Cut Autos for the Sake of Cut Autos

I 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 cuts are offered at one per case.

As with every innovation in the industry, the manufacturers will exploit it like a child actor. Its gotten to the point now that companies have forgone paying for the licensing fees of including player pictures, only because the cuts need to be made as cheaply as possible. Then, when half the cuts themselves are of people that the casual or even hardcore fan has never heard of, things start to look more and more like the cards are becoming a gimmick rather than a worthwhile addition to the set.

This is one thing that Topps has actually done better than both Upper Deck and Panini put together, mainly because they use cut autos sparingly in most of the products that contain them. Of course, the cuts themselves usually look ridiculously awful, but at least the players are worthy of being included. However, Topps has had problems with including fake cut autographs in high end products, similar to what Upper Deck ran into a few years ago, and that brings them right back down to everyone else's level.

In all truthfulness, are cut autos even that necessary anymore? Every player that needs a cut auto has one, and its only getting worse when you are pulling a ten dollar cut from a product that costs 200 dollars a box or more. Even in the recent Panini Classics product, almost 90% of the cuts in the product sell for less than half the cost of a box, and at that point, I would much rather have another scrub rookie than a signed piece of paper from some guy I have never heard of.

The worst thing is when companies destroy valuable pieces of American history to create the cards. I mean, there cant be THAT many letters and things signed by George Washington any more, right? Even if there are ten thousand valid sigs out there, its still a part of our country's history that maybe should remain intact. Thats just me, im sure others love that they have these types of opportunities.

Either way, cuts are still out of control. Look at some of these recent ones I saw on eBay:

Brett Favre Cut Auto - A cut auto of a living player that signs no shortage of items? WTF. Seriously, WTF.

Mantle/Williams Cut Yaz/Robinson Sticker I actually dont even know where to start with this abomination. Triple threads is bad to begin with, but sticker autos on top of cuts? Cmon, I cant understand why this was even conceived.

Mantle Picture Cut - Aside from the fact that Mantle has one of the most forged signatures in history, im not sure why a card like this happens. I would much rather just have a redemption for the whole picture they cut up for this card. Happens all the time, and I just dont see the appeal in half of a signed pic of the Mick's calves.

Lee Smith Cut Baseball Card - Tristar is almost offensive the way they do cuts, and this is a prime example. I think this franken-cut speaks for itself. Holy shit.

Walter Payton Phone Card Cut Auto - Considering how many autos Payton has out there, its terrible that Donruss has used these phone cards to death. Even worse than the fact that they look terrible, they cost about 90 bucks if you want to buy one uncut. It could be so much better for not much more cost.

Of all the things that companies could cut back on without problem, cuts are at the top of the list. I dont think there would be an outcry if the cuts went back to the way they were. With Razor and Tristar creating entire products centered on the cuts with no other redeeming factor, I think its time to give them a rest. You wouldnt hear boo out of me, and the companies could devote more money to creating better looking and more unique content in their products.

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.

How Not To Do A Cut Autograph

For some reason, over the last year, cut autographs have gone from awesome pull to fucking ridiculous pieces of shit. When I mean fucking ridiculous pieces of shit, I mean that some of them dont break five dollars. Its not necessarily due to lack of rarity, but that is definitely a factor. I think its just as much a testament to the awful and disgusting designs that have overtaken the cut auto market.

Bad

This is a cut auto out Panini's recent release of 2009 Limited. In previous years, Limited cuts have looked like this, this and even this. Not necessarily that bad, right? Then we have this:



No more picture, looks like a soccer ball, done for the sake of doing it. At least there is a team logo and the colors are based on the team's. Since Panini puts fucking rainbow foil on everything, this card was not spared, and good lord is it bad. Unfortunately, this is the best of recent cards, and yes, it gets worse.

Awful

Upper Deck is usually thought of as the innovator and perfector of the cut auto. Their Legendary Cuts baseball product has always been a collector favorite. Recently in UD Black, all of that history went out the window so quickly that my head spun as I was projectile vomiting. Now, with newly painted walls, feast your eyes on this abomination:



No picture, odd looking hand numbering, and a weirdly shaped window that does nothing to help the cause. Just awful. For a set that looked as good as black did, there is no reason to include cards like this. I think this is the quintessential card to show that companies are now using cuts as a way to lure collectors in while delivering very little. Sad.

Fucking Horrid

Triple Threads is one of my least favorite products of all time, without question. However, even I could not believe my eyes when I saw this next card. It takes the whole cut autograph concept and just sets it aflame. Its so bad that you may want to take any children out of the room before continuing.



I dont know where to start. First off, the card is printed on bright blue neon foil. Im sure Vince Lombardi would have been proud. Second, those "relics" are from seats of the old Packers' stadium, and I am not sure why this card even needed "relics" in the first place. Fucking stupid. Lastly, we have the crown jewel, the cut itself, and I cant even find a way in my mind to get the card the way it turned out. Obviously this is a check, but they mangled it so badly that you cant even call this his autograph anymore.

Seriously, if this is what we are forced to endure with cuts over the next few years, I want them gone. This has gotten to a point of parody, and I am not pleased that this is the direction things are headed. At least pay the money to put a picture on there, make the cards rarer, and dont use them in every fucking set. All three companies are such horrible offenders of this crime, that hopefully there is still time to make it back to the way things used to be. Wow.

High End Set Collecting Is Always Impressive

Sometimes when searching eBay, I come across an item that just makes my mouth water. One of those crazy pieces that will only be available once or twice in its form, a true spectacle. One of my favorite ones to stumble upon are complete sets of high end products that I could never fathom putting together. This item is one of those things that really take a stretch of the mind to think of the money and time it would take to put together. When you factor in the popularity of the product, and the cost of the cards, and the rarity of some of the subjects it is truly epic to see this in action.

Back in 2002, Legendary cuts was a relatively new idea for a set, as the cut autograph was not where it is now. When you think that a company released a set with autographs of Wagner, Mantle, Cobb, Ruth, Maris, and others, its very simple to see why collectors went nuts for this product. This seller obviously got caught up in the craziness, and managed to put together close to 90% of the set, including some of the extremely rare ones like the Babe, Wagner, and Cobb.

The price itself is ridiculous, as it would mean that each card would have to average more than $1,000 per. Pretty crazy. However, to know that there are sets like this out there is just as crazy, mainly because of the rarity of some of these cards. Kind of makes you wonder just how much went into it. Im guessing at least the price of a mid range car.

Check it out.

Seeing This Card Makes Me Want Something Similar

The mystery cuts checklist from UD was pretty impressive with some of the ones they had found. Jimi Hendrix, the Marx Brothers, Presidents, etc. They also managed to get a card in there that I think is awesome in concept.

Take a look:



Bruce Lee has had a number of cards thanks to Allen and Ginter, and this card adds to it. Too bad there is no pic of Lee on the card, which is what made the Ginter one so cool. The Ginter card did not contain an auto, so this is much much more valuable. The seller wants a car for it, and probably couldnt get more than 1-2K, but its still worth posting.

This cut has a bold and beautiful signature, and I want to go find a cheaper version for my own collection. How cool would it be to have this type of thing as a part of your display. I guarantee everyone who saw it would feel as good as you do for having it. Too bad it will cost so much.

UPDATE: Razor Owns Up?

I see that Autograph Alert has posted a note about their conversation with Brian Gray. In a good show of support for the customers, Gray has offered to fix any problems that come up with Oval Office as soon as possible. Here is an excerpt:

He has assured www.autographalert.com that he will follow up on both the Nixon and Van Buren signatures, try to locate the persons who won the items on eBay and make it right by replacing the signatures with genuine examples. Mr. Gray has also stated that he bought the Martin Van Buren signature from a well known dealer at a Washington, DC autograph show. As Mr. Gray goes through his records he will alert us which dealer he purchased the signature and which authentication company he utilized.

In addition, to show good faith, Mr. Gray went one step further. He is willing to put up a $20,000 bond that will not be touched until the wrongs have been made right. We don't think that will be necessary but appreciate his good faith.

We have to say, if Mr. Gray follows up on his statements, we have to take our hats off to him. He will have set an example for the industry. We look forward to hearing from Mr. Gray in the near future, as we believe our readers will be interested in his findings.

Good for you Brian, glad to see you have a good head on your shoulders when it comes to bad press. See, own up, get your shit fixed, and things go much smoother.

The Future Of Autographs In General

After last night, we got a pretty good picture about what some people are capable of, and it doesnt matter who they are or were. I think that of all the things we expected to go wrong with cuts, this was at the top of the list. Its not surprising, but awesome that it was discovered.

A few nights ago I had a conversation with Bailey that he discussed on his blog. Basically, my take that in the future, the only "trustworthy" source of secondary market autographs will be cards. We have seen MAJOR problems with PSA and JSA's tactics, and also a conflict of interest with the process in general (why give a good customer a bad break, right?), so they have been cleaved from the trust tree slowly but surely. Yes, I know, the only sure source is one you got yourself, but that is not always a possibility. So, how can you tell what is what these days?

The short answer is you cant, but the long answer is much more complicated. For instance, back in the beginning days of autos, there were a few players who disliked signing cards enough that they gave them to their spouse to do for them. It was quickly discovered, policy was changed, and supposedly it doesnt happen anymore. I looked on the back of the cards now, and I see wording that is legalese for "to the best of our knowledge this auto is real, and it was obtained in person or sent by the player, who gave their ceritification of authenticity." To me, that seems like an out, but again, could just be CYA.

For now, they are real to me until proven otherwise, and that is why I will continue to buy auto cards. But, what is to stop companies from avoiding the $200 per card price tag and using their own means? First, there is a lot of people who are experts outside of the manufacturer. Second, there is a kind of "you shook Sinatra's hand" code between us and them that says "we were both here before autos, lets not fuck it up," type of thing. Again, we have seen bad and worse in the last few years, and nothing is outside the realm of possibility these days.

In the future, we can expect that things will get much worse as the price tag grows. But, on the flip side, at least we are aware of a problem, rather than running blind into a wall. We know there are still Project Bullpen items still out there, and there is a pretty good idea in my head that they would pass inspection, which means, as always, trust no one.

2008 National Treasures: The Great, The Annoying, & The Rejects

National Treasures to me is one of the most exciting products for football. It is a product that offers a chance at some really great looking cards and some really great pieces of history. The 2008 Edition is due to release on January 28th and many football collectors are excited I am sure (even at the IMHO gouging price of $400-$500). As the collecting world waits, Donruss has started to release some more images that look great, but also point to something really annoying that should not be happening in the high end products of sports cards. Let me break down my opinion

THE GREAT









I always love the chance of getting a cut auto. This year the Historical Cuts are amazing once again and the aesthetics of the cards is unbelievable. Mother Teresa would be an amazing pull. This year the addition of the Heisman Cuts is great. It is a chance for football fans to pull some cuts from some of the greatest "yearly" college football players.

THE ANNOYING







What's that you say? All those cards look awesome. You are correct. They are beautiful cards and I commend DLP for once again having some amazingly sweet looking cards. However, on to the annoying aspect. Each one of those Tony Romo cards is a 1/1!!! That is right each one of them is a 1/1. I know Gellman has written on this before, but when this crap starts dropping into National Treasures, then I start to get really annoyed. At least in the past runs of NT they have changed the foil embossment for the different print runs. And with "laundry tag" and other such "premium" patch cards they usually have been in a run of #/10. Not here though. We have three 1/1 auto cards and the only difference is what piece of the jersey they plopped in the "material" window. Not even a change of picture or embossment foil color change. This is annoying to me. If the only thing you are going to change is the piece of material, then for the love of everything sane and logical would you please number the above cards #/3!!! Don't play us like idiots. (Side question: Does anyone else feel like this is just a manufacture equivalent of the Ebay 1/1 sellers? There the sellers say the numbering or the "patch" make it a 1/1 because there is nothing like it. To me it seems like that is just what DLP is doing here except they legitimize it by "stamping" 1/1 on the back. I ain't buying it!) Annoying, but that doesn't even compare to the following "horrible" reject product that should cause box busters everywhere to puke.... Ladies and Gentleman I give you the following:

THE REJECTS









That is right folks. Manufactured Patch Autos! Never should DLP reuse a concept from a mid-end to low-end product in their "premium" set. Manufactured Patches are horrible in my opinion. As you can see some of the autos look alright, but as you can also see above some of them look horrible. Nobody likes sticker autos, but this can end up even worse then those annoying sticker autos because the autograph looks horrible. DLP has taken a pretty cool concept in "nickname" autos and paired them with one of the most pointless manufacturer moves in creating manufactured patches. These do not belong anywhere near the National Treasures set. As a side note, is it just me or does it seem that "manufactured patches and/or letters" are becoming the new "sticker" auto? This allows them to get the autograph before production like stickers but it seems that the vast majority of collectors think these are somehow better than sticker autographs and I don't know why. At least on the stickers the autographs can look bold. HORRIBLE!

All this being said, I am still excited for National Treasures because it has some really great looking cards as always, but DLP somewhat has disappointed with some questionable manufacturing production.

Pull Of A Lifetime? Yes and No.

If you have been a frequent visitor to the high priced sorting feature on the card section of eBay, you are already familiar with this auction for the dual cut pope card. Its part of the Yankee Stadium Legacy set, and it was the chase card to draw people to buy.

However, I look at this card, and I cant help but feel disappointed. The reason I feel disappointed, is two fold, mainly stemming from the fact that this card has Yankee stadium legacy plastered all over it, and also the fact that it is not one of the better designed "Historical Cuts" or included in one of those "Piece of History" sets out of Premier Baseball and Legendary Cuts. Plus, with half of the collecting world becoming tired of the New York Yankee hand job they have gotten all fucking year, I dont think this was a nice way to give people a "happy ending."

Now, I am not saying this because I am interested in the card, I am not, nor am I even thinking about this in a personal fashion. I feel bad for the guy who pulled it because he could have had a pretty historically significant card if it didnt have a tribute to a building all over it.

He wont get 200K for this card, and it probably wouldnt sell for more than 10K - the ceiling for all modern chase cards with few exceptions. But he could have gotten close to the ceiling if it wasnt part of a set that was geared only towards one team's fans, who a lot of people love to hate.

Like I said before, Yankee Stadium was only Baseball's cathedral because of the players that graced the field, it had nothing to do with any building (it was a craphole), any mass held there, or any concert. Last time I checked, the pope didnt watch baseball, and thats what makes this card stick out like a sore thumb among a poorly conceived idea like Yankee Stadium Legacy.

I Dont Care Who You Are, This Is Cool

Just not a cut sig you see around that often. For aeronautics fans, this would definitely be a cool card to have.

A Comment On Legendary Cuts

As I was perusing TWGM today, I cam across this Babe Ruth cut from 2008 Legendary Cuts. It will be his last Upper Deck card for a long time, and I must say it is not everything it should be. Now, I do realize that they couldnt include pictures based on the new and shitty exclusive Topps contract, but still, this cut and the design of the card is very much lacking in my opinion. Besides, even with the new Topps thing, the players were not pictured on the cards even if they werent part of that. Its really too bad that they couldnt have done a little more with what they had - or at least find a better cut than this awful excuse.

The Wishing Well Of HOFers and Legends

Now that Topps has seemingly taken over the baseball market for legendary players through hobby crushing exclusive contracts, Im beginning to wonder if Upper Deck will shift their focus elsewhere. First, before I move any further, let me again express the disgust I have over exclusive contracts in general. I think it would be much better if the companies had exclusive advertising contracts, meaning that you couldn’t feature their exclusives on your packaging, but you could still produce relics and autos. It would save us collectors a lot of time and money, and would still allow us to choose based on preference rather than the auto checklist. That being said, I would really hope that with the lot of players that Topps has secured, maybe we will see some new products pop up that we have been waiting for from Upper Deck. I say this because their legends and HOFer based baseball products were such a focus for them, made them so much money, and floated so many of their thin products, that maybe they will need to find a new boat to carry them to profit. For once, I will help UD out with some ideas. Not because I want to make nice, but because I think the collectors need a little pick-me-up. Here is what I suggest:

1. Legendary Cuts Football and Basketball

As it stands right now, pretty much every single football and basketball product that is released centers around the rookie class for the year. One of the reasons LC is so popular for baseball is because there was never a focus on current stars in the set. Until 2008, it was all retired stars and HOFers. With Legendary Cuts Football, I could see it being the same thing, sadly because so many football players die so young. Johnny Unitas, Walter Payton, Jim Thorpe, and Sammy Baugh are all players that could headline this set, with auto subsets for players like Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. I cant tell you how awesome this could be. Of course UD would find some way to fuck it up, but its worth a shot.

Now, for Basketball, this would be a little bit harder to pull off because the modern age of Basketball is so strong when it comes to the stars in the league right now and the living HOFers and Legends. I could still see Cuts from Mikan, Maravich, and Chamberlain being pretty big, and I think the set could do well. I would still do stuff with Jordan, as he draws no matter what. Its an idea, but I think the football one is stronger.

2. More Work on Football and Basketball Legends Than Before

Look at UD Premier Baseball vs UD Premier Football - they are completely different structures! Baseball focuses on a balance between the Vets, RCs, and HOFers to make the set buyable, where as Football focuses primarily on the RC stuff. There was so few items on the checklist that focused on the players of yesteryear that it was kind of stupid. Not to mention that the set dropped like a fucking rock after release in terms of price per box. Hopefully now, we can get some cards and products focusing on the living legend players and more cuts from the non-living ones. Old jerseys from FB are tougher to get than the baseball ones, solely because of the nature of how people viewed primitve baseball vs primitive football back then. That is still no excuse to not focus on the players.

3. Make Exquisite Better Than It Has Ever Been

First, there is one thing that FB and BKB have that BB never will have - super high end products. Most baseball collectors are like the ones you read about on most of the existing blogs out there, and they don’t like spending a lot on their products. There is nothing wrong with that, but it opens up a big hole for UD to exploit Topps' new focus on their baseball legends. Because Exquisite exists for the other sports, take the opportunity to redesign and refocus. No more crappy dual autos that make no sense, no more cards that look exactly the same as the year before. STEP IT UP. Make your best products into ones that will take the focus off your baseball loss. If Exquisite rocks, who cares that Legendary Cuts and Premier baseball have become crap, I know I wont!

4. Work On Improving Areas Of Your Baseball Division That Need Work

UD is quickly becoming as irrelevant in baseball as Topps is in Basketball. Although Jeter and Grif are still exclusives, they should work on building up the rookie based products. Topps is wiping the floor constantly thanks to Bowman, but you could easily cash in on guys like Jay Bruce, Josh Hamilton, and the latest Japanese sensation like Fuck-you-doo-mee. These guys all come in late season, so wait until things get going before starting work on these guys. I guarantee none of them have relics yet, so I would tout that as the focus of the set. As a collector, I would want that type of thing for my favorite guys.

5. Let It Go, For Fuck's Sake, LET IT GO.

I know that UD basically got caught with their pants down over the loss of ALL these guys, but they need to let it go. DO NOT TRY TO RELAUNCH THE PRODUCTS WITHOUT THE LOST HOFERS. No more Sweet Spot Classic, no more Legendary Cuts, and no more trying to fix your loss. Let it go. I cant tell you how much I would laugh if I saw UD try to put out more sets now that they cant produce stuff from the top legends in the history of baseball. Instead of Sweet Spot Classic Baseball, do football and basketball. That would be much more inviting to me.

Tales From TWGM

Has anyone seen this card? Holy fucking christ! I would have shit my pants if this ended up in my hands. Now, if there is one thing that has a large market, its civil war collectibles - and this is a doozie. I still stand by my mantra that our country's historical documents should not be destroyed for these purposes, but this is pretty cool none-the-less! Too bad they had to cut this card as it is because those signatures should be seen in all their glory.

Here is another card that I think is absolutely amazing from this set, as Edison and Einstein are two of the greatest scientific minds in the history of the world. I am so fucking glad that they couldnt get their hands on a Di Vinci auto to destroy, so this is kind of like a silver medal. That being said, wow. Both of the above cards are commanding the price of a car for the card, so I think that is ludicrious, but again, who would want to sell this thing? Its not like its going to lose value over time...

Next, I have something that I found kind of funny. Here is an auction for a guy who is selling a collection of patch cards from the worlds most faked over set. I dont think I have ever seen a non-fake from this set. Granted, some of the cards in his lot may be real, but this one is so funny that it isnt even close to being real.

A little background: Greg Maddux was on the 2000 All Star Team as a pitcher, but never played in the game due to injury. That makes this patch that much more hysterical that the donkey raper who made it didnt do all their research. Of course, only a Joe Collector would pay for something like this (especially numbered /25), but only the Joe Collectorist of the Joe Collectors would value it at $1500 for this auction. Please, please, please go check this out.

Sweetness!

Since I am not wasting my money on busting boxes these days, I am more focused on padding my auto collection. Trust me, it is so much more fufilling than pulling a Quentin Jammer Auto out of a $120 box. I feel so much better knowing that this was only 95 dollars worth of JSA certified goodness.



Who needs wax?

SCU Talks With Scott Prusha of Donruss, Awesomeness Ensues

First and foremost, my biggest of all big thanks to Scott Prusha, Marketing Director of Donruss Leaf Playoff Score, for agreeing to and participating in this interview. Of all three companies I solicited for interviews, DLP was the only company to agree. I think it definitely sets a track record that DLP does actually care about their customers. Furthermore, the content of this interview proved to me that they knew exactly what problems were out there, and they are working hard on fixing them. Now, I did ask some questions he couldnt answer, which is understandable, so please dont send me emails on what wasnt addressed. Scott is an incredibly nice guy, and I hope this relationship can continue in the future.

Sports Cards Uncensored: I collect because I love football and I love the chase. What got you into collecting, and how did you end up at donruss?

Scott Prusha: I was about five when I opened my first pack of cards and I've been hooked ever since. I must have sorted those cards a thousand time, by team, position, stats, you name it - I did it. I was lucky enough to have my own shop with my mom and dad as a teen and then started at Beckett when I graduated college. I moved over and have been working at Donruss now for close to eight years.

SCU: Is this a dream job for you?

SP: Absolutely!

SCU: If you could put one card as THE DONRUSS FOOTBALL CARD that would go into a museum for all collectors to see as a representation of the hobby today, what would it be?

SP: The 2002 Donruss Elite Throwback Threads Red Grange/Jim Thorpe, this one card captures what Donruss is all about. The card created a tremendous buzz around the country when it was done, even reaching the mainstream media. It combines two great players and we are still the only company to purchase something worn by either. Donruss is always pushing the envelope when it comes to finding rare memorabilia and cut cards.

SCU: What is your favorite Donruss Product to promote every year?

SP: Since we creatively put so much content into all our products, each and everyone of them has a unique characteristic that makes it fun to promote.

SCU: Fake patch cards are an issue that has almost made it impossible to buy multicolored patches on the secondary market. First, is Donruss aware of this rampant problem? Secondly, is anything being done to prevent it, like creating a database of cards produced?

SP: Donruss is aware of the problem and we are currently the ONLY manufactuerer that has taken a major step to combat counterfeiting. Back in January, we announced a partnership with Kodak where every prime swatch card will be marked with an invisible ink that is detectable by special equipment. Starting with National Treasures, every sports prime swatch card has been marked (and will continue to be marked) and we will be able to detect fake cards and get them off the market.

SCU: With box prices climbing, how is Donruss retooling to make sure that the little kid we all once were is still a part of this hobby?

SP: Donruss is the only manufactory to offer a $.99 product with Score FB. This year we are adding content to it such as stickers, tattoos, etc with the focus on fun and collecting (Pictured Right). At this price point and all the fun elements in it, we feel that parents and kids will love what we have done. Donruss is also one of the exclusive partners of Pop Warner football, the largest organized youth football league in the country. We have worked over the past three years at a few special programs that have gotten cards into the hands of kids. My believe is there is nothing more special than seeing a kid open a pack of cards, its getting them into their hands that is a marketing focus of Donruss.

SCU: Donruss has been an innovator of a lot of trends in the football card market lately, especially in recent years. Is there anything to expect this year that will rock our socks off? Any new products to keep an eye out for?

SP: I've been working really hard on the Ring Kings cards (the first MMA cards ever done in the industry). Its the worlds fastest growing sport and Donruss is ahead of the curve on this one. We have a couple of announcements yet to come that will knock collectors socks off...so stay tuned!

SCU: Two of the biggest gripes from collectors over the last three to four years are the use of stickers for autos instead of hard signed cards, and redemptions. 2007 National Treasures was definitely a step in the right direction, but still far from what we want in a product. What is Donruss doing to give the collecting public what they have wanted for a LONG time, mainly a set with no redemptions and all hard signed cards?

SP: One of the things that gets lost in the mix, is that Donruss produces more on-card autographs than ANY manufacturer. We listened to collectors and then introduced in '07 cards such as the embroidered patches, the stamp carriers, embossed team logos, slide carriers, and we brought back Notable Nicknames and Pen Pals to Treasures. These were all ways to put more on-card autographs into the market place. Cards such as Lettermen have now been picked up by all manufactures, so we're constantly setting the trend.

SCU: Donruss is still functioning on mail in redemptions, something that Upper Deck did away with a few years ago. Any switch we can be anticipating?

SP: Actually, Donruss handles all Customer Service requests and redemptions online, something that we started this year...but so far every program we have released in 2008 (4) has been without redemptions.

SCU: This year's rookie premiere was packed with draft picks from every team, who is your guy to collect for 2008?

SP: Each year I walk away more and more impressed with these young men. It was a great class and I'm pulling for them all. Felix Jones is on my Cowboys, so I guess he's the one I'm pulling for the most, LOL!

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Annnnnnnnnnnnd just for good measure, I (heart) DLP.

A Cut Above III: Craziest Thing Ever Created

This auction is probably the craziest thing I have ever laid eyes on.

eBay Auction Ridiculosity

When this gets taken down, here is a picture just so you know how fucking unbelievable this thing is:



Here is a list of the cuts that are included:
Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Cy Young
Lou Gherig
Rogers Hornsby
Ted Williams
Pie Traynor
Honus Wagner
Roy Campanella

Yeah, try and digest that. Holy fuck. But 57k is a little much, Id rather have a Mercedes.

A Cut Above II: It Gets Worse?

So, Topps is releasing a card containing Woodrow Wilson's sunglasses in Triple threads this year. Hey Topps, please keep on pillaging items that should be in museums. Granted, he isnt the most influential president, but still, this borders on insanity.

A Cut Above

Everyone wants them, they are incredibly tough to pull from packs, some are worth more than your life, but should we hate the practice of making them? The concept of a cut autograph is pretty simple, just cut ‘em, paste ‘em, and pack ‘em. It has become a staple of the collecting hobby, and has even given collectors the chance at owning ink of their favorite dead players. PSA has been slabbing cuts since the beginning, but that is all they are, pieces of paper or card in a slab. Topps and Upper Deck have taken that to a WHOLE new level.



This summer, a card will be redeemed that makes me so fucking sick of this shit that I hope the person donates it to a museum when they get it. Despite most logical ideas of obtaining rare autos, UD has produced the cut of all cuts that contains all four presidents on Mount Rushmore. The signature redemption card is available in 2008 Premier Baseball and some other products that will be released later this year, all with staggering odds.


I didnt think this was possible - I was wrong.

Now, this card is a good fucking idea if you ask me (marketing wise), but I think its sick that we are supporting the damage and destruction of at least four documents from our NATIONS history – not just the sport’s history. I think it is MUCH more important to have a George Washington letter in tact than a cut glued to a piece of cardboard. That’s just me though.

In 100 years when our children’s children are living in an era dominated by a paperless world, shouldn’t we at least try to conserve as much history as possible? I know that eventually something will be cut up that shouldn’t have been, and people will eventually get mad enough to do something. Until then we are in dire straits when cards like the Mount Rushmore card are becoming more and more frequent.

Every year thousands of documents, checks, and other historical items are destroyed because Topps, UD, DLP and every other company wants to make a buck. Hell – Tristar cuts up other sports cards and uses those for cuts! Like I have mentioned with the historical jerseys that are torn to shreds for card purposes, I am beginning to think UD and Topps should think about what they are doing. Let’s focus on helping the preservation of the sports we love and less on making money. Of course, with some companies, we know they don’t care about anything but the almighty buck. Color me angry please.