I am at the point where I almost forgot that I normally schedule the cleanup for the Sports Card Blogroll around the 20th of the month. This is the second time I'm late with the monthly post reviewing the month on the SCBR.
When last we left the blogroll, we were down to a scary 302 blogs. I had hoped that as the baseball season started, we'd see an increase in blogs about the Hobby we all love. And sure enough, 13 blogs were added to the active roster. Many with unusual names, some that were active last year, but not added until just now (this is why you have to tell me about your blog...so it can be ADDED SOONER). And even one was started by the prodigal son of Hobby Blogging, but now with a creepy name.
And speaking of morgues, it is now time to list the blogs that are being removed due to six months of inactivity. The Sports Card Blogroll says goodbye to the following blogs:
With four blogs being removed this time around, we are down to 311 blogs, for a net gain of +9.
As always, if you, or someone you know, is writing a Hobby blog that is not on the Sports Card Blogroll, please e-mail me at bdj610@hotmail.com so it can be added. And if your blog is being removed, but you plan on becoming active again in the Hobby Blogging Community, drop me a line. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Punk Rock Paint Asks...
Still cleaning out e-mails, and I have one from Travis, the writer, and graphics guru, of Punk Rock Paint. He writes:
"Hey,
"Quick question: Do you know anything about the two different types of DDC cards in the Diamond giveaway? There is a significant quantity available difference, but I don't see a difference. (Note: I AM colorblind...) Any idea?
"I am including a picture to illustrate. If you search 2011 in the card search, you can see.
"Your assistance is appreciated. Feel free to answer on your blog. (My personal "best" resource for all things Topps.)
"Thanks,
--
Travis Peterson
Vice President
Design Propaganda
PunkRockPaint, Inc.
Since I don't have either in my portfolio, I did find the answer to your question, thanks to friend of the blog, eBay rival, and all around good guy Craig Parker (Craig from Texas):
"There is something that you have to know about 2011 Topps Diamond Die Cuts that not too many people are picking up on. There are two different online versions! One is the regular die cut and the other one is the black die cut. How can you tell the difference? Look here:
"Look at the diamond and you will see the difference! Not only do people not realize the difference between regular and black diamond die cuts, the most important news of this is that my sources at Topps have said that if you have a black die cut in your online portfolio, then you have a "prize" card. This means the same thing as last years MCG giveaway, in that if you have this in your portfolio, then you can have your cards shipped for FREE!! :)"
While I normally would like verification on the "shipped for FREE" claim, I am wont to take Craig's word on it. He knows his stuff. Hope that answers your question.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
"Hey,
"Quick question: Do you know anything about the two different types of DDC cards in the Diamond giveaway? There is a significant quantity available difference, but I don't see a difference. (Note: I AM colorblind...) Any idea?
"I am including a picture to illustrate. If you search 2011 in the card search, you can see.
"Your assistance is appreciated. Feel free to answer on your blog. (My personal "best" resource for all things Topps.)
"Thanks,
--
Travis Peterson
Vice President
Design Propaganda
PunkRockPaint, Inc.
Since I don't have either in my portfolio, I did find the answer to your question, thanks to friend of the blog, eBay rival, and all around good guy Craig Parker (Craig from Texas):
"There is something that you have to know about 2011 Topps Diamond Die Cuts that not too many people are picking up on. There are two different online versions! One is the regular die cut and the other one is the black die cut. How can you tell the difference? Look here:
 |
| 2011 Topps Diamond REGULAR Die Cut |
 |
| 2011 Topps Diamond BLACK Die Cut |
"Look at the diamond and you will see the difference! Not only do people not realize the difference between regular and black diamond die cuts, the most important news of this is that my sources at Topps have said that if you have a black die cut in your online portfolio, then you have a "prize" card. This means the same thing as last years MCG giveaway, in that if you have this in your portfolio, then you can have your cards shipped for FREE!! :)"
While I normally would like verification on the "shipped for FREE" claim, I am wont to take Craig's word on it. He knows his stuff. Hope that answers your question.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
An E-mail from PhilM Regarding Derek Jeter, His 2011 Topps Cards, and "The Ball."
I'm finally getting around to cleaning up my e-mails, and I get this one from Phil Melita. It's very interesting indeed. He writes:
"Hey JayBee:
"Hey JayBee:
"Here's a puzzle for you to track down. As a Yankee collector, thank you for the heads-up about the blister-pack team sets. Your mention of the variations got me wondering: what's with the photo on Topps Opening Day and Topps Series I for Derek Jeter?
"It looks like the exact same shot (not even a split-second difference), but the ball placement is significantly altered. Do you think the Opening Day is 'Shopped? In comparison, that ball seems way too low, and maybe Topps wanted to get it prominently in the frame for effect. It's a conspiracy!
"Anyway, just something I noticed, and wondered if you had as well.
"PhilM"
Comparing the two shots, he's right. Jeter is in the same position on both pictures, and if you watched Cardboard Treasure last month, you'll remember that they did show the actual game footage where they got the shot (unless I'm hallucinating, but I do remember seeing something to that effect). There is no possible way that Jeter could hold that EXACT pose for more than a second (he was in mid-air, he had to brace for a landing). But that ball, which in the regular Topps card is almost out of view (thanks to the border) is more visible in the Opening Day card.
What??!
Thanks Phil for pointing that out. I did not have any Opening Day cards to compare, but this is definitely eye-opening. Was it REALLY that important to get the ball in view on the card?
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Bringing Back the Stickers!!!
Last night I posted a couple of pictures of a future Topps product that hasn't been seen since 1990. And I even asked if people could guess what they are. Sure enough, not even 20 minutes after last night's post, the first commenter Spankee ask if these were stickers...
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, coming in August, Topps is back in the sticker/sticker album business, at least with MLB. The picture pretty much explains it all, so no sense in repeating. Thanks to spimages.com for the webinar. And no, this probably won't count towards Topps allotted number of products in baseball.
It's funny. A few days ago, I was at Target, looking at Panini's assortment of stickers albums (they are the number one company in this niche), and knowing that they either have, or will probably make, stickers/album for their three major licensees (NFL, NBA, NHL), I was wondering if a company was going to make one for MLB. Put it this way, if Topps wants to get kids excited about the Hobby, what better way of introducing or reintroducing them to it than with stickers.
I'm excited and can't wait to see these live. Now I'm wondering if they plan on re-introducing the All-Star cards for the backs of these stickers. Just like they did for 1988-1990. That would be cool.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, coming in August, Topps is back in the sticker/sticker album business, at least with MLB. The picture pretty much explains it all, so no sense in repeating. Thanks to spimages.com for the webinar. And no, this probably won't count towards Topps allotted number of products in baseball.
It's funny. A few days ago, I was at Target, looking at Panini's assortment of stickers albums (they are the number one company in this niche), and knowing that they either have, or will probably make, stickers/album for their three major licensees (NFL, NBA, NHL), I was wondering if a company was going to make one for MLB. Put it this way, if Topps wants to get kids excited about the Hobby, what better way of introducing or reintroducing them to it than with stickers.
I'm excited and can't wait to see these live. Now I'm wondering if they plan on re-introducing the All-Star cards for the backs of these stickers. Just like they did for 1988-1990. That would be cool.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Coming Soon...
 |
| An Albert Pujols...what is this??? Is this the design for 2012? |
 |
| And there's one for Babe Ruth. A foil/chrome parallel card perhaps? |
Take a look at the pictures above. Are these what the 2012 Topps Baseball Cards are going to look like? I mean, the design includes this big picture, with the name of the player, position, and team logo (and yes, Pujols is wearing the #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson).
Nope...Topps wouldn't be insane enough to inadvertently leak the design for 2012 out now, especially since 2011 Topps is still selling everywhere.
And they definitely wouldn't give me any kind of scoop whatsoever.
No. But I'll give you a bit of a hint about what these are: Topps hasn't made these since 1990. And they come with their own album.
Figured it out yet? Let's see if anybody comments with the correct answer. Before 7:00 pm.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Seventeen Down...Thirteen to Go!!! 2011 Topps Team Sets That Is...
About a month ago, the gentleman who writes the Wrigley Wax blog featured the cards that are in the 2011 Topps Cubs Retail Set that started popping up towards the end of March. He also wrote that he was, "surprised that I beat JayBee to the punch with this. He is usually all over the factory team sets."
And buddy, I still am. In fact, not long after WW wrote his post about the Cubs set, I received an e-mail from Rich Mueller, editor of Sports Collectors Daily, stating that he read my posts about these team sets (for those not familiar, I have all 30 team sets since 2006, the first year these came out), and wanted to know if I had a list of the variations from these retail sets compared to the regular Topps sets. His article was inspired by the 2011 Topps Nationals Team set with newly acquired Jayson Werth in a Nats uni, even though his regular card in the 2011 set had him in a Phillies jersey. While I actually don't have a compiled list, I did give him enough variations off the top of my head (many that have been previously highlighted here) for him to get a good start on it. The article he wrote appeared on the site the following day (albeit without a link to my blog...not that I'm going to hold that against him, the fact that he put my name on there was good enough).
If you were wondering why I had not yet written anything about this year's products, it was only because the one place that had good enough pictures of the team sets from this year only had 28 of the 30 team sets on their site (the Phillies and the Padres were the missing teams). The site has since added the Phillies, and after asking them about the Padres' snub, was told that they have the Padres' set on back order as they were not able to get any for some reason. Fine. And because I try to be consistent with images and everything, I didn't run my annual article yet (nor had I ordered any product yet as I normally do right around this time). I do have the checklists compiled, and did manage to get a scan of the Padres team set (not the one I would have hoped for, but it will do), so I will have the posts and pictures up shortly.
The point of this post (you mean there was one??!) is that even though I don't have my annual article up about the 2011 Topps Retail sets, I did manage to purchase 17 of the thirty team sets. In the Chicago area, it is easy to find Cubs and White Sox sets, so thanks to Jim at Sports and Gaming Cards at Golf Mill Mall, in Niles, IL, for the two (he was offered the Mets set as well, but didn't bite...Mets??!). The other fifteen I found at the Field of Dreams shop at Woodfield Mall over the weekend. Yes, they are a bit pricey (on everything it seems), but the fact that they had fifteen other teams available besides our two locals made me go against probably better judgement and get one of each. So now, along with the Cubs and White Sox team sets, I am also now in possession of these 17-card team sets:
So unless some shop or retailer (I will check some places during the week) has other team sets in stock, I will be looking online for the following 13 teams:
That is, of course, anybody reading this would be kind enough to purchase and send my way any of the above thirteen teams.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
And buddy, I still am. In fact, not long after WW wrote his post about the Cubs set, I received an e-mail from Rich Mueller, editor of Sports Collectors Daily, stating that he read my posts about these team sets (for those not familiar, I have all 30 team sets since 2006, the first year these came out), and wanted to know if I had a list of the variations from these retail sets compared to the regular Topps sets. His article was inspired by the 2011 Topps Nationals Team set with newly acquired Jayson Werth in a Nats uni, even though his regular card in the 2011 set had him in a Phillies jersey. While I actually don't have a compiled list, I did give him enough variations off the top of my head (many that have been previously highlighted here) for him to get a good start on it. The article he wrote appeared on the site the following day (albeit without a link to my blog...not that I'm going to hold that against him, the fact that he put my name on there was good enough).
If you were wondering why I had not yet written anything about this year's products, it was only because the one place that had good enough pictures of the team sets from this year only had 28 of the 30 team sets on their site (the Phillies and the Padres were the missing teams). The site has since added the Phillies, and after asking them about the Padres' snub, was told that they have the Padres' set on back order as they were not able to get any for some reason. Fine. And because I try to be consistent with images and everything, I didn't run my annual article yet (nor had I ordered any product yet as I normally do right around this time). I do have the checklists compiled, and did manage to get a scan of the Padres team set (not the one I would have hoped for, but it will do), so I will have the posts and pictures up shortly.
The point of this post (you mean there was one??!) is that even though I don't have my annual article up about the 2011 Topps Retail sets, I did manage to purchase 17 of the thirty team sets. In the Chicago area, it is easy to find Cubs and White Sox sets, so thanks to Jim at Sports and Gaming Cards at Golf Mill Mall, in Niles, IL, for the two (he was offered the Mets set as well, but didn't bite...Mets??!). The other fifteen I found at the Field of Dreams shop at Woodfield Mall over the weekend. Yes, they are a bit pricey (on everything it seems), but the fact that they had fifteen other teams available besides our two locals made me go against probably better judgement and get one of each. So now, along with the Cubs and White Sox team sets, I am also now in possession of these 17-card team sets:
- Atlanta Braves
- Boston Red Sox
- Cincinnati Reds
- Colorado Rockies
- Detroit Tigers
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Minnesota Twins
- New York Mets
- New York Yankees
- Philadelphia Phillies
- St. Louis Cardinals
- San Francisco Giants
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Texas Rangers
- Washington Nationals
So unless some shop or retailer (I will check some places during the week) has other team sets in stock, I will be looking online for the following 13 teams:
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Baltimore Orioles
- Cleveland Indians
- Florida Marlins
- Houston Astros
- Kansas City Royals
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Oakland Athletics
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- San Diego Padres
- Seattle Mariners
- Toronto Blue Jays
That is, of course, anybody reading this would be kind enough to purchase and send my way any of the above thirteen teams.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The MCG E-mail I've Been Waiting For
If you waited until the extremely last minute (like I did) to redeem your cards from the Million Card Giveaway, then you've probably wondered where your cards are (unless you've already received them).
I just got this in my e-mail today:
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:22:10 -0400
From: automail@jjsheeran.net
To: bdj610@hotmail.com
Subject: Topps order confirmation
Thank you for your order
1972-BB-TS1-90-NA AL Home Run Leaders#{Bill 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1967-BB-TS1-340-NA Joe Pepitone 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1955-BB-TS1-7-NA Jim Hegan 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1958-BB-TS1-358-NA Gene Baker 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1972-BB-TS1-488-NA Mike Nagy 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1967-BB-TS1-386-NA Dick Selma DP 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1960-BB-TS1-301-NA Jerry Davie 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1964-BB-TS1-115-NA Frank Bolling 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1972-BB-TS1-234-NA Ron Taylor 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-166-NA Woodie Fryman 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1969-BB-TS1-23-NA Lew Krausse 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1961-BB-TS1-147-NA Ed Rakow 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-382-NA Mike Hegan 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1961-BB-TS1-105-NA Carl Willey 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-343-NA Danny Frisella 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-392-NA Bruce Bochte RC 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1971-BB-TS1-84-NA Marcel Lachemann RC 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1971-BB-TS1-307-NA Don Wert 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-339-NA Dick Tidrow 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-273-NA Chris Speier 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
Order # 242401-1 Order Date: 03/01/11 0282EDI
Shipping Method - USPS
(UPS Shipments only):
To track your UPS shipment online, simply visit UPS online at
www.ups.com and enter the tracking number above.
I'm looking forward to the package. Although, based on what I've read online, I'm bracing myself for the condition of each of these cards.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
I just got this in my e-mail today:
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:22:10 -0400
From: automail@jjsheeran.net
To: bdj610@hotmail.com
Subject: Topps order confirmation
Thank you for your order
1972-BB-TS1-90-NA AL Home Run Leaders#{Bill 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1967-BB-TS1-340-NA Joe Pepitone 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1955-BB-TS1-7-NA Jim Hegan 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1958-BB-TS1-358-NA Gene Baker 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1972-BB-TS1-488-NA Mike Nagy 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1967-BB-TS1-386-NA Dick Selma DP 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1960-BB-TS1-301-NA Jerry Davie 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1964-BB-TS1-115-NA Frank Bolling 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1972-BB-TS1-234-NA Ron Taylor 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-166-NA Woodie Fryman 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1969-BB-TS1-23-NA Lew Krausse 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1961-BB-TS1-147-NA Ed Rakow 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-382-NA Mike Hegan 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1961-BB-TS1-105-NA Carl Willey 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-343-NA Danny Frisella 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-392-NA Bruce Bochte RC 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1971-BB-TS1-84-NA Marcel Lachemann RC 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1971-BB-TS1-307-NA Don Wert 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-339-NA Dick Tidrow 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-273-NA Chris Speier 1 04/13/11 SHIPPED
Order # 242401-1 Order Date: 03/01/11 0282EDI
Shipping Method - USPS
(UPS Shipments only):
To track your UPS shipment online, simply visit UPS online at
www.ups.com and enter the tracking number above.
I'm looking forward to the package. Although, based on what I've read online, I'm bracing myself for the condition of each of these cards.
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
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