Filed under: Beckett Media, NHL, Upper Deck | Tags: Autographed Helmet, Boston Bruins, Hockey Helmet, Tyler Seguin, UDA, Uper Deck Authenticated, Upper Deck, Upper Deck Pack Attacks
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
Upper Deck and Sports Images have teamed up to bring an expansive Pack Attack event to the New England area this month.
Beginning with pre-qualifying Upper Deck Pack Attacks at eight different hobby shops in the area (listed below), the promotion will culminate with the winners from each location competing in one final event on March 3, 2011 at the Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game. There, winners will receive premium prizes like player-signed mini sticks, Tyler Seguin-autographed gloves and a Rookie Showcase helmet featuring penmanship from this season’s top newcomers. Continue reading
Filed under: Beckett Media, NHL, Topps | Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Product, Topps Super Bowl XLV
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
Moments ago, via Twitter Topps announced its product nod to the Lombardi-lugging Green Bay Packers.
Celebrating the Packers’ Super Bowl XLV victory on cardboard, a limited 27-card set is available for sale on Shoptopps.com. Cheeseheads far and wide can expect the commemorative blister pack to ship on the week of Feb. 28.
Filed under: Beckett Media, NBA, Panini | Tags: 2009-2010 national treasures basketball, Blake Griffin, Panini
By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor
We’ve looked at Blake Griffin’s cards before on the blog. We asked which of his rookie cards would you like to own.
But if you could own any of his cards – rookie card logo rules withheld – would this card be it?
Griffin’s 2009-2010 National Treasures Logoman auto 1/1 is on eBay with a staggering buy it now price. Anyone who is interested in the card would only need to fork over $32,032.32
The seller is not accepting any low-ball offers either. He states directly in his auction that anything submitted under $15,000 will automatically declined. Twenty offers have already been submitted, but he hasn’t taken any yet.
In the last year, we’ve seen some cards go far tremendous prices – mostly in the baseball world such as Stephen Strasburg’s 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor.
But if this card were to go to auction, what do you think would be the final price?
Filed under: Beckett Media, NFL, Topps | Tags: 2010 Topps Prime, One Retail Pack, Super Bowl XLV, Topps Prime Football
With temperatures finally reaching the 30s and some direct sun, the winter storm that tried to stop Super Bowl XLV is finally melting. Remedying a case of cabin fever yesterday, I managed to drive over to a nearby retail establishment to pick up some necessities (and a pack of 2010 Topps Prime Football, of course).
Last night, I opted for some take-out Chinese food and saved the pack for this morning’s video.
Filed under: Beckett Media, NFL, Panini, Topps | Tags: Dallas Convention Center, NFL Experience Memorabilia Show, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLV NFL Experience
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
As mentioned in the previous post, I countered a case of cabin fever by heading over to the Super Bowl XLV NFL Experience in downtown Dallas. Below is a video, featuring some of the sights and sounds from my stroll around the event.
Filed under: Beckett Media, NFL, Panini, Topps | Tags: Dallas Super Bowl, NFL Experience Memorabilia Show, Panini, Super Bowl XLV NFL Experience, Topps
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
Braving the second evening of a three-day North Texas ice apocalypse, I put on my warmest clothes and ventured to the Dallas Convention Center for the Super Bowl XLV NFL Experience.
Despite the freezing temperatures, I arrived without incident and with childlike glee when I saw the epic Super Bowl XLV letters standing in the iced-over convention center lawn. As visitors – some locals, some tourists, some brandishing terrible towels, some sporting cheese heads – poured inside the building, I couldn’t help but momentarily absorb the spectacle from afar.
However, I have seen the movie “Alive,” and I know what prolonged exposure can do to a man.
After making my way inside the traveling NFL theme park and eating a protein bar (just to make sure), I confirmed the glorious magnitude foreshadowed by that dramatic entrance. I was greeted with the hustle and bustle of show-goers, a light show and an enormous Drew Brees cut-out hanging from the ceiling.
At the epicenter of the experience, the Topps and Panini-sponsored Memorabilia Show lured me in immediately. Bringing their best host-city wares and cream-of-the-crop football collectibles, dealers set up shop, hoping to make hobbyists out of every attendee. Offering reasonably-priced merchandise and promotions to a crowd of awestruck football fanatics, most of these merchants didn’t have to do much convincing. Continue reading
Filed under: Beckett Media, MLB, Topps | Tags: 2011 Bowman Platinum, baseball cards, Bowman Platinum, Bryce Harper, MLB, Topps
By Chris Olds | Editor
You might not have fully digested your first helping of Bowman Platinum, but the next helping is already here.
Topps released preview images and basic product information for 2011 Bowman Platinum on Thursday, a product that will arrive in late-June — just months after the product made its baseball debut.
There will be two prospect autographs as well as one autographed Relic in every 20-pack hobby box. Each 12-box case will include one multi-autograph card and redemptions for on-card autographs from the latest crop of USA Baseball players.
The product will mark a high-end (Chrome) arrival of Bryce Harper autographs as the 18-year-old No. 1 overall pick is slated to have a Chrome Refractor Prospect autograph in the product as well as appear on the triple-autograph card (top) also signed by Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Zimmerman.
Filed under: Beckett Media, First look, MLB, Topps | Tags: 2011 Topps Pro Debut, MILB, minor league
By Chris Olds | Editor
Topps‘ second year of producing officially licensed minor-league baseball cards will start off with a little something extra — four hits in every box of 2011 Pro Debut.
Set to arrive in late May, Pro Debut will consist of 330 cards — apparently just one series this year — but will pack two autographs and two game-used Relics in every 24-pack box along with eight parallels and 18 insert cards. (Last year’s two-series release included two autographs and one memorabilia card in every hobby-only box.)
New this year are Side-by-side Dual Autographs which pair two players together, while the rest of the lineup is pretty similar. There are Gold (/25), Red (1/1) and Blue (/199) parallels, while there are also printing plates to be found. The insert sets include Single-A All-Stars, Double-A All-Stars and Triple-A All-Stars.
Filed under: Beckett Media, Card gallery, MLB, Topps | Tags: 2011 Topps baseball, Albert Pujols, Diamond, MLB, Topps
By Chris Olds | Editor
Today’s the day that many had marked on their calendars — well, after Topps pushed up the release date — as it marked the arrival of the annual baseball card-collecting staple.
You know, the annual Topps Baseball set.
While our Box Busters review boxes are somewhere in an iced-over UPS truck likely stuck in a snow drift and the Beckett Media offices are closed for a second consecutive day, a little lot of snow ice wasn’t going to stop your idiot intrepid editor from journeying through the tundra to a Target store.
After a blaster box, jumbo pack and way-too-many loose packs to mention, here’s a selection of cards from this year’s set … after the jump.
Also be sure to take our poll — on whether you think 2011 Topps is a winner or a loser.
Filed under: Beckett Media, MLB, Topps | Tags: 2011 Topps, Diamond Anniversary, MLB, Topps
By Chris Olds | Editor
The first boxes of 2011 Topps Baseball have been ripped and the first reports of oddball findings are coming in, too.
The most notable previously unannounced finds are cards that have the twinkle or sparkle of a diamond digitally placed into the photograph of the card.
The first of three In The Game uncut sheet auctions is under way.
A trio of eBay auctions of sheets from ITG: Heroes & Prospects “Hits” Series 1 will benefit charity.
The first auction — a sheet of autographed prospect cards from the set — benefits Special Olympics and is at $635 with a week remaining.
Filed under: Golf, NHL, Upper Deck | Tags: Bubba Watson, Goodwin Champions, PGA, Tiger Woods, Upper Deck
By Chris Olds | Editor
Upper Deck has its sights set on a return to the golf world sometime soon and a pair of future products will include a golf card first and a big batch of Tiger Woods.
Those are things that golf fans — who have been without a set of their own since 2005 — will undoubtedly appreciate.
Up first, is a first — Bubba Watson‘s first Upper Deck golf card. It will appear in 2011 Goodwin Champions, which will arrive later this year.
Upper Deck’s Sports Marketing and Social Media Manager Chris Carlin had additional details.
“We’ve reached a deal with the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open winner for image rights and autographs,” he said. “That’s kind of big news as many were wondering if we would ever produce Goodwin Champions again. The last Goodwin Champions set had a lot of very unique and innovative trading card inserts sets, so we are very excited to bring that product back with even more bells and whistles that will be announced in the coming months.
“Watson’s first autograph cards will appear in 2011 Upper Deck Ultimate Champions, a cross-sport product with a high-end look and feel.”
The second item — a whole lot of Tiger — can be seen after the jump.
Filed under: NFL, Panini | Tags: 2010 Donruss Rated Rookie, 2010 Donruss Rated Rookie Short-Prints
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
Offering one final — but critical — piece of information to the 2010 Donruss Rated Rookie autograph short-print list, Panini America recently revealed a list of respective quantities.
Since collectors need to know just how limited those limited cards are, here’s a look at the quantity-comprehensive list: Continue reading
Filed under: Beckett Media, just for fun, NFL, Panini | Tags: 2010 Donruss Rated Rookies, Aaron Ott, Kansas City, Pulling with Everyday People, Pulling with Everyday People Aaron Ott
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
This weekend, I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Kansas City, Mo. to visit my childhood best friend and long-time collecting comrade Aaron Ott. As seen in my three days of incessant travel tweeting, the Midwestern journey included a stop at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and a stroll through other must-see K.C. sights.
Most importantly though, the great state of Missouri gave me the opportunity to reminisce with my old friend.
Remembering how much fun we had riding to local card shops in the back of his dad’s white Ford Ranger pickup, we dusted off an old binder and traveled to today with a 2010 Donruss Rated Rookies boxed set….and then we stuffed our faces with Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.
Thanks to a handy laptop camera and Aaron’s very understanding wife, I managed to capture both memories and deliciously prepared meat in this episode of Pulling with Everyday People.
Filed under: Beckett Media, NFL, Topps | Tags: 2011 NFL Rookie Cards, Old Man Winter, Topps Rising Rookies
By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor
Topps revealed this morning that its first 2011 NFL Rookie Cards will be released in May with the Rising Rookies set.
Featuring the to-be-determined top 2011 NFL Draft picks, Rising Rookies comes 10 cards per pack in every 24-pack hobby box. Each box yields 21 inserts and four hits (including two-per-box autographs) which could fall in the following forms: Continue reading
Filed under: Beckett Media, NHL, Panini | Tags: 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Fair, 2011 nhl all-star game, Athletes Collecting, Interviews, Panini Behind the Scenes
Making the trek out to Raleigh, N.C. for the 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Fair, a small but dedicated Panini America crew — including the one and only Tracy Hackler — managed to capture some great footage over the weekend. From a behind-the-scenes Panini Adrenalyn spot with Jamie McBain to signing sessions with Tyler Seguin, Taylor Hall and others, these videos give us a glimpse at just how involved the manufacturer was at the event.
Enjoy the rest of Panini’s video diary after the jump. Continue reading
Filed under: Beckett Media, MLB, Topps | Tags: baseball cards, Gypsy Queen, MLB, Topps
By Chris Olds | Editor
The Queen will now include some royalty.
Topps unveiled its plans for a new baseball card set styled in the fashion of an 1887 release some time ago, but on Friday the longest-running manufacturer of baseball cards announced a little something extra in packs of the forthcoming 2011 Gypsy Queen baseball cards.
Prince William and Kate Middleton — two members of Britain’s Royal Family — will appear on a card.
Building on the product’s “jewels” theme — which includes bonus cards of various gypsys (yeah, we’re mystified, too) — a “Royal Jewels” card can also be found in packs.
No word on a card of Enrico Palazzo, though.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
Filed under: NHL, Upper Deck | Tags: 2011 nhl all-star game, NHL All-Star Game, stickkid, UD, ud stick kid, Upper Deck, upper deck stick kid
By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor
During Saturday’s rookie skills competition at the NHL All-Star Game weekend, 8-year-old Devin Ybarra will be up close to one his favorite hockey players.
Ybarra was selected as Upper Deck’s ‘Stick Kid’ for the competition. The North Raleigh resident will get to walk through the locker room and meet some of hockey’s best players while having the best seat at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
“I can’t wait to walk into the Hurricanes locker room and meet all the All-Stars,” said Ybarra, a third-grader. “Going in the locker room, I want to see all the Hurricanes lockers and then just being able to sit on the bench because I’ll get to see (Hurricanes team captain) Eric Staal up close.”
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