I'm not one to cry foul often, but I've noticed a few people in the two Razor Cut products that could easily have more out there...
Quick backstory, I'm trying to pick up the Cut cards of anyone attached to the TV show "Lost". So far I have six or seven, but that's besides the point. I have a daily search that gets emailed to me for the cards listed in the last day or so.
I've had this search in place since the first Razor Cut product hit the shelves.
Back then I noticed that Janet Leigh always seemed to pop up, as did Joe Namath. the latter was easy to spot because most, if not all, of the cards came from those Bammer tags (or was it Bammo?).
With the Encore release I'm seeing numerous Leigh cards again, but now Namath has been replaced by Pete Rose. It's great to see so many Charlie Hustle cards getting out there, but can there be more than 10 in Encore?
Who knows, because none of the non-1/1 cards are numbered...
Also, on a side note I wish Razor would have named their minor league baseball release something different--my eBay search gets junked up with those cards and it takes me more time to weed through the search results each day. I know, boo hoo, right?
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The problem with sketch cards (Part 2)
This is spin-off of my earlier post from October 5th.
So what's in a name?
In the case of Topps' Indiana Jones Masterpieces, not a lot. The draw, no pun intended, is the tiring inclusion of sketch cards. But what more did we expect? People would feel cheated without them. And I know George Lucas and his crew probably aren't letting props or costumes loose for cards.
There are some great sketch cards, but it would be no fun to show those off, now would it? Instead, I wanted to get four or five bad sketches and show them off. All images courtesy of eBay, and unfortunately it only took me a few minutes to locate them.
1) Indiana Jones silhouette - basically just a blob of ink. I'm assuming it is supposed to be Indy himself, but based on the sizable "lump" on the back it could be Joseph Merrick wearing a Castro Hat, with a hint of Abraham Lincoln's chin thrown in.
2) Sankara Stone from Temple of Doom - I think. It could be the top of a beetle from Raiders for all I know. The point is, it's an oval with three amorphous shapes. No shading, nothing. Really a poor excuse for Masterpieces.
3) I call this one "Test Tube With Squiggles". I think it's from Temple of Doom as well. It's pretty lousy. At least it has some color. Maybe sellers will get a premium for this one.
4) The Grail - this one isn't good enough to be the cup of a carpenter, much less THE carpenter (or even someone from The Carpenters). It has a nice symmetry to it, but c'mon, a Masterpiece? Far from it. No shading, nothing. I realize it's just a cup, but even a cup wants to be something more than this.
5) I was on the fence about this one. It has a certain style to it that looks intentionally sloppy, and I'm all for that. It has a sort of kinetic motion that reminds me of Pigpen's "filth cloud" on Charlie Brown. However, the German pugilist in the sketch has no legs, and his right arm looks like something from a video game that would shoot poison darts or something. An "A" for effort, a "D" for execution.
It is worth noting that Topps did try something a little different by including press plates in Masterpieces. Some collectors like them, but coming from a hockey background where there was a huge glut of them, I see plates as little more than a novelty. Some sellers have crazy BINs, so needless to say, those plates aren't moving right now.
Topps also had fold out "panoramic" sketch cards as well. When I get a chance I'll see how long it takes to find four of five questionable sketches of those, too. I got quite disgusted by the above, so I haven't been looking for Indy sketches much these days.
Also, I will admit that the base set for Masterpieces is quite beautiful. But should that really be a bragging point? Shouldn't base sets be nice anyway? I'll just wait and pick up a base set for $2 pretty soon and leave it at that.
So what's in a name?
In the case of Topps' Indiana Jones Masterpieces, not a lot. The draw, no pun intended, is the tiring inclusion of sketch cards. But what more did we expect? People would feel cheated without them. And I know George Lucas and his crew probably aren't letting props or costumes loose for cards.
There are some great sketch cards, but it would be no fun to show those off, now would it? Instead, I wanted to get four or five bad sketches and show them off. All images courtesy of eBay, and unfortunately it only took me a few minutes to locate them.
1) Indiana Jones silhouette - basically just a blob of ink. I'm assuming it is supposed to be Indy himself, but based on the sizable "lump" on the back it could be Joseph Merrick wearing a Castro Hat, with a hint of Abraham Lincoln's chin thrown in.
2) Sankara Stone from Temple of Doom - I think. It could be the top of a beetle from Raiders for all I know. The point is, it's an oval with three amorphous shapes. No shading, nothing. Really a poor excuse for Masterpieces.
3) I call this one "Test Tube With Squiggles". I think it's from Temple of Doom as well. It's pretty lousy. At least it has some color. Maybe sellers will get a premium for this one.
4) The Grail - this one isn't good enough to be the cup of a carpenter, much less THE carpenter (or even someone from The Carpenters). It has a nice symmetry to it, but c'mon, a Masterpiece? Far from it. No shading, nothing. I realize it's just a cup, but even a cup wants to be something more than this.
5) I was on the fence about this one. It has a certain style to it that looks intentionally sloppy, and I'm all for that. It has a sort of kinetic motion that reminds me of Pigpen's "filth cloud" on Charlie Brown. However, the German pugilist in the sketch has no legs, and his right arm looks like something from a video game that would shoot poison darts or something. An "A" for effort, a "D" for execution.
It is worth noting that Topps did try something a little different by including press plates in Masterpieces. Some collectors like them, but coming from a hockey background where there was a huge glut of them, I see plates as little more than a novelty. Some sellers have crazy BINs, so needless to say, those plates aren't moving right now.
Topps also had fold out "panoramic" sketch cards as well. When I get a chance I'll see how long it takes to find four of five questionable sketches of those, too. I got quite disgusted by the above, so I haven't been looking for Indy sketches much these days.
Also, I will admit that the base set for Masterpieces is quite beautiful. But should that really be a bragging point? Shouldn't base sets be nice anyway? I'll just wait and pick up a base set for $2 pretty soon and leave it at that.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
More hockey housekeeping
I did some more cleaning in my office. Say goodbye to the following sets:
1991-92 Stadium Club
1995-96 Pinnacle
1996-97 Donruss
1996-97 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut and Bronze
1997-98 Pacific
1997-98 Pacific Dynagon Ice Best Kept Secrets
1997-98 Pacific Omega
1997-98 Pacific Revolution
1997-98 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut and Bronze
1997-98 UD
1998-99 Pacific
1998-99 Pacific
1998-99 Pacific Aurora
1998-99 Pacific Dynagon Ice
1998-99 Pacific Omega
1998-99 Topps Gold Label
1998-99 UD3 (several 1-60 sets)
1999-00 BAP Memorabilia
1999-00 Pacific
1999-00 Pacific Aurora + Striped
1999-00 Pacific Paramount
1999-00 Pacific Prism
1999-00 Pacific Revolution
1999-00 SP Authentic (minus SPs)
1999-00 Topps Premier Plus
1999-00 UD HoloGrFX
1999-00 UD MVP
1999-00 UD Piece of History
1999-00 UD Retro
1999-00 UD Wayne Gretzky Hockey
1999-00 Upper Deck (minus SPs)
2000-01 UD Heroes
2000-01 UD MVP
2001-02 SPx (minus SPs)
2001-02 Topps
2001-02 Topps Heritage parallel
2001-02 UD Honor Roll (minus SPs) (x2)
2001-02 UD Ice (minus SPs)
2001-02 UD Mask (minus SPs)
2001-02 UD MVP
2002-03 BAP All-Star
2002-03 Topps Total
2002-03 UD Classic Portraits (minus SPs)
2002-03 UD Mask
2003-04 BAP Parkhurst Original 6 NY
2003-04 SP Authentic (minus SPs)
2003-04 SPx (minus SPs)
2003-04 UD Ice (minus SPs)
2004-05 ITG Franchises Canada
2004-05 ITG Franchises East
2004-05 ITG Franchises West
2004-05 SP Autnentic (minus SPs)
2004-05 UD All-World (minus SPs)
2004-05 UD Ice (minus SPs)
2004-05 UD Legends Classics
2004-05 UD Rookie Update
2006-07 SPx (minus SPs)
I have no idea how many cards the list above comprises, but it's quite a few. Basically I didn't want to have to deal with trying to sell or trade them, as packaging and shipping potentially hundreds of cards is just too tedious.
1991-92 Stadium Club
1995-96 Pinnacle
1996-97 Donruss
1996-97 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut and Bronze
1997-98 Pacific
1997-98 Pacific Dynagon Ice Best Kept Secrets
1997-98 Pacific Omega
1997-98 Pacific Revolution
1997-98 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut and Bronze
1997-98 UD
1998-99 Pacific
1998-99 Pacific
1998-99 Pacific Aurora
1998-99 Pacific Dynagon Ice
1998-99 Pacific Omega
1998-99 Topps Gold Label
1998-99 UD3 (several 1-60 sets)
1999-00 BAP Memorabilia
1999-00 Pacific
1999-00 Pacific Aurora + Striped
1999-00 Pacific Paramount
1999-00 Pacific Prism
1999-00 Pacific Revolution
1999-00 SP Authentic (minus SPs)
1999-00 Topps Premier Plus
1999-00 UD HoloGrFX
1999-00 UD MVP
1999-00 UD Piece of History
1999-00 UD Retro
1999-00 UD Wayne Gretzky Hockey
1999-00 Upper Deck (minus SPs)
2000-01 UD Heroes
2000-01 UD MVP
2001-02 SPx (minus SPs)
2001-02 Topps
2001-02 Topps Heritage parallel
2001-02 UD Honor Roll (minus SPs) (x2)
2001-02 UD Ice (minus SPs)
2001-02 UD Mask (minus SPs)
2001-02 UD MVP
2002-03 BAP All-Star
2002-03 Topps Total
2002-03 UD Classic Portraits (minus SPs)
2002-03 UD Mask
2003-04 BAP Parkhurst Original 6 NY
2003-04 SP Authentic (minus SPs)
2003-04 SPx (minus SPs)
2003-04 UD Ice (minus SPs)
2004-05 ITG Franchises Canada
2004-05 ITG Franchises East
2004-05 ITG Franchises West
2004-05 SP Autnentic (minus SPs)
2004-05 UD All-World (minus SPs)
2004-05 UD Ice (minus SPs)
2004-05 UD Legends Classics
2004-05 UD Rookie Update
2006-07 SPx (minus SPs)
I have no idea how many cards the list above comprises, but it's quite a few. Basically I didn't want to have to deal with trying to sell or trade them, as packaging and shipping potentially hundreds of cards is just too tedious.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
So what do 25,200 hockey cards look like? *
I'm trying to do a little fall cleaning. Windows open with the breeze flowing through the house, the Autumn-colored place-mats already out on the table. Kind of a refreshing feeling to be honest.
The place that keeps getting more clogged than a fat man's arteries is my office. I'm saving myself the embarrassment of showing pictures of that. However, one place that could really help out is my closet. In it remained the boxes full of hockey base cards, from my many years of collecting.
So where can the veterans like Howe, Plante, Roy, and Gretzky rub cardboard elbows with the new kids like Brust, Dawson, Smid, and Price? In my trash can, of course.
A veritable plethora of dead trees and ink, gloss and great action photos, stats and pronunciations, holograms and logos. All gone. **
It was fun flipping through them, but depressing thinking about how much money I sank in box costs in hopes of hitting those big cards. But it evened out. For every good box I opened up 4 bad ones.
So what sets did these thousands of cards come from?
Topps, OPC, BAP, BAP All-Star, UD Foundations, H&P, Artifacts, Trilogy, Ice, Between the Pipes, Invincible, Prism, Crown Royale, SP Authentic, the Chrome quadruplets (Bowman CHL, Topps, OPC, and Bowman), Classic Portraits, SPx, SP Game Used, Parkhurst Retro, Topps Premier Plus, Bee Hive, Hot Prospects, Black Diamond, Franchises, Vanguard, Original 6, Victory, SPx Top Prospects, Leaf Preferred, Bowman's Best, Omega, Gold Label, Paramount, Pinnacle, Score, OPC Premier, Revolution, Dynagon, Donruss, Donruss Preferred, Gold Reserve, Greats of the Game, Stadium Club, Private Stock, Titanium, Legacy, MVP, Vintage, Young Stars, Top Shelf, Heads Up, Stanley Cup Champs, Topps Total, Archives, Challenge for the Cup, HoloGrfX, UD3, and plain old UD.
Notice I didn't break them out in years, as the list would be terribly long.
And I'm not even sure what sets are in the other boxes.
So goodbye Gretzky checklist card, later Iginla Hot Prospects, see ya' Datsyuk Parkhurst. It was fun.
With no further delay, this is what 25,200 cards look like:
Next up, what ever shall I do with all my complete sets?
Footnotes:
* The 25,200 total was a safe estimate based on the full boxes and some added in for the stacks tossed, as well.
** OK, so they're not all gone, I just ran out of those small plastic bags. I find those bags have a nice balance of card volume versus weight. I have a couple more 3200-count boxes and s few stacks tucked away in my closet.
The place that keeps getting more clogged than a fat man's arteries is my office. I'm saving myself the embarrassment of showing pictures of that. However, one place that could really help out is my closet. In it remained the boxes full of hockey base cards, from my many years of collecting.
So where can the veterans like Howe, Plante, Roy, and Gretzky rub cardboard elbows with the new kids like Brust, Dawson, Smid, and Price? In my trash can, of course.
A veritable plethora of dead trees and ink, gloss and great action photos, stats and pronunciations, holograms and logos. All gone. **
It was fun flipping through them, but depressing thinking about how much money I sank in box costs in hopes of hitting those big cards. But it evened out. For every good box I opened up 4 bad ones.
So what sets did these thousands of cards come from?
Topps, OPC, BAP, BAP All-Star, UD Foundations, H&P, Artifacts, Trilogy, Ice, Between the Pipes, Invincible, Prism, Crown Royale, SP Authentic, the Chrome quadruplets (Bowman CHL, Topps, OPC, and Bowman), Classic Portraits, SPx, SP Game Used, Parkhurst Retro, Topps Premier Plus, Bee Hive, Hot Prospects, Black Diamond, Franchises, Vanguard, Original 6, Victory, SPx Top Prospects, Leaf Preferred, Bowman's Best, Omega, Gold Label, Paramount, Pinnacle, Score, OPC Premier, Revolution, Dynagon, Donruss, Donruss Preferred, Gold Reserve, Greats of the Game, Stadium Club, Private Stock, Titanium, Legacy, MVP, Vintage, Young Stars, Top Shelf, Heads Up, Stanley Cup Champs, Topps Total, Archives, Challenge for the Cup, HoloGrfX, UD3, and plain old UD.
Notice I didn't break them out in years, as the list would be terribly long.
And I'm not even sure what sets are in the other boxes.
So goodbye Gretzky checklist card, later Iginla Hot Prospects, see ya' Datsyuk Parkhurst. It was fun.
With no further delay, this is what 25,200 cards look like:
Next up, what ever shall I do with all my complete sets?
Footnotes:
* The 25,200 total was a safe estimate based on the full boxes and some added in for the stacks tossed, as well.
** OK, so they're not all gone, I just ran out of those small plastic bags. I find those bags have a nice balance of card volume versus weight. I have a couple more 3200-count boxes and s few stacks tucked away in my closet.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The problem with sketch cards
It seems that non-sports sets these days are pretty much required to include sketch cards. There are the obvious Batman Archives-type sets that are based on comic books. Those scream "sketch me", but do we really need sketch cards for something like CSI?
In any event, someone on a message board I frequent is in love with Heroes cards. I've seen a few sketch cards of Hiro that I really liked, so I hopped over to our friendly neighborhood pimp, eBay. I came across a couple that are terrible as far as sketch cards go.
No disrespect to the artists, as they can clearly do better than I ever could have, but who are these people supposed to be? (Images shamefully ripped from the auction descriptions.)
The above is supposed to be Claire. Again, it's better than what I could attempt, but it looks a lot like a character on one of my wife's soap operas who most certainly isn't Claire.
The next example is:
This is Niki? According to the description it is, but I'm not seeing it. I understand there are intentional stylized renditions (see Mark McHaley from Batman Archives), but faux-Niki is pretty bad. I can only imagine the look on the person's face who pulled that one.
So is this an easy way to differentiate between high-end sketches and the "rest"? High-end sketches actually resemble the person they are supposed to?
Sorry, but a crappy sketch card by a great artist is still a crappy sketch card.
UPDATE: The soap opera "Claire" gal is, after some investigation, Leven Ramblin from All My Children. Here's a small pic:
Thanks to my wife for pointing me in the right direction on that one.
In any event, someone on a message board I frequent is in love with Heroes cards. I've seen a few sketch cards of Hiro that I really liked, so I hopped over to our friendly neighborhood pimp, eBay. I came across a couple that are terrible as far as sketch cards go.
No disrespect to the artists, as they can clearly do better than I ever could have, but who are these people supposed to be? (Images shamefully ripped from the auction descriptions.)
The above is supposed to be Claire. Again, it's better than what I could attempt, but it looks a lot like a character on one of my wife's soap operas who most certainly isn't Claire.
The next example is:
This is Niki? According to the description it is, but I'm not seeing it. I understand there are intentional stylized renditions (see Mark McHaley from Batman Archives), but faux-Niki is pretty bad. I can only imagine the look on the person's face who pulled that one.
So is this an easy way to differentiate between high-end sketches and the "rest"? High-end sketches actually resemble the person they are supposed to?
Sorry, but a crappy sketch card by a great artist is still a crappy sketch card.
UPDATE: The soap opera "Claire" gal is, after some investigation, Leven Ramblin from All My Children. Here's a small pic:
Thanks to my wife for pointing me in the right direction on that one.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
New items on eBay
Rittenhouse's Batman Archives set was recently released. Now as a somewhat recent convert to non-sports (at least full time) I was eagerly anticipating this set. I have a healthy infatuation with anything Catwoman, so the sketch cards were a big draw for me (pun intended).
What I'm noticing is that a lot of sellers on eBay are starting their items at a high starting price. I recall in the sports world this was not as much of an issue with new releases, but it may have been more with the particular player I collected.
There is a certain psychology that goes with bidding in an auction-style format. That said, I think the sellers are missing out. Example? I'm less likely to bid on a card with an opening bid of $49.99 than I am to set a snipe of $50 for a card currently at $15 or more. It's weird, but I do it time and time again.
I also think sellers need to do a better job researching what they think their cards are worth. Sketch cards values are determined by a plethora of factors:
As a collector, I have a strong "gotta have it" mentality. So when I see cards relisted I wonder if some yahoo is going to happen across it and say "oooh, I want that" and win it. I have some remorse about not being able to get it myself, but then I think, hey, I had the same opportunity.
With all that said, I guess I have no point. Well, maybe one. I wish I were rich and $69.99 for a so-so sketch wouldn't be a bother.
What I'm noticing is that a lot of sellers on eBay are starting their items at a high starting price. I recall in the sports world this was not as much of an issue with new releases, but it may have been more with the particular player I collected.
There is a certain psychology that goes with bidding in an auction-style format. That said, I think the sellers are missing out. Example? I'm less likely to bid on a card with an opening bid of $49.99 than I am to set a snipe of $50 for a card currently at $15 or more. It's weird, but I do it time and time again.
I also think sellers need to do a better job researching what they think their cards are worth. Sketch cards values are determined by a plethora of factors:
- Popularity of character - Spider-Man will always sell better than Kraven
- Relative rareness of the artist - someone who sketches 300 cards will probably not go as high as a comparable card for an artist who turns in 100 cards
- Uniqueness of the sketch - do a quick search on "waterhouse sketch"
- Black & white vs color
- Level of detail - NAR
As a collector, I have a strong "gotta have it" mentality. So when I see cards relisted I wonder if some yahoo is going to happen across it and say "oooh, I want that" and win it. I have some remorse about not being able to get it myself, but then I think, hey, I had the same opportunity.
With all that said, I guess I have no point. Well, maybe one. I wish I were rich and $69.99 for a so-so sketch wouldn't be a bother.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
It's been a while--just checking in!
Wow, it sure has been a while since my last entry. Blame it on laziness, blame it on the hardwood floors I'm putting in at my house (my suggestion: pay the extra $ to have it done!), or the Everest-like attempt to try for a new job at my current company.
At some point I'll have a little more time for this. Also I expect to move the focus from hockey, since I've been removed from that scene for several months, to non-sports. Non-sports are where my hard-earned money is now going.
In any event, stick around, as I'll be back.
At some point I'll have a little more time for this. Also I expect to move the focus from hockey, since I've been removed from that scene for several months, to non-sports. Non-sports are where my hard-earned money is now going.
In any event, stick around, as I'll be back.
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