I have often said that in order to be successful in Baseball, there needs to be a seemless blend of high end and the ability to build sets like the old days. Although people like me will chase high end stuff to the ends of the earth, the baseball hobby is VASTLY different from football. Aside from the fact that Baseball does not have a rookie card system that is friendly to a product like this, there may not be as many collectors willing to drop 500 bucks on a box of cards that doesnt give them the opportunity to enjoy a lot of packs. Additionally, there are not many living baseball players that can carry a high end checklist, as even superstar autographs can be had for under 100 bucks.

That doesnt mean a product like this cannot be successful, as this type of thing hasnt ever been tried before. As long as there is content to match the price tag, collectors will flock to a set like this, but that may be close to impossible without a rookie class to hold a major portion of the set together.

Now, Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish, Stephen Strasburg, and Albert Pujols, combined with Mays, Aaron, Koufax and Ripken will be the cards that people are craving, as there has rarely been cards that are as well designed as these. From what we are seeing, there is also a major chase in the cuts and bat barrels which could help keep box prices from sinking like they did in football. Of course, hard signed dual logo cards have rarely been offered, if ever, and if the players above have some part of that aspect of the product, it could get nuts.

Bottom line, I have been waiting for a product like this since I got back into the hobby, and I WILL buy a ton of it for a few reasons. First, the theme and the design is reminiscent of the beauty displayed in the two football sets released in 2010 and 2011. There is no better looking high end product than Five Star, and its almost impossible to argue that these cards do not look incredible. The borders, the background, and size of the players on the cards help to provide a sizable space for the on card autographs, and I think that is a huge plus for a product with 100% hard signed signatures. Also, the booklet cards seem to have fixed a lot of the issues that I saw in football, as its obvious that a lot of time was spent building each of the designs that will populate the set. There is a distinct feel of royalty and knighthood in the set, and being someone that thrives on well conceived ornate designs that still allow for content on the card, this could not be more perfect.

My gripes are few, but important. First, I am not a fan of studio shots in any sport, but I know that its different in Baseball. The player’s likeness is just as much about his appearance as it is the uniform he wears, something that has not been understood so far in Football. For the games in the NFL, the player’s likeness is the uniform he wears and nothing else. There are no faces except what you see through the facemask. I would have liked game shots here, but it doesnt detract from the overall look the way it would if they were football players.

Additionally, I really dont like the bat barrel cards, as feel they look like the player is squeezed up at the top instead of printing them full bleed around the cut out. When the swatch has to be this big, the player should maintain a presence behind it. Topps has done this many times before, and Im not sure what changed here.

I also really like the way Topps is doing the cut signatures, as this might be one of the first time in years we get a full player photograph on the card. Ruth is featured in his own card, which not only allows for tasteful presentation of the cut, but extra room for it to be displayed. Great idea, and hopefully Mantle gets the same treatment.

Five Star continues to be the benchmark for visual appeal in this industry, and THAT is the main reason I love it as much as I do. Its majestic, but not goofy like some other products, and I think that is something that is paramount to the way the brand is percieved. Now that players like Ichiro and Darvish are around to create an international interest from collectors with deep pockets, there is more potential to have value in a box. Big plus, just ask the people who pulled Jeremy Lin during his run.

Lastly, a few of us had suggested a customer loyalty program over the years, and I am glad that Topps has once again proven that they want to make our suggestions into reality. The Five Star club is a great idea, and should be a program that many people will try to fight to get into. Upper Deck had a similar situation with the Diamond Club, that gave very similar perks, even though controversy about membership was frequent. Both clubs did and will attract the people necessary to float a product like this, and I dont think its a bad thing to reward people like this as long as its public knowledge.

Five Star will always have a place in my display, if not only because of the way the cards inspire an audible reaction from the people that see them. Frankly, if a product that costs as much as this will cannot accomplish that kind of response, the company is doing something wrong.

As expected, his 1/1 Superfractor is one of the most sought after cards in the product, and it was just posted in a no reserve auction this weekend. As if that wasnt enough, his 1/1 red base parallel was also posted at the same time, which might complicate the final price of both cards.

Here are the auctions for both:

2012 Bowman Bryce Harper Base RC Superfractor 1/1 – Too bad there isnt a better pic with the auction.

2012 Bowman Bryce Harper Base RC Red Parallel 1/1

Even though this Harper superfractor wont be considered the best one can collect because of cards already released in previous products, it will still carry a ton of value with it, regardless of his recent performance at the plate. His lucky redemption #2 cards have yet to be revealed, and the sticker autographs in retail arent going to carry the same weight. For 2012, this superfractor could be his most valuable card.

Last month, the 2011 superfractor was also posted in a similar fashion, but never made the final gavel. It was already up above 5 grand before the seller pulled it to sell off eBay, and I have a feeling that the Harper 2012 Super may find a similar fate.

When the Darvish auto super finally does hit eBay, that will be the most valuable card of the year, especially if he continues to pitch the way he has been. Japanese collectors will drop everything to purchase it, and that is only if the large amount of American ranger fans let them.

Regardless, this class hasnt been as strong outside of the boy wonder and Darvish, but cards like this can really pack a punch as we can see.

Even in the hobby, Ruth’s cards have a special place, and collectors have had the chance to own small pieces of his game used material for years. They arent cheap, and after this sale, it could become even more difficult to buy his stuff.

Check out some of the recent sales:

2002 Leaf Certified Materials Babe Ruth Jersey Card / 10

2010 Topps Sterling Babe Ruth Quad Swatch

2004 Donruss Elite Passing the Torch Babe Ruth Patch /25

2003 Donruss Classics Babe Ruth / Lou Gherig Dual Jersey Card

Ruth will be the most famous baseball player of all time for years to come, as the game is what it is because of his career dominance. Not only that, but most of the worth of high end products continue to be based on the company’s ability to include content from players of this era. Basically, its tough to succeed in high end baseball without Ruth, Cobb, Gherig, Mantle and company. There is just too much they bring to the table.

Back in 2005, Donruss gained national news attention for cutting up a game used Ruth jersey for their products, and because of its larger size, the yield lasted them for a few years. His cards in 2005 Absolute remain the largest swatch of game used Ruth material available, and they routinely sell for close to three grand. Outside of the 2005 Absolute jumbos, Upper Deck has done a number of Ruth cut and jersey combination, but they havent gained the same iconic status as some of his other cards.

I often wonder how someone can spend 25K on a guy like Stephen Strasburg, especially because you can get a Ruth or Mantle item for much less than that. Secondarily, its rare that the best player of an era plays for the most widely collected team in the league, which is a little of the reason why the Yankees’ pre-war and post war stuff sells like its pure gold.

Even if guys like Pujols, A-Rod and other guys eventually pass the statistics that Ruth put on the back of his cards, they will never have the same type of status. Its almost impossible to believe that there will ever be a player that gains the same amount of notoriety, no matter how ridiculous the accomplishments he has.

Topps was obviously the most impressive with the previews of the autographs that are going to be all over their flagship product that should hit shelves in july. They really took advantage of the 1984 retro design, one of the most iconic sets of the modern era. 1984 had the rookie cards of John Elway and Dan Marino, both of which are the ones that every one has a nostalgic attachment to.  The cards turned out awesome from the pictures, and I think will be ones that a lot of collectors chase, especially from Luck and Griffin. They turned out to be some of my favorites that were tweeted, if not only because I love on card autographs of retro throwbacks. I wish they could have been the retouched cards that have been making appearances throughout the last few days, but these same day signature cards are more than satisfying because they dont have to do the “00″ jerseys that were forced on to some of the other cards due to licensing problems with the NFL.

I also love the look of the rookie premiere signatures, as the design with the gray border looks awesome. Even though these are helmet off shots, which usually look goofy and weird, I think Topps has found ways to make them look cooler than normal. The design sure helps a bunch, but some of the players still look like they were caught by surprise.

The Panini Pen Pals signatures look a lot better without those awful combine and press conference photographs, and I have to believe that they will be included in National Treasures like they have been for the last five years. Panini really kept a lot of their tweets focused on the action, which was a bummer, but im sure we will get more as they get to press with their solicitation. The sell sheets are ridiculously late for the beginning of the year, and I am beginning to question what is going on. Topps is already teasing Chrome, and we JUST got Elite last week from their marketing team.

Ill talk about more of the cards as they come up, but so far, Topps was an overwhelming winner over the last few days by far.

2010 Rookie Premiere

Coming into the 2010 season, the arrival of Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford created tremendous hype around their first autographs as pro players. For the first time ever, Panini created cards to insert into Elite, which had been previously able to use college jerseys to picture the rookies. With Upper Deck signing the CLC exclusive license, NFL uniform photos were bumped up almost two entire product cycles to make it work in Elite. Panini did a GREAT job with 2010 Elite, especially on the on card autographs, which may only be overshadowed by 2012′s new cards.

2010 Elite Ndamukong Suh RC Auto

2010 Elite Colt McCoy RC Auto

Topps also introduced a new card called the Red Zone rookie signature that complemented their already successful Rookie Premiere autograph set. It was done in a very similar fashion with photos taken one day, and autographs signed over the weekend. Unlike the RPAs, which were only available in the flagship hobby set, the Red Zone signatures were available through the entire card season. I wasnt exactly a big fan of the design, but it was nice to have added content that was unavailable before.

2010 Red Zone Sam Bradford Auto /100

2010 Red Zone Tim Tebow Auto /100

2011 Rookie Premiere

When the lockout became evident that it would last through most of the offseason, both Panini and Topps had to scramble to make things work appropriately for their programs for the year. Both companies heavily relied on combine photographs, which were not even close to living up to past year’s pictures from OTAs done prior to the premiere. The on card autographs that were so popular in 2010 Elite were brought back, but this time were done in such a hideous design that I couldnt even bring myself to buy even a single card from the product. The vertical and boxy design of the card was horrendous and ugly, which only exacerbated the disastrous of an Elite product that was quickly losing steam.

2011 Elite Andy Dalton RC Auto

2011 Elite Marcell Dareus RC Auto

Topps came back for a second year with the red zone signatures, including a VASTLY improved design and a promise of more on card signatures throughout early products like Platinum and Finest. Because the rookies had not yet been assigned numbers, both companies had to use the awkward “00″ jerseys that made collectors question what was going on. The adjustment of the design proved to be a good investment in early products, but like 2010 the cards lost steam later in the program because of the new focus on hard signed rookie content in almost every product that Topps offered during the year.

2011 Red Zone Cam Newton RC Auto

2011 Red Zone Demarco Murray RC Auto

2012 Rookie Premiere

With a full offseason to prepare, as well as a new computer program that effortlessly airbrushed NFL jerseys on college pictures, the previews from the rookie premiere in process look to be on a level that has never been seen before. Panini’s on card “rookie inscription” cards from 2012 Elite look to be a 180 degree turn around from last year’s train wreck, and should be a valuable chase for collectors in the early release.

Topps saw Panini’s bet and raised them with a stunning addition of a new set that might be replacing the Red Zone signatures throughout the 2012 year. They previewed RGIII’s card last night, and I am floored by how cool it looks. We still have yet to see any other examples from the set, but Im sure that will change over the course of the weekend. Bottom line, the RGIII card was the best of the night in my opinion, without even seeing the rest of the cards that will be joining it this year.

Now that both companies are locked and loaded for 2012 and the unparalleled potential of Luck and the rest of the top picks, its going to be a bloodbath in the fight for dominance this year. With a new addition of an 18 product calendar, it looks as if both companies will be forced to creatively approach their planning unlike any other year. Hopefully, we will get to see the fruits of competition early on, as Topps’ flagship set is already shaping up to be an early contender for product of the year with a beautiful design and added content. With cards like the RGIII to bolster pack value, lets hope there are more surprises in store.

My favorite cards so far are the silver signings from 2012 Inception that are being tweeted all over the place, as I absolutely love the horizontal orientation as compared to last year’s. Although some of the rookies are showing 00 on their jersey, which is disappointing to say the least, the cards are looking awesome for a second straight year. I would have liked college numbers at least, but it looks like licensing issues may have prevented that. Regardless of jersey numbers, the top guys in Luck and Griffin look to be on display in each of the first couple of sets this year, which is awesome.

Topps is also bringing back the “Tall Boys” from 1965 into a special insert set for 2012 Topps Flagship, and I think the cards definitely are a nice throwback insert to include with on card autographs. On top of that, they are also trying to get all the rookie premiere autographs shot and printed tonight, which from the design they tweeted earlier, look completely boss.

Panini combined some MAJOR let downs with some huge highs in their pictures, which I definitely expected. In addition to MORE of the lame looking field signatures that have been in Gridiron Gear and Epix for the last 28 years, they are also bringning back the pull out swatches, which are not even event worn based on the pics. I have never been a fan of cards that require some gimmick to display and appreciate, and these coming back again does not make me look forward to ANOTHER boring year of Gridiron Gear.

The rookie inscription cards from Elite look to be more awesome than previously expected, as they are either going to be on acetate (which I love) or on the regular stock (which still look amazing). Im a huge fan of the way these cards look, and I anticipate them to be a big part of the chase for 2012 Elite which should hit shelves soon.

Aside from getting mass exposure on night one, I think we are all in for a tweet fest laden treat this weekend, and I cant wait to see more from each company.

New Nike Jerseys

After years of being a Reebok exclusive, Nike has taken over all uniform and team branded merchandise for the NFL. In addition to new types of jerseys, there will be a continued focus from the card companies of how to make it work in their cards. The NFL equipment logo at the neck has FINALLY been replaced with the singular shield, and the flywire collars should give a new look to the cards.  I am looking forward to how this is going to factor into the swatches of jersey, but also how the players will wear them.

Product Previews

Saturday is the day for the rookies to get on the field in Pasadena and start signing their autographs. We will surely get a look at a lot of the cards thanks to the rise of the use of things like Twitter and Instagram. Last year, we saw some awesome stuff like Topps Inception and the Rookie Premiere autographs from flagship, as well as a good look at some newer stuff that was going to be inserted into other products yet to be titled. It was like looking at a preview for the first part of the card year without a sell sheet, and I am thoroughly excited at what we will be seeing this year. Lets just hope the companies bring their A game like Topps did last year.

Twitter Photos

If you havent already followed @toppscards, @toppsfb, @paniniamerica, @nflpa and the players themselves, make sure you do it now. Also save the search #rookiepremiere for more content. Topps has already started tweeting out pictures, and this is your chance to really get down to business in following the event. There will be a lot of pictures (both good and bad) to help the collector stay involved, and if the Mark Ingram picture was any indication of what will go down this year, there is already enough motivation to get on board.

Autograph Quality

I always loved getting first hand photo evidence of what the autographs looked like from each player. The guy could be the best prospect ever, but as long as he signs like Chris Johnson, Im not touching his cards. Cool looking signatures enhance the value of an autograph, and so far, we have only seen some good examples from Luck and RGIII. Im still interested to see the back end of the class when they are signing on card.

Giveaways

All of the people at the premiere on behalf of the hobby have already committed to crazy giveaways planned for the weekend. Through Facebook and Twitter, collectors will be able to get a chance to win all sorts of stuff from the premiere. Once everything starts, following the companies will give you the most opportunities to win. I have already seen autographed footballs and helmets being given away from the NFLPA, I can only assume this will continue.

The rookie premiere is more than just getting a place for all the rookies to wear the jerseys, its about setting the tone for the entire year. As long as Topps and Panini remain committed to helping their fans get closer to the game, this event will continue to be a huge focus for the success of the card season. This year’s draft class has as much potential as ever, and I can tell you that slate of products for 2012 should reflect that. Lucky for us, we will get a good idea of what that means starting today.

Ill post updates on Twitter and the site as they are revealed by the companies, stay tuned!

New Nike Jerseys

After years of being a Reebok exclusive, Nike has taken over all uniform and team branded merchandise for the NFL. In addition to new types of jerseys, there will be a continued focus from the card companies of how to make it work in their cards. The NFL equipment logo at the neck has FINALLY been replaced with the singular shield, and the flywire collars should give a new look to the cards.  I am looking forward to how this is going to factor into the swatches of jersey, but also how the players will wear them.

Product Previews

Saturday is the day for the rookies to get on the field in Pasadena and start signing their autographs. We will surely get a look at a lot of the cards thanks to the rise of the use of things like Twitter and Instagram. Last year, we saw some awesome stuff like Topps Inception and the Rookie Premiere autographs from flagship, as well as a good look at some newer stuff that was going to be inserted into other products yet to be titled. It was like looking at a preview for the first part of the card year without a sell sheet, and I am thoroughly excited at what we will be seeing this year. Lets just hope the companies bring their A game like Topps did last year.

Twitter Photos

If you havent already followed @toppscards, @toppsfb, @paniniamerica, @nflpa and the players themselves, make sure you do it now. Also save the search #rookiepremiere for more content. Topps has already started tweeting out pictures, and this is your chance to really get down to business in following the event. There will be a lot of pictures (both good and bad) to help the collector stay involved, and if the Mark Ingram picture was any indication of what will go down this year, there is already enough motivation to get on board.

Autograph Quality

I always loved getting first hand photo evidence of what the autographs looked like from each player. The guy could be the best prospect ever, but as long as he signs like Chris Johnson, Im not touching his cards. Cool looking signatures enhance the value of an autograph, and so far, we have only seen some good examples from Luck and RGIII. Im still interested to see the back end of the class when they are signing on card.

Giveaways

All of the people at the premiere on behalf of the hobby have already committed to crazy giveaways planned for the weekend. Through Facebook and Twitter, collectors will be able to get a chance to win all sorts of stuff from the premiere. Once everything starts, following the companies will give you the most opportunities to win. I have already seen autographed footballs and helmets being given away from the NFLPA, I can only assume this will continue.

The rookie premiere is more than just getting a place for all the rookies to wear the jerseys, its about setting the tone for the entire year. As long as Topps and Panini remain committed to helping their fans get closer to the game, this event will continue to be a huge focus for the success of the card season. This year’s draft class has as much potential as ever, and I can tell you that slate of products for 2012 should reflect that. Lucky for us, we will get a good idea of what that means starting today.

Ill post updates on Twitter and the site as they are revealed by the companies, stay tuned!

Although the set has improved a lot over last year, going from absolutely hideous to passable, isnt enough of an improvement when Topps is lighting it up left and right with great looking previews to their 2012 calendar. Most disturbing is that Panini is refusing to give up on jam packing worthless jersey card after worthless jersey card into their products, a fact that has caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the people that buy the boxes.

Additionally, I have no clue why the rookie cards are on a completely different background than the base cards, which look pretty good with the white dominated design. Because all the rookie cards should have signature parallels, putting them on the dark background will either force the horrid big white box to highlight the sticker, or create a new set of problems with indistinguishable autographs on the cards.

I am a big fan of the rookie inscription cards this year, which look to be simple in design and created specifically for on card autographs at the rookie premiere. These will be the gems of this product and I think they look good from the mock ups. Overall, I assume these should take the place of the worst looking cards of Elite last year, which I hope wont be making a comeback.

Outside of the usual crappy looking inserts design to fill out a product with unneeded bulk, there is a throwback to the Passing the Torch autos that were done in back in 1999. This set is not only a beloved and valuable set for collectors, but it is one of those that could have been done to perfection if the autographs were on card. Of course, Panini went with stickers, which will hurt these cards signficantly, especially when considering how many people will have a connection to them. If I couldnt get on card autos, I would never touch a set like this.

In the grand scheme of things, its pretty obvious that this will be another throw-away set at the beginning of the year for a company that is quickly losing their grip on how to produce a well thought out set. Elite will sell because of its history, but this one COULD have been a lot better. Instead its a forgettable addition to a calendar that features the best draft class in recent memory.

Today on Twitter, Topps released the first images of their recently signed Willie Mays cards from Gypsy Queen and Museum Collection. What many people dont know is that Willie has had vision problems over the last few years, and is no longer able to see clearly enough to sign the way he used to. The fact that Topps got these done is remarkable, considering that Mays has a limited window in which these will be possible. Not only do the cards look incredible, but they capture something that I dont think Panini can. Ill get to that in a second. The redemptions cards have been selling for crazy prices on eBay and after seeing them on Twitter, I might need to buy a few myself:

2012 Gypsy Queen Willie Mays Auto Redemption

2012 Museum Collection Willie Mays Auto Redemption

Mays is not the only one getting the HOF treatment this year from Topps, as guys like Aaron, Koufax, Musial and others are all featured on similarly stunning cards.

Check it out:

Sandy Koufax Gypsy Queen Auto

Hank Aaron Gypsy Queen Auto

When you see what Panini has to offer in their products, its very easy to see that they arent playing with the same deck, and even if they were, it would be ridiculously tough to create on the level that Topps already has. Panini’s focus is all wrong, relying more on the words and background of the cards than the players themselves. Unlike the NBA and NFL, where jerseys and autographs dominate the market, baseball is a ridiculously different set of collectors who demand certain things. One part of that is nostalgia, and I feel as though Panini has almost completely ignored the reason that many collectors buy baseball cards, and I have a distinct feeling that it is why they are struggling so much without a license.

As we saw with 2008 Prime Cuts, a solid baseball product can be created without a license, but I have yet to see Panini make the right calls in both design or product structure / box configuration. Where Topps fell on their face last year, they have picked it up this year with amazing looking card after amazing looking card. This is even before Triple Threads and the eventual release of Five Star, which should be their two most popular high end products. Panini has already released Prime Cuts, which has traditionally been their highest end box, and from what the feedback I have gotten from people said, is that they agree it was a complete bomb. Again, it was just as much a disregard for the things that make baseball collectors salivate as anything, and with the upcoming release of Cooperstown, it doesnt look to be getting any better.

As with the NFL, Topps seems to be stepping up their game to meet competition head on, while Panini is just doing enough to cater to their loyal base of collectors. Without expansion, the splash they are hoping to make wont be getting any larger. Additionally, if they keep creating cards like the Yaz, pictured above, without a player on the front of the card, they might as well give up now. Put the Topps cards and the Panini cards side by side and it is easy to tell who has the better approach. In fact, I dont even think they would be in the same league if both had the ability to use logos. Topps shoots for majestic presentation and a player focus, while Panini seems more boxy, raw and scaled down. When a company is trying to make a good first impression, I dont believe this is the way to go. This is just laughable..

Again, with so few people really paying attention to what the cards look like, maybe people like me are the endangered species. People always accuse me of a bias towards Topps, but its always about the quality of design work over everything for me. When you compare Cooperstown with the sets released this year from Topps, I question anyone who doesnt develop a similar bias. This may come as a shock, but I would buy a CASE of Triple Threads over even the best Panini product so far. That’s how strongly I feel about this.