Canada Gets Free Cards On Saturday

In celebration of “National Hockey Card Day” this Saturday, January 30, Upper Deck is ready to give away hundreds of thousands of exclusive “National Hockey Card Day” NHL trading card packs for free throughout Canada. Once again, Canadian hobby shops and mass retailers are taking part in this historic hockey trading card promotion, which is now in its second year and remains exclusive to Canada.
 
“Hockey is the national sport in Canada so Upper Deck wanted to come up with a way
to celebrate that incredible devotion,” said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s sports marketing
manager. “We started this program last year and it was a huge success with countless
hockey fans and trading card collectors visiting hobby shops and retailers across
Canada. We expect the same kind of excitement this time around.”
 
Just like last year, the buzz surrounding this promotion lies in the National Hockey
Card Day set itself. The 15-card set consists of some of the top Canadian-born rookies,
current stars and legends with a special “National Hockey Card Day” logo-stamp adorning
each card front. The five rookies featured include John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Jamie
Benn, Evander Kane and Logan Couture; the “Pride of Canada” active stars are Sidney
Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin Brodeur, Mike Richards and Rick Nash; while the
“Hockey Heroes” lineup consists of Jarome Iginla, Jonathan Toews, Roberto Luongo,
Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman. Each pack will yield five randomly assorted cards
featuring the aforementioned players.
 
Wayne Wagner, owner of Wayne’s Sportscards in Edmonton, AB, participated in last year’s
event and is looking forward to continued success this time around. “I’m going to
use an old cliché, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” he said. “This is one of those
programs and card sets that Upper Deck has put together that collectors want. I don’t
know any collector out there who would not want this set.
 
“Last year, I had more than 300 people come through my store on National Hockey Card
Day, which is a lot more foot traffic than usual. So if shop owners advertise it in
their stores, they too will see customers come through the door.”

 
For more information about National Hockey Card Day, please visit www.upperdeck.com/nhcd and
click on the “stores list” button to find the hobby shop nearest you.

Continue reading about Canada Gets Free Cards On Saturday »

I’m glad I’m not a Florida Marlins fan. And it’s not because of that silly looking fish that serves as the team’s mascot.

Nope, I’m glad I’m not a fan of that team because then I don’t have to be extremely
upset that Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association
had to meet with the Marlins’ brass to make sure they actually use the money given
to the team under the revenue-sharing agreement that is in place across Major League
Baseball.

As it is, I’m still upset that a professional franchise doesn’t attempt to put the
best product on the field that it can. That practice cheats the fans, the players
and all of the other teams in the league, while providing more money for the owner(s).
With the Marlins’ practice of spending freely to build a World Series winner and then
dismantling the team, it’s sort of a surprise this wasn’t brought up before.

And apparently, the Marlins aren’t the only team to receive such a reprimand. From
a release by MLBPA: “In recent years, the union has had concerns that certain clubs
have not lived up to this requirement, and has consulted regularly with the commissioner’s
office about those concerns. The Florida Marlins are one of a number of clubs that
have been discussed.”

It’s already a sport where certain teams have no chance at winning a championship
from the start of the season because of financial constraints, etc. But then take
into account that some teams don’t even spend the money given to them to field a more
competitive team, and you have an even more failed system.

I’m somewhat surprised a release was even issued on these discussions, although not
many details were released.

“In response to our concerns that revenue sharing proceeds have not been used as required,
the Marlins have assured the Union and the Commissioner’s Office that they plan to
use such proceeds to increase player payroll annually as they move toward the opening
of their new ballpark,” said Michael Weiner, MLBPA executive director.

Of course, the Marlins said they were doing everything to field a good team, and MLB
basically said no comment.

If I’m a fan of a team where this information gets out as fact, even if it was rumored
before, I’d do some serious reconsideration of my season ticket package and attendance
until a I saw improvement in the payroll.

And in an odd coincidence since this release, the Marlins signed pitcher Josh Johnson
to a four-year, guaranteed $39 million contract. Well, at least Marlins fans might
see more of these types of signings. 

Continue reading about Marlins Owe Fans An Apology »

I am a little late to the party when it comes to reading. However, the best thing about books is that the “classics” never get old.

Before a recent work trip, I jogged down to the library in our building looking for
some reading material for the airplane ride and airport lounging. So I grabbed Ball
Four by Jim Bouton, as I had never read the book but only heard about it. This
was a reprinted edition, issued 20 years after the original publication date in 1970.

Reading the introduction gave me some insight as to the book’s ground-breaking, behind-the-scenes
look and how it turned Bouton into a leper in the eyes of some players, coaches, management
and even reporters.

I guess looking back, this would be a rather intriguing book that broke the mold on
the “what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room” mantra. But me reading
it in this tell-all day and age probably doesn’t impact me as much as it did readers
at the time of its original release.

And I can especially imagine that coaches, front-office types and fellow players mentioned
at length in the book were none-to-happy to have previously guarded information on
salaries, injuries, coaching styles, etc., so freely tossed about.

Like I mentioned in previous columns, this is what I love to read about in sports
books. Locker room stories, methodologies on the mound, thoughts on other players
and the contract negotiations that take place. I’m having a blast reading about this.

New York Yankee fans might love or hate this book, as Bouton spends a lot of time
discussing his time there (do you think he missed that team just a little bit?), although
I realize the majority of his career and success took place there. Bouton might have
shattered some illusions fans had of some of their favorite players. If any readers
can attest to that, feel free.
I also wonder if readers can tell me if this book has excerpts available before it
was available, like the teases they do now with nearly every biography. With this
tell-all, I’d imagine that would have sent droves to the bookstore. But I suppose
ESPN wasn’t around to add to the hype machine.

And here’s how naive I am. Bouton also helped invent Big League Chew, one of my favorites
from childhood. That’s pretty darn cool, too.

Continue reading about Finally Taking a Look at ‘Ball Four’ »

When all is said and done, this hobby is still all about the cards. Granted, there are some great autographed items, game-used memorabilia, publications, tickets, trophies, etc., but true hobbyists are still all about the cards.

In the latest Collect.com Auctions sale, now live on www.collect.com/auctions,
the items that attracted bids on the first day were almost all cards. Included in
that group are a few lots that use the word “hoard” in the description.

I’m not a huge card collector, so when I see the word hoard, I envision someone’s
house so full of stuff to the point you can barely walk through any of the rooms.
I envision clutter and not something I want to deal with.
However, a lot of people do want to sift through 1,000 cards or more that span several
years. I guess it’s like a treasure hunt, trying to find missing pieces to a collection,
singles that are gradable to the point they could pay for the entire lot or just the
chance to grab a bunch of vintage cards in one swoop.

The other beauty with these lots is that if you are connected with several other collectors
in a trading forum or otherwise, it would be great fun to crack through a “hoard”
and divide up the cards as needed for the group.

It’s just fun to see that in a hobby where high grades, single entities and provenance
seem to be all the rage, the cards remain the big draw.

Perhaps it’s like a box lot at an estate sale or what Forrest Gump used to say about
a box of chocolates – you just never know what you’re going to get.

Near-sets and complete sets are also getting good play. These I understand to be draws
since it’s not so easy to pick up a complete set from 30 years ago. And, heck, it
saves from trying to piece together a set from scratch or reading through auction
lots for the remaining 10 cards you need.

Time and again, I’m reminded that cards are the backbone of the hobby, something nearly
all sports hobbyists have at least dabbled in at some point in their lives and an
easily accessible piece to some of the greats of the game.

And going back to those hoards, have you ever noticed where some of the backups are
at shows? It’s collectors sitting on stools and chairs, poring over binders of cards,
through shoeboxes and display cases for missing pieces to collections. People still
want to simply flip through cards. Now if those unopened packs weren’t so costly to
open.

Continue reading about Cards still backbone of hobby »

You often hear about collectors upgrading pieces in their sports memorabilia treasure trove. Many times that involves trading cards.

That doesn’t mean they are dumping their 1989 Upper Deck Baseball for 1959 Topps,
it means they are taking cards they own, such as a 1960 Stan Musial and getting a
different card that is in better condition. It’s a common practice and it usually
comes into play as collectors age and have more discretionary income to pursue such
items.

But does that also happen with autographs – be it signed baseballs or jerseys? As
a youngster, do you buy that Mickey Mantle signed ball with a faded signature on an
unofficial baseball just to get one in your possession and then later opt for a clean,
sweet-spot signed version? Do you go even further and buy a third-party entombed version?

The reason I ask is because some of the signed jerseys I’ve seen recently would be
excellent pieces of memorabilia even without the signature – and that’s without looking
at the price tag.

I’ll admit I’m not on top of all of the fancy replica jerseys you can purchase these
days. For instance, you can buy a 1966 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles jersey from
Mitchell & Ness as part of the company’s Cooperstown Collection. The jersey is
gorgeous – throw some dirt on it and Brooks could have worn it himself. The price
tag for the jersey is about $250. And then I see versions where it’s signed by Brooks
or even signed by the members of the 1970 team, for instance.

That takes a some bit of financial commitment, and adding the signature may at times
cost just about the same as the jersey.

So when you are starting out collecting autographs, do you graduate from mail-order
photos to getting items signed in person? Do you go from cards to balls to bats to
jerseys? Do you get a mass-market retail jersey and then move up to a Mitchell &
Ness variety? The choices are endless, and manufacturers, dealers, etc., will no doubt
offer as many choices as possible to grab a larger share of your wallet.

For me, I’d love to have the top-of-the-line of everything, but that’s just not going
to happen. I’ll be content with my Robin Yount signature on a cool collage my wife
created and will keep my generic jerseys and hopefully get them signed at some point.
Upgrading will probably be kept to the carpet in my house.

Continue reading about Upgrade Your Autographs, too? »

A few years ago, we here at Krause Publications managed to assemble enough crippled bodies to cobble together a softball team, lower-tier if there was any doubt.

We had a great time, even won a few games in a local league where the social aspect
is by far the greater goal than what happened on the field.

After the last game of the season, I wandered home and forgot all about softball until
the following spring when I couldn’t find my glove anywhere. It was nothing special,
except that I had used it since early high school and I believe it had Willie Wilson
as the facsimile signature on it. Anyway, it shagged a lot of fly balls in its day.
The model I used to replace it was actually used by my mother, who had taught me the
game while using that glove. It didn’t have any player signature in it and is probably
past its prime in usefulness. However, I will keep it because of the details I just
mentioned.

What I’ve come to realize of late is a lot of collectors have player signature gloves
as part of their collections – and they have a lot of them. I guess it’s something
I never really considered collecting. I think of a glove as a tool of the trade. Oil
it up, throw it in the oven, slap it on your knee and you’re good to go until the
laces break and you need a new one. I never though about hunting down Robin Yount,
George Brett or Ozzie Smith models just to keep around as keepsakes when I was younger.

And perhaps that’s not how it works. You want player gloves from a bygone era – something
you can’t grab off the sporting goods shelf. I’ve seen a lot of gloves roll into the
offices of late, from Pee Wee Reese to Ted Williams to Joe DiMaggio. It’s fun to see
the style of gloves from the 1970s back through the 1950s, and I might try using one
for the next softball season. I’m kidding, of course – don’t you know the size of
those model gloves is way too small to grab a softball?

Why it is that outfield gloves are now big enough to catch a watermelon? Is it like
tennis racquets, where bigger is better to “capture” a greater area?

It’s a lot of fun to see some of these gloves. You can see how they’ve been kept around,
as I’m sure many little leaguers used these as their first gloves and they were later
handed out at secondhand store before being deemed collectible. Heck, it’s a cheaper
route to go to grab the Hall of Famers versus cards, autographs or jerseys. 

Continue reading about When a Glove is More Than a Tool of the Trade »

You build a collection up over the years, could even be decades. You’ve got baseballs, footballs, game-used jerseys, trophies, newspaper clippings, tickets and on and on. It’s the driving force behind why you work, what you enjoy doing in your free time and something you can share and discuss with just about anyone.

It has led to countless happy moments and has resulted in something valuable, both
literally and intrinsically.

It’s your sports memorabilia collection, and it could be considered one of your greatest
accomplishments.

And now it has to go.

Why you ask? Well, that’s what I wonder when collectors call about values or for possible
sources to sell this or that. The comments range from, “I’ve just got to liquidate”
to “My kids have no interest in this, I’m getting older, so I’ll enjoy what I can
get for it now.” One collector said he sold all of his Topps cards from the 1950s
through the 1980s to put his kid through college. Another said simply, “I can’t walk
around my house any more.” (When I hear the latter, I always think of the folks who
have storage units, container units and even second houses for their collections,
but I understand that simply isn’t feasible for most people.)

Most of the people don’t seem all that anguished about it either, which I also find
a little puzzling considering the time, money and passion put into amassing a collection.
Perhaps they have come to grips about the situation before talking to a stranger,
or perhaps they are truly at peace to have the items move on. I do think some folks
waffle about the decision, especially after they talk about all of the items in their
collection and how they accumulated some of them. Those folks end the conversations
with, “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but thanks for the options” when the conversation
started out with “I’ve got to sell some of this.”

I do know some folks are turned off by the hobby, which has seen many changes over
the years, from online dealing, fraudulent activity, third-party grading and over
production. Some of today’s prices have also been a turn off. But of those I’ve talked
to, that reason is low on the list.

So once again I open the floor to readers: Have you sold your life-long collection?
What were some of the reasons why? Any regrets? Did you start up again, perhaps even
collecting something else?

Continue reading about When it becomes time to sell a collection »

This time of year is quite busy for the sports fan and collector. You’ve got the baseball season heading into the postseason, football season – both college and pro – are in full swing, basketball training camps are kicking off for the pro and college ranks and hockey season is already underway as well.

If you’re a sports fan and you can’t find anything to watch (even NASCAR to counting
down to the Chase title), then something is wrong. Every night something is on, usually
more than one, and all have an air of excitement this time of year. For me, the postseason
of baseball is the ultimate, even if all of the “high-priced” teams are participating
this year. (Wasn’t last year fun with the Tampa Bay Rays?)

Thanks to that backdrop, I also think it’s a great time of year for sports collectibles.
Players and teams participating in the World Series become instant commodities, especially
if you’re on the winning team. Heck, there are probably people out there who covet
David Eckstein autographs just because he was named a World Series MVP. And if the
Yankees win, watch out for the avalanche of Yankees items, especially with A-Rod finally
winning a title. With the new stadium, Jeter’s milestone hit and a possible World
Series run, it’s been quite the year for Yanks fans. 

With basketball and hockey just getting underway, the card manufacturers are in full
swing with new products – especially centering around the rookie crop in each sport.
It’s a great time to get signatures of these players before they don’t sign at all
or do so for extraordinary prices only at shows.
On the gridiron, the focus is currently on Brett Favre and Michael Vick, but it’s
a great time to see if Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams and Mario Manningham can
reach superstar status.

But this time of year is also great for sports collectors because of all the auctions
that routinely take place in the fourth quarter of the year. There probably isn’t
a better time to look for collectibles than the rush before the holidays. People need
cash and people need gifts – it’s a match made in heaven.

We’ll watch it all play out before we close out 2009. With many changes coming in
2010 in the collectibles market, 2009 might seem rather tame in the end, depending
on the outcome of the next three months of sports action. It’s sure going to be a
lot of fun to see how everything plays out. Will Favre be a hero in purple?    

Continue reading about Now is a Great Time for Sports »

Among the mountains of press releases and assorted mail we received in the last week came a rather interesting publicity piece about a baseball fan in Racine, Wis.

For the past 55 years, John Salvo has been attending baseball games, which can be
said for a lot of people. But he claims with the Oct. 2 game between the New York
Mets and Houston Astros, he will have personally witnessed every possible Major League
Baseball matchup in both leagues – 442 games total, with 13 games at every American
League location and 15 at every National League venue.

As part of the release, there is some neat background on Salvo and his baseball-watching
career. He attended his first game in 1954, when Cleveland visited the Chicago White
Sox. He began travelling long distance to attend games in 1962 and guesses he has
spent more than $100,000 in completing the quest.

As part of the tally, Salvo said he has been to 955 games and attended 57 different
stadiums, half of which are no longer in use. As you might have guessed, he’s witnessed
a few milestone events along the way, including two no-hitters and a triple play.
He’s even caught 15 foul balls. Among the irritants of jet lag, traffic jams and the
like from so many travels, Salvo said the most irritating aspects of the journey are
“the wave” and “the chop” in Atlanta, along with fans stating some variation of “suck”
in their taunts to opposing players.

But here is something that might even be more impressive. I’m gong to straight from
the source for this one: “In the mid-1980s, I determined from my travel records that
I had driven about 70 percent of the interstate highway system. I set out to systematically
finish the remaining 30 percent,” Salvo said. “In October 2007, I completed the goal
of driving/riding on every mile of every interstate highway, excluding three-digit
spurs/bypass routes. As new interstates are built, I go there to drive them.”

Sounds like Mr. Salvo is in the business of achieving lengthy milestones. He either
has a good car, or some serious rental miles.

Salvo said his favorite player of all time is Nellie Fox, and the best baseball moment
in his life was the next-day celebration of the Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series
Championship. He even named his dog Ozzie Guillen.

Here’s hoping the Mets faithful hold a celebration for such loyalty to the game on
Oct. 2. 

Continue reading about Fan Witnesses Every MLB Matchup »

It’s a question you start writing about in grade school and something you discuss until you pass on, unless you actually achieve it: what would be your favorite job?

It was suggested that Baseball HOF President Jeff Idelson might have the best job
in the world as the caretaker of the some of the finest memorabilia in the world.
Hob-nobbing with diamond greats wouldn’t be too shabby either.

But I was thinking about some other “dream” jobs in the sports world, so I thought
I’d share some of mine and in turn hope to hear some of yours. This is a fantasy that
doesn’t deal with how much money you make, rather the enjoyment of the position.

One of the first jobs I would like to try is being a promotions director for a minor
league baseball team. You get to use your imagination to come up with new promotions
and on-field entertainment, and the crowd always enjoys the sideshow. As long as you
avoid dynamite, nickel beers and scary clowns, you should be all right.

I think another great job would be serving as a bullpen catcher. You suit up with
the team, handle all of the pitchers and do . . . nothing else. Sure, it would be
nice to actually be on the field, but this is the next best thing. Plus, you still
get to hear insults from the opposing crowd on the road, and some of that is really
entertaining.

Being a mascot has always been intriguing, but after watching kids beat on the Kool-Aid
man before a Milwaukee Bucks game in the early 1990s, I’ve softened on that one. But
if I could be a mascot that does all those crazy slam dunks off of a trampoline, that
might win me over.

I was also thinking about being one of the guys that holds the yardage markers on
the sidelines in football games, but you see too many guys get drilled by a running
back headed out of bounds. Perhaps being the sound guy that carries the big saucer-like
device would be better – I could use that for protection.

I also figure a “spotter” in NASCAR can’t be that difficult, although you can’t control
the driver so if he does something unexpected that makes your reporting inaccurate,
you might catch the blame for wrecking an expensive car. I’d take the chance though.

I didn’t mention anything about being a professional athlete, because I knew early
on that wasn’t realistic. But shooting hot dogs from a gun is.

Continue reading about My Dream Job Involves Hot Dogs »

MLB Players Association summer hobby shop promotion, dubbed the Big League Blast, concluded in August, reportedly with solid results from the 250 hobby shops that participated in the four-month promotion.

During the promotion’s run, customers who visited participating hobby shops and purchased
a pack of any Topps or Upper Deck baseball product received a ticket for an entry
into a monthly drawing, with prizes ranging from Majestic baseball jerseys to autographed
photos and other licensed products.

“The idea for the promotion came from a New York Times article I read late last year
when the economy softened talking about the need for small specialty retailers to
create events to bring people into their stores and give them a reason to shop. That
really applied to my hobby shops,” said the MLBPA’s Evan Kaplan about how the program
got started. “We’re able to tap into a lot of our product credits and build a nice
prize pool. But we also wanted to build awareness for the new releases, so we were
able to accomplish that.”

Hobby shops got a big boost from the promotion as well, as evidenced by the outpouring
of positive comments from dealers who e-mailed Kaplan during and after the promotion’s
run. Here’s an example: “We had so many people in here for this drawing there was
barely enough room to move around in the store. We sold out completely of all featured
product and most of everything else we had in baseball,” said Dale and Matt from Mr.
Dale’s Tradin’ Card LLC.

There were dozens more just like it, which is nice to hear when so much of the hobby
news tends to be on the negative side.

Kaplan also shed a little light on the Baseball Card Clubhouse program the MLBPA conducts
with stores aimed at Boy Scout troops and other youth organizations. He said more
than 500 stores are currently participating with more signing up all of the time.
This will continue well into 2010, with new ideas currently in development.

“The feedback has been phenomenal, but the best feedback is when the kids come back
after the initial seminar and become regular customers,” Kaplan said.

You always hear in this hobby about how youth need to be a focal point. Well, here
are two programs that are actually working. I plan on getting regular updates on these
promotions and will fill you in on the details.

Continue reading about MLBPA Taking Aim at Youngsters »

There are plenty of times when you run across names in the sporting world and, aside from knowing they won a particular trophy or award, you know little else about them, either biographical or how they got on the big stage in the first place. Unfortunately, you never take the time to go a step futher and learn more about the player.

Such was the case with me regarding running back Ernie Davis. Yes, I knew Davis won
the Heisman Trophy in 1961, becoming the first black player to do so. But I didn’t
know about the racial hardships he endured – even while accepting trophies – nor the
story behind why he never played a down in the NFL (he was diagnosed with leukemia
and passed away at age 23). It took a viewing  of the movie The Express starring
Rob Brown as Davis for me to get most of the story, but I learned the background on
a sports legend all the same.

It makes you wonder as the years and decades roll by how many of these background
stories will survive. As the people who saw these events first-hand start to dwindle,
it comes down to people learning about these events through hand-me-down stories and/or
doing some research.

Davis is probably fairly well known, but let’s say Rick Ankiel, an outfielder for
the St. Louis Cardinals, happens to win the World Series MVP this year. Will collectors
10 years from now remember he came up through the ranks as a dominating strikeout
pitcher before experiencing strike zone command issues and then blowing out his arm?

Always a good hitter, Ankiel returned to the majors after switching to the outfield
and is a better-than-average player for the Cardinals today.
There are tons of stories like these in professional sports and I think it would make
for a great book idea, if one doesn’t already exist. The stories are already there
– all someone would have to do is compile them, do some interviews and the result
would be a great read in my opinion. Perhaps I’ll get to it in my free time.

The size might be a problem, but the stories could be condensed to make it a manageable
read.

I’m curious if any readers have a particular favorite athlete background story, either
well known or not. It could even be a personal experience with said athlete. I think
it’s those details that are nearly as fascinating than what an athlete does on the
field, ice or  court.          

Continue reading about Ernie Davis Story Got Me Thinking »

I have found a new collecting category for my world that is rather aggravating, yet quite rewarding at the same time. I’ve been branching out from simple yearbooks to autographed balls. In particular, I’ve been intrigued by team-signed balls. 

I think to have a piece of memorabilia connected to a specific memorable season, be
it a World Series year or when a certain player hit a milestone, is pretty special.
Heck, if I had a team-signed ball from my Little League days, I’d get a kick out of
that, too. You can run down the names and remember little things about the season.
In Little League, that might have been as simple as, “This guy always ducked out of
the box with every pitch.”

I think a 1986 New York Mets team-signed ball would be neat to have, but you’d have
to have the ’86 Red Sox team ball, too, to tell the whole story from that season.
And any Yankees or Milwaukee Braves team-signed ball would be special, as both franchises
had some legendary Hall of Famers go through their ranks. But a Big Red Machine or
Musial-led Cardinals ball would be nice, too. There are definitely plenty of high-caliber
choices.

But as I have been digging around in this category, I’ve also found that it can be
a rather frustrating hunt. For instance, just because it says “team-signed ball,”
that doesn’t mean it was signed by the entire team. With a roster usually consisting
of 25 regulars, you’d like to find a ball with all of those regulars.

That means if it’s a 1987 Twins ball, I want Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti,
Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven and Jeff Reardon, along with Randy Bush, Al Newman and
Gene Larkin. And every team-signed ball should have the manager on the sweet spot,
regardless of the future Hall of Famers on the roster. Good or bad, the manager was
the leader of that team and should be recognized as such. (It carries a little more
clout when it’s Joe Torre vs. Ned Yost.)

The other part I find maddening is trying to figure out who on the team did sign the
ball. Some of the signatures are illegible and even with the help of Baseball Almanac,
which lists complete rosters, I am lost. It doesn’t help that some team-signed balls
include September call-ups.

Along those same lines, and I’ve said it before, it’s amazing how much easier it is
to read older team-signed balls compared to more recent versions. I understand the
autograph demands of today’s players is probably far greater and less cordial than
50 years ago, but you’d think team-signed balls, usually completed in a controlled
setting, would be a good place to put forth a nice signature. Obviously, most players
today don’t care.

Sure, you could get one of the stamped team-signed balls and accomplish some of the
same goals I mentioned earlier, but everyone knows that’s not the same. Clubhouse
signatures are another burr in my saddle. All of the players should sign the ball
themselves, or it’s not a team-signed ball, plain and simple. 

Another angle I’m considering is All-Star team-signed balls. I figure that’s one way
to get a bunch of great stars (at least for one year) and future Hall of Famers in
one spot. Plus, it’s humorous to see which players made the team, especially in the
modern-era when you have that stupid rule where one player from every team is added
to the All-Star roster. If you’re an All-Star, you’re an All-Star. A Washington Nationals
fan isn’t going to stop watching just because Adam Dunn didn’t make the team. But
I digress.

In the end, I’m a signed ball guy these days, for good or bad. For now, I’ll keep
searching to make sure Rob Picciolo is on my ’82 Milwaukee Brewers ball.   

Continue reading about Team-signed balls are a love/hate affair »

The circus surrounding Brett Favre is almost comical. I think it will make for a great insert set for Upper Deck’s Predictor series or one of the caricature cards the company has produced in the past.

Perhaps Favre could be pictured with a waffle maker or a riding lawnmower (wait, that’s
been done already). Either way, the situation surrounding Favre’s retirement announcements
and playing again announcements with the Packers, Jets and now Vikings provides plenty
of opportunities for card makers to have a little fun – and make some money, too.

Yes, like him or not – approve of his antics or not – Favre is a money-maker, too.
Fans will come out in droves in Minnesota, and they will grab any merchandise and
memorabilia related to the famed quarterback.

Think of some of the great cards that can now be made with just his jersey cards.
You could have Super Bowl-worn Green Bay Packers cards, pieces of the famous white
and green-striped jersey he wore in New York and the loud purple of the Vikings uniforms.
And then they should release some of the triple relic cards in which you could incorporate
all three of the jerseys. It would be quite colorful. However, you might run out of
room on the back explaining the situation.

I hope none of the card manufacturers were planning on a tribute set after his second
retirement from the Jets. Lord knows, enough of us fell for it the first time with
the Packers. SCD’s parent company, F+W Media offered a commemorative book on
Favre’s Packers career and released a magazine covering the legend. I believe the
book hit the bookstores at just about the time Favre did an about-face and wanted
to return to the field that resulted in his next toss taking place in the Meadowlands
and not in Lambeau Field.
Barring a season-ending injury to Favre in the preseason, this does nothing but help
NFL sales, including NFL trading cards. You don’t think Vikings fans (and Favre fans
loyal to any of the three teams) won’t want to get a pasteboard of the gunslinger
in “horns?”

The new NFL trading card market is basically fueled by rookies and the speculation
on whether they will be the next Barry Sanders or the next Ron Dayne. Their autographs
and patch cards are the main drivers of each set released throughout the year. However,
there are a select few veteran players that are also coveted by collectors. Brett
Favre is one of those players. The longer card companies can keep plugging him into
products as part of the regular set, all the better. Of course, collectors will continue
to see him in insert sets for years to come in throwback series, etc., that are used
to fill out sets these days.

But this is the here and now, and now Favre is with the Vikings as the team’s starting
quarterback. I wonder how many photographers rushed to Minnesota this week to get
some shots of Favre for card products. I guess the first preseason game will be pretty
popular for that, too. It’s just that those “photo-shopped” images just don’t cut
it on cards any more.

What has been a little surprising is that there hasn’t been any announcements from
the card companies about their Farve plans yet. Perhaps it’s too soon or perhaps it’s
because he went through this once before to demand such treatment. When Favre joined
the N.Y. Jets, the card companies got photos from the press conference and used those
in their products. I think the New York stigma might have had something to do with
that, as well.

Who knows what this will do for the Vikings on the field, but it certainly can’t hurt
the football card market.

Continue reading about Favre is Good Business for Football Cards »

The last few days have been rather interesting for me. As someone who has worked in hobby publications since college, I figured that most folks who collect know what they are collecting and have a general understanding of their value.

I’ve worked in antiques, toys and sports in my tenure here at F+W Media, but working
with Collect.com Auctions has definitely shed some new light on collectors to me.

As a writer in these various areas of collecting, I was/am in contact with many collectors,
but mostly in interview formats talking about their collections or getting their opinions
on certain collectible areas for market trend stories. In other words, these are knowledgeable
collectors. They can speak of backgrounds, trends and values for items in their collection
ad nauseam.

So it’s a little surprising for me to be speaking with a lot of collectors of late
who are relatively unfamiliar with what they have. And this is in numerous collecting
categories, not just sports. Some want help with identification in terms of year produced;
others simply have no idea what they have and are looking to find a value first, then
other information.

I guess it’s a different audience than what I’m used. It would be similar if I would
pick up a vintage tool as wall art and then decided I wanted to sell it. I would have
no clue if another person would find it valuable, so I would inquire first.

There are probably a lot of reasons  why people are considering selling their
items even though they are not knowledgeable in what they have. For one, we’re still
in a recession, with a lot of people still looking for work. They need money. One
way to get money is to sell off the “unnecessary” items around the house. Collectbles
often are among those items that are the first to go for those who don’t hold them
dear to their heart (although we also hear from a lot of people who will make other
concessions before turning to their treasures).

A lot of people simply want to know what they have. For the uninitiated, something
that is old could be valuable, so they grab it and ask questions later. Now those
questions are popping up much more frequently. They don’t have a computer to look
it up for themselves, or they don’t know where to start. And, of course, just because
something is old doesn’t mean it’s valuable.

I must say that when you can dig up some information for a reader or caller, it’s
fun. It’s like solving a complicated math problem in school. You feel like you accomplished
something and the person on the other end appreciates the new-found knowledge. It’s
those darn “rare” items that you can’t find in a book or any record of sale online
that gets you frustrated.

So it’s been a little adventure every day at work. While the sports hobby has very
few “discoveries” that need in-depth investigation to identify and place a value,
some of the other categories are much less researched and that’s where the work comes
in.

And then there are those collectors who call and ask for information, but the more
you speak with them, you realize they have already done a lot of research on the item
and are either looking for confirmation or the last missing piece in the puzzle. Those
are fun, too, because it’s like a test, and the information they give you can be used
to gather even more information.

Anyone interested in finding out more information on a collectible they have, I’d
be more than happy to try and help. Photos are very helpful in that regard, along
with the time frame and regional location of the item when it was received. Let the
hunt begin.

Continue reading about Finding Answers to Collectors’ Questions »

It seems like we are going back in time lately in the sports world – and not just focusing on vintage memorabilia.

First, we’re back to just one MLB-licensed card manufacturer and now even the Home
Run King says Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame. In the words of Vince Lombardi,
“What the hell is going on out there?”

We’ve got feds and postal authorities running around the National Sports Convention
pulling out subpoenas and interview requests with an end result that we still don’t
know 12 months after they did the same routine in Chicago.

However, the National got a publicity  boost and perhaps the most widespread
positive story in its history with ESPN’s Bill Simmons snapping photos from the event
like paparazzi and hogging up all of the space on the front page of ESPN.com. I’m
fairly certain ESPN’s readership and Simmons’ column itself gets more views than 95
percent of all of the sites out there – combined. (I’m serious, there are a lot of
small-time sites out there that get little-to-no traffic. Even my Robin Yount’s Lover
site hasn’t really taken off. Don’t look for it, I’m kidding.)

We’ve got thieves looking to score on sports memorabilia instead of raiding strangers’
medicine cabinets and sports museums going out of business because no one is walking
through the doors to just look at stuff without the chance of actually buying it.

It’s a funky time, but it’s not horribly out of whack in the history of the sports
hobby. Do you think this time period is better than when there were six manufacturers
pumping out more product than could ever possibly be bought by the general public?

Some might say yes, because at least then there was competition and more innovative
products. Yet again, look at what happened to values of cards during that time and
how many of those businesses remain today?
It all seemed strange at the time, but these things work themselves out over time,
and all the craziness now will soon seem normal when something else crazy takes place.
It’s all part of the game, so to speak.

On another subject, I have to share a few thoughts I’ve had while working on another
round of descriptions for the second sports auction for Collect.com Auctions. We have
a lot of vintage sports publications in the upcoming sale, covering baseball, football
and hockey. They range from yearbooks and media guides to official records and Who’s
Who.

I love these types of publications. I think they record the time period like nothing
else and offer a great glimpse into the players and stories of the past. I often had
to stop paging through them just so I could keep “working.”

Marty Appel has covered some of these long-running books in his column, sometimes
mentioning how some of them are coming to an end after a decades-long run. That’s
too bad, because I think future generations would like to read abut today’s stars
in a similar format.

But perhaps I’m thinking much too narrowly. Everything is online now and perhaps that’s
how tomorrow’s generation will learn about Greg Maddux, Albert Pujols, Mariano Rivera,
etc. I guess it would save space on the bookshelves, too, although I think bookshelves
are no longer configured in today’s in-house decorating scheme, if you know what I
mean.

I also had the chance to look over vintage newspaper clippings from 1919 and 1920.
You already know the subject of these articles, but to read it in present tense was
fascinating. I wonder if the future hobby readers will look at today’s events in the
same fashion?  

Continue reading about Crazy Times in the Hobby Will Seem Normal One Day »

If you believe there are a lot of sports cards in existence, you’d definitely be right. The Standard Cards of Baseball Cards is proof of that, and that huge tome covers just one sport.

However, if you were to turn your attention to non-sports cards, it opens a whole
new world of collectibles that I would bet many people aren’t aware of – and they’re
valuable, too.

That’s one of the joys of working with Collect.com Auctions – you get to see some
of the great items that will be available to bidders. And when it comes to non-sports
material, we’ve been getting some great stuff.

It started with the debut Collect.com auction that hosted a complete set of “Twilight
Zone” autographs from Rittenhouse Archives. The set included autographs from William
Shatner, Ron Howard, Jimmy Stewart, Mickey Rooney and dozens of other stars that made
appearances on the popular sci-fi series. The resulting $11,700 final bid told me
there’s more to this world than traditional sports cards.

The upcoming Collect.com auction, slated to start Aug. 10 and end Aug. 27, features
some more excellent sets of non-sports cards, ranging from The Best of the Wild Wild
West to Parkhurst Movie Stars, Parade of Flags and something call Jiggley’s.

The best part of these cards is finding out their background and how collectors were
able to secure them in the first place. Some of the more modern issues, like The Best
of the Wild Wild West set were issued in the last 10 years with complete checklists
so you could follow your progress. Others from the 1950s were distributed via retail
outlets just like standard trading cards. However, not all of the cards were always
issued mainstream, and that’s where collectors really sink their teeth into the hunt.

For instance, the upcoming auction will include two examples of original artwork for
the Who-Z-At Star cards from the 1950s. The cards themselves are rather scarce, but
getting the original artwork is even more difficult.

Plus, these were examples of art for cards that were never issued. One wasn’t issued
because the actor, Sal Mineo, insisted on having his shirt off for the photo and Topps
thought that might be pushing too many boundaries. Gotta love the differences in what’s
acceptable between eras.

The sets of Jiggley’s trading cards consigned to the auction had a Western, circus
and military theme. The idea behind the cards was to cut out the stencil sections
so the “figures” could move courtesy of the tabs found on each side of the card. The
caricatures were amusing, but I would guess these got old for kids. Plus, finding
ones that are intact would be difficult because the point of the cards was to play
with them as designed. The same scenario takes place with the baseball Stand-Ups.

However, my favorite of the bunch are the movie star cards because you could get all
the living legends of screen and stage in one set. I don’t know about you, but I would
have loved as a kid to be able to stare at my silver-screen heroes and learn about
them and their characters on cards. It’s not unlike the fascination with sports cards,
only it would have been harder to see these heroes in person. Cards bridged the gap.

I don’t think non-sports cards will ever reach the status of their sports brethren,
but they definitely hold a place in Americana and in the collectibles market. And
the money they can bring rivals any card set.

It’s a real treat to be able to learn about these sets and call it work. It makes
me realize there is a lot I’m missing from this world, but I’m learning.

Continue reading about Learning the Non-Sport Side of Cards »

There are some neat things that are on television when you get the opportunity to sit on the couch and watch. As I have a six-week-old son that doesn’t have the physical skills to play catch quite yet, we spend a lot of time on the couch as I feed and hold him.

That brings me to two sporting events I got to relive. Well, I think I saw one of
them, and the other took place when I was 2 years old. I watched a replay of the 1987
All-Star Game on the MLB Network and the 1979 Disco Demolition debacle on ESPN. Talk
about contrasting events.

One of the first things that struck me in watching the All-Star Game festivities was
that it was 22 years ago. After all, there were all the players I grew up watching:
George Brett, Eric Davis, Dave Winfield, Brett Saberhagen, Jack Clark, etc. This was
the game modeled for the All-Star lineups in the 1987 Nintendo game R.B.I. that I
still play to this day. It didn’t seem that long ago, and I guess in a hobby that
some don’t even consider worthwhile until it’s before 1970, I guess it isn’t that
long ago.

However, there were a few oddities that I had forgotten about. First, it was played 
in daylight, like blazing sun, 4 p.m. daylight. Sure, it was on the West Coast, but
that’s still 7 p.m. Eastern time. You mean kids could actually watch their heroes
before going to bed? 

The second observation was that the power hitters, such as the aforementioned Clark,
Davis and Andre Dawson, were surprisingly skinny. Sure, they were muscular, but nothing
like you see today.

And then there was a skills competition that I had never seen before. This wasn’t
just the home run derby, but rather there was also a pitching and hitting contest
where the players had to pitch to certain targets or batters had to hit targets placed
out in the field. No surprise, Wade Boggs won the batting portion of the contest.

And in case you wondered, this was an All-Star game that was scoreless for 12 innings,
with the National squad scoring two in the top of the 13th inning and winning 2-0.

Baseball did this with 28-man rosters and didn’t run out of pitching. In fact, the
American League even had two pitchers who never saw the mound. Didn’t Commissioner
Selig watch this game? The 2002 All-star Game fiasco was called after 11 innings.

I had heard about Disco Demolition Night on July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park during
a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers – I just never knew
what a riot, almost literally, it was.

I figured the event was all about blowing up records and a few fans ran onto the field
and disrupted the game. Ha! Holy cow, so that’s what happens when 90,000 people cram
into a stadium, drink heavily and turn their hatred of disco music into an excuse
of all-out party rivaled (for a very short period of time) only by Woodstock. Fires,
fights and any number of other transgressions taking place on the field. And they
still tried to play the game.

Outstanding comedy for me on the couch, although baseball probably didn’t enjoy the
attention, no matter the era in which it took place.

I don’t think this could happen today. First, you can’t sneak into stadiums like you
could then. No team will let you in for just 98 cents and you can’t toss a peanut
onto the field, much less toss your entire body over the fence.

Did any readers attend this, ahem, historic event? I’d love to hear a first-hand account
of the demolition. After all, this event was considered the catalyst to the end of
the disco era, and a baseball game was the stage for it. No wonder baseball is America’s
pastime.

Continue reading about A Tale of Two Events: ‘87 All-Star Game and the Disco Demolition »

When it comes to must-visits involving professional sports, the list is a mile long and ranges from Wrigley and Lambeau Fields to Lake Placid. Each destination depends on personal preference and each holds a special place of honor for a variety of reasons.

However, for baseball fans, I think one of the must-visit destinations is Cooperstown,
N.Y. And while a visit there in general is great any time of year, the experience
is that much more special during the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, held this year
on July 24-27, with the actual induction taking place July 26 and featuring Jim Rice,
Rickey Henderson and Joe Gordon among the players.

As a grade-schooler, I always vowed that if Robin Yount ever made it into the Baseball
Hall of Fame, I would make the trek somehow and be among the thousands in attendance
to hear his acceptance speech.

When the announcement came in early 1999 that Yount would join Nolan Ryan and George
Brett into the Hall of Fame, I immediately began plans to attend. I was still finishing
up college, so this trip was going to be on the cheap, if that’s possible when you
need to get to Upstate New York from Wisconsin.

I found a friend to help me with the 16-hour driving duties, and my mom and sister
stowed away in the backseat of my 1988 Olds Tornado. It was a comfortable ride, but
there was one glaring problem that I probably couldn’t handle today – the air conditioning
didn’t work. I distinctly remember sitting in gridlock in the abomination called Chicago
traffic and watching the outside temperature gauge read “100 F.”

But nothing could stop me from my goal and we pushed on. Heading into Cooperstown
the day before the induction, I admired the beautiful landscape, and once in town,
I was immersed in sports collectibles heaven. On one corner was Pete Rose signing
autographs. Walking along across the street was Leon Spinks. Athletes mingled with
fans in a celebration of all things baseball.

I walked up to Doubleday Field. There’s something quaint about that stadium. It reminds
me of an old minor league ballpark.

And then I toured the Hall of Fame, which meant waiting in line because, after all,
the town was bursting at the seams. I don’t think I need to go into detail as to the
virtues of the Hall of Fame. It’s the best sports museum in the world, period. I hope
to visit it again during a little quieter time so I can spend hours looking at the
artifacts.

When it came to induction day, the walk from “downtown” to the fields where the stage
is set up was rather quaint. It reminded me of a walk through an “up north” vacation
town and we were all migrating to a festival outside of that town.

We went early to try and get reasonably close, which meant you still relied on big
screens to see the action on the stage. It didn’t matter. I could hear everything
perfectly and patiently waited. I waited to hear Yount’s speech and when it came,
I looked around me and felt special I was among the thousands in attendance to hear
it in person. It remains a highlight in my life.

Of course, being out all day in the sun and the eight-hour drive that night to Cleveland
dropped me in bed for about 14 hours, but I’ll never forget the trip.

I can imagine a similar scenario will play out for some fans of Henderson, Rice and
even Gordon in the weeks ahead.

If I could make one small suggestion, aside from making sure you grab some loot to
commemorate the occasion, it would be to make sure you check the car’s air conditioning
first.       

Continue reading about A Must-Visit: Cooperstown »

Sometimes, you just have to sit back and realize what you are witnessing. While I make this reference in terms of sporting achievements, it’s probably good advice in general.

I bring this up, because we just did a story in SCD
regarding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – you know, the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
I remember watching him play later in his career, and compared to Jordan and Dominique
Wilkins, he didn’t seem that special at all. He just seemed weird with his long, skinny
legs and those goggles on his balding head. At no point did I consider him to be one
of the best of all time.

When you thought of big-time dominating centers, I would think of Russell and Chamberlain.
And then I’d add O’Neal. A prolonged career of success sometimes passes you by without
any real fanfare.

This happens a lot, too, with today’s current baseball players. In particular, I’m
talking about Albert Pujols for the 2009 season. My goodness, he’s putting up Ruth
and Gehrig numbers. When you look at the stats of those guys, it almost seemed like
video games numbers.

And Pujols numbers through the first half of the season (the true first half, 81 games)
is astounding. Pujols is batting .336 with 31 HRs and 82 RBI. Double those numbers,
and it’s 62 HRs and 164 RBIs. That’s impressive, considering that soon he’s going
to get the Barry Bonds’ treatment – walked every time he comes to the plate.

He’s making his eighth All-Star game next week and he has never hit less than 32 home
runs in his career. Plus he has 10 stolen bases this year already, poised for a career
high in that category.

With Ken Griffey Jr., you also knew you were watching something special. Among the
best ever, some folks only know his for his injuries in the second half of his career.
that’s too bad, because he’s one of the best ever.

Pujols is there, too. No one has had the career start that he has and his numbers
are amazing. We are watching one of the best ever and it’s happening right under our
noses. His career could end now and he get considered for the HOF.

So take time to watch him play. With the St. Louis Cardinals in first place, there
are bound to get more TV time as the season moves on. And Pujols will be the star
attraction. 

Continue reading about Watch Pujols Now While You Can »

It’s summer, and that means it’s almost time for the National Sports Collector’s Convention – this year taking place in Cleveland, July 29-Aug. 2.

But wait, there’s another. Taking place two weeks before that event is another Chicago
show, and no, it’s not named SportsFest. Held July 17-20 will be first the 1st Annual
FansEdge Sports Spectacular at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.  

It’s interesting timing to have another even so close to the National, especially
when dealers are watching their dollars more than ever when it comes to travel. But
it should provide a bonus for collectors.

The National won’t bowl you over with flashy glitz and glamour. What it does have
is stuff for serious collectors – good guests, exclusive card sets and the biggest
and best dealer lineup you’ll find in the country. And all those manufacturers, distributors
and auction houses show up, too.

The new FansEdge event is offering a free admission day (thursday) and something called
“Rollback Friday,” where autograph guests will be at prices way less than the usual
asking price. Plus, it’s an all-day Friday show, so take off of work and take advantage
of the savings.

But there needs to be more to attract people, so Mounted Memories – who is running
the event – is also offering kids activities like a mini golf course, moonwalk and
obstacle course.

So how exactly do you go from a moonwalk to buying an autographed Cal Ripken Jr. jersey?
I’m not sure, but we’re going to find out.

So it will be interesting to see how these shows do. Attendance will be key for both,
as shows have been hit hard the last few years – especially in Chicago.

And if you’re looking for Tuff Stuff, we’ll have a booth at both events. Stop by for
some prizes and let us know how that golf course treated yoy.

Continue reading about Two Shows Looking to Make a Big Splash »

Did you hear about this upcoming event in the Bahamas in which fans/collectors can get together with some high-caliber athletes for a few days of gambling and golf? It’s like a fantasy camp, only it has nothing to do with playing games on the field.

Here are some of the details:
Legendary Auctions has joined with The Sports Legends Challenge presented by AbsolutePoker.net
to produce the ultimate sports fantasy experience. On Sept. 14-17, the inaugural Sports
Legends Challenge, benefitting the Butch Kerzner Summit Foundation, will take place
at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas. The resort will serve as a backdrop for a world-class
sports and gaming event which will feature sports fans and their sports heroes competing
in a variety of casino games, including No Limit Texas Hold ’Em, Blackjack and Slots,
as a well as a daily prize-money golf tournament.

Sports fans will compete with and against 25 sports legends, including: Troy Aikman,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Richard Petty, Sugar Ray Leonard, Emmitt Smith, Reggie Jackson,
Joe Namath, Mike Ditka, Julius Erving, Herschel Walker, Jim Brown, Bobby Hull, Jerry
West, Brooks Robinson, Gale Sayers, Kyle Petty and more. The event will also feature
25 of the world’s top Poker Pros. The Sports Legends, Poker Pros and participants
will compete in a wide range of tournaments for up to $10,000,000 in prize money.
The feature event will be a winner-take-all, No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em grand finale
televised nationally, Thanksgiving Day, on FOX Sports.

Legendary Auctions will also conduct a sports memorabilia auction event during the
event.

Well, that sounds like fun. I am curious if there will be more details as to the charitable
component of the event and exactly what the auction will entail. From the outside,
it looks like a free “guy’s weekend” for the athletes.

The idea is to hold a few of these events a year, with another one being planned for
2010 in London. I’ll post some more details as they become available. In the meantime,
I’ll start practicing my poker face and saving my dough so I can go on a “work trip.”

Continue reading about Latest Sports “Challenge” Sounds a Little Too Fun »

When it comes to pieces of something, anything that can be inserted into cards, there seems to be few limits. We’ve all seen the pieces of jerseys, pants, shoes, bats, caps and cut signatures now seemingly in every brand available on the shelf.

And this doesn’t count the sheet metal, driver’s suits, pieces of tires and helmets
found in racing products.

The latest is Topps’ 2009 Ticket to Stardom Baseball that features official MLB ticket
stubs embedded in the cards. Tickets can be found from the World Series and Opening
Day to the World Baseball Classic and prominent moments such as rookie debuts.The
product also features Buyback stubs that would feature a stub from a classic game.



The product ships in August, so you have some time to come up with the ideal ticket
you’d like to find in the product. We’ve covered the “ticket stubs you’d most like
to own” in the past, so I’ll just say I wouldn’t mind the Sept. 9, 1992, stub from
Milwaukee’s County Stadium in which Robin Yount clubbed his 3,000th career hit.

But I am curious as to what will be placed in cards next. Perhaps dinosaurs? Nope,
that already happened, along with fragments of bones from Wholly Mammoths. I don’t
have anything against those pieces being embedded in cards, but I just wouldn’t have
expected that in my hockey box breaks or Allen & Ginter brands. As someone posted
on the Sports Card Forum message board a while back, what’s next, strands of hair
from a  white buffalo?

If it hasn’t happened yet, I’m sure there is a way to have pieces of Tiger Woods’
putter placed into a card, or perhaps some of the apple core, bubble gum or other
discarded piece of trash Woods used that seems to turn up on eBay a few times a year.

I find these diversions rather entertaining. And I have to think those who aren’t
diehard card collectors probably feel the same way – and that’s why card companies
go to such lengths to have these varieties as “hits” in their products. When the base
collecting community has been contacted over and over again, you have to go somewhere
else to expand to new markets, new buyers and new  money. It’s a strategy every
business utilizes.

That’s why you see some of these strange inserts. While hard-core collectors complain
about them, most won’t ever see them (another gripe in the hobby, but that’s also
the chase that drives the hobby). Most of the inserts are very limited and are more
for the publicity to the unknowing populace who think they have a chance at something
special than for the market the cards are designed to serve in the first place. For
releases that draw the extra attention, the old adage applies: any publicity is good
publicity.

The other day in the office, we busted open a box of 2009 O-Pee-Chee Baseball, a no-frills
product that won’t hurt the pocketbook. The box offered no patch cards, no autographs
and nary a redemption. We all remarked how we enjoyed the product. The card designs
were simple and not flashy, the card backs had actual statistics and other nuances
that made it fun to read and in the end you were generally pleased with the outcome.

But this won’t cut it for the populace I spoke about before. They need something more
to give the product a try and that’s where the struggle is and why we have the products
we do in the hobby.

Back to those ticket stubs. Would you rather have a card and stub that are related
together in one piece, or would you rather have the ticket stub as a stand-alone collectible?
If a had a choice, I’ll take the card because it aids in remembering the importance
of the stub.

Continue reading about Ticket Stubs Another Insert Worth Chasing »

First, a company note: Collect.com Auctions’ debut sale ends Thursdaty. To see the lineup and register, click
here.

But first, here is what it was like leading up to the auction:

So this is what it’s like to have unlimited amounts of money, time, energy, patience
and eventually joy. I never thought I might be able to experience that all at once.

Nope, I didn’t win the lottery, enter never-never land or get a lobotomy. We’ve been
going through some of the items that will be appearing in the debut sale of Collect.com
Auctions, and it’s been a treat seeing all the great collectibles the world has to
offer. It’s one thing to see these items in a catalog or on computer screen, but to
see them pass through with our own eyes has been a blast.

The other day I got to “play”  with a 1925 tin mechanical baseball game from
Frantz Toys call The Great American Game. This beats any video game system I had growing
up, even if it didn’t feature any real players. It was simple, colorful and fun. A
rotating scroll determined the outcome of the “at-bats” and I never had more pleasure
out of a game of chance. I’ve worked in the toy hobby market in a former life, but
this was the first time I got to play with a toy that fit my grandpa’s generation.
Did I mention it was a good week?


And then I got to pretend I was a kid in the 1940s who just polished off a bowl of
Nabisco Shredded Wheat cereal just so I could redeem the box top for a Ted Williams
ring. Heck, I would stomach the cereal today if that prize was still an option. Now,
all the rewards from shredded wheat involve a healthier lifestyle. Big deal.

Under my desk, I have a couple of game-used bats from the likes of Tony Clark and
Rondell White. Those full-size versions have nothing on the 1910 mini decal Joe Jackson
bat I swung around a few hours before I penned this column. What great color and design
on the barrel. What? It’s worth how much? Perhaps I should have been more gentle.
I’m kidding of course. While curiosity got the cat, I was careful with all of my handling
of these treasures.

I had never seen a NFL championship ring before in person, salesman sample or otherwise.
They’re huge, glitzy, obnoxious and just what you want to show off to the rest of
the world that for one season there wasn’t anyone better than you. Those rings make
a statement and then some. This version was a 1972 Miami Dolphins Bob Griese example.
It didn’t fit my fingers.

And then there were the signed balls – Babe Ruth, Don Drysdale, Ted Williams, Johnny
Unitas, Michael Jordan, etc. It seems players took a lot more pride in signing items
in years past. Big, bold and, most importantly, legible signatures were found on most
of the balls, making for easy identification and the chance to piece together the
exact years on team-signed examples.

It was also fun to see what types of items collectors got signed. One of the most
unique ones was a 1:16-scale die-cast golf cart signed by Carl Yastrzemski. The artwork
was the nicest to look at, but the ticket stubs, postcards and index cards weren’t
too bad either.

I had the chance to feel what it was like to sit in the Boston Garden, courtesy of
two cushy stadium seats. I lived a day in the warm-ups of numerous NBA players, realizing
– when the outfits were far too big – why I never had a chance on the court.

I also learned that this is one big hobby, full of more material than any one person
could ever dream of collecting. It’s those niches that keeps the hobby humming, and
I hope you all keep it going. After all, how else am I supposed to learn about things
like Stereo Viewers, 1946 World Series pen and pencil sets and how Al Kaline and Tom
Selleck end up signing the same piece of memorabilia?

Continue reading about Collect.com Auctions Provides a Fun Diversion »

Well, you leave for a week and lot happens in the sports world and hobby. Sammy Sosa says goodbye and makes a strong claim that he belongs in the Hall of Fame. I guess I missed that press conference and Sammy was never a player afraid to brag himself up. But my question is, is it really a story when you haven’t played in a year and a half to call a retirement press conference?

It’s amazing that a player who mesmerized the world only 11 years ago is cast aside
like a utility infielder. It really speaks volumes for the sports world, and baseball
in particular, these days.


In the hobby, Legendary Cuts Baseball is now available from Upper Deck. The 100-card
base set has countless, randomly placed inserts covering yesterday’s and today’s biggest
stars via game-used memorabilia cards as well as autographed and signature-cut cards.
Some of the “Legendary Cut” signature cards include scrawls from deceased baseball
icons such as “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Roberto Clemente, as well as
deceased MLB executives including former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley.

There’s also four color parallels (that’s four in all, such as blue, olive green,
brown and red), but that doesn’t do much for me. It just means there are more autographs
than what you originally thought.

I like the Generations Dual card that feature a legend and a modern-day player, such
as Nolan Ryan/randy Johnson and Reggie Jackson/Prince Fielder cards. People love to
compare anyway, and this is just another way to do so.

Upper Deck’s 2009 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball yields five cards per pack, with 12 packs
per box.

And some news for Topps Magic Football, 2009 style: On the heels of announcing it
would recreate college themed Topps Magic Football, one of its first ever sports card
releases, Topps is pleased to now announce it has added a very important subject to
the product…Jackie Robinson, Running Back, UCLA.

 
Robinson entered UCLA in 1939 where he would become the first athlete in school history
to letter in four sports…Football, Baseball, Basketball and Track.  And before
breaking baseball’s color barrier, Jackie played semi-professional football for both
the Honolulu Bears and the Los Angeles Bulldogs.
 
Topps is randomly inserting this limited edition card into packs of 2009 Topps Magic
Football, which ships June 18.  Each hobby box guarantees three Autographs.

Nice to see some classic football cards entering the market to complement all of the
modern stuff, like Chrome.

All in all, there’s a lot of good stuff going on, and there should be even more goodies
and The National nears.

Finally, be sure to check out some signed NFL authentic items our sister publication,
SCD, is giving away. CLICK HERE to check it out. 

Continue reading about Sosa Retires and Some Great Releases Now Available »

At the time of this writing, I’m in Day Five of my new life. I didn’t enter the witness relocation program, leave a treatment facility or make a daily affirmation. Rather I entered fatherhood. It has been one of the most amazing, scary, humbling and best weeks of my life. I know many readers can relate. Words can’t even explain the admiration for my wife.

A million things have gone through my mind the past few days, such as is my son eating
enough, where are those socks and where did that come from? I know a million more
things will pop up in the next week or two, as well. But I’ve also taken a little
time to look ahead a few years, though I’ve been told over and over again to enjoy
this time like no other because it goes so fast. And typing in “Day Five” at the beginning
of this column gives me a small hint of that.



But right now I can’t mesmerize him by showing him the beautiful green grass on a
baseball field, or make his eyes pop out of his head when he touches a basketball
rim for the first time. I want to teach him how to hold a baseball bat, toss a spiral
and, since the soccer fields are so close by, kick a goal. But right now all I can
do is hold him, which is a pretty good deal.

I want to sit and watch a game and explain things like a first down, penalty kick,
free throw and explain why a batter is walking to first base. I can’t wait until his
eyes can focus enough that when I read him books of dinosaurs and cuddly animals,
I can throw in some baseball history books and explore why Babe Ruth, the Santa Claus-like
figure waving a stick, is more remembered than any president in the U.S. Most of it
won’t register most of it, but it will be a great experience for me.

It might be a tad more difficult down the line when I have to explain why Henry Aaron
is the real home run king even though some other guys have more home runs. So I enjoy
these first years, right?

I made it a point not to paint his room some garish colors of a major sports team,
but that doesn’t mean I soon won’t be dressing him in those same garish colors for
his first of many public appearances. Friends and family will find it cute, but I’ll
be even prouder if, or when, he picks out those same types of clothes on his own later
in life.

He already received his first pack of baseball cards, courtesy of the editor of this
magazine. Oh yes, I’ll encourage him to collect if he wants to pursue it, but he’ll
collect for the same reason I did growing up, and that’s to look over the cards of
his heroes, memorize their statistics and keep those players’ names in his head 20
years later when he runs into those heroes on the show circuit or at a chance meeting
in a hotel. But for now, that pack will remain unopened and stay with other artifacts
from the week, such as photos, bracelets and those inky footprints.

People have already asked, since I am an avid Milwaukee Brewers fan, when he will
make his first trip to the ballpark. My wife insists it should be this year, but I’m
a little hesitant on that. I would like him to make it through his first few visits
to the grocery store before plunging him into the middle of 42,000 fans on $2 beer
night (note: those nights don’t exist except in minor-league parks, but you get my
point).

However, when he does make it to his first game, he won’t leave my lap and I’ll babble
on and on about the game unfolding before him and he won’t register a thing. But I
won’t care. We’ll take about how the Milwaukee Braves because the Milwaukee Brewers
and how the names in the outfield, from Jackie Robinson to Aaron to Robin Yount were
some of the best to play in the game. I’ll tell him how the roof wasn’t always here
and how those cold games in April were brutal, until the Brewers won. I’ll show him
Bernie Brewer’s slide, those too-large-for-life racing sausages and have him sit in
the giant glove in the interactive zone.

I can’t wait, I just can’t wait.

But wait I will. For now, I’ll wait for the first time he opens his eyes and recognizes
me, his first wake-less night and for  when the dog licks his face and he smiles.

In the meantime, I’ll make sure he doesn’t have to wait for me for anything, and I
think that’s the best I can do.

Sorry for the proud-parent column, but this was a week with no deadlines, phone calls
(except congratulatory), card release e-mails and it has been one of the best ever.
I have someone else to share sports with – my son.   

Continue reading about And He’s Not Named After Cecil Cooper »

Most people aren’t real big on entertainment cards when it comes to
their sports card products, especially when they are getting guitar
heroes and such mixed in with their baseball and football cards.

But I think the one product that does it right is Donruss Americana from Panini.
Donruss Americana doesn’t hide what it is – an entertainment product through and through
with some sports stars thrown in the mix for fun.

The latest batch will be released June 3 with five-card packs retailing for $25 each.
Yes, that’s a little steep, but there are some pretty cool cards included in the set
that would make the purchase price a sweet deal – if you happened to pull it from
the packs.

My personal favorite from the bunch is a card autographed by the four members of the
Bundy family from the sitcom Married With Children. I’m a big fan of the show, so
it would be neat to grab a card with autographs of Ed O’Neill, Katey Sagal, Christina
Applegate and David Faustino. This card is part of the the Casting Call insert set.
This insert features 2-4 celebrities and one trapped parchment, numbered to 25 or
less.

And that’s just one of the dozens of inserts that can be found in the set. Other examples
include Movie Posters, Private Signings, Cinema Stars, Hollywood Legends, TV Stars
Directors Cut and many more. These often include both signed version and version with
pieces of costumes worn or other relics based on the person, character, TV show or
film.

Obviously, the draw here is the autographed card. The commons are nice, but they are
just that – commons. To get a card signed by Jimmy Stewart, Charlie Chaplin, Johnny
Carson or Frank Sinatra is the real draw. In all, there are 50 new signers for this
set alone.

So aside from the Married With Children card, I would also prompt Panini/Donruss
to make autographed cards from Top of the Heap (Matt LeBlanc), How I Met
Your Mother and the HBO series Band of Brothers.   

Continue reading about Donruss Americana Rolls Out June 3 »

I’d like to share the following announcement between our online partner Sports Card Forum and a new deal they have in place with BlowOutCards.com:

BlowOutCards.com, the leading seller of sports
card and entertainment boxes on the internet and SportsCardForum.com,
the world’s largest and most active Sports Card Community have joined forces for a
one-year advertisement and promotional deal. The financial terms of the deal are not
disclosed. The deal includes special weekly promotions and marketing agreements coordinated
between the two companies.

BlowOutCards.com will offer the more than 24,000 active SportsCardForum.com members
special weekly promotions that will include major discounts on boxes and cases of
cards. Every Thursday BlowOutCards.com will offer discounts on various items that
will last until the following Sunday night or while supplies last. The first promotion
will be offered to SportsCardForum.com VIP members.

“SportsCardForum.com is home to some of the most passionate card collectors in the
world,” said Chris Park, co-owner of BlowOutCards.com. “After spending some time with
the site staff and experiencing the community for myself, I knew we had to develop
a relationship with the collectors of this community.”

“This is a tremendous win for our members,” said Michael Silvia, the owner of SportsCardForum.com,
the most active and safest sports card community in the world. “We are excited to
work with BlowOutCards.com over the next year to offer SportsCardForum.com members
discounts on some of the best product in the sports card hobby. SportsCardForum.com
is always looking for ways to bring great value to our members and we hit a home run
with BlowOutCards.com.”

So feel free to check out our partners’ site and these exciting deals. And tell them
loud and proud about Tuff Stuff, too.

Continue reading about Sportscard Forum and BlowOutCards.com Announce New Deal »

I have the opportunity on May 20 to intervuiew Brandon Steiner, founder of Steiner Sports. Currently, the company is making huge waves as the sole provider of Yankee Stadium memorabilia thanks to an agreement with the Yankees.

Currently, Steiner is offering stadium seats, sod from the field, infield dirt, stadium
signs, turnstiles, lockers and autographed photos featuring many of those who made
the stadium famous over the course of its history.

Some online articles and blogs have suggested that offering dirt is ridiculous and
a waste of money. I disagree. People want a part of the most famous stadium in the
world. If that means it’s a test tube full of dirt (that’s not how it’s presented,
obviously), so be it.

A few years ago, when they replaced the sod at Lambeau field in conjunction with the
stadium renovation they iffered chunks of it in a box and fan bought it like it was
a winning lottery ticket.

It’s genius really. There’s tons of it, literally, and collectors want it. It’s affordable
and can serve a wide range of fans.

But I’ll ask Brandon about it, the response to the entire auctions and promotions
the company is hosting surrounding Yankee Stadium and post some of his comments here.

Until then, I’m going to clear away seom of my lawn and see if I can’t grow that beautiful
Yankee Stadium turf.

Continue reading about Yankee Stadium Memorabilia Will Find Buyers »

I’d like to touch on, again, the Milwaukee Braves dinner held last weekend that honored Bob Uecker. One of the guests of honor was long-time umpire Bruce Froemming.

Froemming worked 37 seasons in the big leagues, working 11 no-hitters. We’re happy
if we see one in our lifetime and he was on the field for 11 of them! He worked more
than 5,000 games in this career. For those of you scoring at home, that’s a lot of
spit in the face from managers across several generations.

I truly wish he could have talked some more, because I bet he has a lot of stories
to share. Froemming is much taller than me. I’m 5′6″, but he’s got about 100 pounds
on me. He’d have to to stand firm behind the plate when dealing with A-Rod and Jason
Varitek jawing at each other down the first base line or when an overzealous manager
wanted to give him a piece of his mind.

But wouldn’t it be fun to ask him who the biggest jerk was as a manager, a player
and even stadium staff? Which person on the other end of the argument has the worst
breath? What was some of the most ridiculous things ever said in an argument? You
know some of the arguments are just guys yelling to make it look like they are backing
up their teammates.

Froemming started umpiring in the ninth grade when he didn’t make the baseball team.
After that, he went from the minors, where he once cleared the press box after the
PA announcer and a reporter were yelling at him. How about that for some fire in the
belly?

Froemming was one of the most respected umpires in the game, handpicked to sit behind
the plate in one-game playoff matchups in 1998 and 1999.

imagine how much baseball he has seen in those 37 years? From the Big Red Machine
to the dominating Yankees and the upstart Marlins. He’s watched a game from the flamboyant
styles of the 1970s, to the drug use of the 1980s to the performance-enhancing days
of today. Maybe he got out at the right time.

Not many think of umpires telling stories, but Froemming must have a million of them
and I don’t think he’d be afraid to share them. I’d love to grab a six-pack and sit
in a chair with him for a day or three.   

Continue reading about Bruce Froemming Could Tell Stories until the Cows Came Home »

It’s not often I can enjoy nearly six hours in a casino and have my sides hurt not from second-hand smoke but from laughing so hard. And I got to call it work at the same time.

In truth, it was pure pleasure to be able to attend the Milwaukee Braves Historical
Association testimonial dinner that honored former Braves catcher and current Milwaukee
Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker. The event was held at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino
in Milwaukee.

Among those in attendance, in addition to the guest of honor, was Commissioner Bud
Selig, a long-time friend of Uecker’s and the person who brought Uecker into the radio
booth after a job as a scout didn’t go over so well. Selig said in his introduction
speech that when Uecker sent back a scouting report covered with mash potatoes and
gravy stains, perhaps a different career was in order.

Other notables at the podium and in the crowd were retired umpire Bruce Froemming,
former Milwaukee Sentinel writer Bud Lea, Johnny Logan, Andy Pafko, Felix Mantella,
Eddie Matthews’ son, former college basketball coach Rick Majerus, Ken Sanders and
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin.

With a character like Uecker being honored, it was more about the stories than his
stellar playing career. When Uecker was sent down to the minors by Braves manager
Charlie Dressen in 1961, Dressen said, “There’s no room in baseball for a clown.”
Uecker shot back at the podium in his usual deadpan manner, “I didn’t like Dressen.
Not for the fact he sent me down, I just didn’t like him.”

Uecker talked about the $3,000 signing bonus the Braves offered him to sign and how
his dad couldn’t come up with that kind of money. He spoke about damaging a tuba during
batting practice by shagging fly balls with it prior to a game in the 1964 World Series
and how he had to pay for the damages. It was the only action he saw on the field
in that series.

But it was the personal side you got to see of Uecker, obviously connected to staff
members, friends and former teammates, that was so much fun. Same goes with the commish.
The only time you see Selig is on TV defending drug use in the game or possible labor
disputes. To see the other side of him and how appreciative the people of Wisconsin
are toward him for bringing baseball back to Milwaukee after the Braves left in 1965
was sweet, for lack of a better term, regardless of your thoughts about his leadership
of baseball.

The former players were approachable, cordial and you got a sense as to why he days
of baseball past are so cherished by the hobby and the readers of this magazine. Sign
me up for next year and this time give Uecker as much time as needed to explain the
story behind a picture of him seemingly trying to woo actress Phyllis Diller.   
 

Continue reading about Dining With the Milwaukee Braves »

Continue reading about Bryant Tops Jersey Sales – Where’s Yao? »

Continue reading about Numbers Don’t Lie, Change is Needed »

There’s something about getting NFL players in their college uniforms that is
unique – kind of like those variant jerseys teams wear, but better. That said, I think
the latest news from McFarlane Toys is kinda cool.   

McFarlane’s new 2009 College Football line will spotlight current NFL players in their
college uniforms.

 
The 2009 College Football line marks the first time college sports have been commemorated
in McFarlane Sports Picks action figures.
 
McFarlane Toys has worked through The Collegiate Licensing Company, an IMG company,
to license its 2009 College Football line, which will feature 6-inch scale figures
of six pro football superstars in their school’s home uniform:
 

• Tom Brady – Michigan
• Ray Lewis – Miami
• Peyton Manning – Tennessee
• Adrian Peterson – Oklahoma
• Hines Ward – Georgia
• JaMarcus Russell – Louisiana State

 
Todd McFarlane had this to say about the line: “Sports fans have been asking us for
years to pay tribute to the college teams of the top professional athletes by commemorating
them in their college uniforms,” said Todd McFarlane, founder of McFarlane Toys. 
“By partnering with the CLC and the colleges, we are now able to bring a new dimension
to our Sports Picks’ brand. We are designing a unique player-centric collegiate product
that is different from anything else on the market.”  
 
These are scheduled to be in stores in August.

I like this idea a lot, as I’m a fan of “retro” wear. I’m not sure the world needs
a JaMarcus Russell LSU jersey, however. Didn’t he graduate about two years ago to
a lot of fanfare with not much to show for it with the Raiders thus far?

When will Bo Jackson, Hershel Walkers and John Elway appear in their college uniforms? 

Continue reading about Sports Picks Show NFL Stars in College Duds »

Continue reading about Industry Survey: Fewer Products At Lower Price Points »