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Monthly Archives: September 2010
Box Busters Gallery: 2010 Topps Finest Football
09.17
Beckett football fanatics Dan Hitt and Tracy Hackler mauled an early box of 2010 Topps Finest Football on Friday, revealing a sparkly spectacle steeped in Refractor and Atomic Refractor printing technologies with a slightly high-end predisposition.
Sporting a $10-per-pack SRP, each six pack mini box (two per master box) revealed either a dual relic autograph card or a rookie patch autograph card (both of which are really nicely done), a healthy dose of dazzling sheen and a rather ho-hum base set.
The must-see episode of Box Busters should be posted shortly. Until then, enjoy this shining first-look gallery of the contents of a second box of a landmark product that’s been around since 1993.
Preview Gallery: 2011 Topps baseball cards
09.17
Topps released even more images teasing its 2011 baseball card set on Friday afternoon as the company ramps up its offerings for its Diamond Anniversary of making baseball cards.
The 60th anniversary will include some new offerings and some surprises, but the details are being kept under wraps.
For now, just examine the images after the jump — and offer your two cents on what you see with our poll or via the comments.
Preview Gallery: Upper Deck's 2009-10 The Cup hockey cards
09.17
Upper Deck is busy packing out its highest of the high-end products this weekend, 2009-10 The Cup, and the company has offered up a sneak peek at many of the autographed game-used patch cards that can be found inside each box.
The Cup will include two autographed patch cards in every box, one of those being a rookie, so there will be plenty of on-ice excitement inside when it arrives on Oct. 1.
See a monstrous gallery after the jump.
First Impressions: 2010 Panini Epix Football
09.16
Boasting a plethora of downright dazzling printing technologies, Panini America’s 2010 Epix Football is sure to command a special place in the hearts of collectors who coveted the concept when it first arrived more than 13 years ago.
When it hits hobby shops next Wednesday, it may just capture the hearts of a whole new audience, too.
Although it’s a been-there-done-that idea, Epix feels rather, well, epic — partly because it’s been gone for far too long and partly because its blast-from-the-past parallels and namesake inserts feel unlike anything else in the football market today. It’s an absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder type of thing that just works.
In a hobby perhaps overly preoccupied by autograph and memorabilia content, it’s nice to see a product deliver that plus whiz-bang print wizardry simply for whiz-bang print wizardry’s sake. Epix packs an appealing variety of visually-stunning effects with unique appearances that seem to change depending on how the light hits them.
According to Panini America Football Brand Manager Carlos Torrez, the product’s base-set Silver, Gold and Platinum parallels are produced with a holographic pattern UV-coating called “holokote.” Each card surface produces a mesmerizing pattern in direct light. Blessed with the luxury of direct sunlight, that effect is only intensified. (For the record, even the product’s Tim Tebow-graced packaging is printed using holokote.)
Holding a holokoted Epix card is like clutching one of those beloved Mattel hand-held electronic football games, but with the added benefit of color photography. For those who don’t know what that is, I pity you.
As for other random thoughts from an early box of 2010 Panini Epix Football . . .
NFL Player of the Day returns for 11th season
09.16
The NFL Player of the Day program has gotten cool stuff into collectors hands for more than a decade now and as it starts its 11th season there’s no end in sight.
The promotion offers up a chance at 50,000 prizes and the chance to spend the day with an NFL player. It launched Wednesday and runs through Nov. 30 at more than 550 hobby shops. You can find a hobby shop involved with the program at www.nflpod.com.
In the past, the program was a joint effort between the NFL licensees, but Panini is now the title sponsor of the program. It also is supported by NFL PLAYERS and its licensees, Gamewear, The Licensed Products Company, McFarlane Toys, WinCraft, Reebok, and PSG.
The hobby shops involved receive a free merchandise kit with materials for he promotion, including posters, T-shirts and a variety of prizes supplied by participating licensees.
First look: 2011 Topps baseball cards
09.16
Topps released the first look at its 2011 baseball card set on Thursday with the above image of an Albert Pujols card from its Diamond Anniversary set, which will arrive in early 2011.
As with the last few releases, Topps has opted for a white border and a subtle use of foil stamping in its design. The look has a similar feel to last year’s base set, but with a larger photo frame and a slightly smaller presence for the team logos as Topps enters its second season as the official licensee of MLB cards.
We’ll have more on this upcoming product in the coming days.
[polldaddy poll="3773337"]
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
Detroit Lions RB Jahvid Best Named 'Topps Rookie of the Week'
09.16
Topps kicked off its season-long Rookie of the Week program earlier this week by naming Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best as its Topps Rookie of the Week on the strength of Best’s debut two-touchdown performance against the Chicago Bears.
The program is being conducted all season long at participating Topps Home Team Advantage, or HTA, hobby shops. Customers in those stores who purchase 2010 Topps football products are eligible to receive Rookie of the Week redemption cards.
Every Tuesday during the NFL season, Topps will name a new “Rookie of the Week.” Holders of redemption cards for that particular week can log onto the program website to receive their free Player of the Week card.
Topps fills in 2010 Bowman Draft Picks autograph checklist — but there's no Bryce Harper … yet
09.15
When Topps released its 2010 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects preliminary checklist recently, it appeared that “The Home of the Rookie Card” was populated by one not-so-popular player named TBD — To Be Determined.
While TBD still exists in its lineup, the lone fully licensed manufacturer of Major League Baseball cards released an updated version of the checklist for the always anticipated prospect-laden product, helping soothe the concerns of prospectors buying in bulk, hoping to bank on the big-name prospects with the most promise inside those heavily broken mylar wrappers.
While the biggest name of them all — Bryce Harper — is still nowhere to be found — not even on an Aflac autograph as he has apparently not yet signed — Topps has confirmed the following players for Bowman Draft as Chrome Autograph Prospects:
Read More
First look: 2010 Topps WWE Platinum
09.15
Topps‘ latest WWE wresting card set will have a bit more high-end feel — but with a “vintage” read on the card backs.
The lone licensee of WWE trading cards revealed on Wednesday its plans for 2010 Topps WWE Platinum, which will include one autographed Relic card, one autographed card and an additional Relic in every 24-pack hobby box.
The card backs in the 125-card base set will be written by Raw announcer Michael Cole, whose calls and style have been known to rile up a few wrestling fans. But it will be this product’s higher-end approach that should get wrestling collectors riled up even more when it arrives in late-December.
As with the last Topps WWE release, there also will be signed Relic cards as well as 1/1 Red parallels and printing plates.
Each hobby box also will include a dozen insert cards and four serial-numbered parallels, while every six-box case will include a triple Relic limited to 99 or fewer copies.
See more images and highlights from the preliminary checklist after the jump.
Box Busters: 2010 Topps UFC
09.14
Join Beckett Media’s Tracy Hackler and Bryan Hornbeck as they have their way with an early box of 2010 Topps UFC cards in this latest episode of Box Busters.
What will they find inside? Watch and find out …