Random Pack Breaks: 2008 Upper Deck Spectrum

Other than a couple of one-time celebrity autographs and a couple of Canadians I've received in trades, I hadn't touched a pack of Upper Deck Spectrum until a recent re-pack. I'll tear in and share my thoughts afterward.

22. Jermaine Dye, White Sox

82. Tim Linecum, Giants

23. Jim Thome, White Sox

Yankee Stadium Legacy 143. Herb Pennock

Yuck. They might be shiny, but definitely not in a good way.The blue and the smoky blacks just aren't doing it for me. It's all kind of stuck in the in-between of low end and high end (simply because it shines). The design looks like something out of SPx, another brand that appears dead.

I know I've only busted one pack, but Costco only gives me a little paper cup of ground pork and potato salad to make my decision on whether to buy or not. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't piss away $80-100 on this stuff when it came out last year.

The celebrity autograph gimmick is what sets this brand apart. I say if Upper Deck's going to continue it, do so but combine it with Piece of History and merge the two crappy brands into one, bringing over it's great idea but horribly executed movie costume cards.

The Yankees' Class Struggle

Mark Teixeira is apparently a Yankee. Eight years, $180 million.

In the past I've rooted against the Yankees but never hated them. Now I do. For a team that demands their players carry a certain image, wear their hair a certain length, etc. the Yankees as an organization are not showing a lot of class for baseball and professional sports in general.

It's plain to see that the Yankees front office is doing whatever they can to make sure their franchise is a contender next year. Whatever the expense. It's an important year, with the new stadium and all. They've got the revenue streams so why not spend it? I get all that, but it still disgusts me.

In a time when other teams are buckling down and preparing for tough economic times, the Yankees are going through as much cash as they are toilet paper. In the last week they've commited more than $400 million to three players. The signing of Teixeira comes one day after it was announced they owed $26.9 million in luxury taxes. The Florida Marlin's entire payroll was less than that.

Sorry to all those Yankees fans out there. I've joined the nation of haters. It's not a jealousy thing. It's all about class. The guy below, he was classy.

Industry Interview: Brian Kong, Sketch Card Artist

With 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights Baseball now live, collectors are starting to uncover the first sketch cards the product has to offer. Many of the auction sellers that I've seen seem to be setting their expectations a little on the high side. Okay, a lot on the high side. Nonetheless, there's some great art out there.

Interestingly, I've noticed that many of the sketch cards are carrying the Stadium Club design and even state they were pulled from 2008 Stadium Club Baseball on the back. I wonder if that means that presales for the revamped line are on the low end, thus leaving a bunch of extra sketch cards to be inserted. So why not throw them in the Updates mix and make things a little more confusing.

Enough of the critiquing already. Let's get on with the interview. Brian Kong has been working in baseball for several years creating comics for teams and stadium giveaways. He's also been lending his talents to several non-sport sets for sketch cards. Meld the two and you have one of the artists in Topps' second foray into sketch cards.

Like the Rich A. Molinelli interview from earlier in the week, I submitted the questions via email and Kong graciously took the time to provide some industry insights in his area of expertise. If you'd like to learn more about him, see more samples of his work or request a commission, you can check out his website at http://www.briankong.com.


What drew you into illustration as a professional? (no pun intended)

Well, as long as I can remember I was always doodling when I was a kid - especially the Peanuts characters. As I got a little older, I was really into comics and tried to draw like my favorite artists (George Perez and John Byrne ). I'd staple together a bunch of paper and make my own comic books and took blank card board and draw my own baseball cards. So I guess I really knew what I'd be doing in the future, lol.

How would you describe your style?

I guess I would say a cross between comic book and realism. I have many influences from the comic book industry and I believe that comes though a little bit when I work a property that requires likenesses such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Heroes.

How did you get started with sketch cards?

After working in comics and advertising I started noticing more and more companies doing sketch cards for the non-sport properties. Cool ones like Star Wars , LOTR , Wizard of Oz...I figured it would be fun to work on these properties and started contacting the manufacturers and was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work on the WOZ set for Breygent.

What were your experiences with sports art prior to the upcoming Topps baseball sets?

I'm a huge baseball fan so I was always drawing portraits of players and get them signed by them at games and signings (since my teens) In 2001, I started drawing "Custom Comics" for several MLB teams such as the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Rangers, Indians and Mariners. These were given away at stadiums to kids and featured the players as superheroes. I also went on to work on a few books for NBA teams [such as the] Mavericks and Heat.

What sorts of references did you use to select the images for Topps' upcoming baseball sets?

Topps provided the artist with photos to work off of and being a fan I have tons of cards and photos myself.

Did you use any "famous" photos or old cards as references?

I did do a couple of  famous cards such as Roberto Clemente & Greg Maddux (87 wood boarder). Those were a few of my favorites and I thought collectors would like them. I wish I had time to do more.

Do you have any favourite players to work on? If so, do these correspond with your favourite teams and players?

I'm a big time Yankees fan and always drew Mattingly portraits growing up. I did do a bunch of Yankees but I realize not everyone are Yankees fans so I tried to give a really good mixture of current and vintage players from as many teams as I could as well as classic moments and rookies.

From the Topps sketches you did, do you have any favourites collectors might want to look for?

It's tough. I had so much fun working on these sets and really went all out on all the cards all across the board. But I really liked a Robinson Cano portrait I did for Updates.

How is working on baseball sketch cards different from your work in non-sports? Do you consider it any harder or easier?

I wouldn't really say one is harder or easier than the other since I've been fortunate enough to work on properties I like. The difference is that baseball players aren't wearing any crazy armor or costumes with details, but their logos can be tedious.

What sorts of limitations did you have on what players you could select? Poses?

There really weren't any limitations on poses, just as long as it was in good taste...I didn't draw any players "adjusting"  themselves, lol. [Editor's note: Thank you!]

What kind of a response are you hoping to get from sports card collectors as they begin to get their first sketch cards?

Being a collector myself, I know the feeling of cracking open a pack and pulling an insert. It is something new and since it is an "original" piece of art combined with the "one-of-one" factor I think that collectors will really appreciate them.

Can collectors contact you for commissions? If so, what is the cost?

I'm available for commission work, depending on my deadlines. I offer personal sketch cards (my own 16pt. /glossy back trading card stock) as well as bigger sizes. Prices vary so [collectors] can contact me through my website www.briankong.com.

Are you going to make your Topps returns available? If so, how?
Yes, our artist proofs/ returns....for those not familiar...Topps lets the artist keep some cards as part of our compensation that we can sell on the secondary market once the sets are released. In the  non-sports community these usually command even more then the pack-inserted cards.Collectors can contact me at bckongart@gmail.com  , some may also pop up on Ebay, my art rep
 http://www.serendipityartsales.net/kong.html and I do a lot of conventions/shows and often have my cards for sale there.

Finished the Yankee Stadium Legacy Set? Didn't Think So. But If You Do...

From the files of "Why Didn't They Announce This Back in April?", Upper Deck has announced that the first five people to complete the 6,661 Yankee Stadium Legacy set that spanned several brands will win a meet-and-greet with Derek Jeter at the new Yankee Stadium next season.

Upon completing the mammoth set, collectors will have to have it verified by Upper Deck in order to qualify for the grand prize.

In the announcement, UD also revealed plans for an update set for the Yankee Stadium Legacy set that covers the 2008 season. The set will be presented to the five winners. Additionally it will be inserted into packs of 2009 Upper Deck Series 1 Baseball next February.

Here's how you can validate your Yankee Stadium Legacy set:

1. Contact Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s hobby marketing manager at (702)633-0775 or chris_carlin@upperdeck.com to officially submit your claim. All claims must include a photograph or video of the collection.
2. Once the claim has been officially submitted and ranked in the order it was received, the collector will have 7 days to ship the set and provide corresponding tracking information.
3. After receiving the set, Upper Deck will validate the collection within 5 business days, and immediately notify its sender.
4. Upper Deck will hold the complete sets until all five winners have been validated and notified.

But seriously, if this announcement was made back in April when the mega-set was first being released, don't you think it would have created some additional buzz? I'll bet there's a few or ten who were sitting on the fence about chasing this set and maybe this is what would have pushed them over the edge as far as collecting it goes.

Also, how the heck are the potential winners going to ship these things? Have fun because I'm about 6,656 cards short of the set.

The Pope Get Gintered eTopps Style

Although I'm not a Catholic, there's something cool about seeing the Pope on a baseball card - and a shiny one at that. Pope Benedict will be one of the ten cards featured in the eTopps Allen & Ginter Yankee Stadium Tribute set, which will be offered for sale next week.



The ten-card set will be done in the holographic Allen & Ginter design that has been used in past eTopps sets. Topps will also be including a manufactured patch card. Initially cards will only be offered as a complete set costing $99. Once allocated, cards will only be available individually through eBay.



I'm not sure if I'm going to take the plunge and get one of the sets, although the Lou Gehrig is one of the nicest cards I've seen and the Ruth and Jackie Robinsons (it's a Yankee STADIUM set, not just Yankees) also look sweet.



Is it just me or is it already Yankee Stadium overkill? The park's not even closed yet and you've got the 6600-card monster from Upper Deck, this set and likely countless others on the way. By the end of next year my guess is anyone who wants one or twenty Yankee Stadium seat "relic cards" will be able to have them. The rest of us will still hate the Yankees.



If you're not familiar with the way eTopps works, you may want to check out their site. Basically you buy the cards and can choose to have them held on their site and trade them like stocks or you can have them delivered and they're just like regular cards (that's the route I normally take).



eTopps will also be offering a discounted shipping special for the first two weeks after allocation. For $9.99 you get the set shipped as a box set and all the cards get the same serial numbers.