Most game-worn collectors like the unusual. A jersey with some character. One that's been altered to fit a player's request. It never made it to the marketplace (as far as we know) and it would up being illegal, but this one definitely takes the cake for unusual. Race car drivers don't wear jerseys and pants. It turns out, at least one football player thought the 'sports … [Read more...]
Legal Battle Brewing Over Olympic Jerseys?
It seemed like a good idea at the time. And an honor. Thirty years ago, the Hockey Hall of Fame asked Bill Christian, a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won a gold medal, if he'd be willing to let them display his jersey and the one his son Dave was wearing when the Miracle on Ice 1980 team brought home gold in Lake Placid twenty years later. Earlier this … [Read more...]
Fleer’s Cosmic Pro Visions
It was a time when cardboard was cardboard. Card shops were everywhere. So were shows. Against such a backdrop came Fleer, looking for an edge in its competition with Topps, Donruss and Upper Deck. Game worn swatches had yet to make their way into packs, most of which were still well under a buck. So whatever innovations were made, came in the design of the cards … [Read more...]
Best Sports Photos For Sale and Cool New Concept Put Replay on Map
In the midst of an unstable economy, one North Carolina-based company is thriving with a product line that appeals to both collectors and fans. Replay Photos , a company staffed with 15 sports-lovers and run by former Duke women's basketball player Sue Hartnett, began in 2003 with an idea stemming from filing cabinets in Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. That idea – … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: National Thoughts
Random thoughts from Day 3 of the National Sports Collectors Convention.... Unless you've been to one before, it's difficult to explain how big the show is. Chicago 2011 isn't the biggest National ever, but it's still huge. There are so many tables that if you don't spend at least two FULL days on the floor, you have absolutely no chance to get a good look at every booth. … [Read more...]
50 NBA Stars Autograph Volvo Hood to Fight Childhood Cancer
The New Jersey Nets have teamed with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and Volvo to auction off a unique item that has been signed by over 50 current NBA players with proceeds to benefit the fight agaisnt childhood cancer. Throughout the past several months, LeBron James, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin, as well as Basketball Hall … [Read more...]
In The Game Decades 1980s Hockey Review
by Rich Klein As we discussed a few reviews ago, In the Game (better known in the hobby as ITG) has a unique concept for many of their products, which is that the boxes they sell will contain cards which are nothing but hits, hopefully guaranteeing solid value both short and long term. Granted some of the hits will be better than others, but the idea is that every card would … [Read more...]
First Willie Mays Poster Was Product of Teen Fan’s Ingenuity
by Martin Jacobs Back in the 1960s I was an avid Willie Mays fan. After I had watched my beloved Giants bumble from fiasco to disaster in the 1962 World Series, after Bobby Richardson snapped Willie McCovey’s line drive for a 1-0 game seven win ended the Giants' hopes of bringing a title to San Francisco, I was very frustrated. So at age 19, I was hired as a Giants … [Read more...]
Blog: Expired Redemption Bummer, Rings Found, Draft Contest
Topps giving away vintage cards inside it's unopened packs isn't a new idea. Long-time collectors will recall the company's 1991 50th anniversary celebration, which included redemption cards. There are a lot of those boxes still in various unopened states. One collector recently decided to bust one open and won a huge prize. Or would have if it were still … [Read more...]
Upper Deck Evolution in Action: Local TV Sneak Peek
Both Panini and Upper Deck will release their video trading card products in the coming months. While the collector jury is still out on the product since they have yet to enter the marketplace, the idea is at least generating a little media buzz for one of them. Upper Deck's Evolution product will hit the market next month. They've gotten a little tech blog attention and … [Read more...]