Down in the (Sticker) Dumps

Now that Topps is out of football for the next few years, we do know that one thing is coming. Unfortunately for us, Topps will need to get rid of their built up stickers and jerseys, and the sticker dump product will be on its way. Sticker dumps are an inevitable part of using the labels for products, and thanks to this new Topps-less NFL, we are prone for a glorius second helping, after choking down two to three similar products from them and UD already this year.

Most of you are probably wondering what a sticker dump actually is, so here is an explanation. Basically, each year, the different companies send out their label sheets to rookies, veterans, and others for them to sign for the upcoming year(s). Unfortunately, due to the fact that the world of sports is ever-changing, a sticker that deserved to be in a set one season, may not have that status for the following year. This is especially true for rookies that never get established in the league, and are demoted, hurt, or cut. Due to the Tom Brady effect of having to put every single possible player's rookie auto in every product (just in case), there are tons and tons of stickers that end up in a box somewhere at the end of each card year. This box sits and rots in the warehouse until a set is developed where the company can use those stickers to fill out a checklist with players that dont matter.

For the NBA and its new exclusive license, both Topps and UD needed to rid their stores of unused stickers so that they could make as much money off the leftovers before they were unable to legally be used any more. The result was Topps Signature series Basketball and UD SP Signature edition, where the products' sole purpose was to eliminate all possible unused labels. Im sure it was pretty obvious something was up when you were getting Jorge Barbajosa and Josh Boone up the ass.

Earlier this year, you may have also noticed that Topps Magic Football was stuffed full of autographs from players like Isaiah Stanbeck, Allen Patrick, and Fred Davis. These players, at one point, were welcome in sets that featured many of the rookie autos that we have come to expect per normal protocol. However, as they have moved into 2nd or 3rd string roles with their respective teams, they are now not welcome in any normal set. Of course, when you have a sticker dump, those types of stickers come out of the woodwork for one last use before either being tossed, or whatever else is done with unused stickers.

This practice of completely dumping everything was even more prevalent in the crime against collecting known as 2009 SP Signature Edition football. As recent comments have pointed out, this set is quite possibly one of the most obvious sticker dumps ever created. Players that are now practice squad players, or at best second stringers, are littering almost every auto card, with rare big hits of people that actually matter. Granted the price is VERY small at around 40 bucks a box, however, it doesnt justify the horrid, horrid checklist.

The fact of the matter is this. If we continue to support the sets like this, they will continue to terrorize us. We need to speak with our wallets and show that products like this are completely unacceptable. Even though UD tried to blind us with four and six autos per card, it doesnt matter if none of those players will ever see game action or make a good contribution to their team. Although I think the Brady effect is very much to blame for a lot of these horrible excuses for products, it is not a reason for us to have to endure the pain.

The problem remains, Upper Deck and Topps have become pros at doing this every single year, sometimes without prior warning of a checklist. This leads to people opening their products expecting one thing, and getting something completely different. Although Topps will be forced to employ the sticker dump as a way out, UD should have a similar answer when the next season rolls around. The only way to avoid being caught in the trap is to look for obvious signs on the sell sheets, and wait for breaks and checklists before committing your dollars. Trust me, its worth losing fifty to one hundred bucks on a case pre-order when you find out you just saved thousands by avoiding a dump.

SP Signature Football Is Live

SP signature edition is live, and looks to be filled with tons and tons of autos. The problem is, it looks like more of a sticker dump than a set that is worth the time to buy. It is already bringing back memories of 2007 Chirography from the strength of the checklist, but at least the cost seems to be pretty inexpensive.

There also seems to be a plethora of multi signature cards, and the design doesnt look as bad as I thought it would. Hopefully things start looking up for this set, as a lot of people were looking forward to it.

How Bad Of A Sticker Dump Is 2009 Topps Football?

Yesterday I talked about that 2009 Topps Football was one of the best looking Base Topps products they have done in a long time. I also said that you should wait before you buy, because of how far the product price will drop over the course of the season. Dont believe me? Check this picture out:



That was from a couple of cases at six boxes a case. That means that he averaged an Earl Bennett autograph every other box, and that most likely he had a few boxes that contained both Bennett and either Avant or Hester.

I know that the lower Groups of autos have pretty much per box odds, but to get the same guys box after box after box must be frustrating. This person busted two cases and did not pull one RPA, but he did pull so many bad autos that there is no way he could ever make his money back.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident, as people have been reporting awful collation in their cases. Maybe later cases have better autos, but its becoming obvious that most of these cards were created to dump the thousands of stickers from awful players in their vault. Magic was similar in the dump, and I am guessing that Triple Threads (barf) wont be much better.