The only "REAL" Peterson Viking Head From Exquisite Is Up On Ebay

I 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 trend, most of the time, the cards are easy to spot and even some of the most uninformed of the uninformed part of the hobby wont bite. For this reason, when a card comes up for sale like this Peterson, it is definitely problematic in most cases. This one is different.

This card would normally raise all sorts of red flags because of how perfect the logo is on the card. Yet, unlike EVERY other Viking head logo out of 2007 Exquisite, Upper Deck's Gregg Kohn has confirmed this one is real. Per Gregg, this is the ONLY Viking head that was created for the product, and when it first surfaced back in 2008, it came with a letter from Upper Deck stating as such. Although the current card is horribly encased in an "Authentic" Beckett slab, that isnt the reason I have no problem with people drooling over this card.

The price on this card may be set at a lofty and unrealistic $5,000 dollars, but this is the only chance someone has to get a legit Viking head logo. If you see any others that make it on to ebay, they are not real. Bottom line.

This Will Make You VERY Happy or VERY Sad

I was just going over the checklist for 2009 Exquisite, and I came across a few tidbits that people should think about going into this product. First, there are no Brett Favre autographs in this product from what I can tell. I searched every one of the auto subsets and Favre did not make an appearance. However, he does have a number of other cards, including a Rare Materials card.

Secondly, the tier 1 checklist for the RPAs is either going to make people very happy or very sad. For the singles buyers, it just got that much easier to buy Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin and Hakeem Nicks' RPAs, they are all tier 2 and should be numbered to 225. However, Darrius Heyward-Bey is a tier 1, which means you might just kill your case chances right there. That also means there are much less of them, so that may also be a good thing.

Speaking of the popular rare materials cards, this year's checklist looks much stronger than last year's, so that is good, but it looks like there still is no auto on these cards a la 2007's awesome 1-of-1's. There still may be 1/1 logo cards as we had last year, but I wasnt able to tell from the preliminary checklists.

Interesting stuff so far, ill let you know if I find out anything else.

I Miss Cards Like This...

I have mentioned a few times that innovation is the one thing that has fallen by the wayside as the industry has plowed forward. These cards from 2005 Exquisite were only produced once and I think are some of the coolest ideas for a card in a long, long time. They feature signed, game used pieces of shoulder pads and helmets, and they are VERY rare. The idea of using signed equipment had never been done before and has yet to be repeated, much to my dismay. The checklist was also pretty good to boot, but the concept was the best of all. The problem was that these were some of the most difficult and expensive cards to produce in the history of the modern era, which left this idea on the cutting room floor for 2006.

A notice to Topps and Panini: these cards feature HUGE windows for the signature equipment, yet still have enough room for a full size player picture and a nice and simple design. If only these would start coming back, I would be first in line.

Why 2006 Exquisite Baseball Makes Me Excited For 2010 Exquisite

Back in 2006, there was about as much demand for a high end baseball product as there is now for another version of Topps Moments and Milestones. So, instead of producing a standalone product to meet the small demand of a hobby geared more towards traditional collecting, UD produced the now infamous 2006 redemptions for the Exquisite baseball set inventory in their products for the year.

I absolutely loved 2006 Exquisite Baseball, if not only because I completely avoided the unredeemed redemptions until I saw the actual cards. I know there were as many people who were pissed about the cards they got, but for those of us who stuck to buying singles, it was a fucking blast. Still, to this day, the cards I purchased from the set are still my favorite baseball cards in my collection. They may have been stickers (the norm at the time), but the cards looked better than anything else on the market.

To this day, I still have a bunch of the Twins cards that were part of the set, my favorite being the two Mauer patch autos that I obtained when the product was released. At the time, I spent more money than I had ever spent on a card to get both, and since that date, they have not left my shelf. I still am pretty much in the school that believes the cards are some of the best looking cards of the decade, especially the ones based on the iconic 2006 Exquisite football set. Dont get me wrong, there were a lot of drawbacks to doing it the way it was done, but the results are sure impressive by 2006's standards.

Today, looking back on these cards, I am definitely glad to see them take another shot at Exquisite, this time with on card sigs and live cards in the packs. Chris Carlin said that card previews should be coming later this year, and I cannot fucking wait to see what they have in store. So far, it looks like they are going to be sticking with the formula they had for 2006, a good mix of vets, HOFers, and rookies, as well as cuts and stuff. Considering that all of the cards will be available right away, this could get ridiculous very quickly. If you see the Jumbo patch cards from the first set, as well as some of the retired player relic cards, they have a lot to live up to even with the bottom part of this set. Then, since they are also going to have to fill the shoes of the autograph cards of last time, UD better be aiming to please.

The only hope I have is that they dont overload this with dual rookie autos and other crap, which poisoned a lot of people's view of the last set. Then, when the random redemptions started to be assigned, and people waited months for a dual Brian Bannister auto with some other junk rookie, those opinions headed further south. However, after reading the press release and getting some preliminary explanations from UD, this seems like they have addressed all of the problems that plagued them the first time around.

Its been made pretty obvious here that I live for High End autos, and Exquisite is the granddaddy of them all. After constant disappointment from Triple Threads and Sterling, I hope this ends up more in the direction of a better looking, on card auto version of Prime Cuts, rather than a rehashed stale product that has no legs or inspiration. It cannot be all action and no substance. It has to be what we have come to expect of the Exquisite brand, complete and utter awesomeness. If it cant play ball, its going to be a VERY long year for UD baseball.

Exquisite Basketball Takes a Final Bow

UD released pics of 09-10 Exquisite Basketball today, right on the heels of 08-09 Exquisite Basketball taking the net by storm. This will be coming out next week on 9/30 (?!?) and looks like this is a wonderful end to a set that redefined the hobby. Back in 2004 when Exquisite was first released, it was quickly elevated to legendary status with the stratospheric prices of the shortprinted Melo, Lebron and Dwade rookie auto patches.

Although the design is EXACTLY the same as the 03-04 set, it will feature cards that Basketball has never had before. This includes throwback Rookie Auto Patches of people like Jordan, Tiger and John Elway, as well as people like Sidney Crosby, all in the old design. It also features some ridiculous duals, including a Tiger/Bron dual auto, and a Tiger/Jordan dual auto patch. Can you imagine how much these will be worth? Its absurd to even fathom.

It will also feature the non-exclusive 09-10 rookies, as well as the usual suspects, so you can assume that Limited Logos and all the faves will be back. Its also going to have a logoman set as well as a few cards that are new(er) looking, so it wont all be 03-04.

Im still not sold on the use of an old design with no changes to it, but 03-04 is such an iconic set, its almost like the first High End retro product. Its probably going to have a normal MSRP, so its going to be tough to afford for those of you who dont normally buy it, but I think the possibilities are endless. The only issue I see is that the promotional materials are advertising that there are at least 2 autos per box, which means that for 600+ you may only end up with two autos. That sucks. That sucks major fucking balls. Im sure most of the boxes will contain much more than that, but the prospects of a two auto box with one being a rookie is awful. We will have to wait on the first breaks to see.

Well, Exquisite Basketball, it was nice knowing you. Thanks for the memories.

SAY HI!!

Although Im sure you are all happy to see Lindsey, one of the creative people behind UD's products, I am little more interested on what is on her screen. I believe that would be an Exquisite or Ultimate Knowshon Moreno card, though my guess is Exquisite inscriptions from the black bottom.

Just thought you may want to see.

I Have High Expectations For 2009 Products

Every year, readers send me boatloads of emails asking which products are the best. I usually have to give them a short answer in the interest of not writing a novel, but most of the time it boils down to 5 products that don’t usually disappoint. Last year I talked here about my favorite cards of the year for each rookie class, so I thought I would update things a little with performance updates based on the 2008 products.

Here is my list for 2009:

1. SP Authentic Rookie Patch Auto

I put this one at number one because the design is usually the best of the year, they are usually half the price of their exquisite counterparts, they are on card autos, and they have been around longer than most of the other ones that are making an appearance on this list. Collectors value these over many of the more high end products mainly for those reasons and I agree. SPA is my favorite of the year almost all the time.

2. Exquisite Rookie Patch Auto

These cards come from the Bentley of sports card sets, and usually the design and value reflect that. I loved the RPAs from this past year, which offset the suspect year before it. These are the most valuable cards of the year, but you will pay almost twice the price of a normal card to get one. If you had started a collection of your guy, this would be the centerpiece.

3. National Treasures Rookie Patch Auto

I am only referring to the on card version of this set, as the others can get nuts with the different diecuts. I especially liked this set last year, as the tapered windows were a major, MAJOR upgrade. These may come out of the second most expensive product of the year, but they don’t live up to the cards from SPA and Exquisite. The reason that they are so high on this list, is they are the first super high end card of the year, and most consider these to be Cadillacs to the Bentley mentioned above. I would be fine with a Cadillac.

4. Topps Chrome Rookie Auto

I love Topps chrome, it’s the one Topps product that usually doesn’t disappoint. Add in the fact that they dropped the price last year, and I must have busted 5 boxes. The Chrome autos are usually just the auto'ed version of the base, a tactic I wholeheartedly approve of, and the simplistic card usually scores well with everyone. Although the design isnt fireworks in my heart this year, Im hoping it will look better in person. It usually does. Now, the photography is a whole different story altogether.

5. Leaf Limited Patch Auto

Leaf Limited was a let down last year due to the format switch. The patch autos were still great, however, and that was enough to get me to buy into a few group breaks. I think these made the Contenders from last year look like crap, but that was just me. This year, I hope they are back, and I hope they continue to be one of the more aesthetically pleasing. The one thing I am dreading is more black sharpie over the player's pic. That didn’t make sense with room below.

Honorable Mentions:

- Playoff Contenders Ticket Auto - no material, which I like, but last few years design has been ridiculously bad.
- Leaf Certified Material Mirror Blue Freshman Fabric - Loved 2007, HATED 2008, 2009 is a ?
- Ultimate Collection RC Autos - These were kind of botched in terms of the usual format, but I loved these last year.

Be sure to realize that new products come out every single year, and this year will be no exception as Donini tries to make a splash. So far, we havent gotten much in terms of plans, but you can bet that the other companies will have their guns cocked and ready to fire with their own sexy products. As long as you are good at spotting the '1 year duds' as I call them, you will be fine.

More Unbelievable Adventures In Set Collecting

When Exquisite was first produced in 03-04, people had two reactions. They either shit their pants with excitement, or they shit their pants wondering why something like it was ever considered. Personally, I wasnt really into collecting at that point, but I still heard rumblings, and I was a little of column A and a little of column B. 

The collector who put this set together obviously picked the right set to collect. This set is widely considered to be the most unbelievable and most valuable modern set ever. LeBron, Wade, and Anthony all had cards that are worth a ton, and this guy has them all with ridiculous patches in each one. He wants a lot of money for it, without a doubt, but I cant really blame him. 

I am always impressed with the people who manage these things, and I will never hesitate to post about it. Who knows what this will be worth 20 years down the road when James and Wade are retiring. Then again, its still relatively early in their career, lots can happen.

We Are Almost A Month Into Exquisite Now, Still No Tiger

The buzz in the hobby right now is all Tiger Woods, due to the presence of his cards in both Champs hockey, Ultimate Collection, and Exquisite Collection. The last in that list would be considered to be the craziest card to hit the market in years. The problem is that not one of the five cards have made it onto the secondary market. We havent even gotten a whiff of one.

I know that Gregg had promised that 5 of these made it into circulation, and that not as much Exquisite has been opened this year as last, but the odds thus far that no one even knows a person who has one is a little off the charts. More than 50% of the logos have been pulled, including the Ryan that was sold for $6250 off eBay, the Ryan/Flacco dual logo, and at least one of the Tigers from a more mass produced product like Champs Hockey have been pulled as well. Its currently at $3200 on TWGM.

I would put this card at close to $10K if pulled and listed due to the brand, the product, the memorabilia, and the possible inscription. I am eagerly waiting, hoping that one will surface.

Man, this is nuts!

Thus Completing My Peterson Purchasing For 2009

Barring an act of god or another set producing win, im done buying All Day autos for 2009. My Exquisite auto came in today, and I must say that I am pleased. It could have been smeared, it could have gone off the card, but all in all, its pretty nice. Its up next to my other Exquisite from 2007, and will remain there until I decide that AD is not my player of choice anymore. 

Funny enough, the scan is AWFUL, so bare that in mind, and the card itself has a nice gold border on the side of it. Pretty cool.

Taking Set Collecting To The EXTREME!

Sometimes, when second worlders take a shot at set collecting, they set their sights very high. Every once in a great while, someone takes that to a whole new level. This auction is for every RC Patch Auto out of 2007 Exquisite Football, and I am not only jealous, but really fucking impressed. Not only does he have the complete set, but he has some nice ass patches on most of the cards, including a ridiculous 3-color on the Peterson. Of course, these patches are event used, but for the sake of this showcase, they are really nice. He even got a 3 color on the Russell, which is tough, considering that the home half of the jerseys are 2 colors for the whole jersey, and the away jerseys are only three colors on the front and back numbers.

I can imagine that this set took a long time to complete, and also took a shit ton of money. The sad thing is that he wants 14K for this lot, and I dont think he will come even close. Its just too much money for someone to pay, as most of the RCs in this set will never amount to much. As a set, thats a little different, but that may be a lot too much to ask.

Either way, its cool to see a guy that took the time to complete his set.

Info On Exquisite Black and Gold Redemptions

This year in exquisite's gold packs, there were quite a few people who pulled the black and gold redemption cards for a key member of all 6 of the Steelers' championships. I thought it was a cool idea, as it really hasnt happened before that Exquisite has had a set like this. It gives the team collector an amazing set to complete, and the player collectors get cards that are commemorating one of the Steelers proudest moments. If I were a Steelers fan, I would be really happy about this.

The problem is, the checklist doesnt include some of the most "key" members of the teams:

CHECKLIST
bg-br Ben Roethlisberger /25
bg-ds Donnie Shell /150
bg-fh Franco Harris /100
bg-ha James Harrison /101
bg-hw Hines Ward /32
bg-jg Joe Greene 150
bg-jh Jack Ham /150
bg-jl Jack Lambert /150
bg-lg L.C. Greenwood /150
bg-lw Lamarr Woodley /150
bg-rb Rockey Bleier /150
bg-tb Terry Bradshaw /25
bg-tp Troy Polamalu /44
bg-wp Willie Parker /100

Now, the question I have is, where is the Bus, and where is Santonio Holmes? Both were important parts of two of the championships, but are not included. I know that you cant necessarily have everyone, but those were key to me. Otherwise, the checklist looks pretty good, with Harrison's card being one of the only autos, if not the only, he has, and also Polamalu getting some love. You can tell these cards will be in pretty high demand once redeemed, due to the set builders, and the Steelers collectors. I know 2 or 3 people that would pay out the nose for the Roethlisberger and the Ward.

It will be interesting to see how these turn out.

h/t Card Informant

So Far, This Is Looking Pretty Good

A few days ago, I took a huge risk on a Peterson auto redemption from Exquisite. The good thing was that I had seen a number of ADs up on ebay, the bad thing was that Exquisite wasnt part of that. It was a new set, so it was kind of expected, but I was still quite weary of what may happen.  

Today, to my surprise, I found this under my redemptions on the UD site:

Im glad to see that not everything has been lost on UD customers. With this preliminary info, at least we know that the wheels are still turning somewhere, though customer service has been widely reported as greatly reduced. 

So far, things are looking pretty good, ill keep you up to date.

Exquisite Cards Going Out Tomorrow

I wanted to get these out on monday, but due to a hugely busy schedule, I havent been able to do it. I have everything ready to go, just need to get the labels printed and sent.

Ill keep you posted.

Super High End - A Rebuttle From A Collector Of It

Since there is so much hating on high end stuff, mainly the price tag for Exquisite and National Treasures, I wanted to add my opinion since I actually like them both. To me, offering your opinion on these things is acceptable when you understand that those products extend a little bit past the price tags. I know that 500 bucks seems like a lot of money for 7 cards, regardless, but for some people its not about busting it for money. A lot of the people I see bust NT and Exquisite have money to throw around regardless of the state of the economy. Its understood that you can get the big pull when busting high end stuff, but you can also end up with our box that we got a few days ago. Most people understand that. If they make unsound investments when they don’t have the money, it wouldn’t make a difference if exquisite was around or not. NT and Exquisite are two fucking products on a release calendar that has 45 products and more. Do you not think that they would find something else to buy and waste their money on? I doubt it.

As for the complaining, I think its more than acceptable in my opinion. If you spend 500+ on a box and you get crap, you have are buying the right to complain. Of course, its only acceptable if you understand that its just a venting process and nothing will come of it. You took a gamble and lost, you have every right to feel shitty about it. I gamble 50 bucks on chrome sometimes, get nothing, and I will not shut up until I have appeased my inner demons. It’s a way to let off steam and disappointment. It doesn’t mean the product is crap and bad for people.

However, busting these products is not the only reason that Exquisite and NT exists. I love the cards, they are the best designed of the year, and most of the time they also have the best cards of one's favorite player from the entire season. If these type of products didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be as happy in this hobby because there wouldn’t be anything to shoot for. The reason is this. I know that for at least one set each year, the best of the best will be on display. I know that if the rest of the year's products suck, these will make up for it. I know I will at least be able to find one or two cards to measure things by, and it brings the rest of things into perspective. You don’t just pay 500 bucks for the cards, you pay for the brand and the presitige. Trust me, that goes a long way in a lot of people's mind. Then, if the cards look amazing in addition (which they usually do) it only adds to the mystique. If I had the choice between spending 250 dollars on a topps heritage chrome refractor retro black 1/1 and an exquisite patch auto, I take the exquisite. It looks better on my shelf and I am more proud of it. When people come to my place and they see those cards, they ooooo and ahhh like fucking kids. Its because everyone can appreciate that kind of thing - its universally accepted that those pieces attract the attention from the buyer who gets it, as well as people who see it. Don’t think I am in the minority for pointing this out. You all have photobuckets and you all display shit on your blog. Its not a bad thing, its human nature, and I thrive on that rush.

Now, onto the sticker autos in NT. It seems to be a discrepency in certain people's mind that a product cant be good if it has stickers for autos. First, if the product isnt upper deck, it probably has stickers, it’s a standard of expectation. Secondly, not all the cards in the set are sticker autos. There are on card RC patch autos, and those are the focus of the product. Thirdly and more importantly, its nearly impossible to do what upper deck does without the resources. I don’t think its possible for DLP to get all on card sigs, and for what they do produce with what they have, its pretty good. I love the design, I love the ideas, I love NT cards. Its not Exquisite, but its worth what you pay if you buy it right. If you are an idiot about it, you will get what you pay for, just like any other product regardless of price. For the record, most of us don’t like the stickers, but when they are done right (unlike topps' effort) they look fine to the people who understand the process. NT is one of those products that is done right. Again, not exquisite, but still good enough to be considered among the best.

Lastly, to say that high end has ruined the hobby, is to look at things with blinders on. Its like saying the Rolls Royce ruined the car industry. Bullshit. People buy what they like, and if they like the hondas, they have a car to buy. If they like to throw their money around, they buy a bentley. Its that simple. Nothing has been ruined other than the idea that cards are more than just pictures on cardboard. Personally, if they were, id stop collecting. It would be fucking boring. I left cards originally because I realized that I was a sports collector and that autos were much cooler to have on the wall. When I came back and saw that cards have jerseys and autos in them, I almost jizzed in my pants because my love for sports memorabilia and autographs had come full circle. When I then found out that the best of the best had crazy looking patches and amazingly designed autos, I fell in love. Some times a Camry doesn’t do it for people. Those people bust exquisite and NT, and they complain when they don’t get shit, but deep down inside they wouldn’t have it any other way. There is always another box to bust, and another chance at greatness. Trust me, they are just as worthy of being called a collector as anyone else.

EDIT: I have noticed that on every post that talks about high end as the worst thing to happen to the hobby, it is always comparing the high end football products like NT and Exquisite to low end baseball products. I have said numerous times that baseball and football are vastly different and it isnt a good idea to apply baseball rules to the football market. Its completely different, if not only because it is the only sport with 3 competing brands. Add in a profitable RC class EVERY YEAR, in addition to the high priced current stars like Peterson, Favre, Roethlisberger, the Mannings, Tomlinson, Reggie Bush, and Tom Brady, and you have a product all by itself. Then you factor in that all the recent HOFers like Barry, Emmitt, Montana, Rice, and others like Franco Harris and Starr are still living and signing, and you have the ability to put out a high end product and have it be worth it.

You dont have that in baseball because its Pujols, Jeter, Grif, and A-Rod, and thats it. You cant make the retired players the focus per the MLBPA, so Ripken and the other recent retired guys who sign cant out number the current guys who arent worth anything. Add in that Aaron and Mays are DLP exclusive, and you dont have a very large pool of guys to work with. See, in the NFL, exclusive contracts dont exist yet. Its a much different situation.

2008 Exquisite Football Box Break

Guys, I have to run right now, but here are the scans. We will get em next time, might need to do another box. Thanks to all who joined. Congrats to the winners. 

RANDOM HAS BEEN DONE  - SONIC IS THE WINNER...

Dual will be randomed, and video for the break will be posted tomorrow. YouTube is not accepting anything right now.

Product Review: 2008 Exquisite Football

Well, this product means the end of the 2008 football season, and most of the time UD saves the best for last. I think that is still true this year with the revamp of the product and the "added value", though it is still the biggest lottery ticket you will ever buy in your life. With the economy in the crapper, I think this year's exquisite will be a tough sell. However, there are still many collectors out there who save all year for their exquisite case. I think they may be happy with the latest offering of one of the most expensive products ever.

The Good

There is no other place to start with this product than with the RC Patch Auto. It is the focus of every year, and I love them this year. Someone said they looked like King Louis XVI designed them, and I agree. However, they should be ridiculously ornate, especially with the price tag. I like the design, because when it comes to high end, this product IS KING.

Thank the fucking lord that UD switched the super swatch cards this year. Holy shit, after seeing the same goddamn set for two straight years, this new set is amazingly done in my opinion. Im glad they went to the horizontal orientation, and of course, the white background. I know on a lot of the cards they used great action shots, and my favorite part: NO MORE PLAYERS WITH HELMETS OFF!!!

I also really liked added addition of Tiger Woods to this set, as I think he needs some more cards. Its a huge chase at a low print run, and looks amazing. I hope that we get one in our box, because then we might be able to buy a few cases for the people involved and truly have a rip party, RIGHT PEOPLE? 

I want to give my usual props here for the use of an entire set with on card autos. Hey, even flacco is in this one without a redemption, so that is great for the ravens fans who wouldnt like to pay 1000 for a Flacco redemption and end up with a 1 color patch.

Lastly, I want to discuss the good part of the gold packs, the bad I will save. I really like a lot of these cards. They look like they were done in the spirit of UD black, and the use of a lot of auto subjects means that you should get something good out of this pack. Now, it also is an out for people, because you could sell this pack for $150 and make some money back on a box you just took a bath on. After all, it is another auto that isnt a scrub, and it can replace cards like your super swatch or something similar. It really adds value to me.

The Bad

Last year, my favorite part of Exquisite was the jersey number auto cards. It was the most well put together subset of the year, and I made it a point to get one of the Petersons (now the centerpiece of my collection).  This year, the cards are like sushi from the grocery store. The design is blah, the auto space doesnt look right, and they even made some of them dual autos - yuck. 

I mentioned the good thing about the gold packs, but there is one serious bad thing too. The marker they used has a gold or silver paint in it, and they look like they will fade very quickly. I saw someone mention that the type of paint pen they used turns brown over time. GREAT. WONDERFUL. FANTASTIC.

Of course, I want to talk about the use of event used swatches here, because I missed it on my SPA review. We are now almost 2 full months after the Super Bowl, and they are still using the crap pieces. On a product this late and this expensive, that is unacceptable to me. 

The Ugly

I want to come down hard on the guy who created the Exquisite jersey auto set. I swear to god this had better have been the new guy, because these cards are so beyond boring that I fall asleep looking at them. They look like a subset from a product like Gridiron Gear or something. Wow. Oh wait, there are duals too that look worse? Of course there are. Why not? 

 

Fuck me, we better not pull one of them in our box, because I feel bad for that person that gets it as their card from the break.

 

Another awful decision was to parallel the fuck out of the Rare Materials cards. Who's bright fucking idea was that? Since the inception of Exquisite, the rare materials were the 1/1s with all the logos and the autos. Now they are numbered to 10, 35 and god knows what else, and there is no auto to be seen. It was the one card each year that every high end player collector looked forward to, and its gone. Thanks a shitload.

For those of us who only buy one box of Exquisite all year, or maybe two, there is a really ugly side to this product. In my mind, you either hit a home run or you get kicked in the nuts with these breaks. I know they are packed for value, but still, there are still a bunch of watery crap in your mouth boxes. We understand that not every box can be a winner, but hopefully those are part of the minority.

Overall, I really like the look of Exquisite, and I hope that it can help keep UD Football on the map. You may disagree with the concept of the product, but its tough to argue with the content. Considering that this is the last good product for around six months is pretty hardcore, but hopefully we can last on old boxes of SPA and Limited.

2008 Exquisite Football - Break This Friday Evening

For those of you who are participating in the exquisite break, we will be doing it this coming Friday evening as soon as I get back from work. Since YouTube is such a bitch these days, Ill try to get scans up before the video so you wont have to wait for the upload to finish.

This also means that the trade deadline is tomorrow at midnight. Here are the team listings:

1. Volutnarheel (PAID) - Ravens, Texans, Redskins, Patriots
   
2. Kickstand (PAID) - Packers, Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs
   
3. speedlegg (PAID) - Panthers, Seahawks
   
4. Lars (PAID) - Vikings, Jaguars
   
5. Wheeler (PAID) - Falcons, Chargers, Bengals, Giants
   
6. Matt S (PAID) - 49ers, Saints
   
7. Poppycock (PAID) - Eagles, Titans
   
8. arfmax (PAID) - Steelers, Bucs
   
9. Darkship (PAID) - Jets, Colts, Rams, Browns
   
10. Gellman (HOST) - Cowboys, Dolphins
    
11. Psad (PAID) - Lions, Bills
    
12. Sonic (PAID) - Raiders, Broncos
    

Trade commentary will be here in the comments.

Let me know if you have any questions.

First Look At A 2008 Exquisite Case Break

For Exquisite, last year was a big problem because we saw that there were a lot of cases that were pretty good and the rest were beyond awful. This year there were promises of the boxes being better packed, and with the addition of the gold card set, breaks should be more valuable in the long run and the short run.

Well, on blowout, there have been a few cases broken already, and here is the most complete with pics. I would say we have come a few steps with the value of the breaks based on what we have seen from these three, but definitely still far away from where they should be. Exquisite costs in upwards of 75 dollars per hit, and due to that, we really need some good value in the boxes. I dont expect every box to be a gold box, but I do expect that there is at least one card that people would consider to be great.

Hopefully, as the case breaks move on, we would be able to get a better picture of what to expect in our box that should be coming on Friday.

2008 Exquisite Football Is Live!

Here are some photos of the first cards to be posted on eBay. I like the look of the ones I have seen, but the base cards seem really odd for some reason. So far, there isnt enough to make any judgement, however that should change tomorrow.

Anyways, here you go: