What! Giuliani Celebrates with Red Sox?

Feb 6 2008 3:46PM

Collectors, Topps is at it again.

In an effort to drum up publicity for the company's new 2008 baseball card set, a card showing former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani celebrating the Red Sox World Series victory has been short printed within the base set.

Giuliani infamously claimed last year that even though he was a life-long Yankee's fan, he would be rooting for the Red Sox during the 2007 Fall Classic.

The now-failed presidential candidate was Photoshopped by Topps into an image of Boston's on-field celebration.

The Giuliani photo-variation card, #234, is reportedly seeded about one in every 70 packs of Topps Series One baseball, which is scheduled to release in hobby shops and retail outlets nationwide by late this week.

According to Beckett Baseball Price Guide editor Brian Fleischer, Early sales of the 2008 Topps Rudy Giuliani ‘error' card are going to be completely media driven.

"It's a fun and unique card, but it's unlikely that it will hold its current value," Fleischer said. "This card is easily comparable to the 2007 Topps Series 1 Derek Jeter ‘error' card featuring George W. Bush and Mickey Mantle in the background. The media hype surrounding that card had early sales surpassing a few hundred dollars. However, within several months of the card's release, the value dropped significantly. Presently, the Jeter ‘error' card can be found between $6 and $15 and I'd suspect that in the coming months, with Rudy Giuliani bowing out of the Presidential race, the 2008 Topps Rudy Giuliani ‘error' card will eventually be similarly priced."

Want to comment on the Giuliani card? Join the discussion now on the Beckett.com message boards.

Kevin Haake