The Pains of Being a Set Collctor

I actually went to a card show on Sunday.  Not just any card show.  A Fred Copp show.

Let me explain.

For years, Fred Copp has been running card shows throughout the Chicagoland suburbs.  His shows are most often set up within the confines of a hotel, either in the lobby or in one of the conference rooms. The first Copp show I ever went to was just a few minutes away from where I work.  And it seemed that every Friday, he and a bunch of other sellers would be there, selling, trading, or just talking about the Hobby. 

Anyway, on Sunday, his show was set up at a hotel in Schaumburg.  Normally, I am all the way in Chicago on Sunday mornings, nowhere near the shows in the 'burbs.  But because of the annual Women's luncheon that my wife attends, my son and I (my daughter stayed with my wife), found ourselves with way too much time on our hands.  So why not, I thought, go to a card show.

My son and I drove to the hotel, not even sure that the show was even happening.  But once we walked in and saw the sign indicating that the Sports Card Show was just down the hall, we knew we were in luck.  The show took up two conference rooms.  They rooms weren't that big.  And there wasn't that much space to walk around.  But my son and I found a few things that piqued our interest. 

My son wanted a couple of packs of Wacky Packages.  For two bucks, no problem.  I found a flyer for Topps 206...from 2002.  Perfect for my Topps 206 binder. I also found a couple of original back cards from 2011.  Just two.  One of them was mixed in with the regular inserts. 

But the key find was a lot of cards from the 2011 Topps/MLB Network Prime Nine giveaways.  And for five bucks, the guy behind the table said I could have them.  So I paid my five bucks, and found out why he was willing to sell so cheaply (and you'll see too in a minute).



2011 Topps Prime 9 Set...Minus 1

 I am missing one card.  The shortstop.  The #4 card of the giveaway.  Yes, folks, I'm missing Derek Jeter. 

When asked why his card was missing, it was because somebody had come in and BOUGHT IT!!!  And left the other eight cards on the table. 

Why???

WHY??!

You had in your hands a complete set, and you ruined it by taking that one card away.  A set collector's nightmare!!!

Now I know there are player collectors (there must be a million Derek Jeter card collectors), and team collectors (Yankees?  Come on, it's Topps!!!)  But you (and I'm talking to the guy or gal who bought the Jeter) had in your hands all nine of these beautiful chrome cards, all with extremely sharp corners, full gloss, and no scratches.  Why not just take them all with you???

So on Twitter, I posted the following Tweet:

"I can't believe I am typing these next nine words: I need Derek Jeter's 2011 @toppscards Prime 9 card. #collect Anyone??? DM me please."

I'll probably try to find it on the Bay, but if anybody has a spare Jeter card from this set and would like to trade or sell it to me, please send me an e-mail at bdj610@hotmail.com and let me know what it would take to take it off your hands.  Thanks.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Maybe It Wasn't Such a Good Idea to Keep These Cards a Surprise

A few weeks back, I mentioned the MLB Network and Topps' joint promotion called Prime 9.  To review, check here.  If you don't want to click on the link and want a cliff notes version of the premise and rules of this promotion, here goes:

Starting July 18, the MLB Network will announce the Prime 9 subject for the week. Ideally, the identities of the subjects being chosen will be kept a secret until the announcement. The subject could be an active player, could be a legend, nobody knows for sure. But the key is that there will be one player per position!!!

Now collectors with these cards can bring the cards, after each announcement is made of course, to their nearby HTA store and the store, if participating properly, will reward him or her with a Prime 9 chrome refractor card. Each card that is submitted will enroll collectors in a sweepstakes. The grand prizes (2 of them) include either a trip to the World Series, or a trip to the MLB Network to meet and greet the talent. Other prizes will be announced later.

Emphasis on the words "if participating properly."  Because the cards were shipped to the HTA stores this week.  And guess what showed up on the 'Bay not soon afterwards:




No, not these...

THESE!!!

There goes the surprise. (Picture from one of the handful of auctions found on the Bay).

I think it would have been a better idea to have these cards redeemed online (like the Red Hot Rookie promotion from the last three years) instead of having them redeemed at the local HTA store.  Because if you're expecting people in the Hobby to keep things secret, that will never, ever happen.  Not with the Internet anyway.

Now that the element of surprise is gone...at least the player selection is good.  Can't go wrong with a 1-9 lineup like what you see above.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Topps Prime Nine Promotion...What Is It???

You've probably found one of these cards when opening packs of the latest product 2011 Topps Series 2. With its striking colors and the huge number on the front of the card, with redemption information on the back, you're thinking that this is the Red Hot Rookie campaign for 2011.

And you wouldn't be more wrong!!!

Replacing the successful (depending on who you talk to) Red Hot Rookie campaign from 2009-2010, Topps, partnering with MLB Network, presents a whole new series 2 redemption program called Prime 9. Fans of the MLB Network know that Prime 9 is the channel's countdown series where the top 9 (because there are nine players, nine innings, yadda yadda yadda) plays, players, moments, or something significant depending on the topic of the show. Now Topps and the Network is incorporating this concept into their new redemption program.

Starting July 18, the MLB Network will announce the Prime 9 subject for the week. Ideally, the identities of the subjects being chosen will be kept a secret until the announcement. The subject could be an active player, could be a legend, nobody knows for sure. But the key is that there will be one player per position (so expect the announcements to follow along with the card number - this part is pure speculation...who knows how these will come out)!!!

Now collectors with these cards can bring the cards, after each announcement is made of course, to their nearby HTA store and the store, if participating properly, will reward him or her with a Prime 9 chrome refractor card. Each card that is submitted will enroll collectors in a sweepstakes. The grand prizes (2 of them) include either a trip to the World Series, or a trip to the MLB Network to meet and greet the talent. Other prizes will be announced later.





Now the card included in this article is just A SAMPLE!!! I am not saying that the player depicted is going to be in the final set. That would ruin the surprise element that Topps and MLB Network is trying to hold with this promotion. If indeed the subject is in the set, I do apologize for spoiling the surprise.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. Now if somebody can direct me to a complete set of this year's HTA weekly giveaway (the 25 card set), I'd greatly appreciate it. jba