tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226543561441753092011-07-18T22:46:21.585-07:00Sports Cards UncensoredA blog that doesnt pull any punches when discussing this cutthroat industry.Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.comBlogger16501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-59432438727004469282010-09-01T06:04:00.000-07:002010-09-01T06:24:00.148-07:00The only "REAL" Peterson Viking Head From Exquisite Is Up On EbayI have talked endlessly about the fakes that have plagued this industry. ENDLESSLY. Every time a set like Exquisite, SP Authentic or National Treasures is released, the lurking douchebags crawl out of their caves and start destroying the cards. It has now become easier for them to pass off their wares because so many of the high end products use premium patches so frequently. Despite this recent Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-45224859426511096992010-08-31T07:35:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:36:30.389-07:00Upper Deck Gets Slapped With ANOTHER LawsuitAs much as I absolutely love what Upper Deck does in terms of design and production, they continue to surprise me with the way they approach their business dealings. Yesterday TMZ reported that HOFer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is suing Upper Deck in an amount GREATER than 1 million dollars in regards to the use of his name, picture and autograph in one of their latest releases. According to the always Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-40990907290023228172010-08-30T07:44:00.001-07:002010-08-30T07:45:30.643-07:00Pumping Some Iron Into the Gridiron GiveawayWe all love free shit. Its part of human nature. If you bought any Topps Football over the last few days, you know all about the Gridiron Giveaway, the sister program to its immensely successful baseball counterpart. If you havent heard about it, things are pretty simple. Redemption codes are inserted into most of the Topps Flagship products, both retail and hobby, for collectors to input online Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-62791334263791741682010-08-30T06:45:00.000-07:002010-08-30T06:49:37.442-07:00Beware the Hype DemonIf you havent heard about Strasburg, you have probably been marooned in the Swiss Alps with no internet or have been held against your will in a bunker somewhere. Im not going to discuss the merits of his injury, but I do want to touch on how this lesson factors into the buying habits of the general collecting public. See, the hype machine has become a ridiculous tornado of cash surrounding a fewGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-59013251200046124772010-08-27T16:10:00.000-07:002010-08-27T16:15:58.669-07:00SCU BREAKS: 2010 Topps Football JumboStopped by Sports Cards Plus here in San Antonio to pick up my pre-ordered box, and I must say that I got pretty lucky with the results of my break. Not the GREATEST players, but still pretty nice to pull a 1/1 or 1/4 depending on how you look at it. Here are the results...Autos:Mike Kafka RPA Auto 6/90Dexter McClusterJames DavisOther Hits:Frank Gore 1/1 Magenta Printing PlateCJ Spiller Jumbo Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-15797660007698744172010-08-26T07:15:00.000-07:002010-08-26T07:16:18.101-07:00Examining Rarity in 2010 Topps FootballNow that Topps is out, I think its time to go over a few observations I have had, especially in regards to the rarity of a few different cards. Topps notoriously sells well the first few weeks when all the set collectors bounce off the walls trying to complete a master set, but after that it’s a crap shoot. One part of the product's slate that always sells well is the rare cards, and I think I Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-34022760431755554002010-08-25T05:57:00.000-07:002010-08-25T06:36:13.912-07:00My Initial Thoughts On 2010 Topps FootballWhen I first started to get into football cards, I could never understand why anyone would buy regular Topps when Chrome was SOOOOO much better. Well, Topps took this type of feeling to heart when they started to build on their flagship set, and this year is one of the most ridiculous Topps sets ever to be produced. Like with 2010 Allen and Ginter baseball, Topps incorporated well thought out Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-82621651134620846732010-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:002010-08-24T10:08:52.187-07:002010 Topps Is Live, Reports Are Still EarlyTopps is live on eBay, even though many of the cards are base offerings from the retail version of the product. However, this Sam Bradford auto/jersey just showed up on ebay, and it looks to be of the hobby variety. So far, I think that the "Peak Performance" autos look pretty good for a low end subset, and I will definitely appreciate them much more than the "Career Best" ones for rookies that Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-91852526884043374392010-08-24T06:39:00.001-07:002010-08-24T06:55:42.361-07:00I Fear the Effects of an NFL LockoutThis season is very important for a lot of reasons, some more than others. One of the most important implications of the 2010 year is the labor negotiations that are looming over the games like a dark cloud. 2010 is the last year of play that can happen under the current NFL collective bargaining agreement, and 2011 may be headed for a lockout due to how far apart the sides are on a new one. For Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-69712262440820957202010-08-23T07:18:00.000-07:002010-08-23T07:29:39.892-07:00Does the Fake Patch Solution ALREADY EXIST?!?When we look at the problems facing the hobby, one could easily cite Beckett, collecting tendencies, or lack of visual appeal in recent card designs as main problems. However, fakes and the prevelance of the fake patches in cards is definitely at or near the top of this list, without question. I have championed different ideas of how to combat fakes in this hobby, whether it’s a national photo Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-39920634494042870982010-08-23T06:33:00.001-07:002010-08-23T06:42:27.009-07:002010 Topps Football is Live, But Only Some of the Rookies Get the Pro Photo TreatmentWhen I saw that 2010 Topps Football had hit retail shelves, I was extremely excited to have the chance to see what the rookie cards looked like before the hobby boxes hit shelves later this week. When I actually sat down and looked at some of the cards that were showing up on eBay, some looked to be everything I didn’t want in a card. Others, on the other hand, were great, but seemed to feature aGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-68817670064495345062010-08-21T13:05:00.000-07:002010-08-21T13:38:38.564-07:00My Surprising Flea Market ExperienceToday was an interesting day. My wife got a tip from a friend that we needed to check out the Texas flea market scene if we want to walk around somewhere and get outside. Naturally, she wanted to go on one of the hottest days of the year, but I relented under the fact that I figured there wasnt much else to do. We ended up at two different places that were close together, and I ended up with two Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-75177954323874507522010-08-20T06:06:00.000-07:002010-08-20T06:10:57.642-07:002010 Panini Crown Royale Confuses MeThere is one question I have been asking lately, and that is in regards where the Panini design team has been hiding. They obviously havent been designing good looking cards, so I was curious if they even actually existed. Well, I think I found the answer. They have been holed up trying to complete the design for Crown Royale football, a new product in the Panini line. Not that the cards are evenGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-71049296994759104082010-08-19T10:02:00.000-07:002010-08-19T10:15:53.959-07:00Looking at 2010 Famous Fabrics and the Stephen Strasburg 1/1 Hat LogoTo me, Famous Fabrics is completely out of left field. No player pictures, no team names, no license, nothing. I think it stands for everything that is wrong with cards today, focusing more on the relics and the memorabilia parts of a card than the design of the card itelf. Honestly, its a little different in this situation because the cards are forced into this predicament, so they are obviouslyGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-65617428461153905612010-08-19T08:12:00.000-07:002010-08-19T09:05:42.496-07:00Topps Magic is Back, New, and Seemingly ImprovedI hated Topps Magic in 2008, mainly due to the fact that it was a complete sticker dump. Aside from being all college jerseys, the cards themselves featured weird painted artwork, and it looked like it was just another retro product for retro product's sake. Obviously, a set composed of college jerseys isnt possible this year, but that doesnt mean Topps doesnt have a ace or two up their Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-84869431547333434052010-08-19T07:15:00.001-07:002010-08-19T07:17:11.586-07:00Ruminations on Hobby Life: Part IIIA few weeks ago, I posted my first two volumes of Ruminations on Hobby Life, an exercise in observation that was pretty fun for me. It took me a while to get some other ideas of what to do, so this has been a long time in the works. For those of you unfamiliar, I took this idea from a funny site (Ruminations.com) where people post their observations on daily life. Although mine are far from that Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-47011759266382578772010-08-18T20:23:00.000-07:002010-08-18T21:01:36.082-07:00When it Comes to Rookies & Stars, Save Your MoneyThe upcoming Panini release calendar is packed with products. Threads, Absolute, Certified, Limited, they are all on the way, and are all sets that are not new additions to the slate. Panini uses this part of the calendar to bank on previous years' success, mostly with a tried and true formula of a mid range price point and 3-4 hits per box. Rookies & Stars is beginning of the products I have Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-48350686725154871412010-08-18T07:52:00.001-07:002010-08-18T07:53:18.000-07:00Topps Accomplishes More With Two Products Than Others Do In A Whole YearI get criticized a lot for being overly negative, especially when it comes to upcoming products. However, with two of my favorite sets of the year on the horizon, I can tell you my level of excitement is unparalleled. With the two products that now compose the low end part of Topps' football calendar, Chrome and Flagship, its like they are playing on a different level. Topps Flagship is being Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-47285625387920203352010-08-17T11:03:00.001-07:002010-08-17T11:09:57.959-07:002010 Panini Certified Looks Worse Than Anything YetLeaf Certified Materials, now Panini Certified has been around forever. The Fabric of the Game subset has produced some amazing cards across the span of the product's existence, and it is usually a celebrated part of the football calendar. Over the last few years, Certified has gone from a celebrated product to "meh" to absolutely terrible, and this year's set may be the worst thing I have ever Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-3970577651328785782010-08-17T06:28:00.001-07:002010-08-18T06:02:20.965-07:00Fake Peterson Logo Back Up On EbayWhen 2009 Ultimate Football came out, I was very excited for a number of the cards in the set. None more so than the Ultimate Patch Auto cards, which were beyond awesome. The Adrian Peterson from the set was one of the cards I HAD to have from the product and I set out to buy one as soon as I could. The first one that was posted was a blurry picture but still good enough to bid on. Not willing toGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-21141612353817999762010-08-16T11:12:00.000-07:002010-08-16T11:45:17.486-07:002010 Bowman Sterling Is Cringeworthy, Golden Rule Still in EffectJust when you think Topps has finally started to put the right foot forward, they take three steps back. I really don’t get what it is that Topps cannot see about their high end products, but the stuff is just horrible. I cant even tell you how tired I am of seeing the same stupid ideas product after product, year after year. Seriously, I am wondering if one group of people designs the low end Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-34531100620863698102010-08-16T07:35:00.000-07:002010-08-16T07:36:57.925-07:00Its Rare That Fakes Generate This Kind Of MoneyFake patches have become sort of a good/bad situation these days. Obvious ones rarely generate much money, and the less obvious ones generate tons. Because of the way fake patches have been covered on the message boards, blogs and other non-mainstream hobby media, collectors have been able to avoid some of the pitfalls that once plagued them. However, based upon recent auction completions, im notGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-28349369325228234362010-08-16T06:45:00.000-07:002010-08-16T06:48:42.544-07:00Be Careful When Evaluating Pre-Season PlayIm excited that football is back. It was a practical barren wasteland of summer for me without it, and I must admit that I even watched part of the Hall of Fame game to get myself hyped up for the season. Fantasy is getting going too, and the SCU league is back with many of the same people who played last year. The one thing I see, is that with the start of the preseason, comes unnecessary hype Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-72563222276366932892010-08-13T09:18:00.001-07:002010-08-13T09:54:37.620-07:00Wait Wait Wait. Topps Prime Actually Looks Good?The golden rule of Topps is that you don’t buy their products that cost more than 100 bucks a box. That’s bottom line, and I RARELY break that rule. The new Topps Prime cards fall just within reason, and to tell you all the truth, they don’t look that horrible. It looks like Topps may have finally pulled their designer's heads out of their asses when creating new products, and this could be Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-84708682756889911922010-08-13T07:11:00.000-07:002010-08-13T07:22:03.711-07:00Handicapping the 2010 ROY PossibilitiesWith each new rookie class, a new opportunity arises for them to become NFL superstars. They could end up like Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson, widely considered to be the best at their position in the league, or they could end up washed out like failure Jamarcus Russel. Although there is definitely a middle ground, the rookie year production for most of the 2010 class will boost or destroy Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-43325393390101058042010-08-12T11:56:00.000-07:002010-08-12T11:57:32.661-07:00What We Can Learn From Unlikely SourcesI don’t think I speak with someone these days and don’t get the feeling that the card industry is playing on borrowed time. In general, people people have a negative opinion over where sports cards are going as a whole, myself being one of the neysayers. To me, its obvious that certain parts of the hobby are becoming disinterested with the products being released, and even more people are Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-85640106759031983532010-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:002010-08-11T08:31:39.976-07:00Another Reason to Hate Panini - Peyton Manning Signs the First NFL Exclusive DealUPDATE: According to an alternate source MANNING IS NOT EXCLUSIVE FOR AUTOGRAPHS, just for packaging. Rovell was mistaken. Jason has forwarded me the official release, and it looks like Manning is just their new "Trading Card Ambassador."This is bad, and I didn’t even think it was allowed actually. From what I am getting, it seems as though Panini has secured the first exclusive license to a Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-89043568373386833852010-08-10T07:56:00.000-07:002010-08-10T07:57:33.095-07:00Examining the Good With the BadIn the past, I have done a five on five about the hobby, or a discussion of a few good things and a few bad things that I believe are relevant observations about what is currently going on. Since things have changed so much, even in the last few months, I think it bears a redux and re-evaluation. Five Things That Are Great1. CommunitySince 2007, the online card community has become a staple of Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-3825385883505319072010-08-09T13:14:00.000-07:002010-08-09T13:15:38.160-07:00SCU BREAKS: Classics Cards Going Out Soon!Guys, I am in the process of packaging the cards to be sent out this week. Because of all the base cards and stuff, it is taking me longer than normal. Please bear with me and they should be in your mailboxes shortly!Thanks for your patience!Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-41526102121289578322010-08-09T08:59:00.000-07:002010-08-09T09:00:04.812-07:00The National Card Show: New Directions?Comic Con in San Diego is covered world wide as one of the biggest events of the year, not only for comics, but for entertainment. Its become a spectacle because every TV show, Movie and Book that has the littlest connection with Science Fiction sends its entire cast for a panel. Because Comic Con has the ability to launch a new item more than any other outlet, everyone has embraced it as the wayGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-60200568750597781142010-08-07T19:13:00.001-07:002010-08-07T19:32:06.606-07:00NJD2525 Hits All The Douchebaggery High NotesIts one thing to sell fake autos. Its another thing to sell fake patches. Its completely different when you do both and are absolutely fucking terrible at it. NJD2525 has been called out on Blowout, and after reviewing some of the ridiculous fakes he has for sale, I dont even know what to say. He makes Ufjumper look like Picasso. I swear to god. He is TURRABLE.Lets review some of his wonderous Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-68325166356901709632010-08-06T09:58:00.000-07:002010-08-06T10:01:17.641-07:00PSA Makes Me SickJust Sayin'.How can any card grader put their slab on this card? Completely fucking ridiculous. PSA should be a prime target for the feds, if they arent already.h/t SCFGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-82886732023365319082010-08-06T09:34:00.000-07:002010-08-06T09:37:35.455-07:00Take One Out, Another Takes Its Place - Avoid khartinla4gnd AT ALL COSTSUfjumper may be out of the picture for right now, but that doesn’t mean that others arent in line to take his place. Over on FCB there is a debate over a few Triple Threads cards for sale by khartinla4gnd, mainly that these cards are worth spending astronomical amounts of money on, despite the questions of authenticity. Personally, even if I liked Triple Threads in the slightest, I wouldn’t touchGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-30536579469116854892010-08-06T06:57:00.000-07:002010-08-06T06:59:17.719-07:00What the Fed's Presence Says About Fakes and the HobbyWhen it comes to fake anything in this hobby, I get fired up. Fake autos, fake cards, fake patches, they all make my blood boil to a point that I refuse to sit idly by while the douchebags out there try to take advantage of people who don’t know any better. The last (and final) time I went to a show, it got to a point where I had words with at least two of the dealers at the show because their Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-23562328049617264162010-08-05T19:53:00.000-07:002010-08-05T19:59:47.283-07:00The National Card Show: Strasburg Heritage Hitting EbayIf there is one thing that I expected to be extremely popular at this show, it was the Strasburg Heritage giveaway numbered to 999. Because it comes from a popular set and it is numbered, I expected it to be MORE than well worth the time of the collectors who waited up to a few hours in line to get it. Color me surprised that they are selling this low.Other than the Strasburgs, the national card Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-91854424025292574352010-08-05T07:30:00.000-07:002010-08-05T08:53:17.851-07:00The National Card Show: Day 1 Reports and NewsThe National delivered a few surprises yesterday, as expected. Unfortunately, most of the suprises were underwhelming at best, and yet were blown up like it was an earth shattering annoucement. Thus is the nature of the almighty NSCC, I guess, so here are some recaps about what was happening in Baltimore for opening night.I think the biggest "news" was the annoucement that Brian Gray has bought Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-6903574672519638902010-08-04T08:54:00.000-07:002010-08-04T08:58:46.819-07:00The National Card Show: What To See and Where to GoThe National Sports Card Convention starts today for the people who purchased the VIP pass, and for those who are lucky enough to attend, they will experience an concentrated blast of sports cards unlike any other. Because there is so much going on, its likely that the casual attendees will not get to experience everything, so here is the information I have gathered as the must see parts of the Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-8031072407770752292010-08-03T17:05:00.001-07:002010-08-05T19:50:55.333-07:00SCU Breaks: 2 Boxes 2010 Panini Classics - Presented By Blowout CardsI just got done breaking the boxes, luckily Noah was cooperative during the filming. Because I filmed in HD, the videos are going to take a very long while to upload to Youtube, but they should be up by the end of tonight. We didnt have the best luck this time around, but that is the nature of the beast with Classics. We did pull one SP autograph and two patches, but the players on those cards Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-91880392209427111592010-08-03T06:10:00.000-07:002010-08-03T06:12:00.799-07:00The National Card Show: Strasburg Sells For A Great CauseI have said that spending money on Strasburg right now is like throwing it down the drain. However, for this one particular instance, I fully support the person that paid an astronomical amount for the Topps National Card Show giveaway. The reason is pretty simple, as the person who was auctioning off the Heritage Strasburg number 1/999 is donating 100% of the proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-21191792583670388762010-08-02T12:41:00.000-07:002010-08-02T13:53:19.955-07:00Bing Discount May Be Gone, But Free Cash Back Is Still AroundThe days of the 30% cash back that Bing offered for shopping online are gone, but there are definitely ways to get cash back regardless. I have stumbled on a few, and have used them to my advantage when buying online, including on eBay - very much like previous exploits through Bing.Here are some of my favorites:Ebay Bucks - I love eBay bucks because its automatic. The problem is, you have to be Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-40553598973812323392010-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:002010-08-02T12:32:53.998-07:00The National Card Show: Things Are Coming Together NicelyWith the National Card Show right around the corner, things are starting to take shape, and in some cases, are already being set up. Blowout cards posted pictures on their forums of the set up of the massive booth at the show, and from the looks of it, things should be as great as they were last year over in Blowout Land. I have said before that going to shows these days is pretty much worthless Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-61296057417653040332010-08-01T19:28:00.000-07:002010-08-01T20:00:54.739-07:00Cut Autos for the Sake of Cut AutosI have never been someone who likes cut autographs, especially ones that have been created in the last few years. I completely understand the necessity of having cuts in a lot of the cases in which they are used, but it seems like the companies are losing sight of what makes them awesome. It used to be that pulling a cut auto was like hitting a cardboard meal ticket in every way, where now, some Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-60687495691785491322010-07-31T11:43:00.002-07:002010-07-31T11:53:25.971-07:00SMALL AND POSSIBLY TEMPORARY VICTORY: Ufjumper7 NARU'ed from Ebay!I got an email today from Paul and Brian, readers who had seen my posts on Ufjumper and started working with the FBI and eBay to get him banned from the site and possibly arrested. Ever since Operation bullpen, the FBI has taken an interest in the selling of fraudulent items in sports memorabilia, and it looks like their work, and the work of other readers who have also emailed me, has come to Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-38298140400156677962010-07-30T18:37:00.000-07:002010-07-31T15:54:29.759-07:00Team Randomizer - 2010 Panini ClassicsHere is the results of the randomizer for the upcoming break. Trading and selling allowed until noon central on tuesday. Please trade in the comments here.James R (PAID) - saints, niners, broncosChris C(PAID) - colts, eagles, steelers, patriotsJeremy K (PAID) - redskins, bengalsAndrew A (PAID) - cowboys, giants, ravens, cardinalsJohn S. (PAID) - raiders, brownsLucy D (PAID) - Packers, chiefs, Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-35894089902956808902010-07-30T06:10:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:16:37.730-07:00More Discussion on Loaded BoxesThe existence of loaded boxes in the industry is not in question, and it never has been. Yet, after some rousing discussion on Twitter yesterday, things got a little bit more interesting in regards to whether or not we know the full story about them. I know I have always wanted an admission of guilt regarding the free boxes that are sent to Beckett and many of the blogs, but I have always just Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-79497297485152555752010-07-29T20:33:00.001-07:002010-07-29T20:45:36.840-07:00The National Card Show Is Going To Be A Lot Douchier Thanks to Ufjumper7I just got an interesting email in my box from Zach, a guy who unfortunately purchased the extremely fake Pujols Topps patch (confirmed fake by Topps) from Ufjumper a week or two ago. After getting emails from a number of eBay users talking about the fakes that this douche sells on a normal basis, he started doing some research and found the original card that was faked - #4/20. He also found Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-12152995800871179162010-07-29T15:19:00.001-07:002010-07-29T15:21:06.148-07:00Topps Unrivaled Football Preview Is Just Like The RestTopps released info on a new set for 2010 this year, and all I can think about is how it is same shit different day. I have always said that the golden rule of Topps is that all mid to high end products should be ignored, because in most cases, Topps shows that they are incapable of designing a product that actually looks good. Although they believe they can trick the type of collectors who don’tGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-36860304024410374652010-07-29T10:20:00.000-07:002010-07-29T14:25:53.930-07:00SCU BREAKS: 2010 Panini Classics Football Presented By Blowout CardsClassics may have been a disappointment so far, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to take advantage of it. I want to offer a group break of 2 boxes of Classics that you all can get into for less than the cost of three packs.Here is the way this is going to go down. $13.50 buys you one slot of two random teams in the break. For those two teams, which will be assigned via random.com, you will Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-65492568819322457332010-07-29T05:59:00.000-07:002010-07-29T06:03:20.762-07:00Beckett's Box Breaks Arent Even Worth My Comment Any MoreTopps Tribute has lived up to my under-billing and then some. Outside of the fact that the cards look as terrible, if not more terrible than last year, the box breaks have been some of the worst this side of Topps Paradigm we have ever seen. For the amount of money collectors are paying for these boxes the cards that are being pulled are complete junk. There was even a case break on blowout whereGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-6050568948475399282010-07-28T06:29:00.000-07:002010-07-28T06:32:19.476-07:00Cross Another Whale Off The "At Large" Wanted ListThe term white whale, prior to its bastardization in Triple Threads, meant a card that you had a card out there in the sea of collectors that was virtually impossible to find. To this day, people still chase white whales all over the hobby, and for many of us, they are truly a quest fit for Ahab. In most cases, those whales were usually 1/1s that you didn’t know had been pulled, or a rare card Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-51534516426087367552010-07-27T13:44:00.001-07:002010-07-27T13:47:09.701-07:002010 Panini Classics is Live, DisappointingClassics is live, and from what we see in a case break on blowout, there are going to be some pretty disappointing results for this product if things hold true for the rest of the cases out there. Although there is a reported two autos per box and two jersey cards per box, the presence of veteran player autos and worthwhile rookies is looking small. That is definitely the bad news that no one Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-35195428209199891532010-07-27T06:48:00.001-07:002010-07-27T11:13:45.128-07:00New FAKE Topps Rookie Premiere PredicamentUPDATE: Topps has confirmed via Twitter that these cards are the player issue cards issued by the company to the players for trading amongst themselves at the premiere. They are *most likely* real autographs, but it is still in your best interest to think twice before purchasing.A very unique situation was just brought to my attention on blowout regarding a crop of the 2009 Topps Rookie Premiere Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-21403372603046571942010-07-27T06:16:00.000-07:002010-07-27T06:18:55.586-07:00The National Card Show: Its That Time Of Year Again, Be Sure To Have FunEach year around this time, the National rolls around and the industry gears up for its biggest weekend on the calendar. Manufacturers break out the big guns to be there, wanting to show off new products and new innovations, and collectors turn out in droves to see what is coming down the pipeline. There is also the biggest card show in the nation, with thousands of dealers setting up to sell Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-76513319197727170302010-07-26T11:28:00.000-07:002010-07-26T11:30:37.882-07:00Taking Two Leaps Backwards With 2010 Absolute FootballI think that if you read my previous post about suggestions for moving forward in the industry, Absolute is the one set that infringes on just about every single one of those rules. Aside from the fact that the product hasn’t changed design-wise at all in the last however many years, Panini never seems to get how poorly the product holds up against others in the same price range. What used to be Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-14692317238629833532010-07-26T07:43:00.001-07:002010-07-26T07:44:46.003-07:00The Industry and Moving Forward at Half StrengthI love this part of the year, both for cards and for sports. Training camps are about to open, Baseball season is starting to heat up, and Football cards are finally entering into the meat of the season. Because I am such a huge football fan, I start to get revved up for everything that comes with the start of a new year. New players, new targets, and usually much more news and interesting Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-50357053605994409682010-07-25T06:52:00.000-07:002010-07-25T07:20:21.087-07:00When You are a Card Collector, Your Birthday Has Its PerksToday is my birthday, and its the one day every year that I can buy a few things for me without feeling guilty about the money. Im sure all of you have similar feelings when your birthday rolls around, and this year I wanted to make it worth my while. Because there was nothing that I desperately needed, I tried to go outside the box a little bit.First, my biggest target was to get a Favre auto ofGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-54528773203792411982010-07-23T06:19:00.001-07:002010-07-23T06:19:59.884-07:00Inception and How It Relates To Card CollectingIts rare that my wife and I get to see a movie anymore, and therefore we really have to pick and choose with greater efficiency to avoid the dogs. Being that Christopher Nolan is my favorite director, and Leonardo DiCaprio is my wife's favorite actor (naitch), we had to see Inception as close to the release date as possible. I had heard great things about the movie, and I was ridiculously exictedGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-64866369319210135762010-07-22T12:28:00.000-07:002010-07-22T12:29:48.734-07:00The First Strasburg Tribute Auto is UpThe first Strasburg Auto/Jersey from Tribute is up on EBay, and boy do they want a lot of money for it. Granted, they are probably going to get a ton, but still. Ill be interested to see how much these redemptions go for considering that the Ginter ones broke 3 K.Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-38877554611624974652010-07-22T11:29:00.000-07:002010-07-22T11:52:53.796-07:00The Fake Rookie Premieres Are STILL Out ThereIts been a while since I have posted on the ridiculous fake rookie premiere autos that are out there, and I feel like it may have faded from the consciousness of the people who arent smart enough to recognize fakes when they see them. If you are going to buy a rookie premiere auto from 2007, 2008 or even 2009, in most cases, it isnt worth your time. Especially for the 2007, asshats like Kevin Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-53410919894673013852010-07-22T06:27:00.000-07:002010-07-22T06:31:38.074-07:00There Is A Perfect Strasburg Storm A Comin'...Topps is plowing through their late 2010 release calendar, and most of the products that populate that calendar are ones that I would love to see burned as a sacrifice to the almighty cardboard deities. The recently re-released Topps Tribute, Topps Sterling and Topps Triple Threads form the unholy trinity of Topps High end that I talk about as what to avoid, and I stand by that regardless of the Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-72689093496049823822010-07-21T07:16:00.000-07:002010-07-21T07:18:15.055-07:00Ruminations on Hobby Life: Part IILast week I published a series of what I called Ruminations on Hobby Life. It was a card collecting version of a popular website where people talked about the random thoughts that popped into their heads. This is a similar venture into my mind, with the goal of preventing these nuggets of info and ideas from continuing to drill into my cortex.Here are a few more:- Watching people try to defend Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-78034792387630866532010-07-20T09:02:00.001-07:002010-07-20T09:12:43.757-07:00Why Aren't There More Signed Base Card Parallels?If there is one thing I think is vastly overlooked in set creation, is the use of signed parallels of the veteran base cards in a given product. Most of this feeling of mine stems from the ridiculous and terrible names that card companies give to the auto and jersey subsets, as well as the designs those names necessitate. Instead of having signatures of the cards that are just the product name Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-14583781574634896252010-07-20T06:45:00.000-07:002010-07-20T06:47:00.864-07:00Updating Photobucket Can Be a ChoreWhen it comes to displaying your collection online, services like Photobucket are the way to go. They have easy ways of uploading mass amounts of information and toolbars for transferring those images to blogs, emails and message boards. The problem is, its up to the users to update them as they buy, trade and sell their cards. If you are like me, and do not do much online trading, keeping your Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-22290701559699179072010-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:002010-07-19T13:03:35.201-07:00Has the Hobby vs Retail Argument Changed?When I first started this blog, I could not understand why people bought retail cards, especially from hit focused products. Although I still do not condone buying retail in most cases, it’s a VERY different animal these days, as opposed to the flat and terrible products it used to have. In the past, I had a rule, and I still follow it now, with a few exceptions. Usually, I wont buy a retail Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-84435987571274317832010-07-19T07:54:00.000-07:002010-07-19T08:31:35.295-07:00The Hopeful Beginning of a New Era - Hobby Blogger Message Board!Its been talked about for years that hobby bloggers should have a message board where they can go and talk about their sites without outside interference. Mario talked about it during the hey day of Wax Heaven, but I think he got the same lost feeling I got, especially after seeing what it takes to create one. Right now, I have established a forum on pro boards that serves the purpose I am Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-56289864685216418382010-07-17T07:57:00.000-07:002010-07-17T16:07:28.854-07:00Examining How Companies are Starting to Replace Jersey CardsOver the last five years, single color jersey cards have gone from the cards you are excited to get, to the cards that end up in your common bin. Its rare that a jersey swatch is worth anything these days, and I already know that some of companies are trying to find solutions to the lack of value they provide. Some of the other companies, like Panini are still including them ad nauseum in their Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-64334079227083011852010-07-16T07:09:00.000-07:002010-07-16T07:10:20.933-07:00Ruminations on Hobby LifeThere are a lot of websites out there that focus on things that they randomly think about randoms stuff. Basically, they just write about observations that they make about daily life, which usually turn out to be pretty funny. There is even a site dedicated to posting these statements, most of which definitely make you think and/or laugh pretty hard. I have been gathering my own observations, Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-1605172921171882952010-07-15T18:21:00.001-07:002010-07-15T18:40:26.603-07:00Triple Threads = RatingsTopps released pictures from my absolute favorite set of the year today, and I think you will see why its my favorite each and every year it comes out. With what we saw from the 2010 set in the preview, it brought nothing but everything we expect from a Triple Threads set. Horribly designed cards with stickers built into the layout, so that they draw the eye away from the train wreck below. CardsGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-24957680098418984722010-07-15T06:39:00.001-07:002010-07-15T10:54:28.390-07:00Im Running Out of Descriptive Words For Ufjumper7Ufjumper7 takes the word douchebag and makes it a culture. Im pretty sure he has it tattooed on his lower back. Sadly, he has expanded his criminal empire further into baseball with this Albert Pujols hilarity, but at least its so obvious that only the most uniformed portion of the uninformed would even consider bidding. Either way, he has posted so many ridiculous fakes lately, that I can barelyGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-56714758864701113472010-07-14T11:56:00.001-07:002010-07-14T11:56:59.906-07:00Looking at the Ginter OriginalsAllen and Ginter has popularity each year because of the base set collectability and how that particular content plays into the general tendencies of Baseball collectors. Because so many of the collectors who collect baseball cards focus more on putting sets together than buying huge high end hits, Allen and Ginter plays into that like no other product on the market. Although Topps has tried to Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-29141576372891068552010-07-13T05:59:00.001-07:002010-07-13T06:08:34.378-07:00The Grade Is In On The Strasburg 1/1 Red AutoIm dumbfounded as to why someone would grade a card like the Strasburg 1/1 auto out of 2010 Bowman. Because the card is "worth" so much money to people who would pay the price of a down payment on a house to own it, grading it would seem to be the worst possible idea. If it comes back anything less than a 9.5 you have already chopped some of the value off it, and if it comes back 9.5 or above, Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-4293746149594001382010-07-12T07:40:00.001-07:002010-07-12T07:40:47.747-07:00Harper Superfractor Hits EbayThe Bryce Harper Superfractor is up on eBay, and has already been bid up to quite a considerable amount of money. Harper has generated equal hype as Strasburg did at this point in his career, and most likely will reach the same level next year when Washington inevitably calls him up. This card should easily hit 10K, even with the reserve, and it just goes to show you what people think about the Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-56230556652347748422010-07-11T20:08:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:31:00.099-07:00Revisiting My Autograph Bucket ListAs a Vikings fan, I hate the Packers, and I consider it against my religion to support anything Packers related in terms of my buying habits. That particular tendency has led to a number of issues when trying to acquire a Brett Favre auto to fill in the spot it should hold in my Vikings collection. I have wanted a Favre auto for a while, but it was nothing more than adding to my collection of Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-41335523131716931762010-07-11T07:59:00.000-07:002010-07-11T08:13:41.325-07:00Strasburg Still Blowing It Up In Ginter, Just Not As MuchRemember those first Strasburg minis that popped up on eBay? They sold for ridiculous prices just like every other gift from Topps' epic Stras-mas haul. Among reports that the minis were ridiculously short printed and may not even be a part of the main set, prices went wild. Of course, once people started pulling them a little more frequently, prices dropped dramatically, but still remain high Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-32268782628210792612010-07-09T11:09:00.000-07:002010-07-09T11:12:25.573-07:002010 Topps Sterling Brings Everything I Hate In a ProductTopps Sterling came out in 2006 to rave reviews, even a few upturned eyebrows on my end. It had on card autographs from the living players included in the set, and ridiculous amounts of relics and cuts for the people who were dead. I remember watching a few case breaks at a local shop and seeing a Mantle cut and a Dimaggio cut come out of consecutive cases, along with a whole lot of other cool Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-33776551782884232722010-07-09T06:19:00.001-07:002010-07-09T06:22:51.431-07:00Panini Epix Puts Me To SleepRemember when I said it looked like Panini was finally getting on the right track? Remember? Yeah, I was wrong. Very much like the Threads, this set doesn’t offer a single bit of difference from Panini's normal product line, even going so far as making those lame ass field signatures a focus of the preview. Really? That’s the best you guys can come up with for a new set? A card that has been Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-15651124228660703342010-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:002010-07-08T08:44:41.887-07:00Exploring the Nature and Reason for SCU's NegativityThere is a lot to be said about the way that sports card blogs function in this hobby, especially the higher profile ones. One of the biggest aspects of the arguments against the nature of the blogs is the negativity we seemingly "spout" from our pores. If there is anything I get from anti-blog people who stumble upon this site, its that the overwhelming negativity that I bring on a daily basis Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-88933322009329842882010-07-07T06:01:00.001-07:002010-07-07T06:17:24.205-07:00The Strasburg Superfractor Has Beckett Written All Over ItBecause its so rare that I get worked up over something that happens in the hobby, I think its only natural that I comment on the recent sale of the Strasburg superfractor to Razor entertainment for a little over $21,000. This card sure has generated a lot of press, including national media outlets, and when I read about the sale on Blowout, I became awfully frustrated with the guy who paid the Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-56848644855138736102010-07-06T08:34:00.000-07:002010-07-06T08:35:49.480-07:00Crowning Ufjumper7 With the Kevin Burge Award for Acheivements in DouchebaggeryUfjumper7 is the type of guy who has a poster of Kevin Burge above his patch faking workbench for inspiration. Its like he wants to see how dumb people truly are, and that is despite the hundreds of emails that he probably gets each time he posts an auction. Because his stuff sells, and because there is always a sucker out there who doesn’t check the name or the past auctions before bidding or Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-87596804803909069862010-07-06T06:59:00.001-07:002010-07-06T07:00:08.916-07:00Taking Another Look At Hoarding Versus CollectingA few months ago, I commented on the ways that card collectors resemble hoarders in some respect, mainly focusing on a lot of people who's goal is quantity over quality. The "I have to get every type of X" mentality has left many people with a garage filled to the brim, a room filled with cardboard boxes, or even a basement that is more card storage than anything. Because collecting cards usuallyGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-85975172332441932512010-07-04T21:34:00.000-07:002010-07-04T22:06:03.742-07:00Dual Autos Rarely Reach This Level Of Awesomeness To MeI have always been a person who doesnt always think that adding multiple players to a card is the best idea. This is especially true with adding rookie players to cards with HOFers, and adding unproven future stars to cards with established stars of high value. The reason is pretty simple, and it mostly has to do with the fact that careers in pro sports can change in an instant. Then, instead of Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-2921358173206390842010-07-02T08:49:00.000-07:002010-07-02T09:04:44.409-07:00BREAKING NEWS: Upper Deck SP Prospects Is BACK!For those of you who love prospecting, this may something you are very happy about. I just got confirmation that Upper Deck will be entering the Baseball market again thanks to their NCAA license with 2010 SP Authentic Prospects Baseball. SP Prospects has been off the market since the earlier part of the last decade, and was usually a favorite of prospectors as an alternative to the Bowman Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-41321379136390844282010-07-02T05:57:00.000-07:002010-07-02T06:54:16.728-07:00Allen & Ginter Adds High End To Its Impressive ResumeAllen and Ginter is a set collector's dream, or nightmare depending on how you look at it. The cards are designed to have maximum collectability and most of the set isnt even baseball players. Its one of the most popular sets of the year, and Topps collectors wait all year for the opportunity to break it and put the set together.Well, there is a new aspect to the set this year, and I am not sure Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-61541458782106181502010-07-01T08:02:00.000-07:002010-07-01T08:03:32.520-07:00First Strasburg Ginter Auto is UpLet the bidding wars begin! The first Strasburg auto from 2010 Allen and Ginter is up on eBay and it is ALREADY at a ridiculous price. With the perceived rarity probably matching the actual rarity now, this card may top 3K or higher, depending on the willingness of bad bidders to let it run.This card should be one of Strasburg's rarest base autographs, if information from certain case breakers Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-27136280163342588492010-07-01T06:32:00.000-07:002010-07-01T06:36:31.178-07:00SPX Football Gives Upper Deck a Fighting ChanceSPX is usually one of the first products on the market to couple rookies and their NFL uniform material from the rookie premiere, and this year, it looks to be no different - at least in some aspects. For 2010 SPX, Upper Deck is still giving us the product we all know and collect, but this time there is not a single player in the entire product wearing anything associated with the NFL. Due to a Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-86361761102811984332010-06-30T11:22:00.000-07:002010-06-30T11:23:51.280-07:00Strasburg Eerily Absent From Recent Ginter Box BreaksDo you remember back a few weeks ago when Topps advised that every product will bring Strasmus tidings to all the good young collectors who bought the boxes and packs? I do, and I then remember when the people who usually buy a ton, bought that much more as a result. Well, as we are slowly finding out, promises of Strasburg in Allen and Ginter may have been quite highly exaggerated.So far, there Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-54369211851321308822010-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:002010-06-30T05:07:39.801-07:00Steven Strasburg: WTF?!?!? EditionAm I missing something? No, seriously, am I really seeing what I think I am seeing? A card, available in regular packs at no real lack of distribution, is going for how much? I would understand if it were autographed, or if it were ridiculously SPed, but this is what seems to be a normal mini that you can probably get in retail packs for fuck's sake!When you see that the autographed version of Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-4451669995123661592010-06-28T13:55:00.000-07:002010-06-28T14:02:14.369-07:00A "Super" Great Superfractor AuctionIm confused. Why in god's name would anyone want to grade a superfractor? I just don’t understand the point, especially when the card is not available anywhere else. People often argue protection, but if that is the case, why even get it with a grade? When you factor in that the guy who graded the Stras superfractor needed a little "help" to get the 9.5, its really not worth the risk, when all Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-57705661469854861622010-06-28T10:10:00.001-07:002010-06-28T10:12:09.910-07:00Is Panini Threads The Start of a Rehash Downfall?I thought things were a changin', I thought that Panini had finally made a push in the right directions by starting to avoid some of the major design problems that the last 2-3 years of their cards have had. Then I saw the preview for threads yesterday, and all of that promise and hope deflated like the soccer excitement in this country after Saturday.On top of the fact that these cards look Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-1722169804035183072010-06-27T09:18:00.000-07:002010-06-27T09:35:41.235-07:00Ufjumper7 Has Continued His Assault On SPA RedemptionsI have been talking about Ufjumper7 for a long time now. The guy has single-handedly destroyed a portion of 2009 SPA like no other seller has done in a long time. Because of Upper Deck's troubles, as well as rumors of athletes not signing for redemptions, he was able to pick up tons of Kenny Britt, Percy Harvin and Beanie Wells for chump change, all with the intentions of exploiting people. The Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-21049574866878984192010-06-26T15:31:00.001-07:002010-06-26T15:46:56.666-07:00Based On These Sales, Could Topps Set Records?Its been a long time since a player like Strasburg has come on the scene. Some of his cards are even outselling Albert Pujols, and that says to me that people arent really paying attention to the cap of the card values but really just that Strasburg is on them. With recent sales topping ridiculous amounts, how high is the ceiling for the rest of Topps Calendar?Allen and Ginter has already sold Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-4666529611248029702010-06-25T06:43:00.000-07:002010-06-25T06:46:44.443-07:00Updates on the Fake Babe Ruth Cut From 2009 Triple ThreadsFake cut signature cards have been a huge issue for everyone involved since the time card companies started using deceased players as a chase for their higher end products. In 2008, Upper Deck received a ton of criticism and negative press for releasing a quad cut signature card with fake cuts in the card. It was featured on HBO and eventually the owner received some cards as a repayment that Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-408359592708398202010-06-24T09:40:00.000-07:002010-06-24T09:41:59.442-07:00A Good Chuckle Courtesy of Freedom Card BoardOh man, this is good, looks real!Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-706482544817989732010-06-23T17:41:00.000-07:002010-06-23T18:22:30.466-07:00BGS "Discusses" The Strasburg Grade - FAILIts rare that a card like the Strasburg superfractor comes around. I have no idea why anyone would even think of grading this card to begin with, but the seller fell for Beckett's black magic and submitted it. As I predicted ahead of time, despite obvious problems, the card received a 9.5. People who know grading, rightfully so, went ape shit because of the fact that the card was so obviously Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-65852304380900434402010-06-23T11:26:00.000-07:002010-06-23T11:34:02.475-07:00GAI Should Automaticall Raise Red FlagsIm sure that many of you are also autograph collectors as well as card collectors. File me under that heading too, as my allegiance has always been more to the autograph collectors than the card collectors. Its rare that I buy a non-autographed card, and that leaves me in quite a predicament when I want to buy a certified auto on eBay.Lately I have noticed a lot of autographs popping up that not Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-16106853468113452172010-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:002010-06-23T10:54:12.880-07:00Move Over Manny Ramirez's Grill, Here Comes Strasburg!In case you guys havent been following, the Strasburg Red Auto 1/1 is over 100K now for the auction, which says a lot about the legitimacy of the 100+ bids. Obviously, no one is actually going to pay that much for a card that isnt Michael Jordan related or has Honus Wagner related to it, so I don’t think we can count on a sale. For that price, you might as well invest in a house rather than a Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-89953325322621725702010-06-22T10:36:00.001-07:002010-06-22T10:38:13.908-07:00Panini Rookies And Stars Shows A Good Direction For Once?In my opinion, Rookies and Stars was one of the worst looking products of the entire calendar last year. They used weird fonts, splatter paint designs and overall crap concepts to put out a product that a lot of people were very fond of. This year looks a lot better on paper, but I have yet to get truly excited over a Panini design yet this year. Like Elite and Classics, R&S is a million times Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-11602869088698562412010-06-22T08:44:00.001-07:002010-06-22T12:14:59.956-07:00Discussing the Grading BUSINESS AgainUPDATE: THE STRASBURG SUPER HAS RECEIVED A 9.5 AS PREDICTED. PLEASE CONSIDER THAT POINT AS YOU READ THIS ARTICLE.I think its time to revisit the grading discussion, because this Strasburg card is about to get a lot of publicity for BGS, and I have a feeling they knew what the card's grade was before it was even submitted. I have always been a person who has rallied against the grading of cards byGellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-44844479956817279612010-06-21T20:14:00.001-07:002010-06-21T20:28:04.063-07:00Buyer's Remorse? Strasburg Superfractor BACK on eBayI said before that it was ridiculous that anyone would pay as much as that guy did for the Strasburg superfractor. Who would've guessed that it would take a whole 6 weeks for the Strasburg superfractor to be relisted? Not only is it already climbing fast, but it ends on the same day as the Red Auto 1/1. Obviously the guy who bought it A) is trying to captialize on the publicity, and B) doesnt Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3022654356144175309.post-37154221753976432382010-06-21T06:40:00.001-07:002010-06-21T06:40:46.717-07:00Insanity on the Strasburg Doesnt Even Begin To Say How I FeelI thought the final price of the Strasburg superfractor was absolutely ridiculous. Now, I use the word ridiculous pretty often, but that word means more in that type of situation because there is no way that anyone from the outside wouldn’t think the exact same way. When you think about $16,000 for a modern non-autographed 1/1 of a prospect who has less than a month under his belt, maybe Gellmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07819780003574759214noreply@blogger.com5