Texas’ Jurickson Profar is the second Bowman Lucky redemption

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Edior

It’s no longer a mystery who will appear on the second 2013 Bowman Lucky Redemption card.

It’s Texas Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, who is making his season debut tonight with the Rangers against visiting Oakland.

Profar was hitting .273 with four home runs, 19 RBI and six stolen bases for at Triple-A Round Rock before his promotion. He was Baseball America‘s No. 1 prospect entering this season.

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Leaf readies Brittney Griner cards, autographs

By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

Basketball fans waiting for the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick won’t have to wait long.

Leaf Trading Cards has signed an agreement with former Baylor star and future Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner to produce her first basketball cards and certified autographs.

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Auction for autograph Jack Hoffman card goes unpaid

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor | Commentary & Opinion

Jack Hoffman’s story naturally went national. The 7-year-old fighting cancer scored a touchdown in the University of Nebraska’s spring game.

Anyone who watched the video from the game realized just how dusty it was in their room that day.

Upper Deck then created blow-up cards of Jack and one of the silver autographed cards (three are signed in silver and one in gold) was auctioned on eBay earlier this month for The Team Jack Foundation. The final bid came in at $6,100 – shattering anyone’s expectations and adding more excitement to a special story.

But unfortunately, there is no happy ending when it comes to this auction.

Too often there are stories of high-end ticket items that go unpaid – and that is true in this case as well.

Prep 2 Pro Sports owner Mike Schnoor, who is selling the cards on behalf of the Team Jack Foundation, has not received any money for the Hoffman card despite contacting the final bidder and the next couple of bidders on the list.

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Five Stanley Cup cards to collect

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

The Stanley Cup is unlike any other championship in the four major sports. Hockey players have superstitions surrounding the Cup and the championship trophy is its own character.

Over the years, trading cards have featured the Stanley Cup along with key moments from the entertaining series. Most recently, Upper Deck even featured cards with Cup winners showing off their special day with the trophy.

Here are five key cards or sets for collectors to look for.

1924 C144 Champ’s Cigarette Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup wasn’t always a 34-inch high trophy. One of the first renditions of it was much smaller. It was donated Lord Stanley in 1893 to the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Most experts believe the 1924 C144 Champ’s Cigarette was the first time ithe Stanley Cup appeared on a trading card.

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Parks & Recreation autograph checklist revealed

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

Press Pass has announced the full set of signers for its upcoming Parks & Recreation trading card set.

The autograph checklist features many of the show’s stars, who also added insciptions to many of their cards. Some of the big names included on the checklist are Paul Rudd, Megan Mullally, Fred Armisen and Parker Posey.

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NFL rookies share thoughts on their own card collections and their first RCs

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

The NFLPA Rookie Premiere is underway this week in Los Angeles with 40 NFL rookies checking out their newest trading cards.

The players are signing cards for upcoming products and making their rounds, including ESPN broadcasts and meeting with dealers and fans.

Five rookies were with Panini America promoting the company’s cards on Thursday. Beckett Media had a chance to talk to Mike Glennon, Tavon Austin, E.J. Manuel, Marcus Lattimore and Denard Robinson.

Beckett: How did it feel seeing your Rookie Card for the first time?

Glennon: It was pretty cool. As a kid I collected and I always envisioned myself on a card one day. Now, you finally get to see yourself on one. You’re living out a dream as a kid.

Manuel: When I got my first shipment of cards, I was like “Wow, this is really starting to happen. I’m in the NFL.”

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Box Busters: 2012-13 Panini Past & Present basketball

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Join Beckett Basketball‘s Brian Fleischer and Chris Olds as they rip into boxes of 2012-13 Panini Past & Present in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

Need a checklist or OPG for Past & Present? Click here.

Have some patience, Guns N’ Roses fans: A first look at Axl Rose’s first certified autograph trading card

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Now, all we need is a little patience.

When Topps announced in February that Axl Rose‘s first certified autograph was coming in 2013 Topps Archives — a retro-styled look at baseball cards with a bit of pop culture also infused — more than a few collectors and rock fans took notice.

The arrival of the next installment of the reigning Beckett Baseball Product of the Year is just 13 days away with Rose’s signatures sure to have a few people saying “you could be mine.”

Beckett Media got the first look at the unsigned version of the card on Thursday — a release that will have a standard autograph version as well as a version of the card printed on metal. It’s not going to be so easy to pull that one as just 25 copies of that version will be made.

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Box Busters: 2012-13 Panini Preferred basketball

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Join Beckett Basketball‘s Brian Fleischer and Chris Olds as they rip into boxes of 2012-13 Panini Preferred in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

Need a checklist or OPG for Preferred? Click here.

Box Busters: 2012-13 Momentum basketball cards

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Join Beckett Basketball‘s Brian Fleischer and Chris Olds as they rip into boxes of 2012-13 Momentum in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

Need a checklist or OPG for Momentum? Click here.