Sometimes for fun, in writing these reviews, I like to go back to see the beginnings of a product. While some issues come and go and then return 15 or so years later in a different iteration (Topps High Tek), others have been part of the product line since the day they were introduced to the buying public. Triple Threads has been a constant since the first baseball set hit the … [Read more...]
2014 Bowman Draft Has Regular, Jumbo and Super Jumbo Options
The “Hot Stove” is heating up with baseball free agents signing contracts that once were unthinkable and teams wheeling and dealing as if it was July 31st. The same can be said with the baseball trading card industry with Topps releasing six baseball products this month. One of which, is becoming a classic with its yearly hype. That would be 2014 Bowman Draft Picks and … [Read more...]
Panini Says Flawless Snafu a ‘Regrettable Mistake’; More Wrong Patches Surface
Panini America acknowledged Tuesday that some of the jersey swatches cut up for use in 2014 Panini Flawless Football were actually event-worn patches rather than the game-worn material they were professed to be. However, the issue may be deeper than even company officials realize. Some astute collectors on the Blowout Cards forum compared the Russell Wilson patches to … [Read more...]
Gehrig Watch, Signed Cy Topping SCP Auction
The 1928 World Series Championship wristwatch given to Lou Gehrig is among the highlights in SCP Auctions’ “Mid-Summer Classic” online auction, with the current high bid now over $100,000 with the buyer’s premium. The auction at www.scpauctions.com ends this Saturday, August 23, at 7 p.m. PDT. Gehrig’s 1928 World Series wrist watch was among a small but significant group … [Read more...]
New 2014 Topps Fire Football Preview and Checklist
After a couple of release date chagnes, 2014 Topps Fire, a new higher end product that's been in the planning stages since early last year, will arrive Wednesday, February 4. Fire will have two autographed cards and two relic cards per 20-pack box. There will be six cards in each pack. Hobby boxes are $75-90 each on eBay. A full 2014 Topps Fire checklist is linked … [Read more...]
Card Market Simmers as Manziel Sees First Action
Long before he took his first snap in Saturday night’s pre-season game, Johnny Manziel football cards were everywhere. Starved for a true marquee quarterback, the card companies have jumped on the Johnny Football bandwagon with both feet. And who can blame them? If Manziel gets the opportunity to start for the Cleveland Browns and plays reasonably well, sales will soar. … [Read more...]
Director: Reasons for NSCC’s Shorter Circuit are Many
The National Sports Collectors Convention won't open until a week from now in Cleveland, but the show's Co-Founder and Director, Mike Berkus, is already there. With the industry's largest event on the way, there are still numerous logistics to work through each year, even though the International Exposition Center is a familiar host. In the first of a two-art Q&A … [Read more...]
What’s Hot in the Shop: Why 2014 Bowman Is All Over The Place
Last Wednesday, 2014 Bowman/Bowman Chrome NFL boxes arrived at hobby shops with a weeeeeeee bit more hype than the 2013 release did. Truth be told, it was a LOT more hype than the first day that 2013 Bowman came off the truck. When the ordering window was open for 2013 Bowman NFL—six months before its release--the 2012 products were killing it and people weren’t exactly … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Padres Drafting Manziel Recalls Past QB Selections
So Johnny Manziel was picked in the baseball amateur draft and is anyone really all that surprised? For as good as an athlete he is with his strong arm, there is little doubt his skill set would translate nicely on the defensive side and he could probably learn to hit. He did play in high school and supposedly talked about playing baseball for Texas A&M before his Heisman … [Read more...]
2013 Upper Deck Exquisite Football Due This Week
2013 Upper Deck Exquisite Football is set for release Wednesday with a mix of rookie cards from this year’s draft class, scattered veterans and some all-time greats, but it’s a new type of three-panel book cards that might grab collectors’ attention. Exquisite will debut Triptych art cards, which feature a photograph and other information on one side and a three-panel hand … [Read more...]