Team Randomizer For The Ultimate Break

Here are the results of the team randomizer for the break coming up this tuesday, presented by Blowout Cards.

Video is above, I am sorry that it got cut off at the bottom. Thats my webcam for you. I didnt realize it was cut off until I already had posted the results, so it will have to stay. I am not participating in this break and I have no problem answering any questions if you have them. Full teams are all listed below, let me know via email if there is a problem. Trading will be allowed until tuesday at 2 PM PST, so be sure to post your offers in the comments below.

Reminder, each person gets the cards from the teams listed next to their name. You may trade or sell your team as long as you let me know some how.

Johnson Z (PAID) - Giants, Red Sox

Josh B(PAID) - Pirates, Athletics
Antonio S (PAID) - Orioles, Tigers
Hockey Town Cards (PAID) - Braves, Cubs
Arfmax (PAID) - Dodgers, Blue Jays
Aaron R (PAID) - Brewers, Yankees, Phillies, Rangers
Ryan W (PAID) - White Sox, Nationals
Jeremy K(PAID) - Rays, Twins
Joe M (PAID) - Astros, Rockies
Chris M (PAID) - Marlins,Padres
Mario Z (PAID) - Angels, Royals
Darkship (PAID) - Mets, D'backs
John S (PAID) - Cardinals, Reds
Michael R (PAID) - Indians, Mariners

How Long Before The Scams Look Perfect?

Its been close to six months since the fake rookie premiere autographs have swarmed the net, and I have to admit, its getting a little bit harder to tell which are fake and which are real. PSA has already taken to grading the fakes as real, which means that they A) cannot or will not disqualify a fake B) believe the actual cards to be real and C) dont care because they make money.

Thats not all.

Take a look at some of the Rookie Premieres that have already started popping up on the net. Adrian Peterson, a favorite target of these ass hats, has remained closer to fake than real, but Calvin Johnson is getting more closer to real than fake.

This is an early fake that looks like a 5 year old with a crayon.

This is a more recent fake that looks closer to real.

This one is real.

Notice the progression, things arent as obvious anymore. This situation is VERY bad, and it looks to be getting worse. Even the price has dropped considerably because no informed collector is willing to take a chance anymore. These used to sell for hundreds, now they can sell as low as 150.

The lesson is, if the autograph (compared side by side with a certified one) doesnt match up 100%, stay away. Look at tilt of the signature, start and stop points, and pen thickness. Also look at the rest of the sales, if there are a ton that are up, why believe that seller is the one guy who has sold 100 Peterson red inks in the last 30 days. Its just not feasible.

Remember, if you dont watch your own ass on these things, no one is going to do it for you. I am always happy to help with any questions you have.

This Is Beyond Cool

I love painted memorabilia. Jerseys, Canvases, whatever it may be, they all catch my eye whenever I see them on eBay. This one is a little bit different, because the Painted memorabilia is the floor Jordan played on while in Chicago.

Last year, Upper Deck purchased a good part of that United Center floor, and took six pieces to turn into art like this. Oh yeah, its signed by Jordan too.

I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I were a baller, I wish I had the money to buy this.

Via UD Blog

Ultimate Collection Boxes Have Been Ordered - Refunds Are Coming

To those of you who are participating in the break, the boxes have been ordered! We will be breaking early next week, and I have Chris and Pat over at Blowout to thank. They gave us a great price, as they usually do, and because of it, you will all be receiving a 5 dollar per slot refund to start. If there is more money left over, more money will be refunded.

Thanks to all that joined, and thanks again to Blowout Cards!

Fun With Topps National Chicle

This is going to be pretty simple. Im going to post a link to some of the cards from Chicle that were featured in the recent release, and then I am going to post the first thought that comes to mind. There are so many of these cards that made me laugh, I think its time to share the wealth.

Wes Welker has become a creature of the night.

Randy Moss' lips should be a new crayola crayon color.

Trent "the Situation" Edwards just heard that Jager-bombs are 3 bucks tonight.

Thomas Jones was constipated until right that second.

Ronnie Brown is still recovering from the Anvil dropped on his head.

Dallas Clark wishes his head transplant came with a helmet.

Kellen Winslow is tired of you macking on his girl. "Cmon bro. Seriously. Not cool."

Ray Lewis just realized he put on the wrong uniform.

Marshawn Lynch is so annoyed and tired of posing for this painting. Countdown to Beast Mode: 10 seconds.

This set is worth more laughs than an episode of SNL. I love it. Also, that buffalo in the background of the Marshawn Lynch card is my new mascot. Im naming her Bessie. Bessie the Buffalo. I mean, how did she get on the field? Am I right? Am I right?

For The Record, This Should Be Your Benchmark For 2009

This is what a REAL Vikings Head looks like. Take it, buy it, store it, whatever you want to do. Notice the size, stitching, all that stuff because for 2009 and 2009 only, this is what they look like. National treasures is too new for this to be fake, but hell, there is always a chance. At least this one has the makings of a real one.

Just an FYI.

SCU Breaks: 5 Boxes 2009 Ultimate Collection Baseball - FULL

Im sure you have all seen the ridiculous cards that are coming out of 2009 Ultimate Collection Baseball, and I want to give you guys a chance to get in on some of it without risking 100 bucks a box. This will be a 5 box break, standard rules, one slot equals two random teams. 15 slots at 36 bucks a pop to cover paypal fees and shipping supplies/cost. There is a limit of two slots per person, and your name will not be posted until you have sent paypal to the address.

Payments need to be sent to gellmana@gmail.com, and you will receive all cards from the teams you are randomly assigned. I will NOT be participating in this break, so there wont be any reason for me to scam you. Videos for random and break will be posted on the SCU youtube channel for your viewing pleasure. Slots are listed below, please allow me time to see your payment before sending me hate mail.

EDIT: I have been made aware of a lower price for the boxes than 96 a piece. I will refund money if that price is still available at the time of order. Dont worry, im not going to rob you.

1. John S (PAID)

2. Jeremy K(PAID)

3. Arfmax (PAID)

4. Josh B(PAID)

5. Mario Z (PAID)

6. Antonio S (PAID)

7. Johnson Z (PAID)

8. Ryan W (PAID)

9. Hockey Town Cards (PAID)

10. Michael R (PAID)

11. Darkship (PAID)

12. Joe M (PAID)

13. Chris M (PAID)

14. Aaron R (PAID)

15. Aaron R (PAID)

Here is product info via Blowout.

Good luck!

Topps National Chicle Is Live - Brutally Ugly

National Chicle has hit eBay, and this set is so ridiculously ugly that its actually pretty funny. I had to laugh at some of these cards, and I just cant understand why Topps would even think of doing this set. Maybe its just to dump old stickers.

Case and Point:

Mother of god.

Interesting Typos In National Treasures

National Treasures is entering its third day, and already some collectors have noticed a few things that just dont seem right. For some of the Rookie Material cards in the product, the swatches are actually labeled as "GAME WORN" when in reality these pieces come from jerseys worn at the rookie premiere. As has been the case for multiple years of this product, there are not enough available jerseys for the rookies to put in cards, which is confusing considering that so many of the cards are labeled wrong.

Basically, there is no way these are game worn, and they should not be purchased as such. This is a typo on the cards that may have added value for people who dont know any better, but for the informed, its a joke. These are the same exact cards as the ones in rookies and stars, gridiron gear, and limited, so dont think you need to rush out and buy the farm because it is labeled as game used.

Secondly, I love that the Laundry Tag cards in the "COLOSSAL" rookie materials subset feature swatches that are actually smaller than the regular swatches on the regular cards. Yes, yes, I get that they are laundry tags, but its still funny that Colossal is printed right next to the window in huge letters. Plus, im not sure who would even want one of these cards considering they look so weird with such a small window.

Yeah, its become pretty obvious that this year's product is a big step down from 2006-2008, and it is getting funnier by the minute.

This Card Is STILL 100% Fake

I posted earlier this week on the Peterson National Treasures Gold Auto that features an entire swatch with a Vikings head logo. The seller obviously has gotten quite a few emails because he is trying to pass this card off as real using an article that I FUCKING WROTE for Tuff Stuff. The auction was edited since my first post, and I am pissed that he is using my stuff to try to justify this abomination.

Here is my response.

Per NUMEROUS conversations I have had with ALL THREE FUCKING CARD COMPANIES, Peterson did not, I repeat, did not wear any of the old Vikings throwbacks at the premiere. He may have worn jerseys of other players in the new jersey style, but NO THROWBACKS. Based on that info, there is no possible way a swatch like this could be obtained, because the logo on the current jersey is much, much smaller than this one that covers the whole window.

This guy may not be the faker himself, but the card he is selling is fake. Next time he should maybe use proof from someone who isnt calling him out in the fucking first place.

National Treasures 1/1s Popping Up All Over The Place on Ebay

There are a bunch of cool looking 1/1s that are popping up on eBay, though some of them are not living up to the standards set by 2007 and 2008's. We know that the Robiskie 1/1 Logo Patch auto has been pulled on blowout, and now the Josh Freeman is up on eBay. In addition, there is also another Robiskie that is out of the colossal patch set with no auto, as well as a Moreno Tag Patch Logo 1-of-1, meaning there is many more logos in this product than there should be for the rookies. Funny enough, over a quarter of the "colossal" set has swatches that are smaller than the normal ones for the rest of the set.

In addition to the rookie logos being what they are, there are a few subsets that are well below the extremely low standards set by the 2009 set. Below, a 2008 Kevin Curtis 1/1 Logo patch is next to a Barry Sanders tag patch from 2009. They are both 1/1s from the same parallel of the base set, but one OBVIOUSLY looks a lot better. Ill give you a hint, its not the Sanders.

In the same vein of the jumbled messes that were the immortal patch autos out of 2009 Leaf Certified, these new 1/1s look like the 101 Freeway in LA during rush hour - busy as fucking hell. Rather than building on the simplistic awesomeness of the 2007 and 2008 1/1s, they have made the cards into a shitty version of Leaf Certified. Thank you Panini.

I Am Shocked By 2009 Ultimate Collection Baseball - Logos or No Logos

2009 Ultimate Collection Baseball has hit with a vengence and it is glorious so far. Not every box has been great, but many of them are seemingly packed with goodness. I have seen a few boxes broken, seen the boxes on blowout, and I am continually shocked by what is coming out of them. Jumbo patches with ridiculous swatches, great looking cards with on card signatures, and a seemingly blatant disregard for the logos that Topps paid so dearly for. I love it.

The best cards that have hit eBay are the amazing HOFer jersey and autos, but they arent the only ones that look shocking. There have been just as many cards of current stars that are making collectors salivate, from a product that has actually been pretty uneventful over the last few years.

I have said on a few occasions that Ultimate Collection is the one product, hobby wide, that could greatly benefit from a revamp. It costs a bunch for what you get, the cards arent THAT cool, and there is only one hit per box. Your one hit used to be something like this, but now it is something like this.

I guess Upper Deck has found some sort of loophole in the licensing because there sure are a lot of things on these cards that shouldnt be there. That means they are either A) giving the middle finger to Topps, B) filing this under the 2009 Product calendar, or C) really stupid.

We should find out pretty soon.

Has The Upper Deck Lawsuit Been Settled Already?

Earlier, I got an email from a reader who's source told him that the jury was dismissed today from the trial to decide damages on the Upper Deck vs. Konami Lawsuit. As we have found out, the hearing was scheduled to start today, but it looks as if the two sides have settled on a price. On January 13, a judge decided that UD was at fault for their negligent handling of the counterfeit Yu-gi-oh cards, which led to a lot of commentary on this site and others. Today, the hearing to weigh the extent of the damages was supposed to start, but it looks like Konami got what they wanted before there was a trial.

I said before that UD deserved what was coming to them after McWilliam confessed to shredding the fakes in his office, an action I think says a lot about the company. Im guessing that the settlement amount was a lot, but we will surely never hear a number that is more than speculation.

There is surely more to come, and I will have it when it does.

EDIT: This story has now been confirmed, a big thank you to my source for the early heads up!

The First 2009 National Treasures Cut Auto Hits Ebay

The first one is up, and there are many more to come at one per case or whatever. Although it isnt as bad as the UD Black ones, the card companies are showing that they still havent mastered the picture-less cut auto. Ill be posting updates as they come.

It actually kind of makes me think that with all the different cuts that are released, that they are just too expensive to produce with Logos and or Player pics. At least give me some kind of football likeness, not just a "here it is, go ahead and love it" attitude.

On these cards, there is rarely any indication that its a person related to the game of football. Its just a border on a piece of signed paper, and I am not feeling it.

2009 National Treasures Is Live, Threads-y

Its Tuesday, and that means that 2009 National Treasures is hitting eBay. I have voiced my disapproval of the direction that this set has taken, and it is becoming that much more apparent now that more cards are hitting eBay. This product used to be about great looking cards with an old fashioned focus, all of which has changed to an overpriced version of Donruss Threads and Rookies and Stars.

Back in 2006, NT was DLP's answer to Exquisite Collection's massive success, but now it is put out only to continue the tradition of super high end. In my opinion, with the way that Upper Deck runs Exquisite (all on card, lots of autos, continuity of the main parts of the set, etc) National Treasures has actually become more of a competitor with SPA in terms of value. Collectors expect new ridiculous things out of Exquisite, they just expect National Treasures to be there every year. Oddly enough, National Treasures' biggest problem is that it has yet to employ the practices it needs to on the high end autograph front. This is pretty much the main factor behind its lack of competition, with design now added into it. With UD featuring as many on card sets as it does, NT hassnt been able to live up to the hype. In a 2006 world where everything was stickers, it was different, but now, UD has set the bar too high for them to reach in that respect. Hell, UD even managed to get on card stuff into the lower end of things with Philadelphia and UD Draft, and that is in boxes that don’t include 400 dollar price tags.

The way that DLP always competed for business with its high end was in the design it used for the product. It hearkened back to the mahogany and painted feel of an antique item, focusing more on the history of the game than the rookies. Rookies were a part of it, but the focus was on the "treasures" of football. In 2007, things started to move away from that, while still keeping the soul of the 2006 product. In 2008, the design was still very good looking, and featured a lot of tributes to the original set. In 2009, all is out the window, and it looks more like an overpriced versions of the lower end sets that DLP puts out every year - minus the foil board.

Don’t get me wrong, the Rookie Auto Patch cards don’t look bad outside of the bubbled on card sigs, but the rest of the set might as well have been National Gridiron Gear or National Rookies and Stars. Instead of focusing on the parts that made the previous sets great, they focused on the rookies and cheap ways to say that NT features on card sigs, when really 90% of it is stickers in a 400 dollar product.

They may think that they can blind us with jumbo logo patches of the 2009 rookies, but even the JCs are not fooled by cards that normally made them salivate in previous years. This years National Treasures is a horrible attempt at an overhaul, and you can bet that things will need fixing if Panini expects to stay in the deep end of the super high end pool.