Upper Deck has closed its offices in Carlsbad, CA but pledging to stay in touch with customers.
Last week, the California State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health ordered all non-essential businesses in the state to close in an attempt to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
The company says staff members who can are working from home and communicating through email and social media.
Company president Jason Masherah was unable to say what the impact would be on upcoming product releases because “things are changing hour by hour.”
Panini America stated Monday afternoon that it was attempting to maintain day-to-day operations but expected delays in the fulfillment of redemption requests, damage replacements and other issues.
“While the world continues coping with and adjusting to the Coronavirus pandemic, we’re doing our best at Panini America to maintain day-to-day operations. We are remaining flexible in these uncertain times and, as much as possible, have tried to maintain as close to a “business-as-usual” approach as possible. But this is not business as usual.
Still, we remain committed to collectors both on the customer service side as well as in regards to the various products that are currently in the pipeline on their way to market. For customers seeking assistance from the Panini America Customer Service team during the ongoing pandemic, please know that we anticipate delays as it relates to the fulfillment of redemption requests, damage replacements, QC issues, etc. We continue working on all of these issues on a daily basis and to the best of our ability in this challenging time. We ask for your continued patience and understanding.
Similarly, due to a “shelter-in-place” order, we anticipate there will be delays in the processing of some online orders. We are working to minimize these delays as much as possible but, again, we ask for your understanding and patience. We are committed to our customers and to the safety and security of our employees; and we are keenly aware of the positive role our products can have on collectors going through these trying times with us. We appreciate you and we look forward to getting back to normal as quickly as possible.”
Hunt Auctions says it will be donating a portion of its buyer’s premiums in future auctions to Direct Relief, an organization providing protective equipment to health authorities, non-profits and others on the front lines of the Coronavirus. The company says it will continue its donations “as long as needed.”
Company President David Hunt says several consignors have voluntarily pledged to add a percentage of their commissions to this same cause.
A 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green Kobe Bryant sold for $145,600 on Sunday night. The Precious Metal Gems were available as foil base parallels in Metal Universe basketball. There were 100 copies per player with the first ten cards carrying a green background and the final 90 colored red.
According to seller PWCC, “the card was previously submitted to BGS for grading where it received an ‘Authentic/Altered’ assessment.” It was later removed from that holder.
A Michael Jordan card from the same series sold for $350,100 last year.
Topps’ latest card in the Game Within a Game series is Ken Griffey Jr. Created by artist Paul Jennis, the cards integrate two action series onto the front.
They’re priced at $7.99 and available for one month as part of an ongoing series.
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