His name has been on collectors’ minds since he was a high school player on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Notoriety in this day and age is sometimes hard to live up to but after a sizzling start, finding the best Bryce Harper baseball cards has become a priority for those who like to buy and hold modern era cardboard. While some may place Mike Trout on a higher … [Read more...]
2012 NFL Rookie Cards: Value Plays on Potential Future Stars
by Eamonn Donlyn Talk about a loaded question. Trying to gauge the current rookie card market is like trying to figure out a 10 different rubix cubes with 10 different color patterns. Long gone are the days of one or two rookie cards. A quick search in the the football cards section on eBay for 'Andrew Luck rookie card', results in over 14,000 sold listings between … [Read more...]
What’s Hot in the Shop: Panini Limited’s Luster Lives On
by Mike Fruitman This week, hobby shops saw the return of a familiar popular product, 2012 Panini Limited. Just like last week with Crown Royale, initial concerns of being able to sell post Luck and RGIII playing releases seem to be as bogus as some of those pass interference calls that went against the Denver Broncos. My store started with one direct case and within … [Read more...]
2012 Panini Prizm Football Preview
Panini will utilize photos from this season’s games when producing its 2012 Panini Prizm Football issue, set to release just after the Super Bowl. It will also dispatch completely with the concept of memorabilia cards. Instead Panini is focusing on the technology of its Prizm design, set to debut with the company’s basketball counterpart, which arrives later this … [Read more...]
2012 Topps Triple Threads Image Preview
Topps has been busy on social media since last week, releasing images of its often anticipated 2012 Triple Threads Baseball product. Printed on thick stock, the cards are due out later this week. There will be two mini boxes (or packs if you prefer) per master box in this annual hobby-only product. Mike Trout and Bryce Harper sticker autographs are inside along with a … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Fake Mays, Local and National Media Coverage, Got Any High Numbers?
Unlike the excitement when one dealer was arrested and charged with fraud last year, there haven't been any arrests (that we know of) so far this year, but I spoke with one collector who purchased what he thought was a 1953 Topps Willie Mays at one dealer's table and then got a rude awakening. He submitted it to PSA for grading just a few minutes after buying it and it was … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: Panini Parlays Previous Performance With Prestige
by Mike Fruitman Just over a week ago, 2012 Panini Prestige NFL hit hobby shelves with tons of anticipation and so far, it has been more than living up to the hype. While previously released products like Bowman Signature, Upper Deck and other have sold incredibly well, Prestige for many really kicks off the collecting season. Last year’s release started off slowly … [Read more...]
2012 Topps Triple Threads Football Preview and Checklist
by Chris Harris Topps has unveiled details about its 2012 Triple Threads Football brand, and if it looks like something you’ve already seen before, it’s because it pretty much is a product you’ve seen before. Ever since Triple Threads’ introduction in the middle part of the last decade (2006 in baseball, 2007 for football) Topps has kept to the same formula: sticker … [Read more...]
2012 Panini Certified Football Preview
Football card collectors will have some fresh packs to break open today when Panini Prestige hits stores but the company is also offering information on another of its long-running lines. 2012 Certified Football will be out just as the season kicks off. The issue will lean on Hall of Famer John Elway for many of its major insert cards. Certified will offer four autograph … [Read more...]
2012 Topps Platinum Football Preview
by Chris Harris It’s another week, so it must be another 2012 Topps football sell-sheet. The company is making no bones about its efforts to take advantage of this year's highly anticipated rookie class. This time the sneak peek is 2012 Topps Platinum Football. The fourth edition of this hybrid product, which combines current NFL stars printed on foilboard with … [Read more...]