Last Night Mars Attacked, Tomas Hertl Lit the Lamp and Collectors Rejoiced

On last night's episode of Cardboard Connection Radio we brought Topps Mars Attacks Licensing Manager Adam Levine in to discuss the continuously growing brand of one of the hobby's most unique trading card brands. From a team-up with Stan Lee to the upcoming Mars Attacks Invasion product, 2013 has been the year of Mars Attacks. We also spoke with Chris Carlin of Upper Deck about a variety of topics including the first cards of the NHLs Tomas Hertl who lit the lamp four times against the NY Rangers at only age 19. Hertl's 4th goal was one of the all-time greatest goals in the history of the league. Other topics include Andy Pafko, Set of the Week, the Chicagoland Non-Sports Card Show and more! Catch the replay!

With A Label Like Finest You Better Bring Your A Game and Leave The Redemptions At Home

For 20 years Topps Finest has been my favorite consistent product from Topps. It always brings out the best from the Topps designers and has continued to evolve into one of the best looking products. It's also been a source of many incredible autographed memorabilia cards. When Topps began producing cards for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, they added Finest to the lineup because like it's baseball and football counterparts, it showcases the best Topps has to offer.

The 2013 edition is no exception. It boasts an outstanding design, a perfect balance of Octagon ring generals and some incredible memorabilia and autographs from fighters and fans of the sport. Broken up into 2 mini-boxes you'll get a whopping 6 hits in the product, a mix of fighter gear, ring mats, ring girl kisses and autographs!

One thing though hits collectors like a kidney shot, too many redemption cards. A brief count after the products release showed over 15 key cards as redemptions in the product. Believe me, Topps doesn't want it that way, but it is, and if you are dropping $85-$95 for a product and the two main hits in the box are not actually in it, I believe you have a valid beef. Have a look inside a box of 2013 Topps UFC Finest...

What's Inside: Topps Tier One Baseball

Ah, Topps. Collectors either love or hate them. There doesn't seem to be much in-between does there? The company with the greatest legacy in sports cards is sort of an enigma. They do many things well and some other things not so well. In a day and age where customer service should be everything, it isn't. With social media, collectors have made and broken companies. It isn't the largest portion of the hobby by any means, but it is the direct lifeline for many to reach out and get their opinion heard. I've seen careers and companies ruined by stories told on Twitter and Facebook. Faith in a company should be the #1 reason why you put your hard-earned dollars behind a purchase. Why anyone would buy something they aren't happy with is beyond me. They are the company that is supposed to be the industry leader. This year, my confidence in them has wavered. It truly bothers me. Perhaps it is just me wanting something from my childhood to live on the way I've always remembered it, or simply because I want collectors of today to get the absolute best service they deserve. Maybe, I expect them to live up to the legacy. I've had my ups and downs with some of the recent Topps releases, but I can tell you that with Tier One, it's nothing but love from me.

Tier One shoots straight. It's a box with 3 cards in it (some contain 4). On average 2 autographs and one memorabilia card. It features outstanding designs, some unique takes on past Topps releases and contains one of the best mixes of past, present and future MLB stars that you can have. There are a couple of more greats I'd like to see on the list, but this one is nothing to sneeze at. I'd also like to see them up the basic relic cards here to be a little more high-end. I'm not saying 4-color patches, but maybe save the good stuff for this product next time around. There are unreal patches included, but a basic relic is sort of mundane in a product that could make an even bolder statement with collectors. I was very happy with my box. So happy, I bought more. Have a look at what I found:

National Sports Collectors Convention Takeaways Pt.2

So many interesting things took place during the 34th National, I needed more than one post to cover it. Tons of highlights and some seriously ridiculous lowlights. Our interviews with Tracy Hackler, Brian Price, Brian Gray, Scott Prusha, Rick Klein, Jonathan Dalton, Chris Carlin, D.J. Kazmierczak, Will Jaimet, were a lot of fun. Sorry if I am forgetting anyone, we covered a lot of ground, but there were more events that just didn't make it onto the radio show.

A lot of people came up to us and asked why we weren't in the corporate area. Here is your answer. We didn't want to be. Imagine if you were next to us, and paid X amount of money for your spot. For 90% of the show you had speakers blaring towards your setup, and you couldn't hear your customers -- you'd be pissed, correct? Well I would too, and I didn't think it would be fair to do that to whomever surrounded us. Also, if we had a guest like Lisa Marie or Sean Kane, and a line formed, would you want it in front of your space, hindering people from seeing what you have at your booth? I didn't think so. I was grateful for Mike Berkus and his crew for finding us a great spot that didn't do either of those things, yet kept us right out there where people could see, hear and talk without taking away business from another company or dealer.

A true highlight of the show for me was to meet some of my artist friends including Jared Kelley, Brian Kong and Sean Kane. Catching up with Jay Pangan and Paul Madden was also a treat. All are uniquely talented individuals, and have done some amazing work for their respective manufacturers. Seeing Sean Kane's work up close was mind-blowing. It looks good online, but when you see it in front of you, WOW! Watching Jared's processs of painting a card from start to finish was also an amazing thing to see in person. I hope Dr. Price has him and Paul at the booth again, dueling artists was AWESOME! Jay, well he's one of the nicest guys I've met and generous. I only wish I had more time to spend with them all. Oh, and if you are a fan of MLB mascots like I am, be sure to check out Brian's work on Trolley Dodgers‬, Pinstriped Yankees, Wearing Redsox‬. He stayed through the week to also appear at Wizard World's Comic Con (more about that in an upcoming post).

You'll see a thousand complaints about the littlest and biggest things that took place at the National. It doesn't matter what you do, you will NEVER please everyone. If you can learn to live with that, you'll sleep better at night.

So here's my take on the Topps redemption program. The Yasiel Puig Gypsy Queen card was easily the most popular and sought after at the show. I'll take the high road unlike some of you that just shoot from the hip. They are short-handed. I don't know why, I won't pretend I do, but they are. They need a few more bodies and minds over there. They have a solid crew with Clay, Mark, David and Jeff, but their redemption program is ALWAYS big time and they need to staff it like it is big time.  That they let dealers get in line before the show opened to the public, well that needs to be fixed too. It's not rocket science. Do a dealer redemption line, and an attendee line. Don't start the attendee one until at least an hour after show opens to the public. VIPs should be able to get in line first. At the very least, someone should be checking badges and monitoring the situation. When you keep it limited, expect madness. Something had to change, and it did by the third day. Hopefully collectors left happy and not frustrated.

As far as their meet and greet. It continues to astonish me how many people won't say the stuff they say online once they are face-to-face. I watched people that completely disrespect that company on a daily basis act like they were best friends in that room. It was sickening.

Some of the comments made were gold. I loved the collector that asked about more Santa cards. His comments totally validated us bringing him to the National 2 years prior. Clay at Topps said he's tough to get to sign. We had him at the National in 2011, and he signed a ton of autographs! They were pretty upfront at this meet and greet stating that cost is something that stops them from doing things. I suppose I can understand that, but would it really have killed them to bring in a UFC guy or girl to sign, or even a WWE person? No it wouldn't have. I'd like to offer assistance to them in the future if they need another person at events. I have loved the Topps brand since I was 5. I can't stand seeing some of the flak they take, but some of it is justified. I bet once they address the redemption issues and, get customer service back on track, some of that criticism will subside. For those that think they don't care, they do, but where some companies can turn on a dime, make a decision in a snap, or make an instant change, Topps may not be able to because of corporate. I am fans of their staff, they are all very intelligent guys and I think they just need some help. One last bit of advice for them, if they are reading. When you get that many Topps collectors in a room, don't let a single one of them leave with nothing. Throughout the evening they had a raffle for people to win prizes. Some walked out with 3 or 4 boxes of product. Some left shaking their heads with nothing. Considering those people hung around for 2 hours after the show closed, throw them a bone for being a dedicated enough fan. A pack probably would've sufficed. Topps brought 2013 mini to the show. For the second consecutive year, they have created a mini set based on their flagship product. Many people love them, including me. I skipped the minis this year. Why? Last year there was an awesome bonus mini pack only available at the NSCC if you bought a box. That was the tipping point for me. This year, that wasn't available, thus I didn't bite.

My son Will made a card at the UD booth.
He even tried to replicate the logo. Nice!

Upper Deck had a firm goal to reach a lot of different collectors. The fantastic "Make Your Own Trading Card" booth was a smash hit. It allowed kids to make their very own card using markers and a blank canvas. It was simply awesome to see kids partaking in this trading card goodness. In addition, they were essentially a loading dock for Cards2Kids. Dealers, retailers and collectors could drop off their unwanted cards at the UD booth and they'd go directly to the charitable organization. Simply spectacular! We dropped off a huge box of singles for them. On top of that, they had quite the rousing success with their Fleer Retro redemption promotion. When the National was ready to come to a close, they held a raffle for many of the items on display at their booth. They really didn't want to take anything home. Rumor has it that at one point during the show, they bought everyone at their booth ice cream. Why? Because collecting Upper Deck cards is COOL. You know cool, like Ice Cream. Shame I missed that, but I need an ice cream cone like I need another chin. Listen to Chris Carlin on Cardboard Connection Radio (skip to the 51 minute mark).

I was happy to see Collector Revolution set up at the show. I like what they are doing. Their customer base is growing and I continue to hear nothing but great things from the ones we talk to. That's a good sign. I will continue to observe their growth. The man in charge, Jonathan has a solid game plan, and the sky is the limit.


Some of my favorite people in the world are affectionately known to our group as the Brian Triad. That would be Brian Price, Brian Gray and Brian Wallos. You know them as the President of In the Game Inc., the owner of Leaf Trading Cards, and the man behind Benchwarmer. I often ask myself what would happen if the three of them merged. Now that would be something, wouldn't it? All three brought something special to the National. ITG put a fantastic cut signature autograph featuring all 4 of the Beatles. Yeah. John, Paul, George & Ringo on a single card. Amazing collectible. Check out the video of the presentation with special guest assistant Benchwarmer Mary Riley.


ITG's Chicago-centric redemption set was sharp too. Featuring great art of popular Chicago Blackhawks, it was on my must-have list. It was also great to see my friend Stephen Laroche and spend some time with him, as well as catching up with Allan Levine.

At the same time ITG was doing their promotion, Leaf was also doing something special. They had the Lucky Clover drawing for a Josh Gibson autograph. I told you we were busy right? We captured that on film too. Bringing the National home for collectors since 2000, yeah that's us.

As for Benchwarmer, Brian Wallos brings his lovely ladies to the show and the lines for them to sign cards is consistent throughout the entire weekend. Lots of people claim to have the best booth. Brian by far has the best looking booth. The one man and multi-woman show adds a dynamic to the National that no one else can pull off. As dedicated as his ladies are to the Benchwarmer cause, some of his collectors are even more dedicated. Some Benchwarmer super collectors were at the show, and they had some jaw-dropping cards in their collections. Me? I usually try to get all of the girls on the National exclusive cards, but again I was WAY too busy, so I snuck by and grabbed a Billie Jo Powers autograph. She was one I didn't have in my collection.

So, think I am long-winded yet? I've got more. Look at least one, if not two more posts about the National coming soon, or when I find some more time.

Topps Remastered

Yesterday there was a short conversation on Twitter that got me thinking about some ideas that would get me to start set building again. It seems like it is going to be ages until Topps Heritage baseball catches up to the era that I began collecting -- the 70s.

The talk came from the 1987 minis that are going to be included with Topps 2012 series 2 baseball. Now trust me, I have no love for 1987 Topps baseball. The cards looked good, but you could start a paper trail at your front door and loop the earth a few times over with those cards. There were tons printed.

Someone had mentioned revisiting the 87 set and used the term Remastered. It got me thinking about the classic card sets and why I don't build large sets anymore. I got to thinking about the music industry and how they'll look to build interest in an older act by remastering their previous releases. I love it when a record company remasters a bands catalog and improves the music quality, finds hidden gems, adds a couple of live songs, and includes a demo or interview. The remaster usually gets some sort of gold or platinum name added to the mix.

I thought about it for a minute and realized that formula would be perfect for trading cards. How cool would it be to get an updated 52 Topps set printed on the same stock that they print Topps Tribute on? They could redo the entire original set, have parallel versions with alternate photos and outtakes. There could be memorabilia and autographed parallels, and you could even add some players to the checklist that didn't make the original cut. To top it off, you could also include some of today's players within the same design.

I'm sure you and Topps could come up with a hundred reasons why this couldn't be done but I could come up with a hundred why it should be done.

Here are a couple...

Exposing a New Generation of Collectors
Today's collectors loved collecting as kids. Most, now have kids and they would be able to share their love of the hobby with their their children. This isn't going to be a low end product, so the kids would get exposed to the highest quality of trading cards made today.

Where are the icons?
The iconic players of the game graced those Topps sets. If you ask the average baseball fan who they collected, it was Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Schmidt, Rose, Brett, Seaver, Jackson, Ripken, Koufax, Ryan... the classics. The best in the game. In any classic Topps set there are 40 or 50 household names, 50-100 well-known and collected players, a large portion of rookie cards and a bunch of commons. Not any more. The formula is still relatively similar, but with the exception of Pujols, Ichiro and Jeter, there are really no players that can compare to those legends in today's sets. The rest of the bunch are mostly regarded as commons and discarded. Why do you think they keep adding legends to current products? Bringing back those sets would generate a whole new era of nostalgia for the hobby.

Set building with a twist
Value for base cards just isn't there anymore. Inserts are just one element that have destroyed the value of the base card. I've seen people just discard commons like they were trash. Putting together a 660-card set that is expensive could change all of the that. Sure it wouldn't be cheap, but the end result could bring some much needed prestige back to the base card. When the players on the cards are junk, the value goes in the toilet. But here, we're talking legends, and yeah there were lots of scrubs in those vintage sets, but just like when we were kids, you'll get to relive those moments of glory when you got that one guy in a pack that you ALWAYS got multiple times over. My guy was Jim Wohlford. I swear I got that guy in every pack I bought. Maybe this time around I would get Steve Ontiveros or Rusty Kuntz... who knows? Does it matter? Around him will be Steve Carlton, Carlton Fisk, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Thurman Munson, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson and 50 other superstars.

I've got more reasons running through my crazy head, but what I don't have is time to give away ideas for free.

The other thing is that I don't want rhyme or reason. That's my problem with Heritage. Each year you know what's coming. The process is too slow to get to all of those great collections and we're only in the 60s. With Remastered you can surprise collectors with a different set every year and not be pigeonholed into following the original schedule. Start with 52. Jump to 75. Head up to 82. Go back to 69. Mix it up, make it fun, not predictable. I know you can do it Topps,the question is do you want to?

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.

SIGnificant Cards - Kris Humphries 2004-05 Bowman Signature Edition Rookie

Just when I thought the friggin' Kardashian family couldn't possibly get any more TV time or tabloid covers, they shock the world with the divorce announcement of Kim and her husband for 72 days -- Kris Humphries.

When this card came out in 2004, Kris was drafted by the Utah Jazz #14 overall. He got a lot of praise coming out of Minnesota, and at the same time many thought he was a selfish player that didn't have his team's best interest at heart. Either way, whatever stock he had coming into the NBA dropped quickly. He has become somewhat of a journey man playing for four teams over a span of seven years. He was most recently a member of the New Jersey Nets and became a free agent after the 2010-11 season. Now with the lockout, he's without a team, and with his divorce he's without a wife.

Now without being too harsh, did anyone think this marriage was actually going to work? I have never seen a single minute of any of their television adventures (luckily), but didn't this girl get famous by releasing a XXX video of herself? Do I really need to say anymore?

This card was worth about $10 when it came out and it is worth about the same today. No amount of press can change that. The only way this card is going to become more valuable is if the NBA lockout ends and his skills all of a sudden improve. However, one could find many other uses for this card that's slabbed in a Topps sealed holder. Doorstop? Table leveler? Anyone? Anyone?

SIGnificant Cards - 1975 Topps Hank Aaron

Possibly the best $10 I ever spent
at the National.

In my last SIGnificant Cards piece, I wrote about searching for J.R. Richard cards at the National. I also mentioned that I've attended many of the National Sports Collectors Conventions. When I take my time and try to fill set lists, seek singles, etc. sometimes you find something you weren't expecting to find. This is the tale of the 1975 Hank Aaron card I wasn't looking for, but found.

I am working on finishing up a couple of my all-time favorite sets -- 1974, 1975 & 1977 Topps. About 5 years ago I found a great dealer that had a bunch of the 75s from my want list and I was having a field day filling in the gaps. Flipping through the cards, one caught my attention, it was card #1 in the set, the Hank Aaron '74 Highlights card. The card all by itself is an all-time classic. It celebrates "Hammerin' Hank" setting the all-time home run mark by slamming his 715th and eclipsing Babe Ruth.

Any true baseball fans knows how great Hank was. They also know the incredible hardships he faced as a black man overtaking one of baseball's elite figures -- Babe Ruth. From heckling to death threats, Hank put up with an awful lot to live his dream and he did it with an extraordinary amount of class.

Al Downing was the victim, I mean pitcher that gave up the homer and Hank would add another 40 before retiring with 755. An interesting fact about that night in '74... Hank Aaron wore the #44 and so did Al Downing. Cool right? Ok now watch Hank break that record and make the home run title his beeyotch.

In my eyes, Hank is still the champ. While on paper Barry Bonds might be the current record holder, Hank was never accused of using performance enhancing drugs, nor was he brought into court to defend himself, he did it with heart, intensity and determination.

Ok, back to the card. It wasn't that I needed that card for my set, I had it already, what caught my eye was that in addition to the facsimile signature, it was signed again in blue ink. I have a handful of Hank Aaron autographs in my collection. I met him a few times as a kid and I know his signature. I pulled it out of the box and asked the guy what he wanted for it. He said $10. I said, I'll tell you what -- I have a free authentication from Global and if it comes back authentic, you've got a deal. As you can see by the image, it was indeed the real deal.

SIGnificant Cards - 2005 Topps Retired Signature Edition J.R. Richard

I have been to the National Sports Collectors Convention several times. I've only missed one since 2001. I honestly am not sure that I'd continue to go to the yearly event if I wasn't involved in the industry. That's not to say that the show is not good, it is great, but I have other avenues to purchase cards and supplies.

I used to get pumped up to get the exclusive cards produced only for the show and the great list of autograph guests, but many of the cards from the National are not even recognized by the trading card bible and are not known beyond the circle of people that attend the National. This year, I was more excited about the TNA Wrestling package than almost any of the athletes that have been staples at the show for many years. Not only was it more affordable, but the package offered more bang for the buck than any previous one at the NSCC, but alas that is another story.

When I do go to the National, I always look for certain things. One is a Kurt Warner autographed card from a leading manufacturer. To date in all my years, I have only found one and it wasn't from a dealer on the floor. He wanted way too much, so I passed. I did find one of the cool cards that Kurt sells on his website and picked one of those up. Again, another story.

One of the other players I collect is former Houston Astros fire-baller J.R. Richard. Richard was a true phenom. First of all he threw nearly 100 mph and in his first game he struck out 15. That was just the beginning of a stellar, though short career. In 1976, he won 20 games (1/4 of the Astros 80 from that season) and his salary was only $40,000! Today, he'd be making $15M. Richard won 18 games in three consecutive years from 1977-79. He led the NL in strikeouts twice and what was even more impressive was that in the 79 season where he won 18 games, he has 19 complete games! Does anyone do that anymore?

Clearly, he was overworked and in 1980 his body told him so when he suffered a stroke while on the mound. Here's a great article from the Sports Illustrated Vault about the tragedy.

He tried many attempts at a comeback, even getting released by the Astros to have a surgery. They re-signed him, only to cut him again. It was a horror story for the pitcher. He was complaining about arm issues and pain and it turned out to be a blod clot. It went undetected and it cost him his career.

With baseball out of the picture he made some poor investments and went through an expensive divorce. When it was all said and done, he was broke and found living under a highway bridge. Here's a great piece from ESPN about J.R that can let you inside his story from his perspective.

Richard's plight eventually garnered some mainstream attention and with the help of friends and his church, was able to get his life back on track. It is to date one of the most heartbreaking MLB stories.

I have all of J.R.'s basic Topps cards. I was ecstatic to pull this uncirculated autographed card of the Astros' legend. It comes from the 2005 Topps Retired Stars Signature Series and is card #TA-JR. There are so many what if's with J.R. it isn't funny. Would he have won 300, would he be the all-time strikeouts leader, would he have been better than Nolan Ryan, we will never truly know, but we can celebrate what he did accomplish and his true comeback, the one called life.

SIGnificant Cards - 2005 Justin Verlander Topps Chrome Auto

1/3 of the way to 300 at age 28 = success.

The trading card industry is funny. Some guys get super hot before they even play a game at the major league level, some are at an all-time high and then they get caught by TMZ cheating on their wife or by the police for a DUI. It can all end in a minute. Sometimes though, there are the ones that you just know are going to be iconic and you have to make a choice -- keep or sell.

I generally don't like selling cards. I think the market is soft and I don't like putting a dollar value on a piece of cardboard. Cards for me have some meaning, that's why I began writing SIGnificant Cards in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love money and you can pay me lots for my opinion, creativity, skills, and knowledge. But when it comes to cards there are just some you know you've gotta keep and some you can just get rid of.

In 2005 Justin Verlander was the talk of the town. The Tigers drafted him #1 and at 22 he was closing in on tossing the ball at 100 MPH. He won Rookie of the Year Honors in 2006, I thought that was the first real sign that I was a smart guy for keeping his card. In 2007 he pitched the first of two career no-hitters and went 18-6, another good sign. So 2008 rolls around and I am thinking is now a good time to part with his card. I thought maybe I could trade it for something else, but I didn't, I held on. My gut instinct pushed me to keep it awhile longer.

Verlander finished with a dismal 11-17 record in 2008. Was my instinct wrong? I had to suck it up and hope for a return to form in 2009. I am very glad I did. He won 19 in 2009, 18 in 2010 and a whopping 24 in 2011 proving he is a cut above many others. With 107 career wins at only age 28 he is well on his way to the 300 club if he remains healthy. Today's game is so different and the longevity for pitchers is nowhere near what it used to be, but Verlander seems to be in a league of his own.

Just before Verlander pitched his second no hitter, my Cardboard Connection co-host Rob said to me, "Man you missed the boat on that one." I told him that boat didn't even leave the dock yet, he's got a lot more to accomplish, he's a keeper. I am glad my big ole' gut told me so.

Card #242 from the 2005 Topps Chrome set is hard signed and limited to a run of about 500, but Verlander sports a weak signature, it's sort of sloppy and not recognizable, but at least it is legit.

Video Box Break - 2011 Topps Finest UFC

Those of you who have followed me for the past 10 or so years whether it was at www.sportsology.net, Card Corner Club or now at www.cardboardconnection.com, you know my favorite Topps brand is Finest. For years it always seems that Finest lives up to its name with spectacular designs and solid content. Now for the first time, Topps brings the UFC to Finest.

For around $90 a master box contains 2 mini-boxes, each with 6 packs. You should find 6 big hits among the 12 packs and you get a mix of former and current champs and plenty of top contenders.

Take a look at the video to see what you can expect in a random box.

Video Box Break - 2011 Topps Chrome Baseball

Video Box Break - 2011 Topps Finest Football Cards