02.23
Here’s a peek at the upcoming 2009 Playoff Prestige football set, which will arrive in May …
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02.22
While Upper Deck hasn’t released a PGA set since 2004, the company is including the world’s most popular golfer, Tiger Woods, on cards in a variety of recently released and upcoming sports card products.
First, Tiger can be found in football — in packs of 2008 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Football, which arrived in hobby shops last week, and 2008 Exquisite Football which arrives on March 4.
A Ultimate Champions Signatures card from Ultimate Collection (top) show Tiger at the 2008 U.S. Open, while the Exquisite Rookie Signature cards (above right) include an autograph and a piece of event-used shirt. Woods added an inscription “08 U.S. Open champion” to one card from each set.
But they’re not done there.
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02.20
McFarlane Toys released on Friday images of what its fifth series of NFL Legends Sports Picks figures will look like with my personal favorite being former Philadelphia Eagles QB Randall Cunningham leading the way.
The series arrives in June with six other big names from the past.
The others? Well, you might know a few. They all can be seen after the jump…
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02.20
Donruss released this list of short prints among the 2008 Playoff Contenders Season Ticket Autographs (parallels of the first 50 base cards) on Friday and reported that no more than 299 of each other card was produced.
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02.19
We’ve got a sneak peek at the piece of memorabilia that Donruss will be cutting up to make the first match-worn memorabilia card of retired professional wrestler “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
And, woooo, is it a doozy.
We’ll have more details here on Friday Monday about the first certified autograph cards to come featuring the 16-time world heavyweight champion (cards that will surely be huge sellers), but first … the memorabilia. He’s appeared on only one other memorabilia card, sharing a match-used ring mat card with Undertaker in the 2002 Fleer Raw Vs. Smackdown set.
This new one? It’s much more impressive — and might include some prime swatches for the diehard collectors out there. (But there won’t be many.)
Will it be a robe? Will it be ring boots? Will it be some of those fine blazers he used to style and profile in?
We’re not telling, you’ll just have to see it after the jump. (We’ve selected an appropiate tune for this unveiling, so be sure to turn down your speakers if they’re on.)
So, without further adieu …
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02.19
This in Thursday evening from Upper Deck…
Chuck Sauter has just accomplished something that only one other person in the world has been able to do: put together Upper Deck’s gigantic, 6,661-card Yankee Stadium Legacy Collection.
Sauter, a lifelong Orioles fan, started pursuing the set to find only those cards when the Yankees hosted the Orioles. The challenge of putting together the entire insert set finally took hold, however, and he was hooked. Upper Deck’s YSL set pays tribute to every single Yankees home game ever played at the historic venue since its doors opened on April 18, 1923.
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02.19
Topps released the short-print lists for its recently released 2008 Topps Mayo Football set on Thursday.
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02.19
Tune in right here on Saturday afternoon for a few live-post contests in celebration of National Hockey Card Day.
We’re planning to give away the following Upper Deck hockey cards starting at 1 p.m. (central time):
1. Grand Prize: One box of 2008-09 SP Game-used Hockey (six packs, six autographs or game-used cards per box).
2. Other boxes: Three boxes of 2008-09 Fleer Ultra (24 packs; six Rookie Cards and two jersey or autographs per box).
3. Big-pack prizes: We’ll be awarding a few boxes’ worth of packs from 2008-09 SP Game-used Hockey (one hit per pack) and some packs from 2007-08 Hot Prospects throughout the day until we’re out …
How can you win? Be here and be ready to comment … it’s that simple.
However, everyone is eligible for the grand prize — just send an e-mail to colds@beckett.com with the subject line “hockey cards” along with your name and address. The grand prize will be randomly drawn from those names. E-mails not including addresses will be disqualified.
Looking for the contests? Go back to the blog’s main page by clicking on the header to see each contest — do not just refresh this page.
Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
02.19
Here’s a look at a few cards from the upcoming 2008-09 Upper Deck Black basketball set that will arrive in late March.
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02.18
Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to head back to Seattle this season, agreeing Wednesday night to a one-year contract to play where he became a star.
Now, obviously, “The Kid” is all grown up — and he’s got 611 home runs this time around, good for fifth-place on the career list — but there’s bound to be a resurgence of interest in Griffey’s key cards and memorabilia as the nostalgia kick of him in a Mariners uniform once again draws upon memories from a lifetime ago (or so it seems) in the hobby.
After all, the 1989 Upper Deck Griffey really is the ’52 Mantle of this generation — a card that’s iconic, symbolizes a shift in the industry, and, ironically, was so overproduced that it’s not too tough for many collectors to own one.
Just a thought … it also doesn’t hurt the hobby that Upper Deck has autographed buyback cards in its 2009 packs, noting “20 years” for the company’s anniversary — but something that also now notes his return to Seattle — does it? (By the way, two of those cards have hit eBay — but neither auction actually closed. One ended early when bidding had already topped $1,000.)
We want to know … do you think this career-capping season in Seattle will spark interest in the hobby as a whole — or just spark interest in Junior?
Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
