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Monthly Archives: May 2011
Weekly Highlights (May 16 – May 20)
05.20
This week in apocalyptic possibilities and other important questions
- Which card will you take to the fallout shelter?
- Collecting 101: What are the top hobby questions?
- Who’s behind the 2011 Bowman Mystery Autograph redemptions?
This week in players posing
Landmark licensing deal of the week
Card galleries
- 2011 Topps Finest Baseball (First Look)
- 2011 Prestige Football
Box Busters & other videos
- 2011 Topps UFC Title Shot
- 2010-11 Playoff Contenders Hockey
- Rippin’ Retail: 2011 Bowman Baseball Blaster Boxes
R.I.P. Macho Man Randy Savage (click for story)
First look: 2011 Topps Finest baseball cards
05.20
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
Topps revealed the basic product information and preview images for its 2011 Topps Finest baseball card set on Friday and there’s one notable thing missing — the manufactured letter patch autographs.
In their place? Autographs. On-card Rookie Card autographs.
Each 12-pack box will include one serial-numbered autographed Rookie Card signed directly on the card, one numbered autographed Rookie Dual Relic, two Finest Moments inserts and six parallel cards when it arrives in late September. As with past releases, Finest will have mini boxes — each with an autograph and six packs inside.
The preliminary checklist includes 19 rookie who will have the following Refractors and parallels: SuperFractor (1/1), Printing Plates, Purple (/5), Diecut Mosaic (/10), Red (/25), Gold (/59), Orange (/99), Green (/199), XFractor (/299) and the standard Refractor.
New this year are jumbo patch cards, which will have Orange (/10), Purple (/5) and SuperFractors (1/1), while there will be another helping of 60th Anniversary sigs and three insert sets: Finest Foundations, Finest Freshmen and Finest Moments.
Randy “Macho Man” Savage dies at age 58
05.20
By Chris Olds | BSCM Editor
Former WWE world champion Randy “Macho Man” Savage — who was known for his colorful ring attire, successful career in the heyday of the 1980s professional wrestling explosion and at least one very memorable commercial endorsement — died of an apparent heart attack while driving in Florida on Friday. He as 58.
Savage, born Randy Poffo, was a two-time WWE heavyweight champ, and his match with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat for the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania III is considered one of the greatest matches in the history of wrestling’s premiere event. He was a high-flying main event performer alongside Hulk Hogan in the late 1980s glory days of the WWE (then WWF) with his wife and ringside valet Miss Elizabeth often by his side.
Before he was a professional wrestler, he briefly played minor league baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds organizations before he turned to his family’s business after an injury. His father, Angelo Poffo, was a wrestler and his brother, Lanny, also was a WWE performer best remembered as “The Genius.”
While Savage never appeared on a baseball card in the Beckett.com database, he does appear on 103 different cards as a wrestler. He has two certified autographs — a 1994 Action Packed autographed promo card limited to just 500 copies and a card in the 1999 Topps WCW/nWo wrestling set, which typically sells for $150 or less.
Next wave of McFarlane baseball figures includes Posey, Heyward debuts
05.20
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
The 28th series of McFarlane Toys‘ MLB SportsPicks figures arrives next month with several first-time figures and a few veterans with their new teams.
Oh, and more than a few members of the Boston Red Sox.
Among the first-timers with figures are Atlanta Braves slugger Jason Heyward, reigning NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier (no offensive fingers this pose). Rounding out the list are veterans Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Daisuke Matsuzaka in their Red Sox uniforms and Cliff Lee as a Philadelphia Phillie.
The remainder of the lineup includes Kevin Youkilis – the fourth Boston player in the 11-player lineup — Ryan Howard, Mariano Rivera and David Wright, who have all previously appeared as toys.
See more images after the jump. (Click for a closer look.)
Apocalypse tomorrow? Which card will you take to the fallout shelter?
05.20
By Andrew Tolentino | BSCM Editor | Commentary
As if the world didn’t already have enough of an existential complex with the coming of 2012, some seem certain that Saturday, May 21 (tomorrow, around 6 p.m.) is the end of days.
Just in case Judgment Day is a comin’, we wanted to put together a checklist for the hobby fallout shelter. Assuming that there’s plenty of food, water and other necessary rations, which card would you protect from total destruction? Which card would you want to be found by a new, possibly alien, civilization?
Players’ use of social media at NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere might change things for the hobby
05.19
Mark Ingram shows off his jerseys at the NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere.
By Chris Olds | BSCM Editor | Commentary
In the days of instant gratification, the NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere autograph and photo shoot weekend is a must as collectors demand to see the players in their uniforms on their Rookie Cards as soon as possible.
But the players’ use of social media — even in the days of uncertain labor strife where it can make a positive connection with fans — might make some higher-ups cringe.
And it’s not really the advanced card collectors who might react badly — many know what goes on with event-used memorabilia at events like this — but the card companies and the league might not like seeing the future New Orleans Saints running back and former Heisman winner wearing enough jerseys to make him look like he’s doubled (or more) in size on the chicken dinner circuit as he wears countless jerseys all at one time all in the name of event-used memorabilia.
“Haha I’m at the #rookiepremiere and I have on like 17 Saint[s] jerseys,” wrote Ingram as he Tweeted the photo to his 45,976 followers. He later added a side view showing his girth below the jerseys to be used as a heavy component in all card products — high-end and low-end — this coming season.
An image like the one of Ingram destroys the perception of scarcity for even the rarest of rare patch cards to be found from jerseys such as these — something that the card companies probably don’t like. Yet, at the same time, not much will quash demand for the key cards of rookies as this has been done for years, though with less publicity.
Sure, there will can only one 1/1 logo shield made from each jersey. But how many jerseys can a guy wear at once? How many times will a wearing like this take place for each of the card companies — Topps and Panini America that are there?
The same could be said for the large volume of autographs signed during the weekend, but, like the jerseys, they are spread out throughout the season so that helps soothe the burn when one might realize that there are a lot of other cards out there just like theirs. (Oh, and i’s also worth noting that Ingram hasn’t been assigned a uniform number … so the No. 80 jerseys will likely bug a few detail-minded collectors.)
Topps announces 2011 Bowman Mystery Autograph Redemptions
05.18
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
Collectors who ripped into boxes of 2011 Bowman may have found an autograph redemption with no name attached but Topps cleared that mystery up today.
The autograph will be one of five potential signatures, the company announced.
The player will be revealed when the card is redeemed and can be: Freddie Freeman, Aroldis Chapman, Darin Mastroianni, Jarred Cosart or Lars Anderson.
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.
First look: Topps unveils MLB Sticker Collection
05.18
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
We all know that sports memorabilia can be a sticky business, but on Wednesday it got a bit stickier for Major League Baseball.
As in stickers.
Topps unveiled its plans for its 2011 MLB Sticker Collection, a 300-plus sticker release that just might entice collectors of all ages — ok, maybe younger ones — to peel and fill up an album full of today’s stars, yesterday’s legends and more. Each album will come with six free stickers, while the 309-sticker set will be found in eight-sticker packs for 99 cents. Each sticker box will include 50 packs when it arrives in August.
Topps, Majestic land Joe Dimaggio licensing deals
05.18
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
“Joe, Joe DiMaggio … we want you on our side.”
That’s the chorus of a tribute song for the New York Yankees star released in 1941, but it might be Topps‘ theme as well as the estate for “The Yankee Clipper” has agreed to license DiMaggio’s likeness for use on baseball cards.
As part of a licensing and commercial push as part of the 70th anniversary of the 56-game hitting streak, Joe DiMaggio LLC has announced that two companies have been selected as licensees thus far: Majestic Athletic/VF Corp. for jerseys and T-shirts and Topps for trading cards.
The commemoration of the streak will include a substantial online presence with a Facebook page, Twitter account and more along with the merchandising deals. These deals are the only presently signed.
“Joe DiMaggio LLC has entered into a license agreement with Topps,” said Michelle Alfandari, a managing partner, in confirming the deal. “We do not have a license deal with Upper Deck.”
Latest from UDA has LeBron James’ right-hand stuff
05.18
By Chris Olds | Basketball Editor
Upper Deck Authenticated would like you to give LeBron James a hand.
No, not for advancing in the playoffs with his carefully crafted dream team … UDA wants you to give a hand as a gift to a collector — a Tegata hand print.
Just like his idol, Michael Jordan, James has inked a limited number of the Japanese hand prints which UDA is offering for sale. Each print is a unique print of James’ right hand, signed and limited to 26 copies. Each 36-by-36 framed display sells for $2,999.99 on Upper Deck’s website.
“LeBron’s first season with the Heat provided us with a great opportunity to introduce one of our top exclusive spokesmen in this unique way,” said Steve Sloan, director of UDA. “What better way to christen LeBron’s first year in Miami than with an original ‘Tegata,’ which is considered the highest form of recognition for athletes in Japan.”
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.