UFC Knockout Video Box Break

One of the most impressive Topps products of 2011 comes back for Round 2 in 2012. With 8 hits, and a checklist that includes ring masters, veterans, & rookies from the UFC and Strikeforce you will get a lot of bang for your buck.

I Went to the Sun Times Show and Took a Trip Down Memory Lane

Today I ventured out to the Chicago Sun Times collectibles convention with a few goals in mind. I haven't been to the show in a couple of years and figured I would check it out because some friends would be there as well as some sponsors of the Cardboard Connection Radio show.

My first stop of the day was to the Memory Lane Inc booth. I wanted to stop by and not only see J.P. and thank him for his support, but I wanted to see some of the items in their upcoming auction that we discussed on our radio show.

Here's a quick clip with J.P from the Memory Lane booth:

Seeing some of the cards like the Plank, the Mantles and the Gibson blew my mind. That tin? Not my cup of tea, but it is in incredible condition and is an extremely rare and unique collectible that MANY people were in awe of at the show.

After I left J.P., I ran into Brian Gray from Leaf and checked out their setup. It was pretty quiet at the show, but they had an awesome display of the Muhammad Ali autos and cards. To quote Darth Vader, "Impressive, most impressive".

I decided only to bring $100 cash and see if I could pick up some of the items I wanted. If you follow our radio show, you'd know I have been looking for a particular Upper Deck SP Authentic auto of future NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. I have struck out at the National for many years looking for it and have had an extremely difficult time even finding a Warner auto at the show.

My drought ended today when I found the card I was looking for. I got it for a price I was willing to pay and it will no doubt be a future SIGnificant Cards entry.

I also mentioned on our show that it might be a good time to pick up Kyle Busch autographed cards. I had been looking for a Kyle Busch auto from my favorite Press Pass product -- Showcase. I haven't pulled an auto of Busch and have been scouting listings to find the one I want and I have continuously been sniped at the last minute on many. Again, I got what I wanted at the price I wanted to pay.

Today was a good day.

If you think I spent the entire $100 on just those two cards, you'd be wrong. I also picked up some more items.

I needed some supplies, so I grabbed some extra thick and regular top loaders and sleeves. Always good prices at the show, that's a no-brainer.

I picked up a box of 91-92 Kayo for $10 and can't wait to open it. Sure it's not worth much these days, but its 36 packs of pure greatness. Hopefully I will find a hologram or auto. Worst case, I can use them for through the mail or in-person autos.

I also wanted to find another box for me to open with my kids. This time I chose a winner for a whopping $3! It's 1988 Topps Big Baseball Series 2. They can shred through those packs and I don't have to worry about condition or value, just pure fun-factor!

Just as I was getting ready to call it a day, I saw one of the most original ideas for displaying items that I have seen since the ball cube. Z-Access has a new entry for collectors to display items from cards, to balls to action figures in a snazzy 3D frame. They had a few different displays set up at the show including a couple of custom ones and I stopped in my tracks to check it out. I had a brief conversation with them and am hopeful that they will appear on an upcoming edition of Cardboard Connection radio. For now, trust me when I say it is pretty cool and you can check them out for yourself at www.displayit3d.com.

My haul, all for just under $100. I think I did pretty good.

There wasn't a whole lot of wax at the show. What was there could be had for a song and dance. Even the most recent Tier One baseball boxes were marked down about $20 and could be yours for around $60. The last thing I grabbed was as I was walking out the door. I passed Dave & Adams booth and saw they had retail boxes of 2009 Upper Deck SP Signature Football for $9. I grabbed one and headed out.

 I look forward to discussing the show a bit more on the Wednesday, November 23 edition of Cardboard Connection Radio.

SIGnificant Cards - Don Cheadle Upper Deck Iron Man 2 Auto

On one side you have Iron Man, on the other War Machine. Friends or enemies? They've been both over the years, but in the motion picture Iron Man 2, you get the first look at James Rhodes in his armor. Upper Deck, not known for producing great non-sports products has delivered a couple of really strong ones recently with Iron Man 2, Captain America and Thor.

If I had to rate them, I'd give them 4.5 out of 5 on the designs, but 1 star for content because they just didn't nail some autographs of the bigger stars from the films. Captain America was missing Chris Evans and Tommy Lee Jones, Thor was missing Natalie Portman, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins and Iron Man 2 was missing Scarlett Johansson, Sam L. Jackson, & Robert Downey, Jr.

When I got my initial box of Iron Man 2 cards, I didn't know what to expect because original solicitations included the big names on the checklist, then as it drew closer only Rourke & Cheadle were touted. They were joined by director Jon Favreau and the smoking hot Leslie Bibb.

I was actually pretty bummed because when you get a non-sports set you expect the best. Sometimes because of the cost an actor could desire for autographs or a lack of interest in even signing cards, it can get very pricey, but there is no excuse not to put at least 1 cut sig (if not more) of the big stars in the mix of a product of this magnitude if they don't want to sign, go freaking buy one.

That said, after seeing the list, I actually wanted a Bibb or Cheadle more than all of the others. Bibb because of this:

 
and Cheadle because of this...

I was happy when I got the Don Cheadle. I mean it is Rhodey for crying out loud. I've been a lifelong Iron Man fan and Rhodey has been along for the ride for a long time. Contrary to what the movies portrayed, the character of James Rhodes has a much deeper relationship with Tony Stark, taking over the reigns of the specialized suit when Tony lost his fortune and alcohol took precedence over saving the world. It wasn't until after Stark regained control of his company and did battle with Justin Hammer that War Machine was born.

War Machine was Iron Man on the juice. He looked cooler, was gun metal grey and had a big ass missile launcher and a flamethrower to boot. It was unreal to see both of them in action on the big screen and Favreau did a fantastic job taking them from the pages of comic books onto the big screen.

From the West Coast Avengers to the adult-oriented War Machine MAX series, I've been to hell and back with James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes. I can only hope he has a cameo in the Avengers and is signed on for Iron Man 3.

Card A4 is an absolutely awesome looking card. UD killed it with the designs on this set. It is a sticker auto, but its a clear one and doesn't take away from the design at all. I am not a fan of the sticker, but I see how it is necessary in rare cases. This one in particular doesn't bother me that much, but I hope in the future UD can do away with them in non sport products and also bolster up the products with the best possible autograph content they can get.

Oh and while Iron Man might have the jump on War Machine by many years, they both have a kick-ass theme song. You already know Iron Man's... Here's War Machine's courtesy of AC-DC.

SIGnificant Cards - Manon Rheaume 1993 Classic Hockey Art

Rheaume was the hottest hockey
commodity in 1992.

Back in the day. Heh. I hate that term. What day? Possibly the dumbest term for simply saying, "in the past" -- EVER! In 1992 hockey history was made when Manon Rheaume signed a contract with the NHLs Tampa Bay Lightning. What was so special about it? Well for starters, Manon wasn't some fresh-faced, pimply kid from Quebec. Oh wait, yes SHE was. Rheaume is the only woman to ever make it to the NHL level and while she never played in a game during the regular season, she did put on the gloves for a couple of preseason match-ups. She didn't just bend the gender myths, she owned them.

Her other accolades include Olympic silver and she was the goalie on not one, but two IIHF World Women's Championship teams. She was the hottest hockey commodity in that year and the excitement sprung from her Canadian lore, also made its way to the United States.

In 1992, and it wasn't that long ago, the whole equal playing field in sports was nowhere near what it is today and it STILL has a long way to go. Today you see it more frequently, there are more women making as big or bigger impacts on their respective sports. Look to athletes such as Danica Patrick, Maryeve Dufault, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Angela & Amber Cope in NASCAR, the tough women that play real football in the Lingerie Football League, and the amazing women in the WNBA are just a few that quickly come to mind.

I was living in Las Vegas in 1992 and there were some great trading card shows in Vegas at the time. She was the talk of many of those shows. In 1994 she signed with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL and Rheaume fever hit Vegas. It wasn't long before she was doing autograph signings at shows and she drew some big crowds.

I was fortunate to meet her and have her sign one of her most recognizable trading cards. The 1993 Classic Hockey Art card is #112 from the set and with a clean and personalized sig in blue, it remains one of my all-time favorite cards.

What's your favorite card? I'd love to hear about it.