Join Beckett Media’s Chris Olds and Bryan Hornbeck as they rip into a box of 2011 ITG Canadiana cards in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

(Note: The autographs are on stickers, not on-card.)

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor | Commentary

One of the reasons I look forward to non-sport, celebrity-laden sets such as 2011 Panini Americana each time they arrive is the fact that the boxes are just so full of surprises.

While some of this year’s pre-hyped additions are nowhere to be found — Michael J. Fox failed to make pack-out, for example, what would have been his first certified autograph card — there are always fun things to be found in sets that have so much variety in them because they simply aren’t like anything else.

Sometimes, they’re just one of a few cards — or no previous cards — for a signer. Sometimes it’s just the latest way to get an autograph that might have been tough in the past like Pamela Anderson here. (She’s had a couple previous Panini cards but this brand might be your best bet at landing one at a reasonable price.)

Here’s a rundown of cards already pulled from packs that caught my eye — with some one-liners and factoids where worthy.

ESPN’s Michelle Beadle brings some quirk from time to time on SportsNation and this is her first card. Have you seen her airdrums? And what about a Gunslingers memorabilia card?

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I’ve always wanted a Leslie Neilsen dual autograph — just not with Nielsen … and Nielsen. I like to think this is one last joke left for us by the funnyman who died late last year.

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It took a couple years, but “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair finally has an Americana autographed memorabilia card. He was a retail-only short-printed autograph in 2009, which was also the year where then-Donruss acquired a pair of his match-used trunks — complete with “RF” patch on the front. (They’ve been waiting to make the cut into a set all this time … ) This card won’t be plentiful but it should be pricey. Oh, I forgot to mention … woooooooo!

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Three words, boys and girls … “Sweep the leg!” … You have a problem with that?

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There are a lot of multi-signed cards in this year’s Americana that aren’t all that plentiful, which could make for tough finds down the line when there’s not a ton busted on eBay. One card that caught my eye? This Noel Neill-Margot Kidder card — aka Lois Lane and Lois Lane. I could be wrong, but I don’t think this has happened before.

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Collecting Confession: I am 72 percent sure I love this card of Veronica Corningstone.

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I won’t can’t quote a Bieber song, so I’m not starting now. But I will say that I haven’t seen an autograph with that many legible letters in a long, long time in the sports world.

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I’d reference that one show that starts with an “E” here but we all know what E really stands for. And that’s all I need to say about that. (And if that somehow makes sense, well, I’m sorry. I don’t watch Entourage — but had to show off this card … ok?)

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Click here. Now enjoy that stuck in your head the rest of the day. (On a different note, this is probably a card my mom would really appreciate. I don’t think I could say that often.)

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On a more somber note, the two Coreys can be found as autographs in this one, despite Haim‘s death last year. Same with a limited number of David Carradine autographs as well as others in the set.

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Seriously, Panini has to have a Hellboy fan on its staff somewhere … there are at least four cast members on the checklist, maybe more. (Not that there are any complaints about this one.)

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Candyman? Candyman. Candyman? Candyman. Cand … wait, I’m not going there. No way …

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.

]]> http://www.beckett.com/news/2011/08/cardboard-commentary-2011-panini-americana-autographs/feed/ 5 http://www.beckett.com/news/2011/07/in-the-game-reveals-redemptions-vip-program-for-nscc/ http://www.beckett.com/news/2011/07/in-the-game-reveals-redemptions-vip-program-for-nscc/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:08:10 +0000 tolentinotown http://www.beckett.com/news/?p=33749

By Andrew Tolentino | BSCM Editor

Joining the growing list of manufacturers unveiling plans for the 32nd annual National Sports Collectors Convention, In The Game just announced its on-location allure. Making its presence known at the traveling hobby Mecca, ITG will arrive at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center ready with VIP perks and other redemption programs.

ITG VIP program
Nestled among a stockpile of goodies inside VIP bags, specially-marked ITG cards can be exchanged for the company’s 10-card set. Ranging from hockey, baseball and Canadiana subjects, the VIPs for VIPs are:

• Mario Lemieux
• Patrick Roy
• Steve Yzerman
• Mark Messier
• Tim Thomas
• Steven Stamkos
• Mike Trout
• Manny Machado
• William Shatner
• Pamela Anderson

In The Game Hockey redemption program
Promoting its latest period piece, the manufacturer will offer one game-used memorabilia card (stamped 1/1 for the event, of course) to attendees who open any box of Decades 1980s at the ITG booth.

• Additionally, collectors who purchase the special, National-exclusive version of Decades 1980s will receive a free Mark Wells autograph.
• In the spirit of the windy city, ITG has replaced one of the three memorabilia cards from the specially-marked National box with a Chicago Blackhawks Decades Quad card.
• The show-exclusive box will also randomly yield autograph cards from Dominik Hasek — whose signatures were not packed out with other shipments of Decades 1980s.

Heroes and Prospects Baseball redemption program
Not to leave out baseball hobbyists, ITG will also offer limited, game-used memorabilia cards to booth-goers breaking boxes of Heroes and Prospects Baseball Series One and Series Two Low Numbers. Again, these cards are National exclusives and fall in the form of single, double and triple-memorabilia formats. Headlining the redemption roster are:

• Dave Winfield
• Rickey Henderson
• Roberto Alomar
• Paul Molitor
• Bert Blyleven
• Reggie Jackson
• Bob Gibson
• Stan Musial
• Mike Trout
• Adam Warren
• Cam Greathouse
• Deck McGuire
• Brice Bentz

Stay tuned to Beckett.com for more updates on niceties at this year’s National.

By Chris Olds | BSCM Editor

Friday is Canada Day up north, and In The Game‘s latest release will celebrate the country that will be doing some celebrating.

In The Game Canadiana will include a 100-card base set comprised of notable Canadians while the insert lineups will include autographs and memorabilia cards from notable athletes from all sports as well as celebrities from the country.

Among the signers? Pamela Anderson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Michael J. Fox, Bret “Hitman” Hart, Manon Rheaume, William Shatner, Trish Stratus, Donald Sutherland, Larry Walker, Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon and many more.

It’s an eclectic mix and some will be first-time signers — Fox, for example, has never had a certified autograph card. (Or at least if one exists it’s not in the Beckett.com database.)

Originally scheduled for release on Friday, the set has been delayed until later in the month as one key signer did not return autographs in time, according to ITG. Each pack will include an autograph, a memorabilia card and an additional insert to make up for the delay.

See more images from the product after the jump. (Click on the images for a closer look.)

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.

By Chris Olds | BSCM Editor | Commentary

The latest Americana release from Panini America is roughly three weeks away but us fans of the non-sport staple of the last few years can’t help but wonder about what’s about to arrive.

It looks like there will be a slightly lower suggested retail price for the hobby version of the product — just $25 a pack, which will include either an autograph or memorabilia card inside — and one insert set this year has a new look to it and a few names you might not be used to seeing in Americana.

Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson, Selma Blair, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Hayden Panettiere and more will be found inside packs of Americana — presumably as autographs, too — but only in the Prime Time Stars insert set that we know of so far.

A few of those inside will be first-time signers, too.

See more cards from the set after the jump.

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.

By Chris Olds | Editor

The stars of the big screen (and the small screen) are back on cardboard.

Panini America unveiled its plans for 2011 Panini Americana on Thursday, the latest installment of the long-running non-sport brand that began in 2007.

Each $25 hobby pack will include one autograph or memorabilia card inside with boxes containing four packs when it arrives in June. Each box will include inserts from the Screen Gems, Prime Time Stars and the Matinee Legends sets as well as a parallel insert.

Among this year’s autograph subjects are Justin Bieber, Pamela Anderson, Selma Blair, Linda Hamilton and the late Jane Russell. As with past Americana releases, one can expect to find memorabilia cards for icons such as John Wayne, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin.

It appears that autograph cards from at least three sets in the product will be limited to 99 or fewer copies, while the memorabilia cards will be limited to 225 or fewer copies.

See more images after the jump.