2010-11 Panini Season Update Ersan Ilyasova Base Card #65

Not many people pay too much attention to the Milwaukee Bucks (outside their loyal fans) ... and not too many collectors care too much when they get a Ersan Ilyasova card.

But my eyes lit up when I saw a manager dropped him earlier last season in a fantasy basketball league I was playing in, and Ilyasova led my team to the championship. He had numerous games where he would get rebounds, score, hit 3's and do it all very effectively. In my opinion, he's one of the most solid players in the league when he's on his game.

Shown here on his 2010-11 Season Update Baseball base card, almost wraps up this guys game in one photo. I watched a least 10 Bucks games this season to just watch Ilyasova play, and he plays with a focus look like he has in this card. I really liked his intensity, ability to box-out and rebound +++ hit the 3 PT shot & shoot a high percentage. This is the type of player that won't get much attention from collectors, fans or even teams in free-agency ... but Ersan will be a solid NBA player for many years in the NBA.

2012 Topps Series 1 Ben Revere Base Card #62

I first came across Ben Revere last season when I bought one of his 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Refractor Autograph RC's on eBay for a contest. I ended up selling the card for $18.89 (a $0.73 cent profit) shortly after I bought it because that was the goal of the contest I was in.

So going through a stack of 2012 Topps Series One base cards today and seeing his card was cool. He is pictured here trying to make a diving catch, which he is known to do. According to the back of this card, he hit .267 last season for the Twins, with 34 stolen bases in 117 games. You can probably find this card for around a quarter at your local hobby store. He doesn't have those big power numbers, but players like Mike Trout and Jose Altuve have caught the attention of collectors without hitting home runs. Early this season, Revere has his average up to around .300 - so I might regret selling his autograph rookie last season for less than $20 if he keeps that up.

2010-11 Panini Rookies & Stars Carmelo Anthony Base Card #67

When LeBron James won his first NBA Championship, he officially put the pressure on other young players in the league to win a ring - or they will never be among that select group of players that have won.

The top of the 03/04 NBA Draft class has done pretty well outside Darko, who was a mistake the minuet Detroit picked him. Why they didn't select Carmelo Anthony at the time (and now) is still a mystery. Chris Bosh and D-Wade have rings, and now Melo is the last of that group of elite players that doesn't have one.

Pictured here wearing Denver Nuggets colors on this 2010-11 Panini Rookies & Stars Basketball base card - there is no doubt he's one of the games best scoring players. I compare Carmelo's game to Paul Pierce who both need other elite players around him to win championships. By themselves they can win games and score big numbers, but need other elite scoring and defending players around them to win it all. Given that Carmelo is in New York, the ownership should give him all the tools to win. However, former NY Knicks player and HOF coach Phil Jackson was recently quoted as saying he wouldn't coach the Knicks because he didn't like how the team was put together. So the Knicks ownership and Carmelo have some work to do this off-season, and it's only going to get harder getting through Miami and Oklahoma for a ring the next couple of seasons.

2010 Topps Series 1 Tim Lincecum Base Card #80

"Big Time Timmy Jim" is what they called him after most of his starts early in his career. Most cards these days don't have stats on the back, but this card has the traditional stat run many of us are used to. Growing up, this was how you got to look at a guys stats - there was no Yahoo or ESPN on the internet.

Tim Lincecum's 2010 Topps card even has his 2006-07 campaign in the minor leagues. I remember hearing about him then, and how he was dominating the competition. The stats reveal that he only gave up 7 earned runs in a shade over 62 innings during those years!! In 5 games  at Triple AAA Fresno, he only gave up 1 earned run and went 4-0.

I also remember seeing Lincecum's first couple of starts. I believe they came in a time where Barry Bonds was the only other reason to watch the Giants, and even then his elbow and other injuries had wore him down a bit. Tim was a breath of fresh air. I remember the TV coverage panning over to the opposing teams dugout to the player that just struck out who was describing Tim's fastball action to teammates like he'd never seen something like that before.

So the fact that Lincecum has been struggling in 2012, and some collectors are even selling off his cards despite winning Cy-Young Awards and a World Series Championship in 2010 - has me wondering when will Tim be "Big Time Timmy Jim" again?

2012 Topps Archives 1968 Topps 3D #683D-RCL Roberto Clemente

Seems like every movie is in 2D and 3D these days ... and I might be one of the few people I know that has NEVER seen a movie in 3D. Something about going indoors, and then putting sunglasses for 2 hours doesn't make sense to me. I've heard it's amazing though, and I bet live sports like the Super Bowl or a UFC fight might be really cool in 3D.

The 3D I'm interested in are these 1968 Topps retro 3D cards found in 2012 Topps Archives Baseball. Back in the day, these were the type of cards people handled quite a bit because the '3D' printing kind of lead to you showing these to your friends. Not to mention that in 1968 people weren't too worried about keeping baseball cards in nice condition. Now, given that these fall 1:8 packs - collectors are probably still letting people mess around with these cards, but Hall of Fame players like Roberto Clemente are kept in storage. I certainly never saw him play, and most people reading this haven't either - but the one thing that stands out about the photo is Clemente's look of concentration as he peers in to what I presume to be a pitcher throwing to a batter. Another thing of note is that many of Roberto Clemente's early cards have his name listed as "Bob Clemente" and it's always worth searching that name if you are hunting for his cards online.

2012 Bowman Baseball Bowman Prospect Autographs Bryce Harper #BPA-BH

When you're as good as Bryce Harper has been during all stages of his young baseball career, you have cards going back several years before you even reach the majors. In fact, Bryce Harper was features in many 2011 Bowman & Topps sets - and he is again in 2012.

Not that anyone is complaining, his play on the field and the fact that the young Nationals team are exciting to watch mean almost all of his cards have value. The one thing about the 2012 Bryce Harper auto's is that some of them are cut off at the top/bottom like this one from 2012 Bowman Baseball. Maybe Topps ran out of 'good' stickers last year, or possibly Bryce just has a tall signature that cannot be constrained by the stickers. Either way, the fickle collector will certainly shy away from the copies that don't have a pristine signature. Now that it appears Bryce Harper is probably done playing minor league baseball, maybe Topps will print up a bunch of his cards so collectors can have him on-card for some sets later in the year. One thing is for certain, expect to see Bryce Harper headline many sets for many years to come.

2012 Topps Tier One Clear Reprint Autograph Chipper Jones #333

Topps re-prints and re-makes cards in every set it puts out. It's part of the reason why people like collecting the cards, because often time you pull a card you remember getting the original one of. Over the years they have added autographs, relic pieces, coins, and other things to spice them up.

One of the 'reprint' sets that recently caught my eye for being a little different than something I've seen in the past was in 2012 Topps Tier One Baseball set. The 'Clear Reprint' Autographs are pretty cool; Upper Deck and I think even Panini has used Acetate or similar type plastic materials to print cards and autographs on. These are pretty cool because they re-print a famous card on them AND get the player to sign them. The combination has led to some very nice examples. One of the best is this 1991 Topps Reprint #333 Chipper Jones 'Rookie' card autograph. In 1991 the Topps set contained 792 total cards, and this one was one of the best ones you could possibly get. The fact that Chipper has continued to play his entire career for the Atlanta Braves has led to him having an extremely loyal fan base that collect his cards. Finding copies of this card will probably be tough as time goes on, as these types of cards stay in collectors collections and off the for sale market.

2011/12 Leaf Metal Golf Webb Simpson Autograph Card

Not too many people outside of the major golf fans really knew much about Webb Simpson before he won the US Open in 2012 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, CA. He actually won the tournament in the clubhouse, as tournament leaders couldn't keep their games together down the stretch on Sunday. Simpson watched on TV with his beautiful young wife and realized he had won one of the years biggest tournaments.

Collectors might have had the same kind of realization on that Sunday that they had one of Webb Simpson's most valuable cards. Released in late March of 2012, but boxes and promotional material state 2011 as the 'date' for Leaf Metal Golf set which contains many PGA tour names, including Webb Simpson.

The cards value obviously took a spike on that Sunday and the days following. Very few players on the PGA Tour win multiple majors, Jim Furyk is a good example, who was one of the competitors that faltered to allow Webb Simpson to win. These Leaf Metal Golf cards are pretty nice, and including Simpson in the set certainly brought attention to a sport that doesn't get many releases.

Las Vegas Industry Summit: Good Ideas Part 3 - 'Expired Redemption Day'

I was reminded of this idea when I saw Upper Deck update its Twitter account this morning with a message to a collector & blogger I enjoy following.

Fair enough, after all the redemption cards are expired. However, much talk was made about #1 Why do redemption cards have expiration dates at all?? Don't the companies often take much longer than what's stated on the card to return redemptions to you?? Didn't Upper Deck just send out a SPx Monta Ellis RC Card from 2005/06??

Why do collectors have to hold to a strict time frame, and the manufactures get off high and dry?

Seems pretty unfair to me considering if collectors get the shaft often enough - they stop buying (as many already have over the years)

Its time for all the manufactures to step up and get more clear on Redemption Cards. Its unfair they can take 4+ years to get a 05/06 SPx Autograph to you, but basically say screw you if you pull a redemption card 24 months after it was made.

It doesn't matter if you don't have an MLB license anymore, or Derek Jeter's direct line - the collector would at least feel some satisfaction if these 'expired redemption' cards were worth something.

Expired Redemption Day
Probably the best idea that I heard was having the manufactures make special packs/cards (like they do at the National and All-Star games) and let you come into hobby shops around the country to redeem expired redemption cards for the packs. It would take LOTS of expired redemption cards off people's hands, and probably clear up a few phone lines at the CS department on a daily basis. Considering wages in CA, TX, and NY aren't getting any lower - I'd think this would actually save them money in the long run.

In a recession - everyone is looking to save money, so these filthy dollar stores and Wal-Marts were where to shop. But this country & the rest of the world is on its way back. Consumers are going to start demanding better service first, instead of long lines, rude customer service members and overall lack of caring. If you continue to avoid an issue with your customer base, it will come back to haunt you.

If I were in charge of Topps, Panini or Upper Deck - I'd worry less about who was the first with a video card, and who will be the first to clearly address expired redemption cards, how long it takes to get them back to the paying customers, what to do when a player(s) don't/can't sign, and clearly stating that on my website & in as many places as I can find because most average collectors might not know.

Update:


I'm doing my part, but I'm just one voice - make yours heard below ... you'd be surprised to see the changes if enough people speak up.

Panini:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/panini
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PaniniAmerica
Blog: http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com

Topps:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ToppsCards
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/toppscards
Blog: http://www.toppsblog.com

Upper Deck:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UpperDeck
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/UpperDeckSports
Blog: http://www.upperdeckblog.com

Las Vegas Industry Summit: Good Ideas Part 2 - 'Redemption Incentive'

In the next series of posts I will try and recall all the interesting ideas I heard from hobby shop owners, manufactures and others that attended the Industry Summit in Las Vegas, NV last week. If you think its a good idea, or bad one ... let us know in the comments or by posting your own blog about the subject. Send me a link and I'll post it here as well.

(Please Note: I'll have posts on expired redemptions later - and the kinds of things you might be able to do when you pull an expired redemption. This post is more for current/non-expired redemption cards. I honestly think something needs to be done about expired redemption pulls, so stay tuned for that)

Redemption Card Incentive
No one likes getting a redemption card, even if its for Kobe Bryant or Adrian Peterson. People that open boxes or packs on a regular basis are bound to have dozens they have to send in over the course of a year.

What if you got something in return for all those redemption cards you sent in ... on top of the cards you were promised? Think of those restaurant cards you get stamped when you buy a meal and you get a 'free entree' if you buy 5 of them ... something like that, except for redemption cards. Say for example for every 10 redemption cards you send in, you get a free pack of cards .. something like that.

Its tough for the companies to know what would be 'fair value' for something like this. If you think its a good idea - try to be as specific as possible on what cards, packs, boxes, cases, autographs, jersey cards you would be expecting if you sent in 10, 20, 30+ redemption cards over a year. Should it depend on the 'quality of redemption card' you send in (for example a Kobe Bryant Autograph) or should they all be counted the same? You decide. Maybe they can give you a Voucher for special cards/packs you can redeem at Hobby Stores around the country .... give them ideas.

If you like this idea, share it on forums, write a blog, tell your card store owner, and certainly tell the companies you'd like to see this option. They will at least listen to everything you have to say - I promise.

Panini:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/panini
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PaniniAmerica
Blog: http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com

Topps:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ToppsCards
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/toppscards
Blog: http://www.toppsblog.com

Upper Deck:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UpperDeck
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/UpperDeckSports
Blog: http://www.upperdeckblog.com

Las Vegas Industry Summit: Good Ideas Part 1 - 'Hobby Blaster'

In the next series of posts I will try and recall all the interesting ideas I heard from hobby shop owners, manufactures and others that attended the Industry Summit in Las Vegas, NV last week. If you think its a good idea, or bad one ... let us know in the comments or by posting your own blog about the subject. Send me a link and I'll post it here as well.

The Hobby Blaster
You can go to a well stocked Target and Wal-Mart and purchase packs of cards, or 'Blaster Boxes' of 5, 6, 7+ pack quantities that often contain an extra 'hit' or value card inside. Its a great double option for collectors. You sometimes see the same in Hobby Boxes, for example Topps Finest, which is broken down into 'Mini-Boxes' but not every product offers this option to the customer and shop owner.

Someone suggested a 'Hobby Blaster' where you get a box of packs just like Target & Wal-Mart + you could guarantee the customer a hit within those packs. It was brought up because kids can't afford a full Hobby Box, but they do like opening a 'box' instead of just 6 packs that were plucked from the shelf. (Plus kids like getting any jersey card or autographs) It also gives the shop more price points to sell at, and it gives the customer more options.

Sounds like a pretty good idea to me! The thing is, like most good ideas ... you need people to rally behind them in order to make them happen.


If you like this idea, share it on forums, write a blog, tell your card store owner, and certainly tell the companies you'd like to see this option at Hobby Stores. They will at least listen to everything you have to say - I promise.

Panini:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/panini
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PaniniAmerica
Blog: http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com

Topps:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ToppsCards
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/toppscards
Blog: http://www.toppsblog.com

Upper Deck:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UpperDeck
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/UpperDeckSports
Blog: http://www.upperdeckblog.com

2010-11 NHL Adrenalyn Free Extra Sig Zdeno Chara

The best of the bunch this week - a 2010-11 Panini Adrenalyn NHL Hockey Zdeno Chara Free Extra Signature Codes. Flying back home from Vegas tomorrow. Look for Free NHL Adrenalyn Codes here to start back up on the 25th!

Player: Zdeno Chara #ES6 Extra Signature
Bruins - Defense
Offense: 81 - Defense: 93
Star Rating: 8
CODE: PN2T WMKN RJHD

2010-11 NHL Adrenalyn Kurtis Foster Free Code

One more day until the Extra Signature card. Free codes on the Blog until March 23 - then they will resume on our Free NHL Hockey Code page.

Player: Kurtis Foster #227
Oilers - Defense
Offense: 77 - Defense: 75
Star Rating: 6
CODE: PNW7 GG6D M9GR

2010-11 NHL Adrenalyn Free Code Corey Perry

A few more 2010-11 Panini Adrenalyn NHL Hockey cards to give away on the blog while I try and hit a jackpot in Las Vegas to buy more cards. Today we have Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry.  Free codes on the Blog until March 23 - then they will resume on our Free NHL Hockey Code page.

Player: Corey Perry #254
Ducks - Wing
Offense: 90 - Defense: 80
Star Rating: 9
CODE: PN7D MMPG NK4R

Free Adrenalyn NHL Code James Neal

The first day in Las Vegas has not prevented us from posting a 2010-11 Panini Adrenalyn NHL Hockey Code thanks to Google's Blogger that allows for scheduled posting. Codes continue on the blog until March 24. Hopefully I hit a jackpot in Vegas and I get a few more boxes of Adrenalyn to giveaway on our Free NHL Adrenalyn Codes page.

Player: James Neal #266
Dallas Stars - Wing
Offense: 85 - Defense: 74
Star Rating: 7
CODE: PNGT 4X6X CKWT

James Anderson Free Adrenalyn NBA 2 Code

It's hard to get off the bench as a NBA Rookie and James Anderson is finding that out while playing for the 1st place San Antonio Spurs. Free NBA Series 2 Codes on the blog until March 23. Then they will pick up again on our Free Adrenalyn NBA Series 2 Codes page over on Sports Card Radio. Play Adrenalyn NBA online here.

Player: James Anderson RC #45
San Antonio Spurs - Guard
Offense: 78 - Defense: 78
Star Rating: 4
CODE: 3X4J RPNT RCFW

Free Adrenalyn NHL Code Zdeno Chara

Another day, another free Panini Adrenalyn Code. This one is of Boston Bruins 5-Time All-Star Zdeno Chara. You can play the new NHL Adrenalyn game online here. Free codes continue on the blog until March 24th. After that we will resume posting them on our Free NHL Adrenalyn Codes page.

Stay tuned later in the week for the Extra Signature version of this card that will be up for grabs!

Player: Zdeno Chara #57
Boston Bruins- Defense
Offense: 78 - Defense: 90
Star Rating: 8
CODE: PNNH WGKN 4JPX

2010-11 Adrenalyn NBA DeMar DeRozan Free Code

DeMar is an athletic guard for the Toronto Raptors known for his dunking ability - and maybe in NBA Adrenalyn Series 3 his ratings will go up a little bit. Free NBA Series 2 Adrenalyn Codes on the Blog until March 23. After that, check out our NBA Series 2 Free Code Page where we give out codes everyday! Play NBA Adrenalyn online here.

Player: DeMar DeRozan #193
Toronto Raptors- Guard
Offense: 88 - Defense: 83
Star Rating: 7
CODE: 3XXP KJMG MMGH

2010-11 NHL Adrenalyn Troy Brouwer Free Code

Today's free 2010-11 Panini Adrenalyn NHL Hockey code is of Stanley Cup Champion Troy Brouwer.  While I enjoy the warmth of Spring Training in Arizona, get on the ice and play the new Adrenalyn NHL Hockey game from Panini. My brother played the game and loved it, and we have already given away over 50 codes on our Free NHL Adrenalyn Codes page over on Sports Card Radio. Codes continue on the blog until March 24th.

Player: Troy Brouwer #156
Blackhawks - Wing
Offense: 83 - Defense: 75
Star Rating: 4
CODE: PNMD NXN9 XG47

2010-11 NBA Adrenalyn Series 2 Free Codes

Many young collectors have really enjoyed our 2nd year of giving away Adrenalyn NBA Cards and our 2010-11 Adrenalyn NBA Series 2 Free Codes page over on Sports Card Radio is on and popping. We won't be able to update that page for about a week - but until that time we've scheduled free codes to appear on this blog! Everyday from March 17-23 there will be a new NBA Series 2 code up for grabs. Check back early and often and be quick - each Adrenalyn code only works one time, for one person only. Be fast!


Player: Marvin Williams #257
Atlanta Hawks - Forward
Offense: 84 - Defense: 85
Star Rating: 5
CODE: 3X7H TF94 NJD4