Sets I Want to See: The Expendables

Sylvester Stallone
Bruce Willis
Jet Li
Dolph Lundgren
Jason Statham
Arnold Freakin' Schwarzenegger
Mickey Rourke

As far as legitimate action heroes from the past 25 years go, these guys are the who's who of cheesy guy flicks where things blow up real good. There's also Stone Cold Steve Austin, Randy Couture and Eric Roberts. All that's missing is Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme. Well, the list above are attempting to make the cheesy action flick cool again with The Expendables. The trailer debuted online today and quite honestly, I was expecting more. Note to Sylvester Stallone: we want to see you kick people, not listen to you babble constantly.

That being said, I so want a card set just for the autograph possibilities. From that list, only a couple already have autographs. Schwarzenegger appeared in Batman and Robin Widescreen from SkyBox, Terminator 3 from Comic Images and on a pseudo-cut Conan the Barbarian card that used cut-up Batman and Robin cards. Fleer  convinced Stone Cold to sign in their Wrestlemania set back in 2001. Randy Couture's currently in Upper Deck Prominent Cuts and has also signed for Donruss Americana and Topps Allen and Ginter. Finally, there's Julia Roberts' brother Eric, who was in Upper Deck Spectrum and Donruss Americana.

Tonight I had a little fun and came up with some mock-ups for a possible set. Enjoy! The Expendables is in theatres this August and I'm guessing it'll be on DVD and Blu-ray a couple weeks later.

Upper Deck Awards

So the Upper Deck Awards are here. Someone apparently put this humble blog up for nomination. Thanks! Want to see what I'm playing for:

Hot diggity! There's other stuff too but I wants me a new plate that doubles as a hunting tool for when I'm stuck and lost in the woods behind my house. If you like the visual of the above loot plunged through a member of mother nature (to be used for food, shelter, clothing and, possibly, tooth floss), feel free to click "Trader Crack's Card Blog" at this poll-a-ma-doo. And then check back tomorrow and stuff that ballot box so this award can have about as much credibility as the NBA All-Star Game vote. And in case you don't want to say yes to Crack for the first time in your life where it's okay, that's fine too. There's some other familiar names too. And a couple that I honestly haven't caught.

However there's also some who are conspicuous by their absence. At least one said they were ineligible due to product sent to them in the past for review. Yet why are others still included? Also, nominations were made via Facebook. I clearly saw a couple of the missing sites nominated. Clearly, this is a horribly flawed process meant to bring on goodwill towards a company that's not on the greatest streak right now. Plus for every post like this one, it gets their name out there again. I freely acknowledge it and yet here I am sort of pleading for votes even when I know that I don't post the amount of content or depth that would make this blog truly worthy. I want the glass, dammit. Think of me as the cute blonde from the last season of Survivor. She may have won, but clearly Russell was the better player. I want to be a cute blonde. Okay, maybe that didn't come out right.

Should the miracle happen and Trader Crack's do "win," what's in it for you, the reader, follower, heckler, bystander? I'll make a feast for anyone who's willing to come to my place for supper. I live in northern Canada where we still have some snow on the ground, by the way. I'll also be passing the other major prize portion of the "award" - an autographed football helmet from the Rookie Photo Shoot, I believer - to Little Gellman because his dad likes football and he should have been nominated but wasn't due to inconsistent rules.

Did I mention I really want that trophy to collect dust on the mantle that I don't technically have at this time? Just think of all the bitterness and resentment it will cause in my house between my beautiful wife and I. But it's a "major prize," just like this is:

So what are you doing, take three seconds of your life, click here and vote "Trader Crack's Card Blog" (or someone else).

This is What a 1:35,981 Card Looks Like

1988 Topps Traded 44. Ty Griffin

There's a good chance I'll never pull another card with as long as odds as 1:35,981. Those were my chances of getting a buyback from 2001 Topps Traded and Rookies Baseball. Yet, for whatever reason I managed to break the odds. And what did it land me? Ty Griffin biting his lip. And there's also no notation designating it as a buyback or a foil stamp like on the Topps Heritage buybacks. Nothing. Just the regular old card. So I can't even toss it on eBay and make more than a penny on the pretence that it's rare on the basis of a technicality or a serial number.

So while other people brag about their 1:1000 autograph hits, I'm left lamenting over what might have been had my "hit of a lifetime" be in the form of something more than a guy whose professional career didn't even amount to a call to the Bigs. Oddly enough, I'm also reluctant to part ways with my Ty, simply because it's a symbol of what could have been.

2001 marked Topps' 50th anniversary with baseball so the entire year had a historical theme. I had a blast busting packs that year, but one has to acknowledge that buy backs were a silly idea at such astronomical odds. Honestly, I'd have preferred another shot at an Albert Pujols rookie from the regular set. While the Topps Traded line is an important part of the modern collecting legacy, so few cards have made a major impact on the hobby that they need to be seeded at such long odds. 

To see how far they've come, one need not look any further than the Topps Million Card Giveaway. They're everywhere already and we still have 2010 Topps Series Two Baseball and Updates and Highlights yet to come. Getting a Ty Griffin buy back at 1:6 odds is definitely not the kick in the nuts that 1:35,981 is. 

Which big pulls have haunted your collection?

Complete Upper Deck Prominent Cuts Checklist

Upper Deck Prominent Cuts Checklist (Google Docs)

If you've been browsing autographs on eBay this week you've probably noticed tons of cut signatures from Upper Deck's new Prominent Cuts set. Thanks to Upper Deck for forwarding on the checklist to me, which is massive. As in nearly 900 cut signature subjects.

The set is pricey, running about $200 per box. Add to that the largely hit-and-miss cut signature subjects, one of which is guaranteed in a box, and it's a risk I'm not sure I'd consider. While there is a lot of big hits on the checklist, some of the names among the cut signatures are really horrible. Take Bai Ling for example. Her Donruss Americana autograph (which includes her picture) can be found for around $10. And that's the hit in a $200 box? I hear the banjo tuning up in the background to a familiar chorus. I've also got huge issues with cut signatures on cards of folks who are still very much alive. Bai Ling fits that category as well.

After browsing through the set, Prominent Cuts is a confused product. The eclectic base set checklist of politicians, actors and athletes, and plentiful movie costume cards give it a definite Donruss Americana feel. The gazillion cut signatures inserted at reasonable rates compares to Razor's cut signature products. The MMA toss-ins are another Donruss Americana nod, as well as a spin on Topps' UFC products. Does that mean Prominent Cuts' personality is made up from the shadows of others?

At any rate, if you're looking for the checklist, I've put it into a Google Docs spreadsheet and organized it in a way that's useful for me. I'm not super familiar with spreadsheet creation so I'm coming at it from an angle that's aimed at finding things in an organized fashion, hence the multiple sheets to keep the various aspects separate.

Please comment if you find checklists like this useful (even if Prominent Cuts isn't your thing). I've been preparing some on my own using pre-existing sheets that I have a tough time navigating through. If it's helpful I'd be happy to share what I've got and maybe be a little more motivated to put together others in the future.

Topps Online Store Offers Five Exclusive UFC Cards

Topps struck gold with the launch of their UFC line. And they don't seem to be letting up. In about a year they've released three full-blown sets, some eTopps cards and a couple of other odds and ends. The latest cards are five that are only available through Topps' online store. They come free with the purchase of a store-exclusive TapouT T-shirt.

The picture of the cards are pretty small, but the names I can make out are Kimbo Slice, Thiago Alves, Keith Jardine, Kenny Florian and some other guy that someone might want to help out identifying.

Topps Online Store Exclusive UFC TapouT cards

The shirt costs $28 plus shipping. I know I wouldn't wear it, but I'm also not the type who displays MMA brands on any of my clothing. It must come with age or the fact that I'm not cool. However I did have one of those color-change shirts back in the early 90s. I think I was cool for a couple of hours. Then the shirt was uncool so I put it in the dryer and killed the color change effect leaving me with one ugly, gimmick-less shirt.

In all honesty, I don't understand the whole MMA culture that goes with these shirts. To me they all look very similar with the same logos. But I guess so are Levi's jeans. At any rate, if you want the shirt but not the cards that come with it, I'm certainly here.

Prominent Cuts is Finally Live, Complete with Patrick Swayze's Dress

Originally planned for a late-2009 release, Upper Deck Prominent Cuts is finally live. It's a catch-all sort of product with the usual Upper Deck sports stars, lots of MMA fighters, politicians, celebrities and multiple Kardashians (note how I refuse to consider them celebrities).

What's caught my attention is the sheer number of costume relics from prominent movie and TV stars. Even though the costume pieces seem to be leftovers from two years worth of A Piece of History Baseball, they're nonetheless impressive. The checklist includes names like Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Farrah Fawcett, James Dean, Sammy Davis Jr, Mike Myers, Denzel Washington and tons more. And unlike the Donruss Americana sets that Prominent Cuts is somewhat modelled after, these costumes are mostly from actual films that you've probably heard of. A few exceptions exist, but these are mostly the older names. And when you get Sammy Davis Jr's briefcase, the brown leather swatch looks great.

The big drawback with these cards is the fact that there's no images. Without any logos to pretend to hide behind, it makes it tough for these cards to reach their full potential. But the swatch sizes are much bigger than they were with A Piece of History so the lack of imagery isn't quite so bad.

Upper Deck has also made lots of pairings, taking obscure connections and tossing two swatches on a single card. One that I got my attention was the match-up of Patrick Swayze and Harrison Ford under the banner "Action Hero Stars." With classics like Point Break and Road House under his belt, the late Dirty Dancing star fits the bill. Then there's Ford who gets the nod for pulling the trigger on old Greedo. It's a cool enough card numbered out of 99. But there's something that makes me giggle about this card and it's declaration of action heroes.

Upper Deck Prominent Cuts Hollywood History Dual Materials Patrick Swayze/Harrison Ford /99

The Ford swatch comes from the movie Crossing Over. I haven't seen it, but a quick Google search came up with this picture:

We have a match. 

I couldn't find an image to match up the Swayze swatch, but here's a picture of him in a different scene from the film:

It's a dress swatch Swayze wore in the cross-dressing film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar.

Action hero, indeed.

Far Out, Man! Breygent Readies Woodstock Generation Rock Poster Cards

Non-sport manufacturer Breygent continues to offer up new licenses. This time around it's Woodstock Generation: Rock Poster Cards, featuring the classic artwork from the society-changing era of the late 60s and early 70s.

Little info is available other than what they've got posted on their website. However there are a handful of promo images available already. The backs point out the set will consist of 49 cards. Sketch cards and other inserts will also be included.

Although I appreciate sketch cards a lot and have a few in my collection, I can't say I'm obsessed like some folks I know. That said, this set opens up tons of possibilities for those looking to take card art to a new level (if the licensing allows, that is). Vibrant colors are likely a given. How about some black light effects? Glow in the dark inks? The current list of sketch card artists has nearly 60 names on it, which should bring with it some very diverse styles.

While I'm thinking about it, how about an acetate insert set with inks trapped inside. Voila! Lava Lamp cards.

Here's a look at a few of the promos:

More 2010 Topps Chicago Cubs Abraham Lincoln Variations

When Topps confirmed the Yankees pie-face variations a couple weeks ago, their announcement let word out that there were more variations to be found. They challenged collectors to figure out Abraham Lincoln's favorite team. I figured the answer might have something to do with the Nationals. It turns out Abe likes the Cubbies. JayBee announced earlier in the week that an Abe variant had been uncovered on Milton Bradley's card.

But it didn't end there. Since then, a total of four Cubs Lincoln variations have been uncovered.

2010 Topps Baseball 123. Jeff Samardzija 'Abraham Lincoln variation'

A cartoon Abe jumped out of the Mary Poppins sidewalk and went to watch a baseball game apparently.

2010 Topps Baseball 135. Ryan Dempster "Abraham Lincoln variation'

Abe wanted a better seat. He had some pull with Major League Baseball and landed himself a spot on the field.

2010 Topps Baseball 306. Milton Bradley "Abraham Lincoln variation'

Lincoln stopped the ball with his hat, the crowd went wild and he was plastered onto the field-level fence.

2010 Topps Baseball 326. Tyler Colvin "Abraham Lincoln variation'

Happy with his play, the Cubs took Abe on as a fielding coach. He took the job but insisted he remain true to his character and keep the hat and beard. The Yankees were also interested in Abe's services but when he refused to shave, they passed. Baseball card fans around the world (New York excluded) rejoiced because there's enough variation-love for the Yanks.

Initial prices for the variants are ridiculous but not surprising. The first three sold on eBay have all been in the $150 range. So you might want to scour your sets and extras because most of these variations are are extremely subtle.

Oh, and this is also a variation, but not a 'Lincoln variation' as some are describing on eBay. It's just one of the 20 Legends variants:

2010 Topps 90. Rogers Hornsby variation

I'll keep an eye out for any additional Cubs Abes. I suspect they'll pop up en mass in the next few days as word gets around. Topps will probably provide some confirmation soon as well. Insertion rates are also not known at this time and anyone taking a guess is speculating. Because it has taken a couple of months for these to be uncovered, many will probably go unnoticed for a while yet.

A Seven-Letter Word for 'Restructuring'

Layoffs.

According to ICv2, Upper Deck is undergoing some personnel changes. As in some folks are likely out of work.

Nobody should be shocked as much of the company's bread and butter have recently gone elsewhere. Yu-Gi Oh was a billion-dollar license. Even if the counterfeit settlement with Konami wasn't very big, the fact is that snafu cost them much more with the loss of the license. Next was Blizzard Entertainment opting not to renew their Wizard of Warcraft CCG license with the company.

The bleeding still didn't stop as Upper Deck tried unsuccessfully to work their way around the exclusive contract MLBP signed with Topps. Again, the settlement might be doable but their loss of rights to include things like jersey pieces, options to airbrush and other concessions makes it difficult to make a real go with baseball. Sure, a portrait-style set would be awesome (hint, hint), but how many of those can they make to get the cash flow going to a level it would be with fully licensing. I'm no expert but it'd certainly be an uphill challenge.

The article states that much of the restructuring is happening within the entertainment division. There Upper Deck has a pretty big license with Marvel to make both cards and CCGs. But their previous experiences with the license didn't wow the market. Neither have Upper Deck's other recent attempts to become a major player in the non-sport market. Tale of Despereaux and Igor were nice in that the manufacturer showed a willingness to reach out for new licenses. But both sets (and movies) were duds. A few months ago Upper Deck announced the acquisition of the Thomas the Tank Engine and Hello Kitty card licenses. Neither have had firm sets and release dates announced yet.

No matter my thoughts on the legal issues surrounding Upper Deck, it sucks to hear people losing jobs. Even though I don't know people within the company on a personal level, I still hate hearing about layoffs restructuring. Especially when some of the people at the top making the iffy calls probably still have their family photos sitting on their desks.

5finity Launches P'ups and Sells Out By the Time You Made it Through Drive Thru

5finity has announced another new sketch card set: P'ups: Pin-Ups and Puppies. Yup, a set that mixes pretty girls in skimpy clothes (or less) and their canine companions. Within 10 hours of the announcement and ensuing pre-sale, all 1,500 packs were sold.


The set is another in a line of all sketch card sets from 5finity. Each pack, which carry a suggested retail of $24.95, contains zero base cards and at least one sketch card. This set will also feature sketches of Playboy cartoon Mandy and her dog Skoots. Mandy had her own sell-out sketch card set from 5finity a few months back. Ten percent of the sketch cards will feature Mandy and Skoots.

P'ups will also have several chase elements:
80 Rare Artist Sketch Cards (1:19 packs)
50 Hot Packs with two or three Sketch Cards (1:30 packs)
50 Pick of the Litter Sketch Cards (1:30 packs)
20 Cat Out of the Bag Sketch Cards (1:75 packs)
10 Commission Request Redemption Cards (1:150 packs)
10 Dean Yeagle Mandy and Skoots Sketch Cards (1:150 packs)

Overall odds of receiving a special chase pack are 1:7 packs.

There will also be an incentive for pack rippers. The first person to build a set featuring 50 breeds of dogs will receive a set of 50 cards from 50 different artists. Further details on the contest will be forthcoming.

P'ups is slated for a May 14 release.

Note to 5finity: Suggested title for the follow-up release: P'ups: Sexy Bitches. 

The announced sketch artist list:.

Adam DeKraker
Jessica Hickman
Adriana Vargas
Jim Kyle
Amber Stone
Joe Pekar
Andy Black
John Joseco
Anthony Hochrein
John Watkins-Chow
Arie Monroe
Jon Riggle
Ben Glendenning
Justin Chung
Bill Maus
Justin Ridge
Brian Shearer
Kevin Graham
Bryan Turner
Kristin Allen
Buddy Prince
Lak Lim
Cal Slayton
Lance Sawyer
Chad Cicconi
Laurie B!
Dan Schoening
Lorenzo Lizana
Danny Devine
Lud Hughes
Danny Kuang
Luke Smarto
David Namisato
Lynne Anderson
Dean Yeagle
Mat Nastos
Drew Moss
Matt Hebb
Ed Bickford
Mel Uran
EJ Su
Michael Dooney
Erica Hesse
Michael Duron
Fabio Redivo
Nicole Goff
Fer Galicia
Patrick Finch
Frank Kadar
Paul Gutierrez
Frankie B Washington
Penelope Gaylord
Gary Barker
Remy Mokhtar
George Webber
Rhiannon Owens
Hanie Mohd
Ryan Kincaid
Howard Bender
Ryan Orosco
Irma Ahmed
Ryan Wilton
Jason Martin
Scott Rorie
Jason Metcalf
Sherry Leak
Jason Worthington
Steve Gordon
Jay Fosgitt
Steve Jasper
Jeff Shultz
Thomas Tuomey
Jeremy Treece
Will Caligan

Topps Rookie Cup Comes to Life

And here I'd thought the Topps rookie cup was merely a cartoon doodle honoring the previous year's best rookies. Well, here's a card that arrived the other day:

It comes from 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Baseball. It's part of an insert set called Original Relics. They're strange beasts that I hadn't heard of until I stumbled across this beast. Basically, Topps appears to have started with a 1971 Topps buyback, which was promptly sliced in half. The window was cut out and the two halves were pasted onto a think card stock with the gold foil Rookie Cup showing. Talk about a Franken-card.

Cards in the set were limited anywhere from one to ten copies. This Morton, which will be going into my Expos collection, is a 1/1. It's even got the 1/1 hologram on the back that was fashionable back in the day (I'm not sure if they still are).

I'm not too happy that his first name was cut off the facsimile autograph, but this certainly is a unique concept and is a much more meaningful 1/1 compared to most. That being said, this is a gimmick card and one that I hope Topps just lets lie.

Topps Offers a Little More Info on 2010 Allen & Ginter Baseball

Today Topps released a little more on 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter Baseball, which I previewed in depth a couple of weeks ago. The main point pulled from their latest release is the inclusion of ten Cabinet Relic cards. These will be massively oversized relic pieces featuring full name plates or front jersey numbers. One also has nothing to do with baseball, but is amazing nonetheless.

2010 Topps Allen and Ginter Baseball Cabinet Relic - Tony Hawk (Skateboard Nameplate)

I'm not a big skateboarding fan, but it's tough not to appreciate this card. It's big, colourful and of an iconic athlete. I also love the scuff marks. 

My only apprehension is box searching. A skateboard piece or massive jersey chunk must have a fair bit of weight, one would think. In turn, that'd make box searching pretty easy. That is if someone gets their hands on the box in the first place. Each of the ten Cabinet Relics are one-of-ones. I checked with Topps and they confirmed that they will be inserted into the boxes, not as redemptions. Advance congrats to the ten lucky ducks who land one of these.

2010 Topps Allen and Ginter Baseball is set for a June release.

Random Pack Breaks - Oscar Hangover Edition: TRON

Editor's note: If you're under the age of 18 or don't want to see swearing, stop reading the moment you encounter a Voltron reference. Cuss words lit within.

Congratulations to Jeff Bridges for his well-deserved Career Achievement Best Actor win. The ladies and Jesse James might have shed a tear for Sandra Bullock, but it was The Dude who was really keeping it real.

But let's get something straight - screw The Dude. Did the Dude, as Sally so eloquently put it, ever get his mug on a bubblegum (ie trading) card? Nope. Did the Dude ever ride a light cycle? Nope. Did the Dude ever wear some neon glow-in-the-dark leotard that paved the way for the Avatar motion-capture effects. Triple-dog nope.

With that, let's celebrate the Oscar glory of Clu with a Random Pack Break of Donruss' TRON. Whilst I do, I'm going to play a drinking game. Every time I spot The Dude on a card, I'll down a White Russian in his honor. Yes, card blogging has led to pack-busting drinking games.

Here's what awaits:

Eight cards, one sticker and some tips on how to kick some joystick ass. It's a good thing I'm getting an authentic sticker as opposed to a fake one in this authentic pack of TRON trading cards. Why did Upper Deck have to settle so soon? This might have made for a solid defence somehow. Then history would have labeled it as the TRON Defence.

Ahhhh, key art sticker. I'll send it to anyone who promises to use it as a template for their next tattoo. I'll even foot the postage.

The standings so far:Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

 Cool angle of a light cycle.

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

More light cycles. And a grid. Makes me want to do some math.

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

Hey look, they made a trading card of my first set of Space Lego.

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

I wonder if this card was done by the same guy who scribbled my monkey sketch card from Indiana Jones Heritage.

Seriously, are there any people in this set or just cheesy special effects?

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

Space Lego make-out session. Gross.

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

Could it be? A Light Cycle Threesome! Goodness me, I'm stymied as to why this set exists. Obviously the Dude is torturing me for saying his name in vain. Why else would I have to endure this torture. The Dude tests.

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

I wonder if Voltron is a tribute to TRON? Random thought brought to you by a lack of humans on trading cards.

The standings so far:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0

I'm not one to swear very often (it adds to the affect for when I do), but WHAT THE FUCK?! Bipped by a fucking card of fucking some geo-fucking-metric nightmare. This is what I get for slacking off in Grade 12 math. I don't know what a rhombus is but I know fucking Tron should lurk somewhere within my pack of TRON cards. Grrrrr. Where's dayf's FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU guy when you need him?

The final tally:
Dudes: 0
White Russians: 0
Space Lego-Inspired Bips: 1

Being stone-cold sober right now makes the pain even worse.

Dude, you are now officially the man. You've got nothing on TRON, at least until IMAX TRON 2 comes out. You are the official incarnation of Jeff Bridges that all must follow. Abide.

[Editor's closing thoughts: This site is not anti-Dude, anti-Big Lebowski or anti- anything Jeff Bridges. I love Jeff Bridges. Heck, I have the DVD of The Door in the Floor. Calling out the Dude was meant to draw attention to the fact that movie TRON is pretty great, too. Just not the cards.]

Oscar Predictions Are in the (Autographed) Cards

The red carpet is open and some gold statues are apparently being handed out in a little while. Looking at the list of nominees, there's not much out there from this year's lot in the way of autograph cards. Still, there's a few.

And the nominees are:

Best Actor

The odds-on-favorite in this category is Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart. Honestly, I wasn't a big fan, however The Dude was great (isn't he always), as was his co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal (nominated for Supporting Actress). Bridges signed for 2008's Iron Man set from Rittenhouse Archives. It was the toughest autograph to find in the set and is quite costly, despite the unflattering bald head that doesn't look right on the normally shaggy actor. An autograph went today on eBay for a touch under $250, which was $100 more than the previous copy went for a couple weeks ago. Clearly, there's an Oscar bump happening here. Should Bridges pull off the expected, I suspect the card will settle back into the $200-range, which is what it was originally selling for when the set first came out.

Complete Iron Man Autograph Gallery 

The only other nominee in this category to have a certified autograph is George Clooney for Up in the Air. The Facts of Life-alum is well-respected for making films that are usually both entertaining and intelligent. His turn as Batman in Batman and Robin was neither. Even still, his tallboy autograph from Skybox's set based on the film is one of many highlights in a remarkable checklist that also includes Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger. eBay currently has one Clooney Batman and Robin autograph listed. The price: $1,125. The prices from this set have always been through the roof and because the card pops up so infrequently and is already high, I'd say that if Clooney pulls the upset, the values will still stay the same.

Complete Batman and Robin Autograph Gallery

Best Supporting Actor

Autographs are even more sparse in this category. Veteran Christopher Plummer (The Last Station) is the only nominee to have a certified signature card, but even if you saw it you likely wouldn't recognize him.  That's because the card highlights his role as a Klingon general in Star Trek VI. The card is from Rittenhouse Archives' Star Trek Movies in Motion set, released in 2008. Expect to pay $40-50 for the card online. And don't look for a spike because Plummer has no chance of winning here and The Last Station will be even more forgotten than it already is in a couple of weeks.

Complete Star Trek Movies in Motion Autograph Gallery

Best Director

This is the only other major category that has nominees with autograph cards, both of whom are the biggest names nominated. First up is some guy named James Cameron for some movie called Avatar. Cameron's made a couple of other movies too: Titanic, The Terminator and it's wittily titled sequel Terminator 2. His lone autograph is from none of these, but rather a short-lived TV show called Dark Angel, which is most notable for launching the tabloid career of one Jessica Alba. Alba's autograph might be prettier to look at, but in the spirit of the post, here's the nominee:

Complete Dark Angel Autograph Gallery

The second nominee in this category is Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Basterds. A personal favourite of mine, his signature has appeared in two of Donruss' Americana sets: Americana II and Celebrity Cuts.

Donruss Americana Gallery Index

Hosting the show tonight are Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Martin had an autograph a few years ago for his role in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Pick up the card for the legend's signature, not for the attractiveness of the card.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action Autograph Gallery

For the sake of predicting and prognosticating, here's my picks for tonights show in the Acting, Directing and Best Picture races.

Best Picture:

“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”

My choice: The Hurt Locker
Will win: Avatar 

Best Director 

“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

My choice: Kathryn Bigelow
Will win: Bigelow

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”  

My choice: Jeremy Renner (yeah, I like The Hurt Lock a lot and I don't think Bridges deserves it this year as it feels like rewarding his career rather than a slightly better-than-average film)
Will win: Jeff Bridges


Best Actress

Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” 


My choice: Carey Mulligan
Will win: Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” 

My choice: Christoph Waltz
Will win: Waltz

Best Supporting Actress

Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” 

My choice: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Will win: Gyllenhaal provides the biggest upset of the night.

Cards That Really Don't Look Like Cards: 1997 Flair Showcase Diamond Cuts

Through the advent of new technologies that add extra shine, fancy die-cuts and other fan-dangled gimmicks, there's cards a plenty out there that don't at all resemble the baseball cards from yesteryear. Here's one.


1997 Flair Showcase Diamond Cuts

1997 Flair Showcase was a landmark release. It had a three levels of base sets. I guess you could call the uncommon and rare levels parallels, but I've never really seen it that way. It had tons of foil. And the foil actually looked good.

But what 1997 Flair Showcase will forever be remembered for is the introduction of the 1-of-1 with the Masterpiece parallels. They set a new standard for the hobby that hasn't looked back.

In all the years since 1997 when this set was first released, I'd never come across the Diamond Cuts inserts. They were clearly lost in the shuffle of all Flair Showcase's other gimmicks and beauty. These are some funky looking cards. Die-cut in the shape of facing diamonds, the card also features prominent holo-foil giving the top background a diamond look. The name plate and Flair Showcase logo both contain additional gold foil.  There's also a full-body player photo and a glistening baseball diamond on the card's bottom portion.

Card backs are fairy generic with a diamond photo in the background, a small photo and a generic-reading bio.

Diamond Cuts definitely don't resemble anything close to traditional baseball cards. Nonetheless, they work. For all the techno-gimmicks going on on this card, it's not overwhelming. Often, cards that take on too much look like Franken-cards that resemble something that belongs to be sewn onto the crest of a bowling shirt or like a nameplate that belongs on an office door. 

Diamond Cuts were inserted 1:20 packs. Most of the cards should be found for a couple of dollars with none going more than $5 or $6. Here's the checklist:

1. Jeff Bagwell

2. Albert Belle

3. Ken Caminiti

4. Juan Gonzalez

5. Ken Griffey Jr.

6. Tony Gwynn

7. Todd Hundley

8. Andruw Jones

9. Chipper Jones

10. Greg Maddux

12. Mark McGwire

13. Mike Piazza

14. Manny Ramirez

15. Cal Ripken Jr.

16. Alex Rodriguez

17. Frank Thomas

18. Mo Vaughn

19. Bernie Williams

20. Matt Williams

Gallery: Star Wars Galaxy 5 Autographs

Although there have been autographs in previous Star Wars Galaxy sets from Topps, they've all been from set artists and not the stars of the films. That's changed with the recently released Star Wars Galaxy 5, which includes a total of six signatures.
Inserted at a rate of 1:274 hobby packs, all six are from iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Chewbacca. In fact, Darth Vader has two autographs: one from David Prowse, the man in the costume, and another from the heavy-breathing James Earl Jones who provided the voice.

Sticking with the art focus of the set, as well as the brand's history, the autographs feature the character artwork from the original Star Wars Galaxy set. The one major drawback: the dreaded sticker autograph.

Topps did announce that a total of 1,000 autographs were produced for the set, meaning that there's an average of less than 200 of each. Judging from early sales, the Mark Hamill is the toughest of the lot.

Star Wars Galaxy 5 Autograph Checklist:

• Kenny Baker as R2-D2
• Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett
• Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
• James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
• Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
• David Prowse as Darth Vader

Kenny Baker as R2-D2

Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker

James Earl Jones as Darth Vader

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca

David Prowse as Darth Vader

If you'd like to check out more Star Wars autographs, click here to check out the gallery page I created on my main site.