Topps Not Dead Yet

On the heels of the Players, Inc. announcement that it would not be renewing Topps’ football card licensing contract after its February 2010 expiration, Topps has made an announcement of it own: product information for 2009 Topps Platinum.

Either Topps saw the downfall of their football releases coming and planned ahead, or they are quickly throwing together a last ditch effort to show everyone what a tragic mistake Players, Inc. has made. In a nut shell, 2009 Topps Platinum looks sweet. Each 24-pack box essentially guarantees 2 autographed refractor rookie cards and 1 autographed refractor patch card. Proving they dominated card inserts with refractor technology, every autograph card will be a refractor and will include the usual list of parallels we have come to expect from Topps. I have uploaded the official (and preliminary) sell sheet and checklist for you to review. I apologize for the last few items of each page of the checklist being weird, my pdf converter is acting up tonight. Topps has also released some preliminary card images, which you can see below (hover over image to see details):

 

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On obvious rookie-focused set, 2009 Topps Platinum is scheduled for release the first week in February, just weeks before its NFL license expires, and could be the final Topps football product for quite a while. The price per 24-pack box (each packs contains 5 cards) will run in the $80 range, obviously depending where you buy it.

What do you guys think? Is this a sorry attempt to dump the entire NFL sticker auto and jersey patch inventory Topps currently has, or is this a valiant effort to go out with a bang?

h/t to Mario for passing this information on to someone who is not important enough to receive these sort of emails directly.

Bon Voyage, Topps

I tell you what, fall asleep at the wheel (or take a night off to spend quiet time with the wife), and you miss out on some big news. By now, I’m sure you’ve already heard about the tragic news from other, more reliable sources (even a shady one).

After all of the drama that unfolded early in 2009 with the NBA awarding Panini an exclusive license and then MLB following suit over the summer with Topps, I tried to convince myself that the NFL and Players, Inc., the official licensing body for the NFL Players Association, would not be dumb enough to do the same thing. Yesterday, it was announced that while they were not quite as dumb, they are trying awfully hard. Players, Inc. has announced that Topps will not receive a renewed license for football cards when its current contract expires in February.

We are not just losing amazing Chrome and Refractor technology (unless someone else figures out a way to step up to the plate). We are losing the longest running base set in the football Hobby. We are losing the most sought after rookie cards (Bowman). We are losing quality products at reasonable prices. We are losing choice. We are losing variety. We are losing Topps.

Topps.

The single most recognizable brand in sports cards.

Gone from football.

WTF.

“Redemption” Should be a 4-Letter Word

Last year, in the midst of my return-to-the-hobby shopping spree, I picked up two boxes of 2008 Upper Deck Icons. It was not a bad set, although perhaps a bit over priced considering the cards I pulled. One of the highly touted inserts in 2008 Icons was the Immortal Letterman cards, featured manu-patch letters. I successfully pulled Fran Tarkenton, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders. But wait…there were a guaranteed 2 per box, leaving me one short from my 2 boxes. Where was my other Immortal Letterman? One word: Redemption. I plugged in the code on 12/28/2008 and began the wait for my Brett Favre Immortal Letterman card.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally, a few months ago, Upper Deck sent out an email stating they were trying to wrap up production. Those who were tired of waiting could request a replacement card of equal value. For those who wanted to wait it out, they would include a special thank you card. I opted to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Today, I happened to think about this redemption and checked “My Redemptions” on Upper Deck’s website. Status: Pending. Status Date: 12/28/2008.

Crap.

Tonight I just happened to look at Facebook before heading off to bed and saw a live feed link from Upper Deck. Lo and behold, the redemptions are finally complete and ready to be mailed! HOORAY! Below is what my Immortal Letterman will look like, but possibly with a different letter. They have two sets, one spelling “JETS” and the other spelling “BROADWAY BRETT” (again, these were from 2008 Icons). Beside that card is one of six special, limited edition Brett Favre cards created specially for those who waited it out, complete with his new Vikings uniform.

Click each card to see a larger view

These cards are set to ship this week, so hopefully I have them in-hand before next weekend. I will keep you updated with actual scans when they arrive.

BTW, I will try to not let my next post be about some new Brett Favre card Upper Deck released images of on their Facebook page. Promise.

Upper Deck Announces Shorter SP

Today, Upper Deck released an image of an even shorter short print Brett Favre card inserted into packs of 2009 SPx. This card is in addition to the short printed, red practice jersey card previously featured on this blog.

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Upper Deck’s announcement, directly from their Facebook account:

This is a previously unannounced card we produced of Favre that is inserted into packs of 2009 SPx. It is more limited than the version with Favre wearing the red jersey or of Vick. If you pulled one of these, you’ve really got something special of the gunslinger looking to take the Vikings to the next level.

Gotta love that ball cap…

Upper Deck’s New Football Website

In a press release dated 9/10/2009, Upper Deck announced the following:

The 2009 NFL season starts today, but it’s impossible to tell which rookie will end up being last season’s Matt Ryan or Steve Slaton. Upper Deck has a new football website designed to get collectors guessing and possibly earn prizes for figuring out which rookie will emerge as a top threat. Collectors who enter codes from the back of 2009 Upper Deck NFL rookie cards for the first-year player who has the best performance each week, will be entered into a drawing to win a box of 2009 Upper Deck NFL cards.

“Rookies are the key driver for football cards each year so we felt it was important to come up with a platform that allows collectors to interact with the cards like never before,” said Kerri Kauffman, Upper Deck’s director of marketing. “To allow our customers to look at match-ups for the week and make an educated guess as to which rookie will have the best performance is something that hasn’t been done before and we think it will be a big hit.”

Football fans can enter codes from any of Upper Deck’s 2009 NFL rookie cards for the player they think will have the best performance for Week One up until Monday, September 15, by visiting http://sports.upperdeck.com/football. Upper Deck will reveal the “Rookie of the Week” on Tuesday, September 16, and any collector who entered card codes of that player for the week will be entered into a drawing to win a box of a 2009 Upper Deck Football release. Collectors can then begin entering codes for Week Two and the promotion will run all 17 weeks of the 2009 NFL regular season.

The site it not just about the “Rookie of the Week” promotion, however, as it is also features a very robust rookie card management system that allows collectors to track which cards they have and what cards they need from any of Upper Deck’s 2009 NFL products. The website will also spotlight new NFL products, feature a new video interview with a different rookie each week and have direct links to Upper Deck’s NFL blog and forums as well.

“We felt it was necessary to embrace new technology and provide our collectors with tools and interactive features that enhance their collecting experience,” said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s sports marketing manager. “This website is just another example of Upper Deck’s continuous drive to bring innovative new programs to the industry. Based on how collectors enjoy the experience, we hope to expand this online initiative to other sports like hockey and baseball once those seasons begin.”

Live Today: 2009 Topps Chrome

After much hype and a two week release delay, the highly anticipated Topps Chrome set is now live. Always a fan favorite for rookie cards, this year’s release follows suit, delivering great value to the collector. 2009 Topps Chrome is available in hobby boxes of 24 packs of 4 cards each. The base set consists of 110 veterns and 110 rookies.

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Like any chrome product, 2009 Topps Chrome has plenty of base parallels to chase, including refractors (1:3 packs), Copper (#/699), Red (#/25), and Super-Fractor (1/1), as well as all four colored printing plates (1/1). Additionally, Topps Chrome delivers some great rookie cards. First and foremost, the much coveted rookie autograph cards. Fifty of the top rookies featured in the base set have an autographed base variation that is also available in Black (#/25), Gold (#/10), and Super-Fractor (1/1) refractor technology. Another great rookie insert, Rookie Patch Cards, is also sure to please fans. A hobby exclusive, this insert consists of 30 of the top rookies and each features refractor technology and is numbered to just 25 copies. Additional inserts include Chicle cards (featuring legendary 1935 National Chicle design elements), Cheerleaders (some of the hottest AFC team boosters), and Ring of Honor (featuring Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes’ autograph). All insert sets are also available in Refractors (#’d), White (#/100), Red (#/10), and Super-Fractor (1/1) parallels.

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Per Box Breakdown: 24 packs of 4 cards each (96 total), including 1 rookie autograph, 10 inserts, and 9 parallels.

I will admit that I have never really bought into the whole chrome hype scene. However, I will also say that this year’s release looks really nice. The chrome and refractor technology stills makes me feel like I am holding elite cards that I was lucky enough to snag. They are definitely some of the nicest, non-high-end cards available in hobby shops and on the secondary market. At around $60 per hobby box, you will definitely get your money’s worth, especially with all of the highly sought after rookie cards. Even if you usually do not have luck with busting boxes, you are bound to pull some nice cards from 2009 Topps Chrome. I am intrigued by the Chicle insert set though. In a year that has seen several high profile lawsuits in this hobby, especially those directly involving Topps and Upper Deck, it is odd and almost ironic that both have released insert sets that borrow from the legendary 1935 National Chicle design. Either this design is so old and not protected anymore, and is therefore public domain, or we may see yet another legal battle from this. I would be interested to know if anyone owns rights to the design and name anymore. I also find the cheerleader cards interesting. I usually am not a fan of non-sports players being in my sports card boxes, but cheerleaders are technically in sports. Plus, they are a nice change of pace from all of the over sized and bulky men on the rest of the cards. I’m not sure if you can ever complain about seeing pictures of attractive females, regardless of the media in which they are featured.

What are your first thoughts? Are you buying into the hype and really excited to bust some boxes/cases? Are you are planning to buy some packs or just chase down singles on eBay? Or are you completely apathetic to this set?