Which Is Which?

This morning I was looking through my saved sellers list and I noticed something odd about a couple of Cam Newton autograph cards that one person was selling so I did a general search for Newton autographs on eBay and noticed that he has two different signatures. The most notable differences are the placement of the capital “C” in the beginning and the “t” at the end.

Signature One: (Real?) On-card, equipment and photo autographs

Signature Two: (Fake?) Sticker autographs

What stood out is that the signatures that are on-card match up with signatures that can be found on photographs, jerseys, helmets and footballs. This signature also matches up with his autograph on the 2011 Topps RPA cards, which were signed in front of a Topps employee.

The signatures that were done on stickers are noticeably different which leads me to believe they were signed by someone else. I know that it is common place for clubhouse signatures but this was just odd, I have never seen them this uniform before.

I went through dozens of web sites and hundreds of autographed cards, pictures, helmets, jerseys and footballs today. Some of the autographs were done in person, some were TTM and many were authenticated by various groups. On-card autographs, pictures and equipment were signed one way while sticker autographs were signed a different way. I did come across one UDA football signed with the odd signature but all the rest matched up.

Panini, Topps and Upper Deck each had cards with different signature while Leaf appears to only have the questionable autograph. Press Pass cards have me uncertain because while the questionable autograph is easily discernible someone signed some of his Press Pass cards using a mixture of both autographs.

Panini:
2011 Panini Crown Royal Silhouettes (Real)
2011 Panini National Treasures (Fake)



Topps:
2011 Topps Football (Real)
2011 Topps Platinum (Fake)

Upper Deck:
2011 Upper Deck Exquisite (Real)
2011 Upper Deck SPx (Fake)

Leaf:
2011 Leaf Metal Draft (Fake)

Press Pass:
2011 Press Pass All American (Not Sure)
2011 Press Pass Saturday Signatures (Fake)
2011 Press Pass Saturday Signatures (Questionable/ mixture of both)

In the age of sticker autographs it has become easier for friends, family or an agent/employee to sign the autographs. Gone are the days were a company rep would deliver the cards, watch as the athlete signed the cards and then package everything up and send it back to be packed out. Now sheets of stickers are mailed out or handed to an agent along with an agreement asking the athlete to agree to sign the cards themselves and we know how that works out.

The best advice is to stick with autographs you know to be real and do research if you are unsure.

Additionally I pulled up a number of images showing his signature on 8x10 photos, jerseys, helmets and footballs. You will see that they all match up except for the last image which is the UDA football.

These last two images are UDA authenticated footballs, the first one has the autograph that appears authentic and matches up but the second football (Even shown with its COA) has the autograph that I believe to be signed by someone else.



Preview: 2013 Rittenhouse Star Trek Movies Trading Card Collectors Set

In the past Rittenhouse has taken chances on higher end products that have all seemed to do well, and I will admit that I have been questionable about some of these products only to be proven wrong when they sold out. I am a fan of Rittenhouse Archives and I like seeing their products sell well but I am just floored by Rittenhouse’s next high end release.

Rittenhouse is set to release the 2013 Star Trek Movies Trading Card Collectors Set on June 19th, the release is a preview set and will include 9 Star Trek Into The Darkness preview cards plus two autograph/relic cards; a Chris Pine card and Zachary Quinto card all for the amazingly illogical price of $750 per set.

The sets are limited to 250 and are a preview of a Rittenhouse Star Trek release scheduled to hit shelves either later this year or early 2014. That release will be a complete set covering both the 2009 Star Trek film and the 2013 Star Trek Into The Darkness film, it will include autographs, Starfleet uniform relic cards and pin cards.

These cards appear to actually be leftover relic cards from the 2009 Rittenhouse Star Trek release with a sticker autograph attacked. You can pick up the original relic only versions for $40 or less. Both Pine and Quinto have autographs from that set too, I cannot find any Pine autographs but there are a number of Quinto autographs sitting in the $200 BIN price range. Zachary Quinto has both relic and autograph cards from previous Heroes releases.

This price really seems extremely high when you consider you are basically buying 2 auto/relic cards and a couple of preview cards. You can buy a Pine/Quinto dual-autograph 8x10 for $200, toss in the original relic cards for Pine and Quinto from the 2009 release and you are still paying less than $300. Not to mention, #/250 is no longer really considered "limited", not at that price any way. I think if they were to set the price point to $90 like the 2013 Spider-Man Original Animated Lenticular set they would sell out in hours, maybe even $125-150 and the set would sell well. Watch I be wrong again and the set sells out on 30 minutes at the $750 price point.

Random Rack Pack: 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen

I recently picked up a couple of rack packs of 2013 Gypsy Queen, I prefer the rack packs because they come with three packs and three White Framed parallels. I like this year’s Gypsy Queen, the only thing that I do not care for is the yellow backs, I would have preferred a more off-white color to keep with the “old time” feel of the set.

I pulled a nice selection of players ranging from rookies, to young stars and retired/Hall of Famers. I like that Topps mixed it up to include a bit of everything for collectors. One of my favorites being a couple of Fielders in Tiger stripes, well Tigers uniforms any way.

A trio of rookies, unfortunately the Padres Casey Kelley had Tommy John surgery in April and probably is out for the season and the D-Backs Adam Eaton is on the DL with an elbow injury and is expected to be out another 6-8 weeks. The Dodgers Paco Rodriguez is holding his own as a reliever with a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings and a 5-1 SO to BB ratio this season.

A couple of Mariners follow up. Kyle Seager is keeping the Mariners legit, he is leading the team (regular starters) with a .283 batting avg., 39 Hits and 17 RBIs. Jesus Montero on the other hand is having a difficult time right now. After a solid season last year big things were expected from him but if he keeps playing at his current level, .200 batting avg. I would not be surprised to see the team rush last year’s First Round pick (#3 overall) Mike Zunino in to the catcher spot.

I love the framed cards; the extra layer just adds something unique to the design. Each rack pack includes three White Frame parallels and these were probably the three best cards I pulled. Though any time that Reggie is pulled from a pack it is a good day.

What would a Topps release be without minis?

Hoes is currently playing in the Orioles AAA team in Norfolk and he is having another good season, the problem is that the Orioles outfield is pretty stacked with McLouth, Jones and Markakis.

Bill Buckner, what can be said about this guy? He played 22 seasons with 5 teams and had a very respectable .289 batting avg. and 2,715 hits but no matter how well he played he will always be remembered as the guy who misplayed Mookie Wilson’s single in the bottom of the 10th in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Of course nobody remembers the two pitchers who gave up the 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th to tie the game with 3 singles and a wild pitch with two outs before Wilson’s hit (Clavin Schiraldi gave up 3 singles and Bob Stanley threw the wild pitch to tie the game).

I was lucky enough to pull a green mini (1:50 packs), these are #/99 each. I cannot complain about who I pulled too, this guy had an amazing career in Baltimore.

The mini backs are a similar yellow to the base cards; the green mini has a green back.

I close out with a random selection of inserts. I pulled six inserts total but I grabbed these three to give an idea of what comes in the packs.

Well, That Did Not Take Long

In case you missed it, Titus Young was arrested again this weekend. For anyone keeping track this would be Young’s third arrest in one week. This time around he was caught breaking in to a home in San Clemente, California. When the Orange County deputies arrived on the scene he ran and when they caught him he fought back. He has been charged with burglary, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

The other day when I posted about his DUI and breaking in to the impound yard I asked if there was any chance he would get another shot in the NFL, I think this post I can almost certainty say “No” unless the Raiders want to give him a chance.


I think I may need to revive my Jail Birds relic card design soon.

Preview: 2012 Topps Major League Soccer

Schedule Release Date: July 15, 2013
Box Configurations: 24 packs per box, 10 cards per pack
SRP: Not Announced Yet

Box Break:
2 Autographs
3 Relic Cards

What To Expect:
Topps has signed a licensing agreement with Major League Soccer and they will be releasing their first set, 2013 Topps Major League Soccer, in July. Previously only Upper Deck had a MLS license so this will be interesting to see how things unfold; especially if Upper Deck ends up skipping a 2013 MLS set like is rumored. Topps has been making European football cards off and on over the last 3 decades so soccer cards are not new to them. They are actually using the 1978 EPL design for an insert in the release.

The base set is made up of a 200-card checklist with each of the teams being represented pretty well. Like most Topps sets there will be short prints, variations and parallels. None of the SP or variations have been announced yet. There are five base card parallels; Blue (#/50), Gold (#/25), Black (#/10), Printing Plates Golazo (1/1).

There are four autograph sets;
SuperDraft Autographs are rookies/young players. There are 4 parallel versions: Gold (#/25), Black (#/10), Red (#/10) and Golazo (1/1).
MLS Maestros Autographs cover the veteran players. There are 4 parallel versions: Gold (#/25), Black (#/10), Red (#/10)and Golazo (1/1).
Boot Die-Cut Autographs which focuses on retired and current goal threads
Extra Time Redemptions (#/99), these redemptions are for transfer players who join the league during the 2013 MLS season.

  

There are two relic sets;

MLS Kits contain a piece from a game used kit. There are 4 parallels; Blue (#/49) and Red (#/25) parallels. The Silver (#/5) parallel has a jumbo relic swatch and the Gold (1/1) parallel has a multi-colored jumbo relic swatch.

Autographed Relics have both a relic and an autograph. There are 5 parallels; Green (#/75), Gold (#/50), Black (#/25), Red (#/5) and Golazo (1/1). The Black and Red parallels have multi-colored swatches.

There are 4 base inserts plus one redemption;
1978 Topps EPL, uses current players but using the original 1978 Topps English Premier League design
This Is Soccer combines action shots and hideous designs straight out of Fleer’s 1994 design book
Rivalries is a combination of rival teams like Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers
Mini Cards
Redemption cards are good for an official MLS ball, I am not sure if it is game used or just an official ball

My Thoughts:
I love soccer and while I feel that Upper Deck has done a solid job, but if they end up shutting down or losing the MLS license it is nice to know that an experienced company will be taking over.

Topps has been producing football cards in Europe off and on since the 1970s so they know the sport. The last decade or so they have been focusing on the English Premier League and EuroCup/World Cup national teams, a couple of years ago they picked up the German Bundesliga. Bringing in an American version will not be a stretch for Topps and so far I dig the base card design. The inserts are another thing for me, I just feel that they are too busy and the autograph sets remind me of the Futera from 10-12 years ago.

The Seattle Sounders are well represented through the set so I am game and at least will be picking up singles and some random packs. Kind of disappointed that Fredy Montero, who is on loan to the Columbian First Division team Millonarios FC for the 2013 season, is not in the set.

Being a Topps set you know there are going to be a bunch of chase cards, SPs, minis, etc. In this case I am ok with Topps using the 1978-79 English Footballer design for the 1978 EPL insert. Personally I prefer the design used on the 1976-77 Topps English Footballer set or the 1977-78 English Footballer set but this is ok.



Pros:
MLS cards in 2013
A different view of soccer from Topps
Large base set
5 hits per box


Cons:
Sticker autographs
Busy designs
Lots of SP, variations and parallels


Rating:
At this point it is kind of hard to rate, I think saying 3.5 out of 5 would be a reasonable assessment because I am not big on the designs used on the inserts, outside of the mini cards and 1978 EPL cards.

Johnny Kilroy Did It First!

A month ago Spankee from My Cardboard Mistress opened a pack of 2001 SP Top Prospect and pulled a Michael Jordan bat relic card from his ill-fated minor league baseball attempt with the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox minor league team. It got me in the mood to take a look at some of MJ’s cards from those minor league days to see if I could pick up something on the reasonable side. I did grab a 1991 Upper Deck Baseball SP1 Jordan, I have wanted one of those for years, it bothers me that some knuckleheads like to claim it is his baseball RC even though the card was just a fun card Upper Deck produced 2 years before he even retired (or suspended for gambling depending on who you believe) from basketball to play baseball.

Since I have been on the search for Jordan oddball cards, when Panini and Topps recently announced their Leon Sandcastle cards it got me thinking about when Upper Deck included two special Jordan cards in the 1993-94 Upper Deck SE Basketball release, the JK1 Johnny Kilroy card and the MJR1 Michael Jordan Retirement card. I pulled the retirement card out of packs in 1994 but I never got a Kilroy card. I decided to add some JK1 cards to my eBay watch list but rarely paid much attention when they sold for a couple of dollars but when one showed up with a 1 cent starting bid I decided to toss my hat in the ring, 6 cents worth of my hat to be exact. Needless to say, this morning when I opened my email I had a “Congratulations” email from eBay.

Winning bid: US $0.01 [ 1 bid ]


I won the card on a 1 penny bid. Not a bad when you consider I paid 99 cents for the Michael Jordan SP1 card 10 days ago, two early 1990s Michael Jordan oddball cards for a grand total of $1 and under $4 total when you add in shipping. Now if I can grab a cheap Jordan bat or baseball jersey relic I would be happy.

For reference, Johnny Kilroy was part of a new Nike shoe campaign following Michael Jordan’s first retirement from basketball. Steve Martin was in the commercials doing interviews with different players and trying to prove that Kilroy was actually Jordan who was faking his retirement. It was a pretty funny 2-part commercial ad campaign, something that is being reproduced now with Deion Sanders/Leon Sandcastle.

Titus Young, What's Next?

In February I pulled this card from a rack pack of 2012 Topps magic Football. At that time Young had already begun to show how stupidity and immaturity will always overshadow any type of talent. In a span of a year beginning in May 2012 he was suspended by the Lions a number of times, once for sucker punching a teammate, once for intentionally lining up in the wrong position during a game and then arguing with coaches, he was declared inactive for the Thanksgiving Day game and finally on December 5th he was placed on the IR and told by the Lions to stay away from the team’s facilities.

He responded by doing what has seemed to be more common when someone wants to complain, he turned to Twitter. There he stated his Hall of Fame credentials (is there a HOF for dumbasses?), demanded his release and spouted off about pay checks. The Lions released him on February 4th and the next day the St Louis Rams claimed him off of waivers but released him 10 days later.

What does he do next to draw in the interest from the teams looking for a semi-talented, loud mouth a-hole who will disrupt the locker room as much as T.O. or any New York Jets player? He gets arrested, not once but twice in one day, actually 15 hours if you are keeping notes.

He was arrested a little after midnight this past Sunday (5/4) for DUI, issued a citation and released on his own recognizances. Around 2 pm Sunday afternoon he was then arrested after climbing over the fence in to the tow yard where his car was impounded… you know… because going to the gate and paying your fee is not what a Hall of Famer would do. I am just wondering what his plan was when he got his car?



Is there any chance this kid gets another chance in the NFL?

An Old School Gem: 1993 Upper Deck NBA MVP Hologram Set

Every other year or so I will go through my collection to thin it out, it is my version of collecting spring cleaning. I will pull out cards to lighten up my 5,000 count boxes, usually from sets that I had no intent on collecting/completing for whatever reason and now with the blog I tend to pick up packs and blaster boxes to do reviews on a large variety of cards (sports and non-sports) and my boxes fill up quickly. I also go through my autograph and relic cards and sell those with value and everything else gets packed up and donated to children’s hospitals or handed out to neighbor kids. I have to admit, it has been a couple of years so I have quite a bit to go through.

 As I go through my collection I often find some old gems that I forgot and at times I have even found unopened packs stuck in to a box or drawer. Tonight I found one of those gems, my 1993 Upper Deck NBA MVP Hologram Set. During the height of the “hologram” craze in the early 1990s Upper Deck released a couple of MVP Hologram sets, a baseball version in 1992 and a basketball version in 1993.

I picked up my “limited edition” NBA set from a friend’s card shop in 1993 for $10, the set was limited to 138,000 (Remember when anything that was numbered was considered “limited”?) and mine is #85,508/138,000. I guess those with the basketball set should not complain, the baseball version is numbered to 216,000. The set came in a special edition box with a large NBA hologram sticker along with the details of the set on the front; 36-card set including Jordan, O’Neal, Barkley, Ewing, Mourning and Miner. The back of the box had the checklist with an Upper Deck’s NBA hologram and serial number. The thing is the serial number on the back hologram was not the serial number of your set. So you have a serial number on the box plus a different serial number on a card inside the box. Go figure.

There are 36 cards, 38 if you count the checklist and binder offer cards, and it was made up of 27 team MVP players and 9 Future MVP players. So each team’s (at the time) top player was included along with a batch of top rookies from the 1992 NBA Draft.

It is strange to look through the cards now, there are few who are Hall of Famers, a collection of players who had solid careers, a group of players who were just decent on crappy teams and even a few who some collectors might have to look up.

Charles Barkley tops my list of favorites. He was at the height of career in 1993, he was the Regular Season MVP after leading my hometown Suns to an NBA best 62-20 record and in to the NBA Finals against the dreaded Chicago Bulls. Some of the others to grace my “favorites” from the set include Michael Jordan, Grandmamma (Larry Johnson) and the Reign Man, Shawn Kemp.

The backs of the cards had a write up about the player, and included special events or records. Both the front and backs have horrible 1990s designs and team colors.

 The Future MVP set was just a grab of the top drafted players from the Lottery picks along with the undrafted feel-good story Lloyd Daniels. Some they were pretty  dead on like Shaq, Zo and Robert Horry but they were off with Gugs, Laettner and Baby Jordan and they were waaay off on Lloyd Daniels.

To save people the time of a search, Lloyd Daniels was considered a huge talent coming out of high school in the mid-1980s yet he couldn’t read. He was recruited to UNLV (possibly even paid to make that decision), went to community college for a couple of months before getting busted buying crack, tripped around a couple of minor league basketball leagues, got shot in the chest on a drug debt (the bullet is still in his shoulder), got signed by the Spurs in 1992 and shot (no pun intended) out of the gates and ripped it up before proving he was a streaky player who was just at the edge of being useful in the NBA, stuck it out with 6 NBA teams over 7 seasons and somehow made his career last for almost 20 years playing in Europe, South America and a myriad of minor league teams around the world along with as many drug rehab visits.

The long and short of it is that I love this set, it is a perfect example of collecting in the 1990s when holograms, foil, ugly inserts and huge print runs ran the market. My set has seen better days, the box has made it through too many moves to count and over the years I put some cards in to sleeves, rigids or a binder but in the end they always made it back in to the box, where they will now remain.

There are a handful of both NBA and MLB versions available starting at $2, you can find sealed boxes for under $10 if you are interested.