2012 Panini Cooperstown Baseball will be released in the dog days of summer in late July, and will feature some of the greatest names to ever take the baseball diamond, all in one product.

Each 24 pack box of Cooperstown will feature one Cooperstown Signatures autograph, two Commemorative Patches (manu-patch), three Bronze History cards, and other collectible inserts and parallels of your favorite Hall of Famers.

What would be a Hall of Fame product with cut signatures? Panini has also included Fame Cuts which feature cut autographs from some of the greatest players ever like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Sandy Koufax, and more.

Oh, and also included is your chance to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Check it out in late July, and check out the Panini blog for more information.

Group Breaks

Finding hobby trends that collectors really enjoy involves getting to know your clients. You can do that by chatting with your customers or seeing what is popular online on the numerous forums and blogs. One of the recent popular things is called the group break.

Having a group break in your store is a great way to move product quickly and efficiently. Everyone pays for either a slot or a team. You can then open the entire box and the contents go to those who paid to get in the group break. Places like Clouts n Chara go through several cases of products of hockey products due to their eager collectors. Their prices are even marked up compared to the price of the product as well and the lower price of the split cost makes selling the slots to less wealthy customers easier.

Hold a group break a week or bi-weekly and you’ll be happy you did. Just make sure you give ample time to market the group break and if it’s a slot break, get some pre-orders to the group break in.

Youth Sports

Start them young. You have all that extra base laying around or cheap game used/autograph cards that you want to get off your shelves? Pack them up in team bags and go visit your local youth sports leagues. Not only will you be starting collectors young, but adding in a simple business card can help spread the word about where they can find more sports cards. Easy marketing at minimal cost. Or to make it an in-store activity, have the youth come to your shop in uniform to receive the free cards or packs.

In-Store Signings

One of the biggest draws can be in-store signings. Getting a Hall of Famer or popular player on a local professional sports team is a great way to get more people in the door. Combine that with maybe an appearance by an authenticator or grading service like BGS or Tri-Star, and you got yourself a winner. You can easily buy a number of things that people can get signed as well and sell those at the door. You can also get extra items signed for your shop to sell either in your store front or online. It’s a great way to get some additional income and market your store at the same time.

All of these things are great ways to improve your business by holding activities that will bring traffic to your shop. More traffic is equal to more business.

2011 Panini Limited baseball has been brought back to life by the people at Panini and their shiny new MLBPA baseball license. This product was a solid product by Donruss in the early 2000s and was one of the first multi-hit, single pack products on the market at the time. 6 years later, it’s been brought back with extra hits and some new surprises for collectors.

Let’s get to the review.

Design:

The design brings back memories of the last time Donruss put this product out in 2005, especially with the Lumberjacks set. To me, that’s a great thing as Limited was one of my favorite products back then. Even if you look at the video, you’ll see one of the empty boxes from 2005. It also appears Panini is attempting to use some sort of Chrome/gloss technology on some of the cards. Those cards have an interesting look to them when turned into the light, giving the card a little bit of depth and some eye catching looks. Overall, a very good job doing what they can without the actual MLB license. That Braun autograph looks great (besides the white box thing), although the Votto insert looks like he’s in 1906 and Adam Jones looks like he’s in a white t-shirt. They could use a splash of color on their clothes.

Checklist:

I’m a little hard on the checklist because I’m going back to what Limited used to mean in baseball. Limited rarely had prospects, or even rookies for that matter, in their products. It was often full of veterans, superstars, fan favorites, and Hall of Famers. Having one of my two autographs being a prospect was a little tough to swallow as a fan of the product, especially one I had never heard of. I understand the need for content as well and the limitations of the licenses, but I just hope Panini understands baseball collectors are different than any other sport and not everyone enjoys prospects or prospecting. The current MLB talent is pretty good, and the Hall of Famers and fan favorites aren’t bad as well. Maybe I’m just picky, but I’d want less prospect content.

Value:

The $100 per box is a little bit high in my opinion, but again, that’s nothing new in my opinions of Panini products. This product would probably sit better in the $80 range, like it sits in the other sports currently. The four hits in the box of Limited is nice, however, the use of little known prospects and plain single jerseys or bats is kind of depressing. Although that is nothing new to the Limited line as well as it’s been that way even 6 years ago. But collectors and cards have changed to where these types of relics are so common now, nobody cares for them anymore unless they are extremely limited. I think Limited should be more of a platform for uncommonly used items. Bases, bat knobs, buttons, logo patches, helmets (thank you), batting gloves, pitcher’s rubber, cleats, stitches from a confirmed thrown baseball, just something different. I think it would add a little value and promote more ideas for memorabilia.

Overall:

Overall, I think I was tough and fair on my assessment of this product. I may have let my past love of the product interfere a bit, but things have changed in the sports card landscape since the last time this product was released in 2005. The design team did a good job with what they had to work with and I enjoy the semi-new technology from Panini on some of the cards. I know the lack of license for logos does a few things design wise, however, a splash of color on some of the clothes would be useful. The checklist wasn’t overly impressive, and the number of high numbered prospects kind of puts a damper on opening the product for me. There are still some great names to be had though, so don’t let that scare you away too much if you’re like me. The value is a little hard to swallow as well as I feel $100 is a little too much. It should sit a little lower and include some more “Limited” items like those I listed. It would create a more fun and unique product with items that are truly limited across the baseball card spectrum.

I’d like to thank Panini for providing this box for review. You can find them online at their official site, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and everywhere you can find a company online nowadays.

Congratulations to our group breakers.

Here’s the official list from the NFLPA:

Adams Joe WR Arkansas Panthers
Allen Dwayne TE Clemson Colts
Blackmon Justin WR Oklahoma State Jaguars
Broyles Ryan WR Oklahoma Lions
Egnew Michael TE Missouri Dolphins
Fleener Coby TE Stanford Colts
Floyd Michael WR Notre Dame Cardinals
Foles Nick QB Arizona Eagles
Givens Chris WR Wake Forest Rams
Graham T.J. WR North Carolina State Bills
Griffin, III Robert QB Baylor Redskins
Hill Stephen WR Georgia Tech Jets
Hillman Ronnie RB San Diego State Broncos
Hilton T.Y. WR Florida International Colts
James LaMichael RB Oregon 49ers
Jenkins A.J. WR Illinois 49ers
Luck Andrew QB Stanford Colts
Martin Doug RB Boise State Buccaneers
Miller Lamar RB Miami (FL) Dolphins
Osweiler Brock QB Arizona State Broncos
Pead Isaiah RB Cincinnati Rams
Pierce Bernard RB Temple Ravens
Posey DeVier WR Ohio State Texans
Quick Brian WR Appalachian State Rams
Randle Rueben WR Louisiana State Giants
Richardson Trent RB Alabama Browns
Sanu Mohamed WR Rutgers Bengals
Tannehill Ryan QB Texas A&M Dolphins
Toon Nick WR Wisconsin Saints
Turbin Robert RB Utah State Seahawks
Weeden Brandon QB Oklahoma State Browns
Wilson David RB Virginia Tech Giants
Wilson Russell QB Wisconsin Seahawks
Wright Jarius WR Arkansas Vikings
Wright Kendall WR Baylor Titans

On a personal note, this is an interesting development. Getting these kids to sign and getting pieces of their jerseys are interesting. And the fact these will be the first cards, some autographed, of future college and NFL players makes things even more interesting. I guess it just depends on how collectors react to them. Talk about prospecting, this may take it to a whole other level.

Anyway, each of these box sets will feature 45 cards of all the top players in the country who represent the United States in international competition. Each box will feature 1 autograph and 2 game used jersey cards in these boxed sets. These include autographed jersey swatches and patch cards as well, in limited numbers.

And that’s about it. Boxed sets aren’t filled with too much, but it’s definitely good to start the product out with a bang to garner some interest. While high school players don’t get huge recognition and the names aren’t that big, it’s just a matter of time before these guys are playing for your favorite college team or are getting drafted to the NFL.

For $38 a box and that kind of a content, if you have an itch, this product may be worth opening and seeing what the players do in a few years time. We may have some future Heisman Trophy winners in here? Future #1 picks? Who knows? Check it out on May 15, 2012.

Need to find the checklist for 2011 Upper Deck USA Football?

So we will be hosting a charity group break with all proceeds going towards a special charity that will be chosen by those in the group break, the majority of votes by those involved will win. You will have three choices when you sign up for the group break. You can choose between Special Olympics Oregon, National MS Society, or the Portland Providence Medical Foundation. If there is a tie amongst participants in the voting, I will cast the deciding vote.

Each spot in this charity group break is $10. $10 will guarantee you 3 teams in this break. The first team you will be picking yourself with the other two randomized.

To sign up, post below with your team of choice and which charity you would like to support. Then, send $10 via PayPal to sportscardblog@gmail.com to lock that spot in. Make sure the email you use when you post here matches your PayPal email. If it’s different, please let me know. After all the spots have been paid for I will post the video and the review of the product. All the cards will be sent out to the winners.

Since this product only contains a limited number of cards, if none of your 3 teams gets a card, I will send out something to you just for participating and helping support this charitable event.

Again, all proceeds will benefit the majority of the chosen charity by the people involved in this break. I will scan or take a screen shot of the donation for everyone afterward.

Participants/Team/Charity of Choice:

1. Richard Wade – Braves – National MS Society (PAID) (Rays, Blue Jays)
2. Doc – Phillies – National MS Society (PAID) (Angels, Dodgers)
3. Cards and Case Breaks – Red Sox – National MS Society (PAID) (Rangers, Tigers)
4. Sports Card Radio – Athletics – Special Olympics Oregon (PAID) (Padres, Brewers)
5. flatsports – Twins – CHARITY (PAID) (Marlins, Mets)
6. mojobreak – Giants – Special Olympics Oregon (PAID) (Astros, Diamondbacks)
7. Ryan Cracknell – Mariners – National MS Society (PAID) (Cubs, Orioles)
8. Dylan Zeh – Pirates – National MS Society (PAID) (Nationals, Indians)
9. Mike – Yankees – National MS Society (PAID) (Rockies, Royals)
10. Jeff Laws – White Sox – National MS Society (PAID) (Reds, Cardinals)

It has been confirmed by those participating, that $100 will be donated to the National MS Society. I appreciate all of your participation. The review and video will be up shortly.

Now in hockey, it features some goodies of old as well as some really cool additions, which I was able to pull so I’ll get to talk about it more in the review! It’s great when things add up like that. So thanks to Panini for providing this box for review and we will get down to it with the first year of Panini Elite hockey.

Design:

I love how the design is just like some old school Elite. It’s very boxy with the frames around the foil board, which isn’t seen that much anymore. However, the design in itself is basic to the point where it just looks clean and clear. No extra frills in the base design or even the inserts. It’s quietly very nice for what it is. The Aspirations die-cuts are always nice, however I wonder why they aren’t numbered like in every other Elite product? But what shines is the Prime Numbers insert. You have 3 different die-cut cards which you can put together to form one long card with a game used piece, autograph, and autographed patch. They are beautiful and a fun thing for a collectors to try and put together.

Checklist:

The checklist is phenomenal for this product. Packed with today’s stars, recent superstars, and some future stars as well, this product has something for just about everyone other than the vintage hockey collector. Although I find there is a large number of rookies in this product, they still have all the top names with the great rookies being mostly SP’d, which isn’t bad as that helps their value, but it also makes finding them a little harder and most will be stuck with no name rookies. But other than that, there are some great names in the inserts and “hit” cards, so I think this is a job well done.

Value:

Now this part is difficult. $120, in my opinion, is a bit much for this product. However, it does have some great autograph names involved so that may be a reason why it’s priced a little higher as well as on-card autographs (more for shipping to players.) I was close to a 3 1/2 on this one but I went with the 4 stars because the checklist is so good. Another issue I have though, is that the Aspirations die-cuts weren’t numbered like they are in almost every other version of Elite. I think that may bring down the value a bit as well as we don’t really know the print run on the regular Aspirations. Value is always the toughest part to judge in a product and I think Panini’s prices in general start off a little high, but the market will dictate the price soon enough. I think this would be better around $90-$100.

Overall:

Overall, Panini did a pretty swell job their first time through with the Elite brand in hockey. The design is nothing exciting, however, it is very good for what it is. I love the die-cuts and LOVE the Prime Numbers insert set as well so those were definitely good ideas. I thought the checklist was better than usual as well with some more recent superstars in autograph and jersey form as well as their own little insert sets. Finally, the price on the product I find to be a bit high, but that’s nothing new coming from me and looking at Panini products. I’d like to see a breakdown of what costs what in this product to find a way to bring the price down to where I thought it would be more reasonable. But that’s just me. But still, good job to Panini on this one.

Thanks again to Panini for providing this box for review. You can find them all over the internet by viewing their official site, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and they probably have a ton of other stuff too.

Not pictured: Rookie Autograph Variations of Erik Gudbranson Redemption

It features 4 cards per pack and is a single pack product. Each box is guaranteed to have an autograph and every card is numbered. There really isn’t much else to the product besides the 200+ card base set, but we’ll discuss that in the review.

Design:

While it sort of looks like a Rookies & Stars knockoff, the design is still extremely clean and solid. The solid white background with the colorful player and faded design looks extremely well done. The thick card stock is extremely nice as well which makes it feel like a premium product when it isn’t exactly a premium product. Although you may argue it is just based on the number of cards in a pack. The different colored foil for the different parallels is a Panini staple and something I don’t mind either. This is a great looking product all around. Although in this review, I can’t say anything about the autographs.

Checklist:

The thing I don’t like the most about this product is kind of the set up and collation of the product. Over 200+ base cards in a product where you get 2 base cards per box? That’s a little…crazy. This product is nice enough looking all around where you would want to put a base set together. The large checklist makes this virtually impossible to do. There is alot a large number of rookie autographs which in itself isn’t bad as you can find a ton of different rookies. But it also takes a hit on the…

Value:

For $55 you will get a box of this product. However, the 86 different rookie autographs and the smaller number of veteran autographs are really where the value lies. And the large number of players you can possibly pull makes this one extreme gamble. A gamble that would have gone terrible in my box break. I received a redemption of Nathan Enderle, backup QB for the Bears. Recent sales of this redemption have not hit $2. So this is definitely going to be hit or miss as it seems like that kind of product. I would almost recommend either making this a bigger product with say 3 autographs a pack and raise the price or make this a rookie only product and market it similar to Topps Magic football.

Overall:

This overall is rounded up from 3.8. As I stated in my preview, it’s like a mix of Topps Inception and Panini Limited. If you want to take the gamble, go for it. But you may hit big with a great rookie or veteran autograph, or end up like me. While it’s a cheaper gamble than other products out there, the one autograph from a large number of possibilities makes it that gamble. But there is no way anyone should really complain about the design, it’s clear and actually quite good. The thick card stock just makes it that much nicer. But if you pull a top rookie or veteran, you’re pretty good in all aspects.

Thanks again to Panini America for providing this box for review. You can check them out on their official website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and everywhere else on the internet.

Not shown: Redemption for Nathan Enderle Rookie Signatures Gold

So I was reading their forums when I noticed that they took a couple of products sent for review, and found a way to work them into making money for charity. Then, a light bulb hit my head.

“I can do that too!” So coming up, we will be featuring our first “Good Cause Break” which we will be reviewing a product and then selling the hits and more valuable inserts with all proceeds going to charity.

How about that? I have a few charities close to my heart as well as some friends who are working with the local children’s hospital. Our first “Good Cause Break” has already happened and the product was chosen from our recent review products from our friends at Panini. Stay tuned to find out how you can buy some cards and support charity at the same time.

Totally locked in tonight against the Orioles. 4 homers and a double. All from a guy who was drafted by the Rays, Rule 5 drafted by the Cubs, sold to the Reds, and then traded to the Rangers.

I’m actually surprised at how cheap you can get his best rookie autographed card out there, his 1999 Topps Traded Autographed Rookie.

You can find one of these ungraded for around $200. I’ve seen some graded versions in the 9s for a couple hundred more, but I can’t believe you can still grab them at that low of a price. He’s been unstoppable for a few years now, I would have expected the price to be higher.

Is it his age? Is it his history? Is it that he plays for the Rangers? I’m not sure why his values aren’t higher, but if you are a fan of superstars and need to find their rookie autographs, this one wouldn’t hurt your pocket as much as others out there.