COMC Challenge: 1999 Topps Crystal

It’s been a few weeks since our last COMC Challenge as the company worked through some changes following the end of their pricing relationship with Beckett.  In order to allow COMC to start with all their new processes, we were perfectly willing to back burner this series for a couple of months to allow COMC to continue their corporate transition but we’re now ready to roll once again—with your help, of course.

Interestingly, COMC also has their own ‘Challenge’ as I discovered when I went through a link in their dashboard.  It’s part of their new checklisting process.

The other night I received an email from Grant Westcott, who is spearheading the Challenge for COMC. He heard of an unusual 1999 Topps card on the Freedom Cardboard message board and sent me a link. I had to admit when I saw the scan, I had never heard of the 1999 Topps Crystal set before but there were two currently on eBay, both serial numbered to 99.  One was Pudge Rodriguez, the other a prospect named Andy Brown. The listings indicate the cards were unreleased prototypes that eventually morphed into Topps HD in 2000.

There have been two others from this set sold through eBay recently–Wally Joyner and Craig Biggio–both offered by the same seller.

Our first 2014 COMC Challenge is very simple.  Can you add any more information as to the 1999 Topps Crystal issue?  Do you have any additions you can make to the checklist by sending along some images?  Have you ever heard of anyone else with these cards?  Send your entries to me at this address:   [email protected].

Yes, we are still finding items to this very day we have never seen before in the hobby and even from major manufacturers such as Topps. That is what makes the hobby so much fun.

As usual, our COMC prize will be 1,000 history points and we will announce a winner before March 9.

COMC  is pioneering safe and easy online consignment of your sports cards.  You send them in, COMC lists them and you price them.  You can also buy from a massive inventory of submitted cards.  To get started, visit COMC.com.

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