By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

This football season has been all about the rookies. Every highlight reel, every pre-game show – even plenty of posts on Beckett – are dedicated to Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson and the slew of talented 2012 rookies.

However, it was not so long ago we were talking about last year’s guys.

Remember Cam Newton? Of course, you do. He’s still playing. However, it’s tough to get excited when he plays on a team with a lousy record. But he still has a gun for an arm.

There are many second-year players making their mark on this season. It’s not all about the 2012 rookies.

Quarterbacks
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals – Dalton is averaging 251.7 yards through 11 games. He’s thrown 23 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. But more amazing seems to be the Bengals record. They are 6-5 after winning three straight games. With Dalton at the helm and other young talented players, Cincinnati s giving its fans something to be excited about.
Chase cards
2011 Exquisite Collection #145 JSY AU /135
2011 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs refractors
2011 Playoff National Treasures #326 JSY AU RC /99

Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco – Three weeks ago, Kaepernick may not have made the list. However, taking over the starting job from Alex Smith after he suffered a concussion has made Kaepernick’s cards some of the most sought after right now. Over his last three games, Kaepernick has three touchdowns, an interception and 591 yards. And no losses.
Chase cards
2011 National Treasures #327 JSY AU RC
2011 Upper Deck 100 Stripe #56
2011 Topps Rookie Autographs #413

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers – While Newton isn’t having the same success as last year, he’s still averaging 245.5 yards through 11 games this season. He has more than 2,700 total passing on the year. However, his touchdown to interception ratio leaves a lot to be desired with 11 TDs and 10 INTs this year.
Chase cards
2011 SP Authentic JSY AU /299
2011 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #1
2011 Crown Royale #228 JSY AU /199

Wide receivers
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals – One of the beneficiaries of Dalton’s success at quarterback has been Green. The 2011 first-round draft pick is averaging 92.9 yards through 11 games, which is fourth in the league. He also has 10 TDs, tied for the most among wide receivers.
Chase cards
2011 Topps Five Star #180 JSY AU /65
2011 Panini Gold Standard #254 JSY AU /325
2011 Donruss Elite #101 RC /999

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons – The Alabama product is having a great second season. He’s averaging 80.3 yards through 11 games, and added six touchdowns. He also has four games this season of 100-plus receiving yards.
Chase cards
2011 Playoff National Treasures #323 JSY AU RC /99
2011 Panini Playbook #120 JSY AU /399 RC
2011 Bowman Sterling #BSRJJ JSY RC

Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville  Jaguars – Mount Union is a Division III college with an enrollment of about 2,200 undergraduates. Shorts used to be one of them. Now, he’s the leading receiver for Jacksonville. He has 747 total yards, averaging 67.8 yards in 11 games, and six touchdowns.
Chase cards
2011 Playoff Contenders #118 AU /99 RC
2011 SP Authentic Autographs #51
2011 Finest Jumbo Jersey Autographs #AJRCS /589

Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens – Smith is coming off one of best offensive performances with 144 yards against the San Diego Chargers. However, he will be best remembered for his performance against New England. A day after his brother died in a motorcycle accident, Smith caught six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaging 63.5 yards through 11 games and has seven TDs this year.
Chase cards
2011 Exquisite Collection #140 JSY AU /135
2011 Topps Inception #107 AU /200 RC
2011 Topps Five Star #175 AU /75

Running Backs
Mikel Leshoure, Detroit Lions – Leshoure hasn’t received a lot of attention this year, but the Illinois product is putting together a solid season. In nine games, he has 534 rushing yards and six touchdowns. His first game of the season, he ran for 100 yards against Tennessee on Sept. 23.
Chase cards
2011 SP Authentic Autographs #85
2011 Topps Five Star #176 JSY AU /75
2011 Absolute Memorabilia #212 RPM AU /299

Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots – The Patriots haven’t been known for their run game over the years, but Ridley is making opponents think about it now. He’s seventh in the league with 939 total yards. He also has eight touchdowns, tied for the third in the NFL.
Chase cards
2011 Panini Playbook #131 JSY AU /399 RC
2011 Crown Royale #233 JSY AU /299
2011 Topps Triple Threads #129A JSY AU /99

Defense
Von Miller, LB, Denver Broncos – Miller was last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he he hasn’t slowed down much. Miller has 14 sacks and four forced fumbles this season. Miller was also named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November.
Chase cards
2011 Playoff National Treasures #307 JSY AU /99
2011 Panini Threads #252 AU /300
2011 Topps Inception #113 AU /199

Aldon Smith, LB, San Francisco 49ers – Smith has been a beast this year at linebacker. He leads the NFL with 16.5 sacks for a total of 122 yards lost. He has also forced three fumbles. On Nov. 19 against Chicago Bears, Smith registered 5.5 sacks.
Chase cards
2011 Rookies and Stars #287 AU /299
2011 Timeless Treasures #131 AU /299
2011 Bowman Sterling #2

J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans – In 11 games, Watt has 54 tackles, 14.5 sacks and 13 pass deflections. It seems as though he’s everywhere. Watt really came on to the scene this season after compiling 5.5 sacks last season.
Chase cards
2011 Playoff Contenders #137 AU
2011 Topps Platinum Red #86 /25
2011 Panini Playbook #68 /999

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

Panini America is bringing its video cards back. The HRX Video Trading Cards will appear in 2012 Totally Certified Football, due out in late-February.

The video cards will feature new players such as Trent Richardson and footage. There will also be autographed versions of the cards, numbered to 10 with a 14K parallel, a 1-of-1

The HRX (Highlight Reel Xperience) Video Trading Cards made their debut in 2010-11 Totally Certified Basketball. The video card also appeared in 2011 Totally Certified Football with Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Mark Ingram and Andy Dalton.

This is the second year of Totally Certified in the football category for Panini. The company is returning the micro-etched pattern from last year’s debut

Six packs will be found in each box with six hits, including an on-card signed Freshman Fabric Rookie Card and at least one other autograph.

Totally Certified will feature 100 regular cards of stars and retired players, 100 Freshman Phenom Autographs and 35 Freshman Fabric cards as part of the base set.

Some of the other autograph or memorabilia subsets include Certified Future, Freshman Fabric Platinum Red Signatures, Certified Future Signature Materials, Stitches in Time and Team Panini Signature Materials.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor

When getting a dual autograph sometimes a collector wishes different players could have been paired together. Perhaps even hoping to have two favorite players on one card that share no real bonds.

With a new autograph set in 2011 Exquisite Football, collectors can actually make the dual and quad autographs they want by mixing and matching special cards – of course, within the scope of the checklist.

Upper Deck took its removable autograph slot cards to another level by with Choice Signatures, slot cards on one larger card. Some of the original pairs include Jake Locker/Blaine Gabbert, Eddie George/Gale Sayers and Andy Dalton/Colin Kaepernick.

But what if you want Locker and Dalton on one card instead?

That’s simple. Remove the slot cards with the on-card autograph and replace it with a player that you want.

“We’ve heard from consumers, collectors why did you put this combination together?” Upper Deck product manager Greg Kohn said in a video on YouTube. “Now, we’re giving you the opportunity to put any combination together you want. … You have the option of building any type of autograph card you choose. Anything you desire.”

Upper Deck only has a college license, so all the players appear in their college uniforms. But that hasn’t stopped collectors from grabbing these cards.

On Wednesday, a Barry Sanders/Steve Young combo of Choice Signatures sold for $400 on eBay.

There is a redemption card in this set that lists the players as TBA. As soon as Upper Deck updates that information, we’ll add the information to this blog.

Some of other players with Choice Signature cards that appear on the checklist (which is subject to change) include Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Bo Jackson, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Dan Marino, John Elway, Jerry Rice and Troy Aikman.

If you could pick, what combo of players what you put on a card?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Football magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor

Remember the 36-card booklet from 2011 National Treasures?

Panini America put out the longest booklet card in trading card history with NFL rookies from last season, including quarterback Cam Newton. Of the five copies of the booklet card, Greg Lambert of California Card Shack got his hand on the first card of the series, which was the only one of the group to have inscriptions.

Lambert is now selling the cards on eBay – yep, the cards.

The card shop owner recently had the booklet professionally laser-cut to make 36 separate cards.

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“Now, I have 36 cards that look like cards,” said Lambert, whose card shop is based in Northern California. “Instead of just one card, I have 36 collectors of certain players who will have a chance to get one-of-a-kind cards.”

Lambert didn’t go through with the decision lightly.

He bought the card from a collector who got the card in a case of National Treasures he bought from Lambert’s shop. He purchased it $4,000.

Lambert put the whole booklet on eBay twice – once for in a 10-day auction and then in a seven-day auction. No buyers.

“I didn’t even get a sniff,” Lambert said. “One person offered about four grand and then retracted the offer. That was it.”

That’s when Lambert decided to separate the cards. He found a shop in California to do the job, but praised Panini for doing a good job in putting together the card with strong plastic, which made it easier to for the company to take apart the cards.

Lambert has received mixed reaction about altering the booklet, but only slightly. He put some of the singles on eBay, but had to take several of them down to fix the listings. The next day, he found about 50 emails in his inbox. All but one wanted to know where the cards went because they had plans to bid.

The one trashed him for cutting up the card.

“I had one guy who said I was an idiot and didn’t know what I was doing,” Lambert said. “That was the only one. Everyone else has been cool.”

Many of the better players from the booklet haven’t been listed yet. Players such as Newton, Julio Jones and DeMarco Murray will go up on Sunday night. Lambert expects to make more than his money back on the cards, but even if he doesn’t, he still thinks it was worth the risk.

“Worse case scenario, I lose a little money,” Lambert said. “I still think I made the right decision.”

In case you are wondering, Mark Anderson, Director of Beckett Grading Services said the best this card would get from BGS is “Authentic-Altered.”

Update: Most of the cards were sold on eBay, but most of the big names – Cam Newton, DeMArco Murray – were taken off without any bids. However, it seems Lambert made the right decision from a financial standpoint.

Of the 29 cards that sold on eBay, the total amount came out to $4,410 (that’s before fees and shipping).

Here’s a breakdown of the cards that sold on eBay from highest to lowest price:

Andy Dalton $610.44
Von Miller $394
Titus Young $333
Ryan Mallett $306
Colin Kaepernick $285
Kendall Hunter $255
Blaine Gabbert $192.50
Alex Green $184.50
Bilal Powell $177.50
Mikel Leshoure $172.50
Daniel Thomas $171.50
Kyle Rudolph $168.50
Stevan Ridley $167
Christian Ponder $163.50
Greg Little $162.50
Ryan Williams $157.50
Leonard Hankerson $157.50
Jonathan Baldwin $144.38
Torrey Smith 142.50
Vincent Brown $130
Marcel Dareus $121
Taiwan Jones $103.50
Austin Pettis $100
Shane Vereen $100
Clyde Gates $96
Jerrel Jernigan $88
Delone Carter $82
Jamie Harper $67
Jordan Todman $66

Susan Lulgjuraj is the Beckett Football Editor. You can email Susan here. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

As teased in the pages of Beckett Football on sale now, Topps Magic will return to the NFL one more time this season with an online-exclusive rookies-focused release coming later this month.

On Wednesday, Topps revealed that the base set will consist of 110 cards, while each 11-card pack will include one bonus autograph card for $19.99 and can only be found at ShopTopps.com, the company’s webstore, beginning on Jan. 25.

The set should include past Heisman winners Mark Ingram and Cam Newton as well as Julio Jones, Andy Dalton, DeMarco Murray, A.J. Green and Blaine Gabbert based on its packaging mocks and preview materials.

As many as 68 players will sign for the set with 1/1 black-border autographs and Black Magic Cut autographs to be found as well.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

Behold the beauty of our 2011 Bowman Sterling Football break.  These are just six cards from the entire rip, but they should give you a decent idea of what’s to come in our soon-to-post Box Busters episode.

While you’re waiting for the video, make sure to visit our Facebook page to see 12 more highlights from the break.

Join Beckett Football’s Dan Hitt and Andrew Tolentino as they rip into a box of 2011 Absolute Memorabilia in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out…

By Dan Hitt | Sports Data Publishing Manager

Every Monday morning throughout the NFL season, we’ll select our rookie, veteran and breakout players of the week and provide a run down on why collectors should take notice.

Here are our selections for Week 6, which include Andy Dalton, John Beck and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Rookie of the Week:
Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals
(264 yards passing, one touchdown, 111.5 QB rating)
For the third week in a row and for the fourth time this season, Dalton piloted the Bengals to a victory. While Cam Newton seems to be grabbing most of the headlines, Dalton just logs wins for a surprising Bengals team. Along with Dalton, the rebuilding Bengals have a very young roster of talented offensive starters, like A.J. Green, Jerome Simpson and Jermaine Gresham. This group could provide collectors with a number of interesting players to watch the rest of the season.

Cards to Grab:
2010 Exquisite Collection Draft Picks/99 #ERAD ($120)
2011 Finest Rookie Patch Autographs/100 #RAPAD ($100)
2011 Timeless Treasures #135 AU/165 RC ($50)

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Breakout Player of the Week:
John Beck, QB, Redskins
(117 yards passing, one touchdown run)
Beck didn’t have earth-shattering numbers, but he marched the Redskins down the field for a late touchdown and displayed the poise and consistency that the team has been expecting to see from the benched Rex Grossman. We’ll see this week if there is a move to Beck as the starter versus the Panthers which could set off a run on his best 2007 Rookie Cards.

Cards to Grab:
2007 Exquisite Collection #104 JSY AU/225 RC ($80)
2007 Playoff Contenders #170 AU RC ($25)
2007 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #172 ($15)

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Veteran of the Week:
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants
(104 yards rushing, three touchdowns)
With Brandon Jacobs on the sidelines with an injury, Bradshaw was essentially alone in the Giants backfield. Despite missing his running mate for the second week in a row, Bradshaw rattled off 104 yards and three touchdowns against the surprising Buffalo Bills. It appears the Giants could be without Jacobs for much of the season as the other half of the running tandem just can’t seem to stay healthy. We should expect to see an unusually high number of carries for Bradshaw this year which should result in additional collector interest as long as he continues to produce.

Cards to Grab:
2007 Donruss Classics #265 AU/499 RC ($40)
2007 Exquisite Collection #63 AU/150 RC ($80)
2007 SP Authentic #202 AU/1199 RC ($30)

By Dan Hitt | Sports Data Publishing Manager

Every Monday morning throughout the NFL season, we’ll select our rookie, veteran and breakout players of the week and provide a run down on why collectors should take notice. Victor Cruz, Alex Smith and Andy Dalton round out  our selections for NFL Week 5. Here’s why …

Breakout Player of the Week: Victor Cruz, WR Giants

(8 catches, 161 yards receiving, 1 touchdown)

With the departure of Steve Smith in the off-season, a roster spot was opened for a starting wide receiver on the Giants. At the start of the season the odds-on favorite to fill that spot was Domenik Hixon with an outside chance given to veteran Brandon Stokley. Well things have changed dramatically in just a few shorts weeks. Fan favorite Victor Cruz has proven to more than capable of providing the talent the Giants were looking for. In the last three games Cruz logged 369 yards on 17 catches with three touchdowns – far outpacing anyone else on the team. His cards, of which there are a grand total of 61, have soared over that same period. Cruz appeared in just a handful of 2010 products, his rookie season, and signed only nine different cards serial numbered greater than one.

Cards to Grab:

2010 Panini Plates and Patches #199 AU/249 RC ($25)

2010 Playoff Contenders #199 AU RC ($30)

2010 Playoff National Treasures #299 AU/99 RC ($50)

Veteran of the Week: Alex Smith, QB, 49ers

(170 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, 127.2 QB rating)

Anyone in the hobby who has followed football cards for the last five years or so certainly knows the saga of Alex Smith. A top NFL Draft pick who once was the hottest guy going in cards only to turn sour and, then, seriously sour, just to heat up again, get cold again, and now his cards have been drifting along with little interest. Does a 4-1 record with a suddenly very interesting 49ers team get your attention at all? Maybe not yet, but it might very soon. Smith’s passing numbers have not been huge, but he’s dramatically reduced the mistakes and miscues this year that have made him a very part-time starter in his career. If you can find any of his key 2005 signed cards on the market, since most seem to be long forgotten about, they might be worth a nibble.

Cards to Grab:

2005 Exquisite Collection #118 JSY AU/99 RC ($200)

2005 Playoff Contenders #106 AU/401* RC ($60)

2005 SP Authentic #248 JSY AU/299 RC ($60)

Rookie of the Week: Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals

(179 yards passing, 2 touchdowns)

This past Sunday rookie quarterback Andy Dalton recorded his second straight victory at the helm of the Bengals. Fellow rookie QB Cam Newton is attracting nearly all of the press coverage, and hobby attention, thus far but let’s not underestimate the potential for Dalton. He’s 3-2 as a starter and has a solid 89.8 QB rating if you throw out his weakest single game. Dalton’s cards are relatively quite considering his strong start so there are bargains to be had if you are an astute shopper.

Cards to Grab:

2011 Leaf Ultimate Draft #UAD1 AU/49 ($50)

2011 Timeless Treasures #135 AU/165 RC ($50)

2011 Topps Prime Rookie Autographs #113 ($N/A)

By Andrew Tolentino | Football Editor

The collecting world typically doesn’t  get a glimpse of Panini America’s historically successful Playoff Contenders line until later, if not, toward the latter part of any given football season. This year, the company’s sneak peek at the January-releasing 2011 Playoff Contenders Football Rookie Tickets offers a welcomed exception.

Even incomplete, without the ink, Panini’s autographed Rookie Ticket cards are consistent hot commodities in the hobby.

As the manufacturer mentioned, “For just the fourth time since 1998 (but the second time in three years), one of football’s flagship brands will utilize a horizontal format and perhaps its most vibrant color schemes ever.” Moving away from full-body photography on vertically oriented, darker color schemes, the coming release could be a key evolution point for these coveted Rookie Cards.

Take a look at the previews below and scroll back up to let us know what you think.