For those of us who were around in the hobby’s product proliferation era of the 1990s, it’s hard to believe that a quarter century has passed since the great Peyton Manning-Ryan Leaf debate. Last year, I wrote a piece detailing how Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf saved the football card market in 1998. And while it’s hard to believe now that Leaf played any role in saving the … [Read more...] about 25 Years Later, Peyton Manning Is Still The Hobby’s King Of QBs Selected First Overall
Collector's Edge
How Leaf vs Manning Draft Debate Fueled Sports Card Hobby in 1998
Manning or Leaf? Leaf or Manning? It was the biggest question debated between football fans and collectors leading up to, and even months after, the 1998 NFL Draft. Sure, we know how the story ends. Peyton Manning ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and won two Super Bowls. Ryan Leaf did not come anywhere near living up to the expectations the football world … [Read more...] about How Leaf vs Manning Draft Debate Fueled Sports Card Hobby in 1998
Recalling Kurt Warner’s Sudden Stardom and a Card Company’s Efforts to Chronicle It
In the years that I worked in the sports card industry developing products and marketing plans for various manufacturers, there were days in which I felt I was in the right place at the right place at the right time. There were also days when I was clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. And then there was the perfect storm. Kurt Warner. He was the perfect player … [Read more...] about Recalling Kurt Warner’s Sudden Stardom and a Card Company’s Efforts to Chronicle It
The Making of Tom Brady’s First Rookie Card
When I look back at the years I spent developing products for the various sports card companies I worked for, the memories are all over the spectrum. When I left Pinnacle, I was one of the last eight people remaining in the company. At the beginning of 1998, we had a staff of nearly 300. I landed at Collector’s Edge of Tennessee, based in Denver, Colorado. Confused? Yeah, … [Read more...] about The Making of Tom Brady’s First Rookie Card
Memories of the National: When Brien Taylor Was the Toast of Anaheim
It’s not exactly a Tale of Two Cities, because Anaheim is the only city involved. But it is certainly a Tale of Two Nationals. I have been to three Nationals in Anaheim – 1991, 1996 and 2000. When Anaheim first hosted the National in 1985, I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I also missed out on the 2006 National, which was the last one held on the west coast, just … [Read more...] about Memories of the National: When Brien Taylor Was the Toast of Anaheim