Is Twitter's Packout A Sign Of Things To Come?

Over the last few years of writing SCU, I have always taken a stand against the douchebaggery that plagues the hobby. Whether its fake cards, fake patches in cards, or fake autos, I have never shied away from letting my site be a haven from those people who seek to take advantage of the mis or uninformed.

Over the last few days, Upper Deck has brought something to the forefront of the hobby consciousness that I have been wanting for a VERY long time. Through Twitter, much to my elation, they are taking pictures of the Exquisite cards before they are being packed out and showing us. Of course, Exquisite is hand packed, which makes this 100 times easier, but it is a true defense against fakes. Because Exquisite has moved towards using more of the desirable parts of the jersey instead of moving away from it, nothing is outside the scope of reason. This has led to rampant faking and more gray area cards that are hard to authenticate.

If the Twitter packout were to become more complete, with each of the main hits of the product being photographed and posted for the public, my job would be a lot easier. Im hoping this is the beginning of the road towards a national database, despite the objections to the cost and time needed given by UD brass to accomplish it.

Secondly, if all were visible to everyone, they may be forced to include more 2 color + patches. People's complaints tend to circle around the amount of shitty patches in the top notch product, but that may be forced to change with everyone seeing everything.

Lastly, cards are becoming easier to track, and so are the fuck suckers who perpetuate all the scams. A national database would lead to a proof of wrong doing against the people who sell, hopefully enabling more of a policing of the sales on eBay. Of course, eBay would need to cooperate, but that idea may be as much of a pipe dream of a complete print run photo.

Packout Pics Round 3 - Exquisite Continues To Impress

Now that we have a better feel for what the singles look like, I think there is going to be some bigger buzz than people anticipate when this product is released. Collectors like to see what is out there in terms of chase items, though you have to have the meat to back it up. Personally, I think Exquisite is shaping up to be an incredible set for singles buyers, like myself, and I have already started saving up my money.

Here is the latest batch:

Need Help - Sun Times Show Related

If you are a Chicago area reader who is going to the Sun Times show when Percy Harvin and Jared Allen are signing on Sunday, please email me at sportscardsuncensored@gmail.com. I will pay you to help me out with getting some stuff signed.

Thanks in advance for your help.

More Packout Pics are Up, Some Crazier Than Others

I love when Exquisite comes out each year. Its a close to the card season that is like encore after a great concert. This year's has been shaping up to be one of the better versions of the product in years, and I am hoping that the final product echoes that. Even if the product falls flat, I have to applaud Upper Deck's amazing use of Twitter to draw hype on this set.

Here are some of the newer cards they posted, I think the Harvin at the end is ridiculous.

Packout Pictures From 2009 Exquisite Football Rd. 2

These cards are looking terrific, and I am anxiously awaiting the grand finale if and when we get it later this afternoon. I think the cards look vastly superior to last year's stellar design, and they have shown why Upper Deck is the on top of the mountain when it comes to high end. As the general consensus has been on the boards, blogs, and twitter, Panini and Topps need to take note.

I will say that I really dislike booklet cards, as I have said a hundred times, and I dont believe they belong in a set like this. However, if its between a booklet and a crap auto of a rookie in the bonus pack, ill take the booklet. I think that considering how many people are wondering how long Upper Deck has left, this is truly a show that collectors should not be missing.

Upper Deck is Posting Pictures From The Exquisite Packout (UPDATED)

Upper Deck is in the midst of packing out 2009 Exquisite Football for the upcoming release, and for the first time Twitter is there to guide us through the process.

Here are the latest batch of pics that include some ridiculous patches. Also, the cards look great compared to some of the pre-release photos. I cannot wait for this to go live in the next few weeks.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Three new updates, the Rare Materials Cards look absolutely amazing. So much better than last year. Also, the Elway looks significantly improved over last year's design as well. This is beginning to look like one of the best products for singles in the last few years. Absolutely incredible.

EDIT: Upper Deck has posted that each of the "gold" packs from this year will either have a rookie bookmark card or an autobiography card. I hate fold outs, which both of these are, but its gotta be better than some of the stuff from last year.

EDIT 2: In my opinion, these are so far one of the best looking cards of the set. I wish this was the design for the rookie patches, as I think it would look killer. Ill settle, as these should be extremely cool. Glad they brought back signed swatches this year.

Visit Upper Deck on Twitter for the latest HERE

Its Fake Season: Do YOU Have Your Hunting License?

I dont know what it is about March, maybe its the spring thaw or the ending of the cabin fever that winter forces in the cold areas of the country, but Fake Season is upon us. Dont get me wrong, every season is technically fake season, but things get kind of crazy in March for some reason. Everywhere I turn, more and more ridiculous fakes are popping up. The difference with most fakes and this one, is that PSA isnt grading them as authentic.

I have covered this maybe a hundred times, and each time I just cant understand how PSA markets themselves as an "Autograph Authority" when it is so easy to slip fakes past the goalie. What makes this instance such a money shot to the face, is that its not one that looks even REMOTELY close to a real one! Who in their right fucking mind would think this was real unless you bought it and got had, or are selling it to make money? Obviously, PSA didnt even bother checking any resource or they would see that this card looks closer to the signature of my 85 year old grandmother than Peterson, Johnson, Lynch or Ginn. What a fucking joke.

Just remember, just because its in a holder, doesnt mean its real. The real ones go for close to a thousand bucks now because the fakes VASTLY outnumber the reals. In fact, im having a tough time trying to find a real one to use on this post. Thats how tough it is to find one that is legit.

Ive also added a new golden rule of Topps:

STAY AWAY FROM ALL ROOKIE PREMIERE CARDS UNLESS YOU SAW IT PULLED FROM THE PACK.

Percy Harvin and Upper Deck - Rumors are Rumors

It seems like a lot of people have heard the rumors that Percy Harvin is done with UD over a money situation or something similar. I wouldnt be so quick to jump on the bandwagon, as I have not seen any reason to believe that this rumor is true.

I contacted Upper Deck to get a comment on the situation, and they gave me a pretty staunch response that he will sign when they can catch up with him. They denied any money issues between them and any football players with outstanding stuff, and were confident that they would be able to redeem the cards soon.

Of course, this could be a line from the people who stand to lose out if Harvin is indeed feuding over money with them, but I still file this under pure speculation. It was a rumor started by a user on Blowout's forum, and yet people are taking it as gospel. Although Baseball and UDE are done over in Carlsbad, I would believe that the football side should not have many problems that would lead to a situation like this.

People have cited the cancellation of UD Draft Football as a sign of the Upper Deck apocalypse, but I think it was more of a positioning mechanism for the newly revamped Sweet Spot, and an issue of redundancy and low sales from last year. Plus, when the CLC license kicks in at the end of next month, its going to be tough for any other company to compete with a product like Sweet Spot while not infringing on copyrights.

Basically, my suggestion is simple. If you like Harvin and want to pick up some of his stuff, but are afraid of the rumors, then wait. Despite the fact that speculation doesnt usually turn into anything when it comes to players signing their shit, you can easily wait for the live cards to show up. However, if you do wait, expect a 20-30% premium on the live cards due to the popularity of Harvin and the popularity of SPA. If 100 bucks isnt that big of a deal to you, and you pulled the card or got it another way, there is not a reason yet to say that the rumors are even close to being true. Either way, you should get a nice replacement even if he doesnt sign.

Personally, I dont see much change coming in the way Upper Deck functions in football. They have made investments in the prosperity of this brand, and I think they will pay off. There will be hiccups like UD Draft, but Im not afraid at this point, regardless of speculation. They may have laid off much of their now defunct UDE brand, and baseball is probably next, but trimming the fat will be necessary when there is nothing going on in those arenas.

As for Harvin, dont let message board speculation get the best of you. However, as always, patience is a virtue if you can afford it.

This? This is What I Come Back To?

Thankfully, I am out of the hospital and home for the first time since thursday. It was a complete nightmare, but at least I have some time now to get some stuff done on the site while I recover.

While I was at the hospital, I got my usual daily ebay email updates, and one had this HORRID fake listed as a 1/1. I laughed so hard that I almost busted my stitches. How are people this fucking stupid?

Obviously, this is not a 1/1, but really a fake auto slapped on a normal 2007 Bowman box loader Peterson RC. In fact, the guy is SO bad at being a complete douche, that he didnt even use a non-serial numbered card. He actually just left the serial number on there and is advertising it as something completely unseen by the public...

...until now.

I am also loving that he randomly used card 968, probably the one he pulled out of his box of Chrome.

So, so, glad to be back folks. What a pleasure to see this shit sell for 400 bucks. At least the auto looks better than the normal fakes we see.