Heisman Highlight: Ernie Davis

Name: Ernie Davis
Position: Halfback
College: Syracuse Orangemen
Class: Senior
Winning Year: 1961 – 27th Award
Official Heisman Profile: Click Here
 
 
 

Interesting Notes: Davis will forever be remembered as the first African-American to win the coveted Heisman Trophy…led the Orangemen in rushing for three seasons…broke Jim Brown’s career records for rushing yards, total yards, scoring, and touchdowns…was signed by the Cleveland Browns for a lucrative $80,000…was diagnosed with leukemia and succumbed to the illness before ever taking the field as a professional…was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1979.

Featured Card: 1962 Topps #36. With his impressive rushing abilities, Davis had garnered enough attention in his college career to be included in the 1962 Topps set, in what would have been his rookie season. Despite never taking the field as a professional, this card continues to carry a healthy price tag as collectors obviously still recognize the immense talent Davis possessed. A recent movie about his life may also have helped to revitalize interest in the tragic story of Davis’ shortened life. Current eBay prices for this card fall in right around $100.

NOTE: You can find all of my Heisman Highlight Features by clicking the post banner above.

Product Review: 2010 Topps Finest

This whole reviewing every 2010 football release is proving harder than I anticipated. Apparently I drastically over estimated my ability to instantly turn cards into cash to buy more cards and so on and so forth. This box is a good example of this concept. It was released nearly two months ago and I only recently was able to purchase it and review it. Esta es la vida. But alas, here is the official 1&G Product Review of 2010 Topps Finest

The Box – Click for Detail

Hobby boxes come with 2 mini boxes each holding 6 5-card packs for a total of 60 cards. I purchased this box from Dave and Adam’s Card World for $109.25, which translates into a $1.82/card ratio. That firmly establishes Finest as a mid-shelf product and consequently we should expect fewer base cards and higher-end hits, although not quite Exquisite-esque.

Tim Tebow graces us yet again

The Breakdown:
Base Cards: 35 (1 duplicate)
   Rookie Cards: 10 (included in base card total above)
Refractor Parallels: 8
   Refractors: 4
   XFractors (#/399): 3
   Gold Refractor (#/50): 1
Inserts
   Finest Moments: 2
   Finest Atomic Rookies: 2
Hits
   Finest Moment Auto: 1
   Rookie Auto Patch: 1
   Auto Dual Jersey: 1

Click images for full-sized scans

FIRST AND GOAL’S FOUR DOWNS:
1st Down, Design: If the NFLPA had stuck to its guns and not allowed Topps to produce football sets this year, this is exactly the type of set we would have missed. The 2010 Topps Finest design is right on the mark. It is balanced, it’s attractive, and it is simple enough to not thwart your attempts to focus on the player. I like the fact that the players are cropped by the frame on the bottom yet allowed to flow over the border on the top. It adds a nice depth to the design and gives the illusion that the players are popping of the card surface. I also love how Topps incorporated team colors into the design. The card back is also well designed and although I like seeing several stat lines, the “2009 Finest Moment” is a nice thematical inclusion. Lastly, the Chromium technology always looks great, especially when you are pulling base cards that would have been highly prized inserts not long ago. Overall, this is a great set.

2nd Down, Inserts: I’m not sure if the main focus was supposed to be the hits or the refractors, so fortunately they are both well done. The refractor technology will always please me. It takes a good looking card and makes it great. The X-Fractor cards seem a bit over the top at times, but it does not take away from that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you pull one from a pack. The gold refractor was also a nice rendition and it reminded me of the old school parallels where silver and gold were as crazy as it got. The hits are also solid in this set. Sure, a lot of the high-end cards are playing the lottery with rookies, but they are nice cards. Some people don’t like the borders, and I admit that I’m not sure why Topps insists on drawing attention to their sticker autos and glaring lack of on-card autos, but it is obvious each card is designed almost independently. The auto, the jersey auto, and the base cards all look great without leaving you wondering “what is missing in this big blank space?” or “why on earth would they cover that part with a jersey swatch window?” For the other “basic” inserts, I wasn’t wild about the Finest Moments set, but I can see the point in including it. Again, thematics. I will say however that I LOVED the Finest Atomic Rookies. The die-cut design and the overly shiney stained-glass window effect threw me right back to my earlier days of collecting and it was marvelous. I think I was actually more excited to pull these two cards than the three hits I’m supposed to care about.

3rd Down, Collation: Normally, it’s very hard for me to gauge this on a box with so few cards. I believe I mentioned in a previous post that if I don’t notice the collation, then the collation must be good. I noticed the collation with this box. It wasn’t terrible, but I did pull the exact same Colt McCoy base rookie card from two consecutive packs. No refractor parallel. No auto sticker. The exact same card. The only reason I didn’t run to my computer and shoot an email to Topps Customer Service was that it was Colt McCoy. I certainly could have done worse with a duplicate. But seriously. One duplicate in 60 cards? Not good. It also didn’t help that I pulled the limited edition autograph rookie patch card in my first pack (the only one I allowed myself to open the day the box arrived). Granted, that is more dumb luck than a collation problem, but it certainly did give me unreasonable expectations for the entire box.

4th Down, Overall Value: I admit I haven’t been following the resale value of singles on the ‘Bay, but I imagine it is pretty decent. At nearly $2 per card, you’re certainly not guaranteed to flip a profit if you’re into that sort of thing. But, if you’ve got some dime to spare and you’re just looking to add some great looking cards to your overall collection, Topps Finest is a solid way to do so. Personally, I would probably wait a bit more and hope to score a lower price or even an upcoming holiday sale if I were just adding these to my hits box, but they are great cards and you’re not paying $10+ per card like you will on some higher end sets.

RED ZONE RESULTS: FIELD GOAL Overall, this was a fun product to open. The hits are certainly better than you’d expect to find in an entry-level product and the base cards are fantastic. Add to that some very nice inserts, and you’ve got yourself a solid product. The price point is still a bit high, so given a few months on the market, I can see this being an even better buy in the future. The biggest draw back for me was the duplicate base card. It may not bother some people, and I will admit it was eased by the fact it was of a high profile rookie, but duplicates are one of my few card pet peeves. But although 2010 Topps Finest wasn’t able to punch it through the gridiron and find paydirt, it was able to get on the board with an easy chip shot from the near hash mark. It may not have been what the coach wanted, but it will give the defense a chance to prove what really wins championships.

NEXT UP: 2010 Panini Crown Royale?

HOF Spotlight: Ken Strong

Name: Ken Strong
Position: Halfback
Pro Career: 1929 – 1939; 1944 – 1947
Team Affiliation(s): Staten Island Stapletons, New York Giants, New York Yanks
College: New York University
Induction Class: 1967

Brief Bio: A truly versatile gridiron hero who could play any position with the best, Ken Strong excelled at blocking, running, passing, punting, placekicking, and defense. Strong was named All-NFL four times in his 14-year career and helped lead the New York Giants to the 1934 NFL title, in what has become the historic “sneakers” game (from the shoe choice of the Giants during the ice-covered Polo Grounds game). Strong retired as one of the greatest players in NFL history after the 1939 season but was convinced to return to the game from 1944-1947 by the Giants who were suffering a severe wartime player shortage. Strong agreed but only under the conditions that he would only serve as a placekicking specialist, would wear no pads, and could wear his wristwatch on the field.

Career Stats: 131 games played; 35/50 FGs; 484 total points; 6 passing TDs; 1,228 rushing yards; 24 rushing TDs; 7 receiving TDs; 1 interception TD

Featured Card: 1935 National Chicle #7. As one of the league’s greatest multi-faceted athletes, it is no surprise that the National Chicle Gum Company included Ken Strong in their card set, which would go down in history as the first nationally distributed football-only card set. Strong was just coming off of his fourth All-NFL season and was part of the newest NFL champion team. Trivial Beckett value for this vintage gem is $400. Surprisingly enough, there are very few copies of this card for sale on eBay, with prices ranging from $100 to $295 (although that highest card is far above the others). As always with this high profile vintage sets, be sure to watch out for fakes and reprints. While some are obvious, others are not and you do not want to pay top dollar for a non-authentic card.

NOTE: You can find all of my Hall Of Fame Spotlight Features by clicking the HOF Spotlight banner above.

Heisman Highlight: Joe Bellino

Name: Joe Bellino
Position: Back
College: Navy Midshipmen
Class: Senior
Winning Year: 1960 – 26th Award
Official Heisman Profile: Click Here
 
 
 

Interesting Notes: Bellino was a multi-threat weapon and the driving force behind the 9-1 Army team in 1960, scoring 18 touchdowns and accounting for over half of all offensive yards gained by the Midshipmen…was drafted by the AFL Boston Patriots and played for three seasons before being drafted by the NFL Cincinnati Bengals…retired from football to avoid moving his family to Ohio…served over 28 years in the U.S. Navy and rose to the rank of Captain…was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1977.

Featured Card: 2007 Press Pass Legends Auto #8. Without a notable professional football career, Bellino was never featured on an official rookie card. For an addition to your Heisman Trophy winner collection, you can consider modern alternatives like this autographed card from 2007. Bellino’s autos usually sell in the $20-$30 range while base cards from legends-themed sets generally sell for less than $5.

NOTE: You can find all of my Heisman Highlight Features by clicking the post banner above.

Product Review: 2010 Topps Chrome

I think that I like the concept of group breaks. It gives me a chance buy and review a hobby box of a new product and guarantees that at least a significant portion of the cards will be leaving my house shortly and part of the cost of that box will be covered by fans. This was one of those boxes. To see the entire results of the box by team, go here. Now, for the usual product review:

The Box – Click for Detail

Hobby boxes come with 24 4-card packs for a total of 96 cards. I purchased this box from Dave and Adam’s Card World for $57, which translates into a $0.59/card ratio. That is right in line with what I would expect for a Chrome product — on the lower end of mid-shelf but certainly not broaching entry-level either.

similar design to box and easy to open

The Breakdown:
Base Cards: 76 (0 duplicates)
   Rookie Cards: 36 (included in base card total above)
Refractor Parallels: 7
   Rookie Refractors: 3 (included in Refractor total above)
Inserts
   Gridiron Lineage: 6
   Rookie Reprints: 4
   Bowman Chrome: 2
   Red Zone Rookie Autographs (on-card!): 1

Click images for full-sized scans

FIRST AND GOAL’S FOUR DOWNS:
1st Down, Design: Like all Chrome products, the design of this set very closely if not exactly mimicks the design of the original product. It is essentially the same card but loaded with Chromium technology…sweet sweet Chromium technology. I have been around Chrome cards for well over a decade now and I still love them. From my perspective, it is impossible to hold one of these and NOT feel like you’re holding something special. They just have that great, super glossy feel and shininess to them that I still love to this day. Like all Chrome cards, these did not scan terribly well, but they are just as beautiful in person as releases of the past. Well done, Topps. Well done.

2nd Down, Inserts: Fortunately, Topps significantly reduced the number of inserts in the Chrome release from the original flagship. Unless there were some that I didn’t pull, the only inserts of note were the Refractor parallels, Gridiron Lineage, Rookie Reprints, Bowman Chrome, and the various relic and autograph “hits”. The Refractors are just as great this year as they have been in the past. VERY refractory and sweet. I didn’t pull any of the special colored refractors though. Such is my luck I suppose. The Gridiron Lineage were just like any other Chrome-ized card, and I still don’t know how I feel about the two-player cards. The Rookie Reprints were interesting, especially the older ones. The Mark Sanchez wasn’t too odd since he was a rookie just last year, but seeing Eric Dickerson’s rookie all Chromey was definitely intriguing. The Bowman Chrome cards had a very nice look to them. I’m still not a huge fan of the blatant RC shield logo, but overall if Topps doesn’t change much, Bowman Chrome looks to be a solid release of its own. Lastly, I can only comment on one of the hit designs, but I was very pleased with the Red Zone Rookie Autographs card I pulled (and consequently mail to Brian). I LOVE seeing on-card autos, especially since this required a fairly quick turnover given the pro unis. Again, well done.

3rd Down, Collation: Overall, I was pleased. I got all of the cards I was supposed to (per inseration rates) and didn’t get any cards I wasn’t supposed to get (duplicates). In a box of 96 cards, it’s a little difficult to truly judge collation, but considering the fact that it did not jump out at me as all kinds of messed up, I’ll take that as a good sign. The less I notice the collation of a box the better, and I didn’t notice the collation of this box until I tried to grade it just now.

4th Down, Overall Value: Good, borderline great. You know what you’re getting with Chrome. I hear that (at least from the baseball side of things) Chrome was overproduced this year hurting the holding value. Granted, Strasburghhysteria was greater than Tebowmania, so that may have helped on the Gridiron front. Sure, box and case prices are sure to fall over time, but generally Chrome products hold their value. I would say it’s a product of a trusted name (Topps), a loved concept (Chrome), and what usually amounts to a solid rookie camp (football rarely has an off year for draftees). You may not always get your money’s worth from a box or pack, but overall, I would say it’s no worse than any other non-experimental product out there.

RED ZONE RESULTS: TOUCHDOWN (MISSED PAT) I thought about giving Topps Chrome the extra point, I really did. But I guess I’m saving that for the product(s) that really wow me. Perhaps I’m jaded by products that offer more hits per box or the fact that I had already seen the basic design in the flagship Topps release, but this box just didn’t wow me. Overall, it’s a great product and one in which you will not be disappointed. But if you’re looking for a release that makes you say, “Damn. That is one amazing product” or even “I totally increased my net worth by buying this box!”, you will need to continue looking.

NEXT UP: 2010 Topps Finest