05.25
By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor
On the heels of the NFL Players Rookie Premiere, Topps is readying one of its most popular football products.
Topps Chrome is coming back with all on-card rookie autographs. The product is scheduled to come out in early November.
There will be at least 45 different rookies in the product with autographs. But what makes the set fun for many collectors is all the Refractors. The 24-pack hobby boxes – with four cards in each pack – will have eight different refractors. With a 220-base card set – 110 veterans and 110 rookies – that’s a lot of cards to chase.
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05.24
By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
If you’ve ever wanted to play professional baseball, now’s your chance.
Topps unveiled its plans for 2012 Topps Heritage Minor League on Thursday and one of the inclusions in the second-year run of the product is a chance to become a member of the Corpus Christi Hooks for a day next season and appear on a card in 2013 Topps Pro Debut, the company’s other annual MiLB release. The Hooks are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.
For those of us who don’t find the card, the set presents a chance to take an aesthetic trip down Memory Lane with a product that is styled after the colorful 1963 Topps set when it arrives on Sept. 12.
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05.24
ESPN.com’s Playbook recently launched a weekly video segment called “Mint Condition” which will focus on the hobby. Check it out.
05.23
By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor | Commentary
Opening packs of baseball cards is a gamble. We all say it. We all know it. But we continue to do it in hopes we beat the odds and get that beautiful big hit.
On Wednesday, I bought two boxes of 2012 Topps Archives. Just the packs alone filled me nostalgia with its design. Yep, these cards had that 1980s feel all the way. It was great seeing current players on former designs, many of the designs that were around when we first got into collecting.
There was one pack I opened that more special than the rest. I slowly scanned the cards and saw one with Rangers written across the top in block letters. I realized the card was signed and then it hit me. This wasn’t a Fan Favorite auto, but Texas Rangers rookie Yu Darvish.
I actually yelled and threw both hands in the air as though I just hit a perfect landing.
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05.23
Join Beckett Basketball‘s Chris Olds and Rob Springs as they rip into boxes of 2011-12 Panini Past & Present in this latest edition of Box Busters.
What will they find inside? Watch and find out …
05.23
By Andrew Tolentino | Football Editor
A popular brand among racing collectors, Press Pass‘ Showcase made its football debut today. I’ll just go ahead and put words in the manufacturer’s mouth by saying, “you’re welcome.”
Highlighted by exclusive non-NFL-licensed Andrew Luck autographs and unique inscriptions from other draft dominators, this set should satisfy high-end football cravings before well the season gets underway. For the $120-plus price tag, it’s a brand that won’t always stick to your ribs, but there’s plenty of flavor to savor.
The hobby-only product offers a hit-heavy break with a carefully-chosen 44-man autograph roster. On average, each box yields six on-card autographs and one game-used jersey card. Behold the hit breakdown and a gallery of inscriptions the break.
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05.23
By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
The auctions have ended, the numbers have been crunched. The ranges have been tabulated and the OPG has been posted.
The 2012 Bowman baseball card set from Topps has arrived on Beckett.com with the newest prospects, some of baseball’s hottest rookies and more. Let’s take a look inside the numbers crunched by Beckett Baseball Senior Market Analyst Brian Fleischer — and see even more — after the jump.
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05.22
Join Beckett Baseball‘s Chris Olds as he rips into some of the newly released 2012 Topps Archives baseball cards in this latest Ripping Retail video.
How much will he open? What will he find? Watch and find out …
