05.29
Upper Deck‘s 2009 Series 2 baseball set has been out for about a week or so now and some collectors have found one of four 1989-styled baseball cards inside their mylar wrappers. They were something announced with the previous product breakdowns, but not explained.
Upper Deck explained these cards Friday in a news release, saying that they are merely adding a “What if?” postscript to its popular landmark first release.
The cards aren’t easy pulls, but are numbered 801-804 and answer the following questions:
– No. 801: What if Ken Griffey Jr.’s Rookie Card would have been an action shot instead of a head-and-shoulder portrait?
– No. 802 What if Randy Johnson‘s Rookie Card showed sporting a Seattle Mariners uniform instead of the Montreal Expos?
– Nos. 803-804. What if Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush appeared on baseball cards back then?
My answers? The Griffey wouldn’t be as cool, the Johnson would have been less cool and the last two? Well, I just don’t know …
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05.29
I’ve always wondered why Minor League Baseball cards, specifically those found in team sets, aren’t more popular than they are — even though, yes, there are many reasons why they just can’t compete with the standard traditional baseball cards made by Topps, Upper Deck or countless other companies through the years.
They’re often players’ first cards. (Real prospecting doesn’t start with the first busted packs of Bowman, you know.) They’re often the only place to find some players’ cards — you know, the high school or college star from your neck of the woods who just never made it to The Show.
They’re often more interestingly designed and checklisted more for the baseball fan than the investor — including cards of more than just superstars.
And that’s where we’ll start with this look at some of the unusual cards found … In the Minors.
This time? The mascots… you might not think they’re a big, big part of baseball, but there are more than 1,800 cards found on a search for “mascot” in the Beckett.com database.
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05.29
Two of Muhammad Ali’s most memorable fights provide the backdrop for Upper Deck’s newest Pro Shots, 7-inch action figures sporting something UD calls “hyper-realistic” detail.
Ultimately, collectors will be the judge of that. But there’s no denying the subject matter of the new figures: Ali’s legendarily photogenic knockout of Sonny Liston in 1965 and the Champ’s “Thrilla in Manila” ring war against Joe Frazier in 1975. The 1965 figure is paralleled by a hobby-exclusive black-and-white version.
“We’re very pleased with the way these latest Pro Shots figures turned out,” says Eric Hansel, sports collectibles product manager for Upper Deck Authenticated. “We worked hand-in-hand with Ali Enterprises Gentle Giant in every detail to capture the likeness and spirit of two of Muhammad’s greatest moments. Now, collectors can relive both of them.”
The two Ali figures, available nationally at such outlets as Toys R Us and Champs, join four previously released Michael Jordan Pro Shots and four Tiger Woods figures. The suggested retail price for each one is $15.99 to $19.99.
05.29
Topps announced a new baseball product for 2009 on Friday afternoon, Ticket to Stardom, a product that features ticket stubs as a prominent Relic inclusion that will arrive packing three autograph, ticket or Relic cards per box in late August.
There will be stubs from prominent games, concerts and other sporting events included in the product with a full array of autograph and memorabilia cards. Every 20-pack hobby box will contain one ticket card that includes two memorabilia pieces, one ticket single Relic card as well as one autographed Relic.
There will be World Baseball Classic ticket stub cards (hobby only) as well as buyback ticket stubs from notable events. Also included will be Opening Day ticket stubs as well as a trio of insert cards: Ticket to Stardom, Big Tickets and Seasoned Vets. There also will be Red (1/1), Golf (/50) and Blue (/99) parallels as well as printing plate cards.
Each pack will include 11 base cards and one parallel. A suggested retail price was not yet announced.
For a closer look, click on some of the images below.
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05.29
Topps announced the first player in its 2009 Topps Red Hot Rookie redemption program on Friday — and it’s New York Mets OF Fernando Martinez.
The 20-year-old Dominican Republic product made his Major League debut in right field on Tuesday night and has an 0-for-7 record (but with one RBI) to show for it after two games. He’s the youngest player in MLB so far this season.
The highly touted prospect is a career .282 hitter with 30 HR and 132 RBI in four minor league seasons.
The redemptions are found one per hobby box in 2009 Topps Series 2, which arrived earlier this month, and can be redeemed at topps.com.
Topps will announce the remainder of the 10 rookies throughout the season.
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.
05.28
Press Pass‘ next NASCAR set, VIP, was unveiled on Thursday with a starting grid that appears to be fueled by memorabilia and autographed cards that can be found one per 24-pack hobby box.
Taking the green flag on Aug. 19, the $3.99-per-pack product will include five cards per pack with a 90-card set made up of 36 Sprint Cup drivers, 12 Recognized Rides cards, a dozen Mainstay cards, nine Red Carpet cards, 12 All-Star Awards cards and eight Behind the Scenes cards.
There will be three insert sets — After Party, Hardware and Guest List — while the memorabilia cards will have the following versions to chase:
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05.28
Join Beckett Media’s Tracy Hackler, Chris Olds and Bryan Hornbeck as they rip into boxes of 2009 Donruss Americana for the latest installent of Box Busters.
The first Panini-produced Americana set arrives on June 3 with a reduced price of $25 per pack.
What will they find inside each pack? Click here.
05.28
Donruss Americana is one of those sets loaded with personalities and characters from the big screen — past and present — and this year’s version includes everything you would expect from the set with a new inclusion, Movie Posters Materials cards.
That’s the front of the “Seven Year Itch” card above, while the back of the card is below.
The checklist also includes some sweet combination cards — Combo Cuts of Ron Howard and Clint Howard, Howard with Erin Moran for the Happy Days fans, Ralph Macchio and Martin Kove (aka The Karate Kid and the Cobra Kai Dojo master on the same card) as well as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for example in the 10-card set.
Casting Call cards pair Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell for example, while here are some of the Co-Stars combos: David Carradine and Michael Madsen, George Romero and Tony Todd, Burt Reynolds and William Forsythe, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper, the list goes on and on …
Here are images of some other cards (not from our review boxes) to be found in Americana this year:
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05.28
We’ve got our hands on early boxes of 2009 Donruss Americana for an episode of Box Busters later today and one thing is already for certain — the packaging choice by Panini America just might be the coolest ever.
Each four-pack box is approximately the size of an older multi-disc CD case with each pack in a cardboard CD sleeve.
Oh, and the cards ain’t that bad, either, as there is a slightly smaller checklist and what seems like a larger variety of insert cards. (See more on the set here and here.)
Here are two cards we found in a pair of boxes …
Look for the video here later today. Meanwhile, Americana arrives on June 3.
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.
05.27
Topps released the basic product preview information and images for its 2009 Topps Chrome football set on Tuesday, giving collectors the first look at its cards showing rookies in their NFL uniforms from the recent Rookie Premiere.
Each 24-pack hobby box will include one autographed rookie or Rookie Patch card as well as a full slate of rookies, veterans, inserts and even NFL cheerleaders.
Every box will include 10 insert cards and nine parallels when the product arrives in late August.
There are approximately 50 rookie autographs on the preliminary checklist (some still TBD) with Michael Crabtree, James Laurinaitis, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez and Jeremy Maclin among them. The autographed cards also will be found as Superfractors (1/1), Gold Refractors (/10) and Black Refractors (/50).
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