Onyx Authenticated readies two more Preferred Players Collection baseball products

By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor

Onyx Authenticated‘s debut release of Preferred Players Collection, a boxed memorabilia product, has been well-received — so much so it’s now getting the Ernie Banks treatment.

As in “let’s play two.”

The first PPC arrived in May with an autographed baseball in every tamper-proof box, and now the  Riverview, Fla.-based company is preparing two more PPC products — PPC Special Limited Edition and PPC Game-used Edition.

The Special Limited Edition will be, well, limited to just 100 three-box cases with each box including an autographed baseball inside and they will be available for sale only through Blowout Cards and Dave & Adam’s Card World during the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention Aug. 3-7 in Chicago.

Every box of Onyx will include an autographed baseball in a case inside a custom wooden box. Every other box of the MLBPA-approved product will include a “future star” while one in every five boxes will include a “top prospect.” Tougher finds include 1:13 “stars of the diamond” balls, 1:60 “limited edition” balls signed by multiple players or featuring inscriptions while other boxes will include redemptions for full game-used memorabilia items in addition to a bonus baseball.

Some of the top prospects 0r young major leaguers in this one will include Logan Morrison, Colby Rasmus, Michael Pineda, Aroldis Chapman, Mike Trout, Jesus Montero and Brandon Belt. among others. Among the veterans are Hanley Ramirez, Cliff Lee, Derek Jeter, Pete Rose, Harmon Killebrew and Ted Williams baseballs among others.

For the game-used memorabilia items, there will be a selection of game-used cleats, hats, bats and batting gloves from Morrison, Jemile Weeks, Manny Banuelos, Pineda and more.

The second product Onyx is readying arrives on July 19 — PPC Game-used Edition will include precisely what its name says. Every box, at minimum, will include a pair of game-used batting gloves with every fifth box including a redemption for a premium item, which might be a game-used jersey, cleats, bat or other equipment. (The items for each player were not disclosed on the checklist.)

Sixteen players appear on the gloves checklist, including Trout, Morrison, Ramirez, Belt, Teheran along with Mike Stanton and Tony Gwynn among others. There also will be boxes with mixed pairs — one glove from two players. Among those on the premium item checklist are Morrison, Pineda, Teheran, Manuelos, Eric Hosmer, Hall of Famer Carl Yaztrzemski, Dan Uggla, Ike Davis and others.

This product will have a bit higher pricetag because of what’s inside  and it will be tougher to find, too. Only 50 three-box cases will be made.

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.