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.

Box Break: 2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball (Blaster)

The set's big, it's glossy, it's got lots of stats and it's got a minimalist design. 2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball offers little in the way of surprises, bell or whistles - exactly how this set builder likes it. However, it's also bland, boring and filled with forgettable photography.

Coming in at 500 cards, the base set covers numbers 501 through 1000. An update set made the entire base set an impressive 1250 cards. Now that's what a base set should be. The base design is standard for the Upper Deck base set. The focus is on covering the players, including open pictures on the front and lots of stats. The design is full-bleed with a silver foil logo, an enlarged last name and small foil band with the player's full name and position. I dig the look of the cards, even if they do look like a variation on the same three designs Upper Deck seems to use for their base sets. It works and falls under the "if it isn't broke, don't fix it category."

What I was let down about in the base set was the photography. I understand it's impossible to make every card iconic looking. However Upper Deck would show two years later with their 2008 base set that almost every card can be impressive. Here the pictures are boring. You get a lot of the standard wind up and swinging poses that might give a good look at the player but they mostly all look like they've been done before over and over again.

I got a total of 53 base cards in my blaster, which translates into roughly tn percent of the set. As I'd expect with such a massive base set, I didn't get any doubles. I was pleased about this but as I'll get into as I discuss the inserts, I wish I'd had more base cards.

2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball Base Card

2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball Base Card Back

Insert sets and odds are a mystery according to the packs. This is something I'm guessing Upper Deck did so they could change their plans as they pleased and stop the moaning from folks who didn't get what the packs promised. This way, if nothing's promised, nothing's lost. Actually, Upper Deck did promise eight cards per pack. I got 63 cards in eight packs. I was shorted one, dagnabbit. Sure, the thick jersey card probably replaced a base card but since the pack doesn't say anything about jersey cards and that I get eight cards in a pack, I want my card. Just kidding. Or am I?

There's insert sets a plenty according to my blaster, none of which I care about. Honestly, the design on the basic inserts are worse than the base cards. No gimmicks, no foil, no die-cuts, just bland cards with strange graphics. If you want to see what I mean, check out the images below. The Speed to Burn inserts are a particularly wasted idea. Imagine how cool those would have looked with a die-cut flame design to go with the orange coloring.

2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball Speed to Burn

 I did manage to pull a Barry Zito game-used jersey card. I dig the dark background blending with the dark green jersey swatch. A little extra pop would have occured if Mr. Zito was in color, but even still, as far as basic jersey cards go, this one's nice.

2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball UD Game Materials

Upper Deck appears to have been pushing a contest where the winner would get to hang out with Derek Jeter, presumably to discuss the honor of being a Yankee, winning a bunch of World Series rings and the real scoop on Alex Rodriguez. To enter you had to collect letter cards to spell "JETER." That only got you in. Then your name had to be drawn. Contests are cool, but here's the thing - I don't want contest entries to count towards the card count of a pack or box. In a relatively small blaster box, I got four of these entries. That's almost ten percent of the base cards I got. Give me more base cards instead of these. Even with the picture of Jeter and the numbering on the back, these aren't baseball cards. They're contest entries. 

2006 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball Play Ball With Derek Jeter Contest Entry

Overall, this blaster box didn't wow me. If I were building the set I'd be happy getting the base cards. But even those failed to impress me. Likewise, the inserts lacked any sort of cool factor. Generally speaking, inserts should be nicer than the base cards, or at least use some sort of neat technology. These were a step backwards when held up against the base cards. 2006 Upper Deck Baseball can be found pretty cheap. If you took a year off and can find some for a deal, then by all means jump on them. But if you're anything but a set builder, prepare to be bored.

Inserts

• UD Game Materials: 1 (UD-BZ. Barry Zito)
• Diamond Debut: 2 (DD-53. Kelly Shoppach, DD-77. Hideki Matsui)
• Inaugural Images: 1 (II-7. Ken Griffey Jr.)
• Player Highlights: 1 (PH-3. Travis Hafner)
• Speed to Burn: 1 (SB-7. Jose Reyes)
• Play Ball With Derek Jeter: 4 (PBDJ-1, PBDJ-2, PBDJ-3, PBDJ-5)

For more images and a complete breakdown, please visit my main site. 

Life and Such

Life's been CRAZY for the past little bit and it's going to continue for the next few days. My apologies to those waiting to hear from me regarding trades and such. I won't be around the cards until probably Saturday morning. I might get a chance to post something should the news line bring with it something interesting, but the stacks are having a party in the basement office without me. Which sucks because I really want to post a gallery of the set I finished up yesterday. And some Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Until then, here's The Tick.

SPOON!

Trump Card

Tonight Celebrity Apprentice returns with a new lot of celebrity castoffs looking for second life in the world of reality television. One of the biggest bombs in recent non-sport history was Comic Images Apprentice set that came out in 2005. The base set had a decent enough design except the images looked like screen grabs taken from a bootleg download of the show.

Today, boxes can be had for about the same price as going for lunch at McDonald's. Honestly, I'd still love to get my hands on a Donald Trump autograph. The set had both a pack-inserted one as well as a five-case incentive (reportedly only about 50 incentive cards exist). Sure, he's cheesy and full of himself. But he's also an icon, famous for being Donald Trump more than his accomplishments. He's like the Paris Hilton of Wall Street minus the homemade dirty movies. But then again, dealing in skyscrapers could easily be looked at in a phallic light.

Perhaps the corniest cards to come from the Apprentice set are these two beauties:

The Apprentice Taking Stock M1 (Blue) (Comic Images, 2005)

The Apprentice Taking Stock M1 (Pink) (Comic Images, 2005)

Those would be a couple of business meeting tie cards from the Don himself. Powder blue and pink - I wonder if Mr. Trump is a fan of Miami Vice?

With this new season of Celebrity Apprentice, there's a couple of people I'm cheering for. First is Darryl Strawberry. Here's a guy who's made some poor choices yet I'm pulling for him as an underdog sort. Unfortunately, I honestly don't see him lasting too far past the middle.

My other pick is Cyndi Lauper. I'm a child of the 80s. She may have sung about girls having fun but she was also involved in wrasslin' and sang The Goonies theme.

Cyndi Lauper Stickers 28 (Topps, 1985)

Depending on your sense of what's funny, this video is either one of the greatest things ever or a piece of garbage. Or maybe it's soooo bad that it's one of the greatest things ever.

RIP Captain Lou.

Happy Pi Day!

Mmmmmmm, pie.

Twin Peaks (StarPics, 1991)

Or maybe some American Pie?

American Pie: Spirit of American Edition Marilyn Monroe Relic (Topps, 2002)

American Pie: Spirit of American Edition Elvis Presley Relic (Topps, 2002)

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197...

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:

Around the Hobby - March 13, 2010

Randy Martinez Wants to Horde His Star Wars Galaxy 5 Cards

Artist Randy Martinez has a bunch of his work featured in Star Wars Galaxy 5. He's offering discounts on custom work in trade for his cards, including a full-color commission if you find one of the dancing Ewok sketch cards shown below. Check out his blog for details and specifics.

Image Credit: Randy Martinez Blog

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South Oregon's Mail Tribune Offers an Overview of Getting Started in the Hobby

The article. 

Summing up how to get collecting in a single article is tough. The piece is geared at new collectors or those not familiar with it. Reading it showed just how complex it is now and how it's easy to mislead people and get their hopes up about making money. For example, one passage reads

That said, even relatively new cards can still have value. A 1993 Derek Jeter rookie card in near mint condition, for example, can be worth about $350.

Maybe so. But it'd need to be slabbed. Plus, there's also plenty of other Jeter rookies out there that aren't worth $35 let alone $350.

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Win a Free Copy of the Upcoming Book "The Top 100 Sports Cards of All-Time"

Hockey card collectors have likely been busting packs and boxes of 2009-10 Upper Deck Series Two for a few of weeks now. One of the more publicized elements is the insert "The Champions," which highlights various Olympians.

ECW Press is offering a notation in their upcoming book "The Top 100 Sports Cards of All-Time" (written by Jon Waldman and Stephen LaRoche) to the first collector to take a picture of themselves holding the Johnny Weir card from the insert set pictured below. Not to worry. The Weir didn't crack the Top 100 list but will instead be discussed as a hobby blunder.

To enter, send a high-resolution picture of the card (300 dpi or higher) along with a photo of yourself holding the card to info@ecwpress.com. The first person to do so gets a notation in the book, a copy of the book as well as one more book from the ECW Press catalogue.

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Win an Empire Strikes Back 3D Promo

Non-Sport Update Magazine is offering a giveaway for a relatively tough Empire Strikes Back 3D promo. Given only to dealers and distributors rather than mass distribution, this is a nice-looking card for a set I'm looking forward too. What can I say, I'm a sucker for 3D cards. Click here to see how to enter.

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.]