Rickey Henderson Not A “Steal”

The world may never again see a character like Rickey Henderson.

As one of the most collected players of all-time, thanks to an entry into the Hall of Fame, his cards have spiked even more than usual.

While Rickey has plenty of rare cards, certified autographs, and game-used relics, his 1980 Topps rookie card still holds some serious clout and a recent “Gem Mint” proved just that when it sold for an astonishing $9,300.

What makes Rickey’s card so special, aside from being a first year card of one of the greatest of all-time, is the perfect Topps design and photograph. It’s such an iconic image that Topps re-used it for a later release and even sold the actual photograph on eBay.

That photograph, which you can see HERE, almost cracked a thousand on its own. It’s a great reminder that despite all of today’s gimmicks, sometimes all you need is a strong design and good photograph to create a classic, memorable baseball card.

Imagine if that 1980 Topps card had a sticker autograph, piece of memorabilia, or a Refractor “glow” to it. I don’t know, just wouldn’t seem as classy. As for the insane price on the graded version, you could always pick up a not so perfect one for much less.

Topps Loses Football

What is going on in this hobby?

So far in 2009 we have seen Topps & Upper Deck lose the NBA for a Panini America exclusive, Upper Deck lose baseball for a Topps exclusive, and now Topps loses the NFL.

While I am distraught over Topps losing basketball after the amazing Murad basketball release early this year, I am hopeful that Panini can take over that license and keep collectors more than satisfied.

I don’t feel the same way about football, however. While Upper Deck is still king when it comes to NFL trading cards, Topps still has the greatest parallel technology of all-time, the Refractor.

While Panini has some decent parallels, Upper Deck still cannot compete in this department. Say what you will, Topps Chrome & Finest are so beloved because even if your autograph is a dud, there is always a nice set of parallels to save you.

Another question has to be how Topps will survive financially in 2010 now that they have lost both the basketball and football license. Will baseball and mixed martial arts be enough? Will they seek out an alternative sport to produce cards for?

How do you feel about the latest breaking news?

A Giveaway A Day Week

If you haven’t already checked out the Wax Heaven Social Network you’ve missed out on multiple contests for free autographs, game-used relics, parallels, and even base cards.

In the first month, over 130 collectors joined (it’s free) for their chance to win free cards and to thank them for their continued support we will have the first ever ‘Giveaway A Day’ week.

Along with giveaways, the social network has a message board & a photo gallery where members can post their card-related images and best pulls. Furthermore, each member that joins can create their own profile, similar to Facebook.

Below is a list of the products that will be included in the giveaways.

Bowman Chrome Football
Leaf Limited Football
Topps Finest Football
Upper Deck Football
Goodwin Champions Baseball
Updates & Highlights Baseball
Fleer Ultra Hockey

The first giveaway is active and although it was posted on Sunday evening, it’s for Monday’s contest.

You can check it out here.

Who Gives A Damn About Logos?

Lately, I have become somewhat obsessed with autographed buybacks. I don’t know when they were introduced into The Hobby but it was a genius idea and a great way to tug at the nostalgia heartstrings.

Take a worthless card from a forgotten player, have him sign a small number of them, include them into packs of new products. Now imagine finding a buyback of Cal Ripken Jr., Derek Jeter, or Greg Maddux.

Cha-Ching!

To me, the greatest gimmick in collecting today is the autographed buyback. I’d pick it over a jumbo patch, triple autograph, or Superfractor any day of the week, even if it’s of some unknown guy.

What I find most ironic is that the company that produced the best autographed buybacks in the past, Donruss, and the company who made the best this year, Upper Deck, both have lost their MLB license.

That got me thinking a lot about our love for licensed baseball cards. Why  is it that we look down on cards that feature logos airbrushed out? I know I absolutely hated the 2008 Donruss releases for this exact reason.

Fine, I get that some teams have a certain mystique like the New York Yankees but does anyone really care to see an Orioles, Mariners, or Marlins logo on their baseball card? Perhaps baseball cards & logos are just too intertwined.

Can a non-licensed baseball card ever look good? Could Upper Deck find some way to keep Photoshop out of 2010 baseball products? Perhaps by finding an alternative to airbrushing logos. Even if they do, the days of autograph buybacks have more than likely come to an end.

Recession? What Recession?

During a time when many collectors have had to quit buying new products or simply sold off their collection, Topps’ Triple Threads and Upper Deck’s Sweet Spot have provided a surprising return on investment during this recession.

It all began with the heavily publicized game-used bat barrel cards Upper Deck produced for Sweet Spot. Now, while those cards were promoted everywhere, it’s the Game-Used Patch Jumbos that have pulled surprising sales.

Recently, an Ichiro bat barrel #’d to four hit eBay and while it stalled for several days under one thousand dollars, the final sale of $3,650 was shocking to say the least, considering there are three others to be found.

Meanwhile, the product that was panned in some circles, Triple Threads, has been a huge performer on the secondary market thanks to Wood and White Whales #’d to 1, along with other low-numbered parallels and foldout cards.

Perhaps the greatest card in Triple Threads, a “one of a kind” cut signature featuring Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Tris Speaker, was recently pulled by a young collector’s father and posted on the Topps message board.

Typical of the message board atmosphere, rather than congratulate him on a pull of a lifetime, other members questioned him and pretty much called him a liar … that is until he provided a front and back scan of the card.

Message board antics aside, just by looking at some of the completed auctions on eBay it appears that the myth of Topps not being able to produce a good, high-end baseball release has now been debunked.

As for Upper Deck’s Sweet Spot, while it’s not their last 2009 release on the calendar, it is the final brand to feature MLB logos. It appears that much like Seinfeld, Upper Deck went out on top.

No licensed baseball cards for you!

Jose Canseco Fight Results & Photos

Jose Canseco was greeted by a round of boos as he entered the ring. The challenger, Todd Poulton, was a hometown hero who had most of the crowd on his side.

It didn’t take long for Jose to quiet the fans as he scored a first round knockdown with a jab and then kept his opponent from landing any meaningful punches throughout the fight.

Jose now improves his celebrity boxing record to 2-2 with this decision and might need to find a new job as the schtick seems to be getting old. It was estimated that less than 500 people were in attendance.

No word on who his next opponent will be.

Dustin Diamond, anyone …?

What Happened To Sammy’s Face?

Much like Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro after the steroids hearing prompted by Jose Canseco’s tell-all book, Sammy Sosa has kept a somewhat of a low profile after his retirement.

In May of this year, Sosa attended a People Magazine event and looked like he could still hit 50 home runs without even trying. This week, Sammy attended the Latin Academy Person of the Year event and something was definitely not right.

Does anyone have a theory on how someone’s appearance can change so much in just six months? Along with the whitening skin and fake eyes, it appears that he might have also lost some weight.

As you can see from these Yahoo! photos, Sammy is now using contacts to change the color of his eyes. It’s just as pathetic today as it was when this dummy began wearing them.

Is this a case of bad plastic surgery or something much worse?

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