Today, Topps released the cards that will be added to the VIP packages for those VIPs attending the 2012 NSCC in Baltimore. The cards look great as they are modeled off of vintage ’52 Topps designs featuring some of the greatest players to play the game in their minor league uniforms. Check out some of the cards the VIPs will be receiving. If you haven’t picked up your VIP pass yet, it’s probably a good idea!
Click here for more information about the 2012 NSCC.
Now I knew that the 2012 Topps Tier One bat knobs were going to sell well. I mean, the checklist is great and they are one of the harder to find memorabilia pieces out there. Plus, they are numbered to just one.
But I didn’t realize they would sell for the ridiculous amounts they are selling for. Some of the recent sales have ginormous numbers (from our friends at Cardboard Connection):
- George Brett: $799
- Gary Carter: $999
- Willie McCovey: $669
- Carlos Gonzalez & Justin Upton: $399 each
- Andrew McCutchen: $499
And apparently one of the holy grails in the bat knob checklist has been pulled as well with the Mickey Mantle reportedly found as well. I can’t imagine where a Mickey Mantle bat knob would fall. $1500 maybe? Easily four digits there. (Edit: With the Maris approaching $1500 at auction currently, I might have to revise that statement to somewhere between $2-3 grand. Wow.)
These bat knobs were a great addition by Topps and make some fantastic chase cards. Kudos to who thought it would be a great improvement to the product because it really is a great addition to the set. How will they top it next year though?
One of my favorite brands by Upper Deck is returning in football this year after being a surprise insert in last year’s SP Authentic product. I’m excited to see this return as it’s usually one of the nicest looking products put out by Upper Deck and of course, has the awesome Shadow Box cards.
2012 SPx Football is set to release on June 19, 2012, and will feature some good college football content. Each 18 packs, 4 cards per pack box will feature one autographed rookie jersey card, one regular memorabilia card, and two additional autographs or memorabilia cards.
One of my favorite aspects is the slight change to the Shadow Box cards by including the new Shadow Box Slots this year which allows collectors to sort of create their own Shadow Box cards. It’s a cool addition to create your own type of card, with some slots also being autographed. I like what Upper Deck is trying to do here, changing the popular Shadow Box insert is a risk, but it looks good so far.
You’ll also find two Finite numbered rookie cards from some of the hottest names that entered the NFL draft this year. As with most Upper Deck products, you’ll find some college football and NFL legends as well in their college colors.
Make sure you check out stores on June 19, 2012, for 2012 Upper Deck SPx football for about $120.
Andrew Luck’s first autographed Colts cards are hitting eBay and they are already getting some nice, fat bids associated with them.
Panini’s 2012 Father’s Day promotion features these first cards of the year, kind of strange that it comes from promotional packs, but that’s going to make these even hotter as they are harder to find.
These are the first cards featuring Andrew Luck in his new Colts uniform. Topps has come out with a set along with several non-NFL licensed products but none have Luck in the horseshoe. That puts a bit of a premium on these cards and you can already see from the prices on eBay.
His plain rookies numbered to 499 are going between $30 and $40 while one of his first Colts autographs has three days left and is already over $200.
Our friend over at FieldLevelView even pulled one of the first Andrew Luck Cracked Ice parallels which are non-numbered but limited to just 25 copies. It isn’t autographed, but it’s definitely one of the highlights of the Father’s Day promotion and is a pretty sweet looking card. I featured it on our post about Panini Father’s Day 2012.
Make sure you head to your local card shop this weekend to see if they are part of Panini’s promotion and get your chance to pull some of these beauties.
In a little less than a week Topps is set to continue their game changers for this season with 2012 Topps Tier One baseball. The one pack product that features a few hits is back and upgraded from last year’s somewhat disappointing first season. A lot of collectors had high expectations last year, but it looks like things have been remedied just enough.
Every pack guarantees one Crowd Pleaser autograph, one On the Rise autograph, and one relic numbered to 399 or less. Plus 1:4 boxes contains an extra relic as well. I’m happy to see the guaranteed two autographs in this product because the checklist is pretty solid.
Even the relic checklist is pretty solid. If you are a frequent reader of the blog you might remember our checklist of bat knobs that are included in this product. Over 100 1/1 bat knobs are distributed in this product.
But one of my favorites is the acetate autograph rookie reprint cards. Autographs on clear cards needs to come back and I know Topps and Panini are doing what they can to make that happen. All spear headed by me! (Well I like to think so!)
And of course, there are some pretty autograph relics included as well. The product looks much better than it did last year and I can’t wait to see some breaks of the product. I also can’t wait to see some of these bat knobs. With 100 bat knobs from 100 different players, those are sure to be a hit.
Look out on June 20, 2012, for this product at around $90.
