2012 Leaf Oval Office Cut Signature Is Now Live

2012 Leaf Oval Office has now been released and singles are starting to show up for sale. Most boxes are selling around $1,500-1,600 and the final print number is 261 boxes produced (Though the boxes are marked #/276 for some reason). The checklist includes the 43 Presidents plus 54 multi-cuts and every card is limited to #/5 or less.

The final checklist can be found here: 2012 Leaf Oval Office Cut Signature

There are currently 4 singles up for auction:

Garfield #5/5- $2,500 BIN

Jimmy Carter #5/5- $700 BIN

Lyndon Johnson #2/5- $599 Opening Bid or $749 BIN

Ronald Reagan #3/5- $305 with 13 bids

These are actually some nice looking card, though well outside of my range, with a small image of the President/Distinguished Person in the upper left corner and a nice large cut placed squarely in the center of the card. The Presidents single cuts are red cards while the dual cuts are blue.

A number of cards will obviously draw some serious attention when they are finally found like these single cuts:

George Washington (1/1)

Thomas Jefferson (1/1)
Abraham Lincoln (1/1)

But there are a number of multi-cuts that may draw some big bids if/when they are put up for sale:

George Washington/Abraham Lincoln (1/1)

Abraham Lincoln/Mary Todd Lincoln (1/1)
Ronald Reagan/Mikhail Gorbachev (1/1)
George H.W. Bush/Saddam Hussein (1/1)
FDR/Adolf Hitler (1/1)
Ulysses S Grant/ Robert E Lee (1/1)
JFK/Fidel Castro (1/1)
Gerald Ford/ Sara Jane Moore (1/1)

I know some people have negative feelings towards including people like Hitler, Hussein and Castro (See Famous Fabrics Horrors of War autographs) in an autograph set but no matter how we feel they are part of our country's history and each has a connection with the Presidents. I have to admit I am a bit surprised to see the Ford/Moore cut signatures considering that she attempted to assassinate Ford.

Preview: 2012 Leaf Oval Office Cut Signature

In 2008 Leaf (Razor at the time) released the 2008 Razor Cut Signature: Oval Office Edition, a $2,500/box release. Each box contained 1 cut signature card and there were 99 boxes made with each card #1/1. The set consisted of single cuts of the US Presidents and dual cuts including multiple US Presidents as well as US Presidents/Vice Presidents, US Presidents/President's Wives (or mistresses), Presidential competitors and a couple of Presidents/Assassins (or attempts).

Since 2008 a handful of cards have been sold, usually for well below the $2,500/box price. Currently there are 2 auctions from an Australian dealer; they are both set with a BIN price set at $1237 AUD ($1276 USD).

Fast forward 4 years and we see Leaf scheduled to release the 2012 Leaf Oval Office Cut Signature set. They will once again be 1 card/box pack out but there will be slight differences. There will be a max of 275 boxes but because this is a product that will be printed based on the number of orders there may actually be less than the announced 275 boxes. Each card will be numbered to #/5 or less, another difference compared to the original 1/1 release. No price or release date has been announced but I would think the $2500/box will probably return.

This set will include single cuts of the 43 US Presidents along with dual cuts of multiple US Presidents, US Presidents/Vice Presidents, US Presidents/President's wives and a couple cards that include US Presidents and foreign leaders like FDR/Hitler, JFK/Castro, Reagan/Gorbachev and even a Ulysses S Grant/Robert E Lee.

I do want to note that on the sales sheet it states:  "Cut Signatures are examples only, actual card styles may differ after production"