05.24
Posted on May 24, 2011 – 9:19 pm | Author: chrisolds
Baseball, Pro Wrestling | baseball, baseball memorabilia, Cincinnati Reds, featured, Macho Man Randy Savage, milb, minor league baseball, Randy Poffo, Randy Savage, Tampa Tarpons | Comments (17)
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor | Commentary
After I watched the news of “Macho Man” Randy Savage‘s unfold via Twitter on Friday morning — first with an unusual one-word expletive tweet from one current WWE wrestler and then a I-hope-the-rumor-is-untrue tweet from another — I immediately started writing.
Summing up an iconic person’s life isn’t always an easy task, particularly within minutes — and I briefly pondered whether I really should include a Slim Jim reference in the story — but I brainstormed about what I knew of the former WWE champ and childhood icon of many. Former minor league baseball player. Memphis wrestling. Miss Elizabeth. WrestleMania III. “Ohhhhh yeah” …
I searched the Beckett.com database for Randy Poffo, his real name, knowing full well that he didn’t appear on a single baseball card — it was searched long, long ago under more casual and trivial times. One should really know better than to expect an early 1970s Rookie League team to have a card set, but I looked once again, anyway. I called up his baseball stats — half-surprised they were actually documented — linked and kept writing. Then I searched Beckett.com for “Randy Savage” where I found his stats as a wrestler, the most pertinent piece of information for collectors and finished up my piece.
Then, on a whim, I hit eBay, wanting there to be a long-omitted baseball card to be there waiting for me. After all, I had never even seen a photo of Savage as a ballplayer — it’s the stuff of Internet wrestling lore, kind of like that epic image of Triple H with 1980s Flair Hair. It’s out there — I’ve seen it — but I can’t seem to find it when I need it. (You know, I’ve got important emails that need to be sent.)
It wasn’t to be … but I did find something else for Randy Poffo.
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05.24
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
Topps unveiled a new baseball card line on Tuesday, a product that will include an autograph or Relic in every pack, as well as include the previously reported return of “Joltin’” Joe DiMaggio to Topps when it arrives in late August.
Topps Marquee will include four mini boxes per display box with 12 display boxes per case in a product Topps says will feature “something for everyone at a mid-range price point” with on-card and multi-piece Relic autographs, jumbo and patch Relics and more in the mix.
Each box will include one on-card autograph, on autographed multi-piece Relic, one jumbo Relic and one quad Relic.
In every case, there will be a Museum Collection autograph card which is placed into a metal frame and limited to just 10 copies.
The base set will consist of just 100 cards with three cards found in every pack. The are four parallels of each card — a 1/1 Platinum, Golds (/99), Coppers (/199) and Blues (/299).
The Monumental Markings autographs will include 75 rookies and veteran players as well as an autograph of boxer Manny Pacquiao. Among the notable signers here are Albert Pujols, Hank Aaron and Sandy Koufax as well as many retired and Hall of Fame players. There will be Gold parallels limited to just five copies.
The dual Monumental Markings autographs will have two signatures with players grouped by position or team. That’s a deep checklist as well.
Read more and see more images after the jump.
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05.24
Posted on May 24, 2011 – 10:24 am | Author: chrisolds
Baseball | 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter, Allen & Ginter, Dave Hobrecht, featured, Matt Garza, MLB, Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Topps, Trevor Hoffman, Ubaldo Jimenez | Comments (5)
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
This year’s Allen & Ginter baseball card set from Topps doesn’t arrive for about two more months, but we’ve got a new tease of what you’ll find inside the packs thanks to sports artist Dave Hobrecht.
As you might have seen in The Art Issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, which is in stores now, he has produced 25 pieces for the Baseball Highlight Sketches set found in the product. While there were four exclusive card previews in that issue, here are a few more — this time featuring Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Matt Garza, Trevor Hoffman and Ubaldo Jimenez. They’re not the final cards, just the final artwork that will be featured in the product.
See them all after the jump.
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05.23
Join Beckett Media’s Andrew Tolentino and Bryan Hornbeck as they rip into a box of 2011 James Bond Mission Logs trading cards from Rittenhouse Archives in this latest edition of Box Busters.
What will they find inside? Watch and find out …
05.23
Join Beckett Media’s Andrew Tolentino and Bryan Hornbeck as they rip into a set of 2011 The Tudors cards from Breygent Marketing in this latest episode of Box Busters.
What will they find inside? Watch and find out …
05.23
By Andrew Tolentino | Hockey Editor
Complete with facial hair fun, 2011-12 O-Pee-Chee Hockey is set to arrive in late September.
Upper Deck recently revealed some basics about its beloved brand — including, but not limited to new Playoff Beard insert variations. While the manufacturer is bound to unveil more as the release date approaches, hobbyists can only benefit from the hairy details.
Box breakdown
05.22
By Chris Olds | BSCM Editor
The arrival of this year’s WrestleMania — the Super Bowl of professional wrestling — on DVD means more than just another chance to watch The Undertaker win once again.
It also means the arrival of autographed ‘Mania-used memorabilia plaques — aka one of those rare chances to own an autograph from the man who has never lost in 19 matches at the WWE’s premiere event.
While Undertaker has only signed two certified autograph cards for card companies though the years — a 1994 Action Packed card and a 2001 Fleer Raw is War Booty card — he has signed a limited number of these plaques through the years, which are sold on WWEShop.com. This year’s version, which is 15-by-17 inches and includes a piece of the ring rope from the event, is limited to just 500 copies and is presently available on pre-order for $99.99.
It’s not the only plaque commemorating this year’s event, which marked the return of The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) to the WWE fold, either.
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05.20
Join Beckett Hockey’s Andrew Tolentino and Tim Trout as they rip into a box of 2010-11 Playoff Contenders hockey in this latest episode of Box Busters.
What will they find inside? Watch and find out …
