Lord Stanley is Noble and Shiny

This is a pick-up from a few weeks back that I grabbed while looking for something a little different. I believe I grabbed something I was looking for initially but I'm a sucker for combined shipping deals and often end up grabbing a couple of extras.

The card in question is a 2007-08 In the Game Ultimate Memorabilia 8th Edition base card (I think) of Lord Stanley, aka the guy the Stanley Cup's named after. And while I love the old-time photo mixing with the silver dufex-ish finish, there's a lot to be desired by the overall package:

1. First off, there's no number. What's a base set without a number?
2. Next, why slab a modern base card fresh out of the "pack"?
3. So the slab is serial numbered but not the card itself. Grrrr.

If you're not familiar with In the Game, they're a lot like the Donruss equivilent of hockey. They had a license, lost it went Upper Deck got the exclusive rights yet they've continued to produce cards and survive. Note this card shows how not to get sued: it shows a picture, no logos and a bowtie. No confusion there. In the Game also gets around the rights issue with minor league and international league deals.

The Race for Lame "Baseball" Card of 2009 Has Begun

The following cards are not a joke:

 

  

Okay, I might secretly smirk at the Bigfoot. But what the heck? They're part of the already announced "Historic Firsts" insert set in 2009 Upper Deck Series One. Other "predictions" include the Dow hitting 15,000, an AIDS vaccination, the NL winning the All-Star game and Chicago landing the 2016 Olympics. 

Collecting the Common Guy: One Step Closer (1997 Pinnacle Totally Certified Platinum Gold)

 

Over the Christmas holidays I finally pulled the trigger on the above beauty for my John Jaha collection: 1997 Pinnacle Totally Certified Platinum Gold (0006/0030). The gimmick behind Totally Certified was that the product was totally serial-numbered creating a sense of rarity. No matter how false that rarity may be, this has proven a tough card for me to find and one of the last non-1-of-1 cards I need for my John Jaha collection. Since 1997 I have only ever seen one other copy of this card and I was sniped at the last second. 

This particular copy was sitting in a big-time dealer's Beckett store and then eBay store for quite sometime. The pricetag scared me off but I finally decided to go for it and take a major hit off my wantlist. Another one might show up, but it might not. 

Here's the 1997 Pinnacle Certified and Totally Certified John Jaha collection:

 

  

  

 

Case Incentives: Reward for the Dealer or Punishment for the Collector?

Dealer incentives have been a part of the non-sport hobby for years. The practice rewards dealers exclusive cards for ordering a certain number of cases as a product, often at different tiers. The more cases bought, the better the incentive. For example, with Rittenhouse Archives' recently released Star Trek the Movie In Motion set, for each ten-box case that was bought an Alfre Woodard autograph would be included at no extra charge. At this level, they're more of a bonus than anything and they're plentiful enough that they shouldn't empty a collector's wallet.

With three cases, dealers get a Grace Lee Whitney autograph. For most, she's not the biggest name in the world, but for a Trek fan, she did star in both the original series and later in the films. But now rarity is starting to come into play and influencing the price to a place higher than Whitney's signature alone would have supported.

Moving to the six-case incentive, it's a good 'un: Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. Like a lot of sets, the six-case incentive is better than most of the cards inserted in packs. Star Trek the Movies In Motion has quite a number of good signers aside from Nimoy incluing Patrick Stewart, Christopher Plummer and Kristie Alley, but Nimoy is definitely in the top tier. Nimoy has already signed for many sets, but those going after the master set will need this to do so and take the $200 hit. To get the Nimoy, dealers had buy 60 boxes. With Star Trek, the fan base doesn't make this a huge risk. For many dealers these are still bonuses as they might have ordered this amount anyway.

But what about a set with marginal appeal or is of a less established franchise? Incentives provide just that - a reason to go a little deeper with ordering than they might have. So even if boxes are sold at cost, the incentives make up the profit. But this leads to a couple of issues: over-ordering and added cost for collectors.

Like any collectibles, trading card prices are largely dictated by supply and demand. If there's a lot of a product out there, prices invariably drop. So when dealers are ordering an extra few boxes or cases to get that fancy incentive that's as nice or nicer than anything that's in the boxes they're shelling the money over for, there's going to be extra product out there. In the long run, this hurts the product as secondary market prices will drop. Manufacturers may say they don't follow or dictate secondary market prices, but they should because unless it's the last set they're going to make then it will affect their futures products. Dealers who lose money on one set have less money to spend on another. Collectors who bought early get frustrated when box prices drop quickly after release once it's realized that

Most of the time these cards are not available to collectors without going through their lcoal shop or eBay. And then they have to pay extreme prices for them. Take the X-Files I Want to Believe Mulder and Scully dual autograph that I believe was a 10-case incentive (100 boxes). Sure they're the lead stars in one of the biggest cult shows of all time but $500? That's the minimum you could expect to pay. Add to that, both can be found on more attractive individual autograph cards in the same set for about $200 each.

Perhaps one of the more frustrating and head-scratching multi-case incentives is from the upcoming James Bond Archives from Rittenhouse Archives. For every 15 ten-box cases dealers pre-order they'll get a bonus "Archive Box" that is a special hot box containing all of the pack-inserted autographs and costume cards as well as an exclusive John-Rhys Davies autograph not found anywhere else.

But here's where I don't get it. The master set collectors who want to get every card on the checklist are presumably some of the biggest pack and box buyers. But if they can only get a master set by getting an Archive Box, it makes the most sense to just buy it outright and skip the wax. Now there's extra boxes kicking around because the most dedicated fans were left to go for it all in one go.

I understand the economy is in trouble and collectible companies are walking a fine line where risks are probably going to be calculated at best. While these multi-case incentives may help an individual product sell through at the factory level and help the industry short-term, I can only see long-term troubles if these become more and more elitist. Longtime collectors with less funds are bound to become frustrated and cut their spending if not leave the hobby altogether. When that happens and there's nobody there to replace them the collecting base shrinks. And when the non-sport side of the hobby is already rather small, any shrinkage could have the end result of a manufacturer going under.

These are tough times. My hope is that the manufacturers recognize that there's a lot of collectors out there who don't have deep pockets. They may not lead to huge profits for a single product, but if they stay pleased they're going to stick around no matter what. Please them with more accessible sets sans gimmicks and near-impossible to find cards and they'll maintain the hobby through the economic storm. They might not spend more when things get better, but they'll have maintained an industry and kept it alive for when the big-spenders do eventually return.

A Face Only a Mother Could Love, a Card That's Hard Not to Love

In case you're wondering, this is a Danny DeVito autograph from the only non-sport offering with the Stadium Club imprint: Batman Returns. Released in 1992, this marks one of the first pack-inserted autograph in the non-sport end of things. The cards have a white signature on the front and are otherwise the same as the regular card 2 on the checklist. This could make forgeries somewhat easy to produce, however all the copies I've seen look like the one pictured above that recently arrived in my mailbox. I got it from a dealer I've dealt with several times at a price I couldn't pass up on. I've loved DeVito since before Twins but loved him since then - at least his late-80s to early 90s stuff.

It'll be interesting to see if the Penguin surfaces in the next Batman film. Even more interesting will be who's cast if the role is included in the script. Although The Dark Knight was one of the best films of the year, I'm actually hoping the franchise takes a bit of a break. It's going to be near impossible to top this latest film and whoever takes on the role of the villain is going to be compared to Heath Ledger's classic take on the Joker and the tragedy that unfolded with his death. Let it sit, Hollywood. There's enough costumed hero fare coming out in the next couple of years, although I have major reservations for a lot of it.

"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich Baggie and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted."

The title refers to a quote in this Fresno Bee article about a senior who stumbled across what is considered one of the first ever baseball cards. It's a cute read that captures both the innocence of the hobby and the business side. Who am I kidding? The lady is very happy to be cashing in. She drove to California to have it slabbed. That's dedication.

Link to the full article.

 

(Images from the Fresno Bee.)

Bay-watch Courtesy of Wax Heaven

On Monday an excellent package of Canadian Jason Bay arrived in the mailbox courtesy of Mario at Wax Heaven. Here's a look at the goodies:

2006 Bowman Heritage Foil #4

2007 Bowman Chrome #182
2007 Fleer #89
2007 SP Authentic #37
2007 Topps Co-Signers #27
2007 Topps Heritage #52
2007 Topps Turkey Red #133
2007 Upper Deck MVP Predictors  #MVP63 - I didn't realize these returned. I'm always game for something interactive.
2007 Upper Deck Goudey "Green"
2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #61

2008 Bowman #11 (x2)
2008 Topps Allen & Ginter
2008 Topps Chrome #26
2008 Topps Co-Signers #81
2008 Upper Deck #617
2008 Upper Deck Piece of History #76
2008 Upper Deck Spectrum #76

Thanks again, Mario!

In the Game's Special Offer With a Handful of Autographs From Canada's World Junior Champs

In the Game has announced a special "Super Box" offer to coincide with Canada's five-peat at the World Junior Hockey Championships on Monday.

For $79.95 you get 30 packs of 2008-09 Heroes & Prospects Hockey and one of nine specially stamped autographed cards from Canada's gold medal-winning roster. Here's the autograph breakdown:

• John Tavares (30)
• Thomas Hickey (50)
• Alex Pietrangeo (50)
• P.K. Subban (50)
• Jordan Eberle (40)
• Tyler Ennis (50)
• Angelo Esposito (50)
• Zack Boychuk (50)
• Cody Hodgson (30)
  

A rundown of the math shows a total of 400 Super Boxes will be produced.

Here's a link to the order form.

Basement Treasures: Mad Breaks the Pete Rose Scandal in 1987

Digging in a box in the basement, I came across some forgotten treasures. Here is one of them.

 

I was never a huge Mad Magazine fan, although I picked up the occasional copy if I was waiting for a ferry or if the cover gave me a laugh. I was and still am a big fan of Pee Wee's Playhouse. Sure, the guy's a perv but there's lots of them out there. It still doesn't take away from the fact it was one of the weirdest shows of my childhood.

I'm guessing by the price tag that I picked up this issue at a used book store. It's from 1987 and promises a look at baseball inside. There's no sporting feature, but there are several diamond-themed comic strips throughout. Here's one that caught my attention:

What are the chances the Mad crew knew about Pete Rose?

That's My Boy! or I'm in BIG Trouble : (

Last week while doing some post-Christmas shopping I found an opportunity to scoot away with my son and grab a couple packs of cards. While I got a swift kick, I grabbed Ethan his first pack of baseball cards from the Dollar Bin - 1995 Topps DIII. I figured he might dig the three-dimensional effects of the cards and he did. From his pack he got a Tim Wallach (nice Expos memories, even if he's pictured with the Dodgers), Denny Martinez (another former Expos great pictured with another team) and Barry Larkin (who wishes he was an Expo, I'm sure). Ethan took an immediate liking to the Wallach so he might grow up to be a Dodgers fan. I can live with that. For the next couple of hours he toted that Wallach around with him sitting in his stroller. He stared at it, he shook it, he tried to eat it. It was clear he caught the bug. My wife's mantra is one card collector's enough. I'm in big trouble.

Well, to confirm his "bug" we made another two-hour trip to the city and went back to the mall. I avoided the kick ang grabbed Ethan two more packs. He was in love still. This time it was Carlos Garcia who got the love in the stroller but when we got home he was all about Bob Hamelin.

I decided that Ethan and I are going to work on this set together and ordered a box. It's a small set so it should keep my wife appeased for the time being until he's a bit older and the cards mean more than bad 3-D effects. Still, it's a start and I'm excited.

He's Ethan clutching his Hamelin, looking all sweet and then showing it off all proud like.

Basement Treasures: Face/Off Widescreen Premium Card

Digging in a box in the basement, I came across some forgotten treasures. Here is one of them.

When it was first released in 1997 I loved John Woo's Face/Off. He showed me that two guns were always better than one, that slow motion can hide bad acting and that gun fights in churches don't have to be sacreligious (especially if there's doves). Nicholas Cage was deliciously over-the-top and John Travolta was still on his honeymoon free pass from Pulp Fiction.

A couple of years after its theatrical run and well after its video release, Paramount launched its widescreen line of VHS tapes. Aimed at film fans who didn't mean the two black bars at the top of their screens if it meant the whole picture was shown, the line was a warm-up for what was to come as DVDs went mainstream. I quickly bought the tape and found the following inside:

Yes! Travolta and Cage in their widescreen glory on a card. Well, at least a postcard. You see, with the full screen you'd only see a cropped picture of the two faces. But with widescreen, you get the guns too. Without the guns you've got no tension, just Travolta yammering on.

Here's the back, which is accompanied by a promotional blurb:

In recent years I've come to realize Face/Off really isn't that good of a film. Rather it's a greatest hits package of Woo's older Hong Kong action pictures like Hard Boiled, The Killer, A Better Tomorrow and A Better Tomorrow II (all of which truly rule if you like action movies and don't mind subtitles).

Box Break: Indiana Jones Masterpieces

For a full breakdown and more images, here's the breakdown on my website.

2008 was a busy year for Indiana Jones in the hobby. With three sets, all of which included large amounts of sketch cards, I'm think some of the artists have had their fill of drawing Indy. And from the cool reception Topps' third Indiana Jones set appears to be getting sales wise, collectors look like they've spoken as well. That's too bad because the all-art Indiana Jones Masterpieces is easily the best of the trio.

With collation issues abound and Waterhouse monkeys coming out of way too many boxes, the lack of inserts really hurt what was a solid Indiana Jones Heritage set last winter. It was a warm-up to the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which also had a set produced for it. Despite a stellar autograph line-up, KotCS sales fell flat, perhaps in part to the lukewarm reception the film got. So after two duds, Topps comes up with IJ Masterpieces, a gorgeous set done in the same vein as the Star Wars Galaxy and Lord of the Rings Masterpieces sets.

Each card in the 90-card base set are done with gorgeous illustrations. Many artists are used and each style is unique. While some go for hyper-realism, others opt for many Indy a little more cartoonish. All work and come together for one of the nicest looking base sets to come out in some time. It's too bad that a couple of cards had the backs printed upside down, thus making them look odd when placed in pages.

The 'hits' are once again led by sketch cards. Although Topps places the odds at 1:24 packs and guarantees one sketch card per box, it looks as though there's actually two sketches in each box. This is likely a result of lower sales based on the poor reception the first two sets got. The poor economy probably didn't help matters either. This works out well for collectors as there's added value to the boxes. I know I was hesitant at going the box route at first after a horredous experience with IJ Heritage. But the added sketch sold me instead of just buying a base set for a few dollars.

Topps also introduced Panoramic Sketch Cards for this set. In a nutshell, their double-sized cards that have been folded in order to squeeze into packs. I was curious how to store them but seeing as how I didn't pull one I won't have to worry about it right now. Panoramic Sketch Cards fall 1:124 packs, or about one in five boxes.

Each box should also include a variety of shiny cards. The nine-card Foil Cards set includes iconic Indy art from poster artist Drew Struzan. Falling one in four packs, each box should yield six. There's also three sets of foil parallels: Bronze, which come about one per box, and Gold, which are serial numbered to 99 and are inserted 1:167 packs. Finally, there's a Refractor parallel set but it's limited to one-of-one status.

Comic artist Adam Hughes contributed the artwork for the six-card Etched Foil Puzzle. When completed the puzzle completes a collage of the film series' best known characters. Etched Foil cards acan be found at a rate of 1:6 packs. The original art for the cards has also been included in packs.

Additional inserts do exist, although I wouldn't go buying a box expecting to pull any of them. George Lucas, Harrison Ford and Steven Speilberg all signed seven autographs. You've got about a 1:7,000 chance of getting one. A triple autograph of the three was also made but it was pulled in the first few days the set was released.

Finally, Topps has included printing plates for the first time in an Indiana Jones set. If you're not familiar with them, they're the actual plates used in the production process to make the cards. Each card has four different colour versions. Printing plates are inserted at a rate of 1:414 packs.

My box was exactly what I was expecting plus a little bit more. I received a full base set and 64 cards towards a second, with no triples. All of the foil inserts ran accordingly and I was surprised to notice I'd pulled a gold parallel as well. As expected, I also pulled two sketch cards rather than the suggested one. The first marks the return of the monkey, with a detailed drawing from Dwayne Clare. Michael Duron was the artist on my second sketch card. Although I can't make out who the bad guy is, I love the cartoonish look of Indy's stare.

After opening two boxes of Indiana Jones Heritage I remember having an angry feeling after experiencing first hand the horrible collation. This time around I loved every second of the experience. The set is amazing to look at, the collation was great and I managed to get a little more than I thought I would. It's just too bad that this is the best set done for the franchise yet it's the one that's going to be collected the least from the look of things.

Inserts

• Sketch Cards (1:24):2 (Dwayne Clare - Monkey, Michael Duron - Indy and ?)
• Foil Cards (1:4): 6 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9)
• Bronze Foil (1:24): 1 (4)
• Gold Foil (1:167): 1 (7 [78/99])
• Etched Foil Puzzle (1:6): 4 (1, 3, 5, 6)

A Swift Kick in the Nuts: 2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Baseball

For men, there's few feelings worse than a kick to the crotch. In fact, I can't think of anything right now. I'm just having flashbacks to the time when I was taking a break playing from a round of tennis sitting on a ledge and watching my friend practice serving. And with one swift swing of his racquet I watched the ball quickly land right at the top of the tee with just the right amount of top spin. From there the world went into slow motion. When it regained speed again I was on the ground, curled up in a ball with tears dripping down both my cheeks and a sharp pain in my stomach.

So let's see how much of a kick in the nuts my spontaneous pack of 2008 Sweet Spot Baseball was.

Price: $24.99 (Cdn.) for eight cards (so, a little over $3.00 per card).

 

  

  

 

The verdict:

This is why I don't buy the fancy packs. Sure, the players on the base cards are all pretty good (actually, I'm really digging seeing Jason Bay on the Red Sox) but the promised "hit" is a plain gray Markakis jersey.

Also the base design mixes the full bleed photography of 2008 Upper Deck Baseball with the embossed stiching of Upper Deck's old Ovation sets and finishes it off with the gold medallion from the 1995 Ultra Baseball parallels. Mashed potatoes, cherry pie and chocolate covered almonds all taste great but you don't go mixing them together. The same theory should apply here as well.

It's been probably a decade since I bought anything "high end" like this - if $25 is nowadays - and it'll be another decade at least most likely before I splurch again. I would have much rather had five packs of Goudey and had a small stack to put toward my set. Oh, well. Sometimes a kick in the nuts is nothing but your own fault.

I'm Pumped! Basement Treasures Uncovered

Over the holidays I've been doing some digging around in boxes in the basement, looking to get things a little more organized. Whilst digging I came across a box of oddball treasures that I'd sort of forgotten about (I recognized them as soon as I saw them but had they gone the way of the leg lamp I wouldn't have remembered).

Now don't let me lead you on. I didn't find grandpa's stash of tobacco cards or someones hoarde of dirty magazines. Think more along the lines of the Land of Misfit Toys from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Most everything I found is a little bit strange, not standard-card sized and some aren't even cards. The picture above came from one of them.

I'll be sharing some of these treasures here over an indefinite period of time. I'll probably be sharing other parts with people I think may want to add them to their collections.

So be on the lookout and I hope I can convey some of their neatitude.

Welcome Home, Fergie Jenkins

As of right now, Fergie Jenkins is the only Canadian player with a spot in Cooperstown. While a small argument could be made for Larry Walker to sit alongside him in a few years, I suspect it's going to be another couple of decades before another Canuck makes it, namely Justin Morneau. But he's still a young buck and lots can happen.

At any rate, below are a trio of Fergies sent to me by Matt from Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius who is very busy today.

The first is a 1972 Topps "NL Pitching Leaders" card featuring Jenkins alonside Steve Carlton, Al Downing and Tom Seaver. Fergie has a great pose, albeit the picture is cropped very tightly. Although I did already have this card, the one Matt sent is an excellent upgrade from the one I previously had. The colours are much more vibrant compared to the old faded one and the corners look very nice too.

The second card is a 1974 Topps card in which Fergie looks like he just rolled out of bed. His eyes look very sleepy and his hair appears as though its had a hat on it for a while. That said, I do like the portrait set against a blue sky with the flag design Topps used that year.

The final card shows Jenkins as a grizzled veteran [I love that term] on the mound for Texas. He's clearly been in better shape but marching on to finish his career with 3,000 strikeouts.

 

Thanks, Matt, for the awesome additions to my Canadian-born player collection!

Box Break: WWE Heritage IV (Topps, 2008) - the formal review

For more stats and pictures, here's the review on my website.

What's old is new again. In a lot of ways that sums up Topps' WWE Heritage line. Based on designs of old sports sets, WWE Heritage has become the premiere line for Topps' pro wrestling line. Now in its fourth year, the formula of mixing current superstars, divas and old-school legends in a 90-card base set works well. Toss in one autograph and event-used relic per box, as well as Allen & Ginter inserts and you've got pretty much the same make-up as WWE Heritage III. And that's not a bad thing.

As in past years, WWE Heritage IV is a showcase for the talent, kind of akin to a player card rather than something like the recent WWE Ultimate Rivals where the focus is on the in-ring work, feuds and moves. The base set is divided into four parts using three different designs. Current superstars and announcing teams use colourful 1955 Topps All-American Football look. Some pictures are posed while others are action shots. There's also a nice balance between vertical and horizontal images. The Divas get their design from 1964 Topps Football while the Legendsuse 1972 Topps Football. All three designs are clean and use a fair amount of white space. They also compliment each other nicely.

Card backs feature a good amount of biographical information along with a head shot (taken from the front image) that is set inside a blue shield. Some of the faces are a little unclear, but I do like the dark appearance of the card stock in contrast to the bright fronts.

The checklist shows just how many new faces have appeared in the WWE this year. Comparing the rosters is another reason why I like the continuity of this brand. And while I expect to see perennial champions like Triple H, John Cena and Edge, a little more variety would have been nice in the Legends subset. Most of these guys were in last year's set as well.

The inserts are kept to a minimum with only autographs, event-used relics and Allen & Ginter mini cards being up for grabs. Autographs and relics fall one per box, while the Allen & Ginter cards are four per box (1:6 packs).

My hobby box yielded exactly what it should have. Unlike last year where I was missing a bunch of cards, I completed a full base set. This is a big part of why I buy a box each year, so it was a nice rebound. The autograph checklist reflects the new blood that's been infused in recent months and includes a bunch of rookie signers. I received Ted DiBiase Jr., who looks to be headed for a high-profile spot standing alongside Randy Orton. He's also starring in a direct-to-DVD sequel to The Marine. I pulled a white shirt swatch of Jeff Hardy for my relic card. While I'm not a huge Hardy fan, pulling a hit from a World Champion is always nice.

Once again, my favourite part of the set is the Allen & Ginter cards. Hobby packs have Legends from yesteryear while retail packs carry current superstars. There's 12 cards in each set and actually present quite a challenge to piece together. My box featured Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Mr. Perfect in a great grappling pose, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Davey Boy Smith: The British Bulldog. Like the base set, there's lots of repeats on the legends side of things. That said, I love the art used on these cards. They do a great job of showing the featured legend's ringside persona.

For wrestling fans, Topps did a great job with WWE Heritage IV. It's a relatively simple yet attractive addition to the line. I was most pleased with the box I got as well - defintely worth the $30 I paid.

Inserts

• Allen & Ginter Legends (1:6): 4 (1. Bobb "The Brain" Heenan, 4. British Bulldog, 6. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, 7. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper)
• Autographs (1:24): 1 (Ted DiBiase Jr.)
• Event-Worn Relics (1:24): 1 (Jeff Hardy - White Shirt Swatch)