Filed under: Beckett Media, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Topps, USA Baseball | Tags: baseball, baseball cards, Nationals, Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, Strasburg baseball cards, Strasburg Rookie Card, Strasburg surgery, Topps, Washington Nationals
By CHRIS OLDS | COMMENTARY
Anyone who doubts Stephen Strasburg‘s place in the hobby in 2010 hasn’t been paying attention to the stat sheets.
You know, his numbers on the field — and the sales of his baseball cards.
However, the biggest story in baseball in years got a little bit bigger on Friday morning as a Washington Nationals official said the highly touted hard-throwing right-handed rookie likely needs Tommy John surgery — ligament replacement in his right elbow. That means we may not see him on an MLB mound until 2012.
Cynics saw Strasburg’s high level of success on the field and predicted a downfall eventually — though one has to wonder where that particularly came from as he has been absolutely dominant in college and the minor leagues before becoming the spectacle of all spectacles in the big leagues this season. You can’t argue with his numbers — they were there and had been enough to justify his being the No. 1 pick, which came with a hefty $15-million record-setting contract.
However, one can never predict injuries — and the cynics got what they wanted; a quick downfall this season, an end to the biggest story MLB has had — especially when reflected on cardboard — in years. Some say Strasburg’s arrival challenges the impact of the arrivals of Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols in 2001, but I’d say it might surpass them both and go even further back.
Now what, though? Let’s assess Strasburg’s performance as we look forward …
Filed under: MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Topps | Tags: 2010 Bowman, baseball, baseball cards, Bowman, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, Topps
The premiere Stephen Strasburg card from 2010 Bowman — his 1/1 Red autograph — sold for $17,000 (not including any additional fees) after 10 bids Wednesday evening in an auction that ran for a good portion of this month with Huggins and Scott.
The Silver Spring, Md.-based company’s auction of the card opened at $9,000 after it was found by a collector in Florida who initially opted for an eBay auction that ended with plenty of bad bids.
The card jumped from $12,000 to $17,000 on its final day, prompting overtime in the auction. It had been set to end at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time but ended at 11:30 p.m. Eastern as interested bidders were allowed extra time if they remained interested if a bid was placed late.
The card came up short of the highest price paid for a Strasburg card from 2010 Bowman, though this card’s status as a 1/1 autograph clearly trumps the other card.
The Strasburg SuperFractor from 2010 Bowman has been sold twice since it was discovered — on eBay for $16,403 and to Razor Entertainment’s Brian Gray for $21,403.
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: Hall of Fame, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Topps | Tags: 2010 Topps Tribute, Albert Pujols, baseball, baseball cards, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, Topps, Topps Tribute
Join Beckett Baseball’s Chris Olds and Brian Fleischer as they rip into boxes of the high-end 2010 Topps Tribute baseball card set in this latest edition of Box Busters.
What will they find inside these boxes?
Watch and find out … and you can find out how to win the sweetest cards from these boxes in future issues of Beckett Baseball.
Filed under: Beckett Media, First look, Hall of Fame, MLB, Topps | Tags: 2010 Topps Sterling, baseball, baseball cards, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Sterling, Strasburg autograph, strasburg memorabilia, Topps, Topps Sterling
Topps Sterling baseball returns for yet another season, arriving in early November with one autographed Relic or Relic limited to 10 or fewer copies along with a second Relic numbered to 25 in each and every box.
The company released the basic preview information — product checklist, images and breakdown — on Saturday.
Last year, the product introduced theme boxes, rather than player-focused assortments, and this year Topps has two new themes to be found among the various mixes — one for the first Hall of Fame Class, one for “The Five Ring Club” and one for “Rookie Phenoms.”
That last one includes a teaser … “you know who” … in the sales materials.
Filed under: Beckett Media | Tags: 2010 Allen & Ginter, Allen & Ginter, baseball, baseball cards, MLB, Nationals, Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, Topps, Washington Nationals
We all know which player’s cards are the “golden ticket” in 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball this year, and one lucky collector from McKinney, Texas, was the first to land the biggest card of them all.
Craig Parker discovered a redemption card for a Stephen Strasburg autograph — a card that has already topped the $1,000 mark on eBay less than 24 hours after he discovered it in a pack at Triple Cards in Plano, Texas.
“As I opened my two boxes that I bought last night, I received a light blue redemption card,” Parker said. “I really thought it was going to be a game-used jersey or bat card of an obscure player. I look at it closely and could not believe it – a framed auto redemption card of Stephen Strasburg! The guys were giving me high fives and were really happy for me. It was a thrill for me and one I will never forget.”
Filed under: MLB, Topps | Tags: 2010 Allen & Ginter, Allen & Ginter, baseball, baseball cards, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, Strasburg Rookie Card, Topps
Despite a few dealers’ large volume of cases opened without finding one, Topps announced on Thursday that the Stephen Strasburg mini card in this year’s Allen & Ginter baseball card set is not a short-print.
“Stephen Strasburg’s Allen & Ginter base mini card (No. 401) falls at the same rate as any one base mini card in the product,” read a company statement. ” The difference between Strasburg and the other subjects in the base mini set is that Strasburg’s card does not have any parallels (Allen & Ginter Back, Black Bordered, No Number, Bazooka Back, Silk, Wood and Printing Plate).”
Topps also confirmed that, unlike 2010 Bowman, Strasburg’s autographed cards can be found in retail packs. Because of Strasburg’s late inclusion, his autographed card is a redemption.
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: MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Topps | Tags: 2010 Bowman, 2010 Bowman Strasburg, Nationals, Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg, Strasburg 1/1, Strasburg autograph, Washington Nationals
The Red 1/1 autograph of Stephen Strasburg from 2010 Bowman struck out on eBay and is now headed to an auction house.
Huggins & Scott Auctions, which is based in Silver Spring, Md., is working out a deal with the owner of the rare card to sell it in an upcoming auction, according to a story on NBCWashington.com.
The card neared the $1 million mark on eBay but the auction was halted during the weekend as the owner realized that bogus bids were piling up.
Once the deal to sell is signed, the bidding will start at $9,000 and run through the latter half of July.
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: Stephen Strasburg, Topps | Tags: 2010 Bowman, baseball cards, Bowman, MLB, Stephen Strasburg, Stephen Strasburg autograph, Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, strikeouts, Topps
The 1990s Nike commercial that insisted that “chicks dig the long ball” featured Atlanta’s Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine obsessing about Mark McGwire‘s mammoth home runs.
But none of those stars did what Stephen Strasburg did on Friday night against Chicago.
He set a new MLB record for the most strikeouts in his first three games. With his 10 strikeouts against the White Sox, the already highly touted right-hander upped his total to 32 for the season. He left after seven innings, trailing 1-0 but ultimately only defeated by a conservative pitch count. He walked zero in the start.
Filed under: MLB, Topps | Tags: baseball, baseball memorabilia, MLB, Nationals, Stephen Strasburg, Stephen Strasburg Jewish?, Stephen Strasburg memorabilia, Strasburg, Strasburg autograph, Topps, Wasington Nationals
Just hours before Stephen Strasburg takes the hill for the Washington Nationals in his big-league debut, Topps has launched its line of autographed memorabilia featuring the budding young star and former No. 1 overall draft pick.
Previously announced as part of his exclusive deal signed with Topps last fall, the line launched Tuesday currently includes three options:
An autographed baseball, $275
An autographed mini batting helmet, $250
An autographed MLB cap, $275
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.
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