An Addition to the E.T. Sketch Card Collection (Part 1)

My pruny friend E.T. will probably never see himself on another trading card set ever again. As much as I hate to admit it, his time has past. But that isn't stopping me from slowly building up a collection of commissioned sketch cards. Last week saw two additions to the collection, officially doubling it.

The first one is from Scott Zirkel, whose work I was introduced to via ye ole Wax Womat. The purpose of my collection is to focus on one subject and take in different interpretations. Zirkel brings a breezy cartoon take to E.T., pointing out both the alien's intuitiveness and slight hesitation toward the foreign world around him.

For those keeping tabs, through three commissions that I've posted, here's the E.T. sketch card collection:

Katie Cook - E.T. Sketch Card

 This one is from Katie Cook, who is gearing up for the release of a Fraggle Rock comic. Heck, yeah! Katie does a phenominal job capturing the "cute" in her subjects.

Ingrid Hardy - E.T. Sketch Card

This one is from Ingrid Hardy. I picked her work because I love the soft, realistic tones she uses. This was a perfect image to capture her style.

There's a fourth card sitting in front of me right now that I'll be sharing shortly. The process of the card is something I'd like to focus on so it'll have a post when I have some more extra time.

Garth Ennis' The Pro Brings Another Instant Sell-Out Sketch Card Set

Yesterday 5finity put their latest all sketch card set for The Pro out for pre-sale. Not long after all 800 packs were sold out.

The Pro Sketch Card Series - Cal Slayton

Set for a June 15 release, the set is based on the comic created by Garth Ennis, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner. The story pokes fun at superhero lore and follows the exploits of a super-powered hooker. So maybe for once the extra-large chest is for genuine giggles in the form of parody. I can't say that I've yet to read the one-shot comic, but the bit of research I did above certainly has me curious.

Each of the serial numbered packs contain at least one sketch card. However, like all 5finity sets from the past year, there'll be a handful of chase elements as well:

• 50 Rare Artist Sketch Cards (1:16 packs)
• 50 Hot Packs with 2-3 Sketch Cards (1:16 packs)
• 20 Amanda Conner Sketch Cards (1:40 packs)
• 10 Jimmy Palmiotti Sketch Cards (1:80 packs)

Overall odds for a chase pack are 1:6 packs. There's also 32 incentive sketch cards for dealers ordering 25 packs or more.

Here's the list of artists signed on for the set thus far:

The Pro Sketch Card Series - Joe Pekar

Adam DeKraker
Jayson Kretzer
Adam Hughes
Jeremy Treece
Allison Sohn
Jessica Hickman
Amanda Conner
Jim Kyle
Amber Stone
Jimmy Palmiotti
Andy Black
Joe Pekar
Anthony Hochrein
John Soukup
Anthony Lee
Jon Riggle
Arie Monroe
Josh Lyman
Arley Tucker
Juan Fontanez
Ben Glendenning
Justin Wayne
Ben Hansen
Kristin Allen
Bill McKay
Lance Sawyer
Brian Shearer
Levi Skeen
Buddy Prince
Lud Hughes
Cal Slayton
Luis Diaz
CH Miles
Luke Smarto
Chad Cicconi
Lynne Anderson
Chadd Keim
Manny Mederos
Charles Holbert
Mark McHaley
Chris Henderson
Matt Minor
Dane Ault
Michael Munshaw
Danny Kuang
Mick Collins
David Cutler
Nate Lovett
David Harrigan
Nate Stockman
Drew Moss
Nicole Goff
Ed Bickford
Otis Frampton
Frank Kadar
Patrick Finch
Frankie B Washington
Paul Gutierrez
Hanie Mohd
Remy Mokhtar
Hayden Davis
Rhiannon Owens
Irma Ahmed
Ryan Orosco
j(ay)
Scott Rorie
Jason Martin
Tony Perna
Jason Sobol
Ver Curtiss
Jason Worthington

A Date with the True 90s Diamond King

I was certain last season was going to be Ken Griffey Jr's last. I also wanted oh so badly to make a short hop across the Juan de Fuca Strait and see him play while visiting my family back home in Victoria last summer. In both instances, it wasn't meant to be. Thankfully. Now I'm calling destiny.

The wheels are in motion for some big changes at the Trader Crack's household this summer. For making a trip to Safeco to see the Mariners, this should make it a much easier undertaking. With that in mind, I hopped online this afternoon and got me a couple of baseball tickets - October 3, the season finale between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics. Although I suspect the Mariners will be in the post-season, I also suspect this is going to be the regular season finale of the 90s generation's biggest icon.

Sure, others might have bigger career numbers and some of the most prestigious all-time records, nobody else captured the friendly spirit of baseball like Griffey when he was truly The Kid. I could get all long and winded about how that came to be and eventually pass, but that will come later in the season when it's more appropriate. Right now, I'm stoked to have a chance to be on hand for a special moment. And if it turns out Griffey's gas tank is ready for more, well, I'm sure I'll be able to accommodate that in 2011. But more on that later too when things are firmed up.

1995 Donruss Diamond Kings DK-27. Ken Griffey Jr.

Prominent and Pretty in Pink

Although I haven't bought a pack of the stuff and don't plan to, I'm having a bit of a love-hate infatuation with Upper Deck Prominent Cuts. My mind boggles at the thought of not one, not two but three cards in a 60-card base set being occupied by three of the Kardashian sisters but there's also some amazing autographs to be found. Granted, the cut signature autographs have no pictures and have a large checklist with plenty of signers who are very much alive. But then what's the chances of a lot of these rejected stars coming out in a set that features them?

Such is the case with Molly Ringwald. Along with Punky Brewster and that unnamed girl that Rodney Dangerfield sees in the shower at the start of Back to School, she was amongst my first Hollywood crushes. Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, TV's Diff'rent Strokes - she was the cute, snooty dream girl in some of my favorite things growing up.

But before I grew up, she did and moved on.

For the past couple of decades, Ringwald went and became a wife and mom, and largely disappeared from the Hollywood scene. I spotted her in a horrendous Aussie slasher film a few years back and caught her paying tribute to John Hughes at the Academy Awards. She's also in some TV show now that I've never seen. Whatever the true Hollywood story is, Molly Ringwald simply isn't the it girl she once was. And she's done a great job of distancing herself from it.

With my serious doubts of a set based on The Secret Life of the American Teenager coming out, I went and pulled the trigger on this from Upper Deck Prominent Cuts:

Upper Deck Prominent Cuts Autograph Molly Ringwald

For most, this card is probably 20 years too late. But for me, it's a trip back to elementary school crushes. As for the fact that it's a cut signature of a living person. You're right, the card isn't the prettiest. But like Duckie on the rebound, something's better than nothing. I also find something concerting about the legitimacy of the ugly check where the signature (which is very clean, I might add) originates from. Plus it was pretty cheap too at significantly less than the pack it came from.

Overall, I've still paid less than the price of one pack and gotten 80% of the base set, a bunch of doubles and an autograph of not only someone I've heard of, but someone I really want as well. Another exa not to bust high-end wax.

Is it Time the Manufacturers Look at Teaming Up?

Not only is the hobby's marketplace shrinking, but those in the game are disappearing too. They might not be going under completely (yet), but with the trend toward exclusive deals one-sport collectors are losing some of the long-standing brands they came to know and collect. But does it have to be that way? I think it'd be a win-win for everyone involved, from collectors to manufacturers and everyone in between, to consider something a little radical - teaming up and co-producing sets.

Here's how it'd work. Let's take Upper Deck Goudey Baseball as an example. Seeing as how Upper Deck isn't in the baseball game at all right now, 2010 Goudey isn't going to happen. At the same time Topps is working hard to re-brand National Chicle as a nostalgic art brand similar to what Goudey was for Upper Deck. So what if Topps borrowed the Goudey brand from Upper Deck, worked with Upper Deck as a contractor and released Topps Goudey instead of going through all the work of hoping a brand will catch on and adopt an identity for a few years.

The pros for Topps are they're getting a proven brand with a recognized following. Costs might also be a bit lower in that they're sub-contracting some of the work out. Ultimately Topps would have to sign off on it and add their brands to the packaging and they'd be the ones collecting the money at the end of the day. They also don't have to create a copycat brand to fill a hole left by a departing competitor and hope that collectors latch onto it. The industry proves every year that they'd rather take the safe road than risks. I respect this philosophy, even if it frustrates me at times, so this plays right into the conservative logic.

The pros for Upper Deck are that the brand they hold still remains in the public eye. That way, should they regain a license or look to expand into another sport, the name is still fresh in collectors' minds. Plus, Upper Deck is gaining some income from their trademark.

For collectors, they get the continuity that keeps a collection going. Often in today's hobby, there's lots of stopping and going resulting in gaps. I know these drive me nuts. Plus, the brands don't even need to change that much. Keep the spirit of the original product with the same people working on it as well, at least as consultants.

The obvious downside is that competitors don't often like working with one another. Even if Topps is the only kid on the block making licensed baseball cards, Upper Deck is ultimately still a competitor, as is Panini, In the Game, Rittenhouse Archives and even small manufacturers like 5finity and MonsterWax. For the big players in the hobby, there'd probably need to be some reconciliation. But at the end of the day, don't they all speak the same thing: $$$.

I've used the example of Goudey Baseball to illustrate my point but it's not limited to that. Imagine Upper Deck getting another chance to sub-contract to Panini to make SP Authentic and Exquisite Football? Or Upper Deck getting the go-ahead to actually use vintage Topps designs with O-Pee-Chee Hockey. 

Such partnerships aren't unheard of in the hobby. A couple of years ago Rittenhouse Archives made several excellent sets based on Marvel Comics properties on behalf of Upper Deck. I don't know the logistics of it all but Upper Deck seemed to have the license and Rittenhouse made the sets. Why couldn't this work in sports as well?

With this scenario I want to see the producers stay out to some extent. Act like a Hollywood producer who puts up the assets but holds filmmakers accountable for their work. So be hands on but let the partner maintain the brand's identity. This is the key for success. Taking Goudey and adding silver autograph stickers would kill the brand faster than Randy Johnson's fastball blowing up a seagull.

I don't know if there's legal holdups that wouldn't allow for such a scenario to happen. I'm just trying to get creative. I haven't looked into anyone's accounting books so I can't exactly where some manufacturers are at. But there are some signs that would point in the direction that some are doing better than others. So do what you must to survive and if you're hanging in there like Ford, there's no better time than to capitalize and make a little more money. So suck it up and shake hands, men.

Further Shakedowns at Upper Deck - O-Pee-Chee Metal Gets a (Welcomed) Last-Second Makeover

Read into this as you will, but Blowout cards has just posted the following:

In an attempt to relieve some of the congestion in the upcoming NHL release calendar, we have decided to cancel the release of 09-10 OPC Metal NHL. However, because the OPC brand has such a large and very loyal following, we have decided to take the base OPC cards that were to be a part of the OPC Metal product and create a 09-10 OPC Update factory set. This set will contain the complete 200 cards that finish the set (cards 601-800), and each set will also include a small number of random foil parallel cards of the update set as well.

Fact sheets will be sent out shortly, which will detail price and configuration of the new product. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause, however we feel that this is the prudent move as we look ahead into the next few months. The sets will be allocated. It is our intention to get this update set out by the end of April.

More details to follow……

A couple of thoughts:

* This is the way the set should have been in the first place. I bought all of one pack last year because I thought I wanted to build the Topps Traded-esque update set. Big mistake. The chrome Metal cards made up most of the pack. And judging by the soft prices of last year's boxes, I believe I wasn't alone in my frustration. In fact, I know others felt the same way.


* If this is truly a move "to relieve some of the congestion," it's Upper Deck's own damn fault. Note to McWilliam, your co-exclusive doesn't start until next year. You're the Lone Ranger right now and you're the one who makes up the entire hockey card calendar.


I'm actually happy by this announcement. Although I'm somewhat sour towards this year's O-Pee-Chee set, it is my intention to eventually build it.

Upper Deck Bids Adios to NFL Football

First thing I learned today: Kids and tacos mean big messes.

Second thing I learned: Upper Deck and NFL Properties didn't reach a license renewal agreement. In a brief post-dinner statement, Upper Deck announced that it wouldn't be making any NFL products as a result. It's been a tough year for the company, losing baseball, basketball and now football. Not to mention Yu-Gi-Oh and World of Warcraft in the gaming realm. What's left? Sidney Crosby, Iron Man and Hello Kitty.

Here's the Richard McWilliam quote of the day, “Over the past year, Upper Deck has attempted to negotiate a new licensing deal with NFL Properties. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were not able to reach agreeable terms, and therefore will not be issuing any NFL Properties-licensed trading cards for the 2010 season. Upper Deck will continue to focus on its exclusive license agreement with the Collegiate Licensing Company and co-exclusive agreements with NHL Enterprises and the NHL Players’ Association, as well as its multiple entertainment licenses.”

It's a lot of blah, blah, blah but I included it simply because I love the doublespeak of a co-exclusive agreement.

Expect more to come on this and its ramifications. As well as a blow-by-blow account over at SportsCardsUncensored.com.

Random Pack Break: Topps 2010 UFC Main Event (Rack Pack)

I finally found something at my local (Canadian) Wal-mart that wasn't hockey, Bella Sara or Pokemon and I caved to the idea of opening something I have very limited knowledge in, the world of mixed martial arts. Specifically: 2010 Topps UFC Main Event.

Let's see if the cards do their job and train me a little bit about the "it" sport of last year that's being juiced by Topps for all it's worth before the clock strikes midnight. The packs are rack packs featuring a massive 11 cards spread over two compartments. The first half:

15. Rich Franklin

131. Mike Pierce vs. Brock Larson "UFC Debut"

42. Randy Couture (I've heard of this guy.)

 Top 10 Fights of 2009 TT09-29. Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur

(So the insert set is about the Top 10 fights of last year yet this is card #29?)

105. Eliot Marshall

29. Nate Diaz

Second part:

8. Dan Miller

84. Chael Sonnen

147. Donald Cerrone "WEC Fighter"

134. Brian Foster vs. Rick Story "UFC Debut"

10. Anderson Silva

 Checklist 4

These cards have a lot of shine to them. However, I think that the foil board is used correctly to jazz up this set and give it a high-end feel. I do have one major issue with the design, though. The names are almost unreadable. Like many of my students who think it looks cool to convert their stories into so fancy font, the designers went overboard here. Not knowing who a lot of these fighters are, I'm not sure if I even typed their name correctly due to the fact that Old Antique or whatever this supposedly old fashioned typeset is tough make out the difference between the 'T' and 'C', amongst others. The backs don't make it much easier:

Overall, I kind of like this set. It's flashy yet straightforward. I got nothing too exciting and the Top 10 Fights insert set makes no sense to me whatsoever. But when you live far from a card shop and Wal-mart is the main spontaneous pack-purchasing alternative, I've certainly experienced worse.

Exclusive First Look Razor Pop Century Annie Duke Preview Autograph

Here's an exclusive first peek at the Razor Pop Century Preview Annie Duke autograph I mentioned yesterday.

The card will be inserted randomly in the upcoming Razor Poker 2010, which is slated for an April 21 release. According to Razor, 150 to 175 of the Duke Preview autographs will be available, which will translate into about one in every other case.

If you're not familiar with Duke, she's one of the top female poker players in the world. I know her as the runner-up during the last round of Celebrity Apprentice, where she lost to Joan Rivers.

Random Pack Breaks: 1992 Bowman Baseball Jumbo

I still recall going into a card shop in early 1993 and seeing two boxes sitting on the counter, both offering $1 packs: 1992 Bowman Baseball and 1992 Triple Play Baseball. Still feeling that 1991 Bowman Baseball was bad (I'm actually a big fan of the checklist now), I went for the fire-red borders of the kid-friendly Donruss product. A couple months later 1992 Bowman would catch the hobby fire and go-on to be a late-blooming classic of the excess-era.

Fast-forward 17 years and I finally get to bust my pack of 1992 Bowman Baseball. It was a little more than the dollar back then, but on-par with most modern sets. And it was a jumbo pack as well. Let's look for some early-90s fashions.

350. Mike Bordick
282. Greg Perschke
536. Billy Spiers
358. Jason Bere (I'm wondering if the picture on the back is Bere as his alternate dimension zombie self.)

 23. Paul Quantrill, eh!

677. Gregg Olson
451. Johnny "HR" Ruffin "Stuff"

 488. Dave Henderson
221. Alan Newman
267. Paul O'Neill
187. Bruce Hurst
666. Bob Walk (Is he throwing the ball or a fist?)

 

649. Pete Castellano "Foil"
623. Ryan Klesko "Foil"

550. Danny Tartabull
285. Keith Miller
352. David Wells
108. Henry Rodriguez
480. Doc Gooden
681. Willie Randolph blowing a bubble

160. Deion Sanders
239. Victor Cole
469. Steve Sax

No Mike Piazza, no Manny Ramirez, no Chipper Jones' jean shorts, no Cliff "Air Jordan" Floyd, but still a fun pack to bust. The Quantrill will go into my Canadians box and the rest will be set aside while I ponder building a set. I already have a number of the pricier cards somewhere so a starter set would likely be a cheap way to get a long way through at a fraction of the cost.

1992 Bowman Baseball benefits from a clean design that is dominated by white. The combination of an extensive rookie card checklist and the unique team-specific stats grid made Bowman a unique brand back in the early 90s. It was simply structured and a fun set I looked forward to building for a while. Then it became a brand that was gimmicked all to hell. Topps had a good opportunity to rebrand it with their Minor League license but rather it appears to be the same old stuff with USA Baseball replacing the World Baseball Classic cards from last year.

So here's to nostalgia, a modern classic set and a fun albeit uneventful pack break.

Razor Previews Pop Century in 2010 Razor Ink

Let the B-list celebrities keep on coming. Razor included a pair of preview autographs for their upcoming Razor Pop Century set in boxes of the recently released repackage 2010 Razor Vault. Don't expect a lot of accolades for either of the featured "celebrities" on the preview cards but being a fan of faux-stars I have to say Razor's dug deep.

 First up is Audrina Patridge of The Hills. I'm ashamed to say I watched the first season of the sort-of reality show about a bunch a whiny rich kids in the city. I feel a little gag reflex in my mouth just admitting that.

Next is a classic. Chris Reid, better known as the flat-top 'Kid' half of the cheesy rap duo Kid 'n Play. Dang. Now that's reaching back. Most will remember Kid from the epic House Party trilogy, but I bet few remember the Kid 'n Play Saturday morning cartoon.

According to Brian Gray of Razor, a third preview card for Pop Century will be released with 2010 Razor Poker. This card will feature Annie Duke. He said Pop Century was set for an August release with further details available in the coming weeks.

2010 Ringside Boxing Round One Proves to Be a Possible Game Changer

Often collectors are priced out of a product right away, despite the fact they might want to go after a base set or simply sample a few packs or a box. Separate odds for hobby and retail releases combats this somewhat, but these are usually for products that are low- to mid-range to begin with.

The closest thing that I can think of in recent history that aimed for both high-end hit seekers and set collectors was Donruss Americana. Each of the three sets had a hobby version that offered an autograph or memorabilia card in every pack. Base cards and inserts were also done on foil board. The retail release was geared primarily at set builders, offering tougher odds on hits and no foil board. While it was a step in the right direction, the different card stocks proved to be a confusing venture for those looking to the secondary market to pick up singles or finish sets. Many people didn't know about the differences in the hobby and retail releases and therefore didn't advertise them as such. The countless number of parallels, which were also doubled by the different card stocks, certainly didn't help either.

But Creative Cardboard Concepts' resurrection of Ringside Boxing looks to be closing the gap between hit seekers and set builders with two different releases, both of which offer largely the same cards but at drastically different odds. 2010 Ringside Boxing Round One, which is set for a mid-May release, will have both a hit-centric KO version that carries a high price tag, and a TKO version, a release geared more at set builders albeit still offering its fair share of inserts and chase components.

 The KO release aims to curb the ugly site of "collectors" tossing aside their base cards at the card shop in search of autographs and other inserts. Each KO box contains just 18 cards: 12 base cards, three Mecca Turkey Red inserts, two autographs (all are on-card) and either a fight-worn memorabilia card or one-of-one insert.

TKO boxes have a  ore traditional box structure, offering ten packs of four cards. Each TKO box averages either an autograph or memorabilia card, one or two Mecca Turkey Red cards and a one-in-two chance of a limited base card.

The only exclusives are two base set and Mecca Turkey Red parallels that will only be available in KO boxes.

What I really like about this structure is that it appeals to different types of collectors without alienating either. The KO version looks very enticing but could be rather cost-prohibitive for those going after sets. And seeing as how it's been nearly two decades since an all-out boxing release, there should be some pent-up demand for cards. And while it offers longer odds, the TKO version still has its share of chase elements.

Blowout Cards currently has KO boxes, which are limited to 2500 total boxes, on pre-sale for $207.99. TKO boxes are listed at $92.99.

Cards With New Meanings

This card/sticker comes from the Marvel Comic Book Heroes set released by Topps back in 1975. Something tells me its meaning has changed in the last three decades.

What more needs to be said?