Just Waiting On A Redmeption Card

In February 2015 I submitted a redemption to Panini for a 2013 Prizm Football Jarvis Jones Rookie Autograph #/241 that I pulled from a pack I picked up to use for my Sports Cards Super Bowl V prediction. The redemption was closing in on its expiration date and I saw that there were not many Jarvis Jones autographs on the market but I figured I would submit it anyway and wait for the redemption magic to happen.

No magic has happened, just a lot of waiting. Jones has absolutely no autographs in any sets released after 2013 and I am not a big fan of the Steelers so I decided to request a replacement card. I don’t expect much from it, I am guessing the replacement value is only about $5 but I will try anyway. I will post as the process moves along.

Topps Redemption Filled... But Not In A Satisfying Way

In February 2013 I pulled a 2012 Strata Signatures Clear Cut Auto Relic Bernard Pierce rookie card from a blaster box, pretty cool considering that they are 1:445 retail packs. Pierce wasn’t a huge hit but the Ravens had just won the Super Bowl so there was some interest in him so I was happy. I submitted the redemption and waited, assuming that a backup RB wouldn’t have too long of a wait on the redemption but I was wrong, It has now been 2 years, 5 months and 1 week.

Recently I have been going back and forth on calling Topps’ customer service and requesting a replacement but I really wanted a Clear Cut Auto Relic rookie card, when Topps released them in the 2012 Strata Football release they were a bit of a game changer.

I received a medium sized, well packaged cardboard mailer the other day. I thought it was a set I had purchased from a dealer and because I stopped checking on the redemption status I wasn’t expecting anything from Topps. I didn’t even look at who it was from when I tore in to it. After unwrapping it from the bubble wrap this is what fell in to my awaiting hands.

 

Of course I had to remove it from the Topps top loader because what is the point of having a relic card if you cannot touch the relic and hold the card that was in the hands of whoever signed it. These cards are thick, nearly the depth of an iPhone 6. Now that the acetate cardboard is in my I can finally relax because this was my last redemption with Topps so I can put that to rest.

I want to touch a bit on Bernard Pierce the man.

This guy came in to a decent Ravens team in 2012 and was part of the Super Bowl XLVII winning team. His first season he rushed for 532 yards backing up Ray Rice. In 2013 he was Ray Rice’s backup again and dropped to 436 rushing yards on a Ravens team that went 8-8, by 2014 he had stepped up to the starting role when Rice was suspended and then cut by the team. As the #1 back he had only 366 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving. He had proven that he is definitely not a starter type.

This past March he was pulled over for speeding and was tagged with a DUI to boot, the Ravens cut him that morning. He was claimed off of waivers by the Jaguars the next day where he is currently listed as the #4 RB on the depth chart coming out of the Jags OTA camps.

Considering that he may soon be unemployed it seems conspicuous that he suddenly has time to fulfill his contracts with Panini and Topps, something he has ignored for the past nearly 3 years. I guess being broke and out of work gets someone to reconsider taking a pay day from card companies to sign his name.

Now let me segway from there to a more important fact regarding the character of Mr. Pierce. It has been noted that he is having someone else (multiple people?) sign his autographs for both Topps and Panini. Both companies have refused to respond to the claims, which is something of a concern. When you see that he only has a couple of official autographs in 2013 & 2014, and they are stickers, you know that the companies realize it too. Here are a couple of examples to show the varied signatures that have appeared on his cards:

 

I believe the 2012 Leaf Valiant, 2012 National Treasure and 2012 Strata Jumbo Relic #/15 all to be real. The "B" and "D" in Bernard and "P" in Pierce all appear to be similar plus these are all on-card autographs and rather limited so they were probably signed in front of a company rep.

 

These I believe to be fake with my favorite being the 2012 Finest (first one down) where he apparently forgot his own names and signed it wrong with a "B.B". To add to the obvious "I don't care" attitude of his ghost signers the seller is adding to the humor of this whole situation by listing the card as an eBay 1/1 and asking $99 BIN.

 

 

 

So now here I am sitting on a cool auto-relic card of a mediocre player who will probably spend 2015 on the Jaguars practice squad with what may or may not be a fake signature. But hey at least Topps fulfilled their end of the deal by sending me the card. What I find funny is that the card says that it was signed in front of a Topps rep, I wonder how that would hold up in court? Though I will say that the "B. P" on my card does look similar to the Pierce autographs that I believe to be real, I may be one of the lucky ones.

The Redemption Card Waiting Game...

It is that time of year to update everyone on my redemption status of the 2012 Topps Strata Bernard Pierce Auto Relic Rookie card that I redeemed on 2/26/13.

Well, I am still waiting 2 years and counting.

I could call and request a replacement but I am not a fan of getting something that Topps considers “Comparative in value”, I like the Clear Cut Auto Relic rookie cards and that is what I want. I would be ecstatic if they were to replace it with a Russell Wilson or Nick Foles version but I don’t see that happening. I would even be happy with Robert Turbin or Michael Floyd but with my luck I would end up with Isaiah Pead.

Pierce got in to 13 games and rushed for 366 yards so he had plenty of time to sign some autographs. He did sign some of the lower serial # cards but I am still sitting card-less.

 

The Redemption Card Blues

One year and counting...

On the positive side Pierce has been signing the Strata Clear Cut Auto cards for Topps, there are some low numbered parallels being sold that are in-hand.

Talk About A Potential Customer Service Nightmare Hopefully Averted

A bolt of fear overcame me when I went to check on one of my Topps redemption cards this morning and this is what I saw

My 2012 Topps Strata Bernard Pierce card was marked cancelled…

I checked around and found that Topps posted on their Twitter feed that the cancelled cards were a system error and that the cards are still pending. They have since taken down the Topps Redemption web site temporarily while they correct the error. Topps customer service has been iffy at best the past year, I could imagine what kind of backlash Topps would receive if they intentionally cancelled thousands of redemptions.

An Odd Market

While watching the high powered offense of the Philadelphia Eagles on MNF, I have DeSean Jackson and Bryce Brown on my fantasy football team, I have been checking out eBay during commercials and I came across something that kind of surprised me.

 

Is there really a market for used and expired redemption cards?

 

There are some expired/used redemption cards that have their charm, like the Stadium Club Super Team redemption cards or the Upper Deck Predictor cards had visual appeal but ever since most companies have gone the route of the dummy card with a scratch off sticker there is no longer a pleasing design. I can understand that some collectors want to build the complete set including redemptions but is there anyone out there who will really pay $24.99 for a claimed 2012 Yasiel Puig Leaf Valiant redemption card? 

Upper Deck's NHL Redemption Announcement

A huge announcement coming from Upper Deck this week addresses how they intend to deal with redemption cards that were inserted in to packs of 2012-13 NHL Artifacts and 2012-13 NHL Upper Deck Series One, which were released prior to the NHLPA’s announcement.

 

 

Upper Deck will be using a loophole (for lack of a better word) in the NHLPA’s rookie mandate. The NHLPA has limited which rookies can be included in 2012-13 NHL products but the rule only runs through the end of the 2012-13 NHL Season following the 2013 NHL Entry Draft on June 30, 2013. Upper Deck can begin filling the redemption cards on July 1, 2013 so they announced that they will begin producing and shipping the cards in July instead of waiting to include them in 2013-14 NHL releases. This also allows them to include rookies who will be called up late in the season.

 

Personally I applaud Upper Deck for taking a new approach instead of waiting and going with the double rookie class in next season’s product. This is a solid customer service decision from Upper Deck; they are doing this for the collectors even though they could have easily left the collectors with redemption cards to wait. Sorry, I had to make a Good Guy Greg meme for this announcement.

 

 

Leaf's Take On Redemption Cards

Many collectors will agree that redemptions are a serious problem within the hobby. The companies are excited to include a player in the auto checklist only to get put in to a position when the player does not return the cards/stickers in time for pack out. Sadly there have been situations where a player eventually skips signing the cards or even has someone else sign for them (we all know it happens no matter what the card companies say). I remember last year hearing about an athlete losing a stack of autograph cards, which could lead to a whole new problem if it happens more often.

 

Not that redemptions are going anywhere any time soon, they are a part of the hobby now just like sticker autographs. While these problems could be relieved by companies not including players on the checklist unless they can ensure the player will sign before the release date or have the autographs in hand before adding them to the checklist but at this point it seems to be a useless argument on our end.

 

But recently we have seen attempts by a couple of the companies to make amends with the collectors who support them. Leaf if one of those companies. It has been noted before that Leaf has worked hard to ensure that all autographs are packed out but obviously it is not always possible and they realize this so with the upcoming 2012 Leaf Metal Draft Baseball release that comes out next week they have set up what is being called “Hot Redemptions”.

 

To compensate collectors who will pull a redemption card they have set up a program to reward the collector with up to 5 signed cards from the particular player. If you do pull a redemption you sign up through their redemption link at Redeemleaf.com and key in the info and you will see a virtual online pack that you get to open and you will immediately see what you will receive for the redemption.

 

I know it does not fix the redemption problem but it helps if you know you are getting five autographs from Carlos Correa or Mike Zunino instead of just one card. Though the down side is that if the autographs get delayed then you are waiting on five autographs instead of one.

The UFC Finest Grill Gear Relics Begin To Appear

2012 Topps UFC Finest went live at midnight on July 18^th and within minutes individual cards were showing up for auction. Possibly the most significant and anticipated card from the entire set showed up for auction within 12 hours of the product being released, the first Grill Gear relic card had at last seen daylight. The Grill Gear relics are a 15-card checklist where every card is #1/1 and contains an entire fight-used mouth-guard enclosed in a Lucite holder.

Not only was it the first Grill Gear relic, but the best of the Grill Gear relics, someone had pulled the Chael Sonnen Grill Gear relic card. The redemption card was set for auction and ended 24 hours later when it sold for $1,750. I am a bit surprised, I was actually expecting the price to be closer to $2,500 but I wonder if the short time frame was a detriment to the final sales price. You have to consider if a longer auction would have rewarded the seller; it is possible that some potential buyers may not have had the opportunity to even see the auction. I guess we will get a better idea when we start to see the other 14 cards come up for sale or if this one gets posted again by the new owner.

To add to the excitement, the first VIP Pass showed up for sale last Thursday and the auction runs through the 26th, there is a set $2,399.99 BIN. The VIP Pass cards are redemption of sorts, the card contains a code which is good for entry in to the VIP UFC exclusive sweepstakes. There are only 50 VIP Pass cards total and one winner will be selected and will win an all-inclusive trip to a UFC event, 2 tickets to the fight and access to a fight meet-and-greet before the event. Each VIP Pass is also signed by Dana White.

EDIT 7/24: Three more VIP Pass cards have shown up in the last 24 hours and range from $599.99 opening bid ($899.99 BIN) through $1199.99 BIN in addition to the first VIP Pass that showed up last week there are now 4 total VIP Pass cards up for auction.

Upper Deck's National Convention Redemption Program

Upper Deck, similar to Panini, is offering customers with current or outstanding redemptions the option to pick up their card (if it is "In House") or a replacement card during the National Convention. This is actually a program that Upper Deck began offering at the 2012 Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo in Toronto back in May and they have decided to continue with it at the National.

The way that it works:

1. Review your current redemptions by logging into your Upper Deck account

 

2. Any cards that have a status of “In House” can be selected to be shipped to the National where you can pick them up at Upper Deck’s booth

 

3. Any cards with a status other than “In House” or “Shipped” can be exchanged for another card

 

4. Send an email to: time2swap@upperdeck.com with the subject title “2012 NSCC Redemption Program.”

In the body of the email, please cut and paste the code and description of the card you would like fulfilled to be picked up at the National. 

If you are looking to exchange for a card that is unavailable in the body of the email, please cut and past the code and description of the card you would like exchanged. Keeping the message short (preferably less than 30 words) describe the type of replacement you would like to receive. Be specific if possible: Team, region or brand. You can request a specific player but more likely than not, you may not receive that player.

 

5. Requests must be received in by Monday, July 23

6. Only the redemption holder can pick up the card, you will be required to show ID and you will also need to sign for the redemption

 

 

The redemption program will be available August 2-4

Aug 2- 1:00-6:00 PM

Aug 3- 1:00-6:00 PM

Aug 4- 1:00-4:00 PM

Upper Deck’s Expired Redemption Card Raffle

In an interesting addition to their redemption program at the convention, Upper Deck is taking it a step further. To give collectors a treat they will also be offering an expired redemption raffle. Just as it sounds, bring an expired redemption card to the Upper Deck booth before 4:00 PM on August 4^th and you will be entered in a special expired redemption card raffle. There will be at least 100 prizes offered during the raffle.

The way that it works:

1.  Bring up to 5 unscratched and expired redemption cards to the Upper Deck booth on August 4^th by 4:00 PM

2. The cards can be from any major manufacturer (Topps, Panini or Upper Deck) and the cards must be from the online redemption era and they must be unscratched and unredeemed (I know that sounds like an obvious request but…) I am uncertain of which companies are all included so if you have a question stop by their booth and ask, what is the worst that can happen?

3. Return to the Upper Deck booth by 5:00 PM, you must be present to win

The prizes offered include, but not limited to, autograph cards, memorabilia and unopened product. The prizes do not come from current live product, they are made up of promotional signature cards, items pulled during product reviews, expired quality control replacements and expired redemption inventory.

Here are some sneak peeks at some of what will be included as prizes:

Sneak Peek At Panini's National VIP Cards

Panini has decided to keep it simple with their National VIP set, a 6-card checklist. So far they have released images for the first 4 cards in the checklist; RG3, Andrew Luck, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kyrie Irving. Panini is holding back two “mystery” cards that will only be released to the public on August 1^st at the convention.

Seeing that the four cards include the some of top draft picks from basketball, football and hockey I would expect the final two cards to be baseball prospects. My best guess would be Yu Darvish and maybe Mike Trout. What I like about the cards is that they are based on the Diamond Kings inserts that have become part of the Donruss/Panini legend.

 

Is anyone else wondering why Panini has included the spot metering circle on Irving's card? When I first saw the card I thought it was a water mark but I took a closer look and that is full-on the center focus from a camera's viewfinder. None of the other cards carry the marking.

Panini Redemption Trade Up- National Convention Program

Panini will also offer a redemption “Trade-up” program during the National Convention where collectors who are waiting on overdue redemptions can do a trade up at Panini’s booth. They felt this will give frustrated collectors the option to get something of higher value instead of waiting for their outstanding redemption.

The program layout:

Collectors must have redemptions that are outstanding a minimum of four months (April 1^st, 2012). If possible, collectors are encouraged to bring print outs showing their outstanding redemptions, this will be verified by Panini’s CSMs.

Redemption cards will have their value determined using Beckett prices by Panini’s CSM team and will be separated by sport

Outstanding redemption card’s prices can be combined to a max of $400 or they can be redeemed individually

Once a price has been determined by Panini and accepted by the collector, the collector will have to sign a release form agreeing to the random pull replacement

Grab bags are separated by price levels and sports. Each grab bag will contain an autograph or prime memorabilia card and will be separated by sport and set price points- $50, $100 and $200

Some grab bags will contain replacement cards with higher values, for example some $50 bags will contain cards as high as $80, some $100 bags will contain cards as high as $140 and some $200 bags will contain cards up to $250 in value.

Some grab bags will contain onsite redemption cards that will be good for boxes of product that you can exchange for the box at that moment.

The program will begin on August 1^st and will only run from 5 PM- 8 PM

This is a nice offer on Panini’s side, it will give collectors the opportunity to get something out of an overdue redemption card that may or may not ever show up. There are both an upside and downside with the program. For a collector who pulled a redemption of a player who they did not care for either way this can work out in their favor because they could end up with a player they collect or a player that will offer decent value. The downside is if a collector has specific player redemption and are tired of waiting months or even a year, they could end up with a player of no interest to them. Just because two players have the same Beckett value does not mean they are equal in the eyes of the collector.

Doing a quick search, I selected a mid-priced ($120.50 w 4 days left) Panini Limited Glass Cleaner Kevin Durant autograph redemption and within a $10 range of that $120 price there is a Ron Harper Limited Trophy Case auto-relic, a Dave Cowens Preferred Choice auto, a Grant Hill Limited SP autograph and a Alonzo Mourning Preferred Choice auto. Yes some of these are asking prices and not actual prices and yes some of them are limited and yes there were also Blake Griffin auto-relics, Chris Paul auto and Kobe Bryant autographs but no matter how you sell it someone is going to get the crap in exchange for a meaningful redemption.

Because of the uncertainty, if I had a delayed redemption for a specific athlete that I collected, I would hold on to the redemption and hope that it comes through some day. I would happily wait on a Durant autograph then take my chance on possibly pulling a Dave Cowens auto even if the Durant is un-numbered and the Cowens is #/5.



2011-12 Parkhurst Champions Fossils & Artifacts Cards Redemption Set Finalized

Upper Deck has completed the redemption cards for the 2011 Parkhurst Champions Fossils and Artifacts set and posted up some images of some of the cards. I know there are collectors who do not like non-sports cards in sports card sets but you have to admit that Upper Deck has done an amazing job with the fossil and artifact cards. There are 18 cards total on the checklist, this includes both regular and mini-cards. There are 4 cards that are available as both mini-card and regular (Roman Coin, Greek Coin, Aztec Blade and Auroch Skull) and 1 mini (Raptor Tooth) that is only available as a mini-card.

Some of the photos that they posted (Raptor Tooth, Aztec Blade and Greek Coin) appear to be the mini-versions. There is currently one mini-version of the Aztec Blade up for auction with a $350 BIN price. The card up for auction looks like it sits inside a large white border, probably a holder or protector for the card.