So we finally made it. It’s not just MLB season anymore! Please take a look at what’s been selling well at the ol’ card shoppe.
1) 15/16 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection NHL – 
Ultimate Collection is one of Upper Deck’s longest running releases, dating back to 01/2 when Ilya Kovalchuk ruled the world. There’s a new boss in town and his name is Connor. This will be one of those times where a product is watched for one card, his 1/1 rookie shield card. Now don’t get me wrong, I would love to see this beast hit from one of my cases, but it would not bother me if it took a few months to pop.
Boxes contain five cards and each gem contains either an autograph or a relic swatch. Now there is more than just McDavid to be chased as there are also autos of Patrick Roy, Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic, Dylan Larkin and enough other stars to (hopefully) legitimize the $250 per box cost.
2) 2016 Topps Archives Signature Series All-Star MLB – so when this release hit last year, I’ll admit I did not expect it to 
rocket up like it did. Now that we know that buyback releases from Leaf, Super Break and other manufacturers are all the rage, of course the one made by Topps themselves should be a winner. While one of the rules to retail is that “if something does incredibly well its first year, don’t expect a repeat”, Archives landed Wednesday and pack rippers are clamoring for it.
Yes, there are the guys you might cringe to pull like Billy Wagner, Don Mueller, Harold Baines or Kevin Mitchell, but having a chance at players like Bo Jackson, Cal Ripken, Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Sandy Koufax and others should help you feel better. One thing that really stands out is the impressive list of deceased players who you could snag like Ted Williams, Erinie Banks, Warren Spahn, Sparky Anderson, Johnny Mize and more.
3) 2016 Donruss NFL –
Yes, I know that Donruss is not the highest-end release that Panini will make this year, but it might be performing better than any other 2016 NFL release to date. Wholesale is about $15 over cost and we are about done selling boxes at original price. Who knew the 1990 Donruss design would be popular again?
Packs offer one rookie per and there are 100 different rookies possible, so even four perfectly collated boxes would not get you a set but there’s plenty here to like.
A few collectors have shared with me that with no 2016 Topps offerings, that they are looking at 2016 Donruss as their designated replacement release. All of the rookies in the set are in their pro uniforms thanks to the rookie premiere photo shoot and rookie training camps and boxes offer one autograph and one relic card. Now to hope that collectors flock to Panini Prizm the way they used to groove on Topps Chrome.
4) 2016 Topps Star Wars The Force Awakens Chrome – Fine, I’m only about six months late to the game. When the card sets that came out when the movie released did so well, I thought to grab a case of the next release and I have been pleasantly surprised with the response so far. My store is about 95% sports card related and about 5% gaming. Perhaps I’ll have to adjust that if these sales keep going. Each box offers either 1 autographed card, sketch, costume, medallion or printing plate card. So far I remember seeing 2 autographed cards from Empire generals (or other level soldiers) and the collectors were happy.
5) 2016 Bowman Chrome Regular & Vending MLB – 
So what happens when you take one of your most popular releases and tinker with it? Apparently it makes people want your product more. When Chrome landed I had shredders who actually wanted to see what a vending box looked like in 2016. They were not disappointed and with the shelf price on a vending box being less than a c-note, it resulted in multiple box sales to those avid rippers. With two autographs in a regular box (that now looks like a Finest box) and three per vending box, I’m glad I started with seven cases of each.
What should be on the hot list the next go around? I see Chrome sticking on, possibly Archives Signature Series with 15/16 Panini Immaculate NBA, 2016 Topps Triple Threads MLB, 15/16 Upper Deck Premier NHL and 2016 Panini Spectra NFL all vying for spots. I’d love to know what you think about any of the current releases and what might be hot in your area, so please go to the Sports Collectors Daily Facebook page and share your thoughts.
Mike Fruitman owns Mike’s Stadium Sportscards in Aurora, CO. His column focuses on what products are selling best in hobby shops. He’s got thousands of cards for sale on COMC.com under the ID cardmn5150. Enjoy new arrivals and big hits from Mike’s on Twitter. Mike’s is always looking for more friends on Facebook and you can email him at [email protected]
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