license, but assuming the news from earlier this week is indeed the truth, it's another blow to long-time collectors.
In a never-ending bid to right a ship that began listing in the early 1990s, the powers that be in sports continue to tinker with the trading card industry. There's no doubt they have to do something. Sales are down for the most part for a variety of reasons. There are still too many products for average collectors to keep anything straight, let alone newcomers dipping a toe into the discount store box display.
Baseball is now a one-manufacturer licensee business. Hoops too. And hockey. One thing that seems to be lost in all of the attrition is the issue of brand loyalty and tradition. Many collectors grew up on Donruss. The company produced iconic rookie cards (at least for the day) like the 1982 Ripken. 1984 Mattingly, 1985 Clemens, 1986 Canseco. They did the popular Diamond Kings set. When Donruss went away, some baseball collectors lost interest. Upper Deck made its mark in baseball first, but also became known for its basketball cards. Now, they're gone. But the biggest boot to the backside of tradition will come if Topps loses football.
They started putting out football cards just four years after their first baseball release. Since that time, they've produced some kind of football card set every year. I personally own every one of them from 1955 through about 1988 when expansion came to the market.
Some collectors buy only Topps products. Others simply collect them because they like having one set from each and every year and Topps has been at it since 1956. That history is nothing to sneeze at--unless you're the NFLPA which apparently is going to sneeze all over those 44 years of tradition. I wonder how many collectors they'll win over by streamlining the market? I have a feeling they might lose just as many who've seen their old standby kicked to the curb and think it might be a good time to get out.
Hunt Auctions always seems to garner a lot of media attention for its All-Star Game week auction and the one at the Lousville Slugger Museum and Factory that takes place this weekend. We've got another piece of video--actually two in one---from the company's guest spot on WHAS-TV's morning TV shows. It's great PR for the hobby:
The Elmhurst Historical Museum, founded in 1957, is hosting the Chicago area premier of the Smithsonian-produced exhibit, Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente. This exhibit not only chronicles the athletic accomplishments of one of baseball’s most pioneering and prolific talents, but also highlights Clemente’s profound humanitarianism. The exhibit is presented in both English and Spanish languages. The Museum plans to supplement this exhibit with Clemente artifacts, memorabilia, and also highlights of his local humanitarian efforts. The exhibit runs February 2 through April 11, 2010 which allows them to tie into both spring training and the regular baseball season.
Since the traveling exhibit is primarily a panel experience, the Museum is hoping to include as much dimensional elements to amplify the personal connection with its patrons. They are hoping to borrow Clemente materials such as uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and printed memorabilia to showcase. The Elmhurst Historical Museum would provide a certificate of insurance, pay for the shipping and ensure the security of all items. They will also abide by all loan riders and include credit lines on labels for loaned artifacts and objects on exhibit.
If you've got a significant Clemente item you might consider loaning, contact the Curator of Exhibits at the Museum, Lance Tawzer (
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).
A Kansas collector is wondering what happened to the 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols rookie card he won on eBay.
The package was shipped from the seller, but when 24 year-old Glen Kochanowski received it, an end had been cut off of the envelope and the card was missing. Purchase price was over $2400 according to Kochanowski, so we assume it was a graded card.
The Salina County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
The Yankees won their 27th World Series title last night. No one was happier about that than Bob Emory, a former police lieutenant in Annapolis, Maryland.
He's spending part of his free time adding to his collection of Yankee memorabilia, which already takes up one room in his house. He's also a big Mickey Mantle fan who got to know The Mick once upon a time.
F & W Media has cancelled the 2010 Hawaii Trade Conference because of "economic conditions and a lack of industry support" according to a post on the Sports Collectors Digest website.
The annual event hosted by the company brought card companies, shop owners and other industry leaders together each year. The event actually moved from Hawaii to Florida a couple of years ago, but retained the name.
Despite its pessimistic outlook for next year, F & W, parent company of SCD, says the event could return in 2011.
You have to love the restrictions listed under the prices for autograph signings at major shows. Some guests will sign anything--and do it for $15 or $20. Others have their own quirks.
I just read over the Mounted Memories lineup for next month's Sun-Times show in Chicago.
Randy Johnson charges $199 for a jersey or other "premium" item but the flyer states "Mr. Johnson will not sign jerseys with less than 5 other signatures on them." Huh?
Rod Carew will only sign multi-signed jerseys.
Dwight Clark will actually draw the play that resulted in "The Catch" for $50 but he won't write "The Catch" or the date it happened.
Meadowlark Lemon prefers to be just plain Meadowlark. No asking him to sign his real name (George). Did you know he's an ordained minister now? He will do one free inscription if you ask nicely.
Bob Knight is making a rare appearance, but the coach won't sign any books by Bob Hammel--a writer for the Indianapolis Star--or Joan Mellon and, according to the flyer "will NOT sign any Sports Illustrateds". Somewhere, somehow, the coach perceives SI as a villain. Hammel and Mellon wrote very kind books about Knight. I guess 'A Season on the Brink' is out of the question?
Oh yeah and one more thing.
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