Another DAMN Fukudome Gimmick

Fellow Blogger Cardboard Mania discovered yet another Fukudome "gimmick" card today that's all the rage on the 'bay (that is if people have stopped paying outrageous amounts of money for Michael Phelps cards).

Here's the thing: more than likely this was a production error rather than something that Topps did deliberately.

The fact that there is no autograph sticker, and there is no corresponding sticker on the back makes it appear to be an error to me.

Of course if it were any other player than Fukudome, you wouldn't think twice, but with the blogosphere going apeshit over Topps shenanagins for the last couple of years, one might think it was deliberate.

I'm going to do a bit of research and try to contact Topps for an official response. I've already sent an email to their customer service, but I'll follow that up in a couple days with a phone call.


In all honesty, even if it's a gimmick, I don't really care, and it doesn't really bother me. Sure, Topps has done some really boneheaded moves lately, and they appear to be in a bad position with some of their other products (WizKids, the gaming company they purchased some time ago just laid off 90% of their staff), and some of their upcoming product looks just hideous, however, this particular card doesn't seem to me to be anything more than a massive screw up.

Of course, I could be really wrong, and it's all deliberate. In that case, shame on Topps.