tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89707675852346612392024-02-02T10:12:50.836-08:00Czech-it CardsI collected hockey cards for over two decades, then quit. Then non-sports, and sketchcards heavily for a few years, then quit. Then started hockey again. Then started non-sports and sketches again. You get the idea.weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-59685111974240571032022-05-03T12:11:00.057-07:002024-01-30T12:07:35.971-08:00Grading - Which grading company should I use?<p>*Updated numerous times since the original post, most recently on 30 January 2024 (to add more third-tier graders)*</p>
<p><b>Which grading company should I use?</b></p>
<p>Let's assume you are going for resale value. As it stands right now, collectors and buyers strongly prefer:<br>
<ul><li>PSA</li><li>BGS</li></ul>
</p>
<p>It has been this way for a while. Historically speaking, there were some exceptions--for a long time, vintage non-sports people liked SGC. However, the tides have changed and it's more PSA and BGS. There were also times when the rule of thumb for hockey was "PSA for vintage, BGS for modern." But the sheer volume of modern PSA slabs in hockey says that has also changed. It's also worth pointing out that PSA is widely known to give out 10s a little more liberally than BGS (let's not get into the trimmed/fake slabs for the sake of this post). Off-centered? Doesn't matter, it could be a 10. A little white showing through? Doesn't matter, it could be a 10. Perhaps that simple fact is why PSA is so popular... Is BGS perfect? No. In an effort to money grab, they have two different versions of 10s. Why not?</p>
<p>So anyway, stick with PSA or BGS. Those two are in a group at the top. You don't have to like that PSA may take a year to send your card back. You don't have to like the costs associated with it. You don't even have to like the look of the slabs. If you are looking for the most return for your money, PSA or BGS.</p>
<p>There is a secondary group with some of the more well-known companies:
<ul>
<li>KSA</li>
<li>MNT - pretty big for hockey in Canada, so definitely regional; however PSA opened up some operations in Canada which means MNT will probably drop even lower.</li>
<li>SGC - more well-known in vintage sports, particularly baseball, but the market has tilted toward PSA.</li>
<li>CGC - used to grade only gaming cards, but added in Marvel cards in mid-2022 as well</li>
<li>CSG (Certified Sports Guaranty) - they are related to CGC above, and do the sports cards.</li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>It is also worth noting that in early 2023, COMC came to an agreement with CGC/CSG such that card owners could submit to grade directly through COMC directly. There are tons of people who are testing the waters, and we are seeing a lot of CGC/CSG slabs flooding the market because of this agreement with COMC. Time will tell how the market does for those two. UPDATE: toward the end of June of 2023, it was announced that CSG and CGC were 'merging' their lines. Also, something about their 9.5s now being uplifted to 10s or something. Grading, huh? Sheesh. They also changed the color scheme or their labels, and people hated that. Man, collectors are finnicky!</p>
<p>In an effort not to be overshadowed, though, PSA also came to an agreement with COMC as well shortly after CGC/CSG, basically removing any advantage that CGC/CSG may have held from an ease-of-grading standpoint.</p>
<p>Anyway, then there are the rest of the grading companies. Some of these I've never heard of, and you probably haven't either. If you are going for resale, stay away from these. I'm pretty sure a couple of these are just labels printed in someone's basement:
<ul>
<li>3-D Grading</li>
<li>ACA Certification</li>
<li>AEG (Aurum Elite Grading</li>
<li>All-Star Grading</li>
<li>AP Grading</li>
<li>ASTG (they grade up to an 11 for Pristine, so must be big Spinal Tap Fans!)</li>
<li>Brothers Flawless Grading</li>
<li>Certified Express</li>
<li>CG (Collector's Grade)</li>
<li>CGA (Card Grading Australia)</li>
<li>CS (Cardscore; this one is a crowdsourced grader--yeah, you read that right! They don't slab cards, but appear to put cards in magnetic one-touches with a sticker on it. But then I also saw a Cardscore label on a PSA-graded holder, so who knows...)</li>
<li>DGA</li>
<li>ECA (East Coast Authenticated)</li>
<li>Electric Grading (sometimes uses custom labels with images of the character, so, you know, probably violating trademarks)</li>
<li>Elite Card Grading</li>
<li>EMC Grading (Encapsulated Memories Company)</li>
<li>FCG (Forensic Card Grading)</li>
<li>Fierce Grading (Their logo is a gorilla wearing a crown. Cool.)</li>
<li>Final Authority</li>
<li>Flawless Grading</li>
<li>GCG (Great Canadian Grading)</li>
<li>GEM Grading</li>
<li>Gem Mint Grading (not sure if it is the same as GEM Grading and maybe they just changed the label?)</li>
<li>GetGraded</li>
<li>GMA</li>
<li>GS.C (GradedSports.Cards; notice the weird period placement--I guess you have to stand out when your name is so unoriginal...)</li>
<li>HC Grading</li>
<li>HGA (Hybrid Grading) - some collectors like the look of their slabs because they offer custom labels (which of course they charge for). Everyone needs a gimmick, I guess.</li>
<li>ISA (International Sports Authenticators)</li>
<li>Legion Grading Services/Legions Grading</li>
<li>MGC (Majesty Grading Company--their logo is a lion with a crown on it's head. Cool. Right?...)</li>
<li>MGS</li>
<li>NSA (National Sportscard Authenticator)</li>
<li>Overtime Grading</li>
<li>Peak Grading</li>
<li>Pure Graded X</li>
<li>RCG</li>
<li>SFTB Grading (Start From the Bottom)</li>
<li>TAG (Technical Authentication and Grading)</li>
<li>UCZ</li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>Wow, so many three-letter acronyms out there! For giggles I half-considered putting in my initials just to see if anyone ever noticed. The point is there are a ton of new companies that popped up, and you can buy blank slabs on Amazon. So literally anyone can become a grader. It's also worth noting that as a gimmick some of the companies use AI to grade cards in an attenpt to skirt the inherent human errors that are seen with the main grading companies.</p>
<p>Though not on the list above, it is also worth mentioning BCCG (Beckett Collector Club Grading). I don't know if you can still submit to Beckett for BCCG, but they were known more for high-volume/low-value cards. Basically you paid to have a card slabbed. BCCG is, more or less, an inside joke when it comes to grading. It's as if their label printer only knew how to print 9s and 10s. If you are buying graded cards for any investment types of purchases, stay away from BCCG slabs. They are generally agreed to be over-graded.<p>
<p>As a last note, also stay away from raw grading. Beckett may be the only company that does raw grading, but it is typically done at card shows. If you're serious about grading, don't bother with these. The card is given some glances, a grade and a serial number. It is then put into a card saver (one of the worst ways to protect a card) and a shiny sticker with the grade and serial number. Save your money. Buyers will not take these grades seriously. And there is no guarantee that the card would receive that particular grade if sent in for slabbing. Honestly, I don't know why it exists. (Well, it's for money, so maybe the statment should be "I don't know why anyone would do this.") **UPDATE: It seems MNT Grading also does an equivalent of raw card grading.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to the discussion. As mentioned above if you are going for resale values, stick with PSA and BGS. Now, if you don't care about return on your money, go with whomever is closer, cheaper, or whose slabs you like the most.</p>
<p>Better yet, if money is not a factor, why grade at all? The reason I see most often is because someone wants a card slabbed for protection.</p>
<p>I'll throw out my usual pitch for unnecessary grading. I have literally every mid- to high-dollar card I own (Marvel, Star Wars, hockey, etc) in one-touches and team bags. They have survived two moves, being dropped, stepped on, sat on, and everything in-between. If by some miracle one gets cracked (which has yet to happen) I replace it for $3. Meanwhile, I dropped a PSA slab and it shattered the corner rendering it unsellable unless I send it back for reslabbing. Spoiler alert, I cracked it open and moved it to a one-touch and team bag.</p>
<p>Just something to think about.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-84986948872240473712022-05-03T12:08:00.006-07:002022-05-03T12:17:07.168-07:00Grading - Is it worth grading this card?<p>I am a member of numerous card-related Facebook groups. People pose variations of these two questions pretty much every day:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-will-this-card-grade-well.html">Will this card grade well?</a></li>
<li><b>Is it worth grading this card?</b></li>
<li><a href="https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-which-grading-company-should-i.html">Which grading company should I use?</a></li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>So let's tackle each of these in simplistic terms.</p>
<p><b>Is it worth grading this card?</b></p>
<p>It all comes down to math at the end of the day, right?</p>
<p>If the value of the graded card is more than the total of the cost of the raw card + the cost of grading + the effort involved in shipping the card off + time it takes to get the card back + potential of final grade disappointment + potential of card getting lost or damaged along the way, then go for it.</p>
<p>If your question is really "What does this card graded X sale for?", then go do your homework. No one likes a lazy collector.</p>
<p>If your question is really "What does it cost to grade this card?", then go do your homework. No one likes a lazy collector.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-65731445512471377512022-05-03T12:07:00.004-07:002022-05-03T12:18:11.890-07:00Grading - Will this card grade well?<p>I am a member of numerous card-related Facebook groups. People pose variations of these two questions pretty much every day:
<ul>
<li><b>-Will this card grade well?</b></li>
<li><a href="https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-is-it-worth-grading-this-card.html">Is it worth grading this card?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-which-grading-company-should-i.html">Which grading company should I use?</a></li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>So let's tackle each of these in simplistic terms.</p>
<p>Will this card grade well?</p>
<p>I'll be frank, we cannot tell you based on some Facebook photos, no matter how many you want to add.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is spend $20 on Amazon and buy yourself a cheap jeweler's loupe. Use it to carefully look at every edge and every corner. Turn the card carefully under a light looking at both front and back of the card.</p>
<p>Any imperfection you can see, the graders will see.</p>
<p>Assuming you want a high-grade card, base your decision on what you see. This usually dovetails into the <a href="https://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2022/05/grading-is-it-worth-grading-this-card.html">"Is it worth grading this card?"</a> question.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-43015831518101840802022-04-05T12:33:00.005-07:002022-04-05T12:37:51.046-07:00Streaming paralysis<p>Sorry, this has nothing whatsoever to do with cards or hobbies!</p>
<p>There are so many options!</p>
<p>We have had Netflix for, sheesh, close to 15-years now. In fact, we may just be some of the only subscribers who also have the dvd plan. The kids watch Netflix more than me and my wife combined, so it is, I suppose, a wise monthly subscription. It's not important that my oldest son watches the same three or four shows from start to finish, over and over again; what is important is that Netflix gets used.</p>
<p>I had resisted branching out beyond Netflix. My watchlist kept growing and I wasn't watching much of it. Things dropped off and I had no idea until I decided to catch up. Then it was on some other streaming service.</p>
<p>So we got Disney+ a little over a year ago. It was a 3-month free promo (I think) through Verizon. It has Star Wars content, it has Marvel content. Easy choice there. I added tons of items to my list. I even watched a few things (didn't care much for Mandalorian, sorry!). Promo time came and went and we started getting charged via Verizon. Meh, fine, it gets watched enough by the rest of the household, I guess.</p>
<p>Then came Apple+. It was another 3-month promo, but directly through Apple. My wife wanted to watch the Jennifer Aniston morning news show. I wanted to watch Ted Lasso. My wife got through hers in a week or so. By the time I finished Ted Lasso, season two was in full swing. As timing works out, the 3-month promo ended in the early part of season two, so I just went month-to-month. I did, at least, cancel that service when Lasso ended. Apple really doesn't have much content. But they have a ton of money, so it's probably only a matter of time.</p>
<p>Next up was HBO Max, which we have had for a few months now. I paid for a full year upfront since it was pretty cheap (some discounted rate, though I couldn't tell you what it cost). I went through and added several movies and shows and have barely watched any of them so far.</p>
<p>So today my wife changes up our Verizon plan and got a new phone. We now have Disney+ for "free" (double quotes because, let's face it, you're still paying for it!). So no change there. But we also have Hulu now. What do I do? Go through their hubs and add a ton of shows to my watchlist. How much will I actually watch? Time will tell.</p>
<p>In addition to all of this, we have Dish Network. We have been a Dish customer for probably 20-years. We can watch live local channels without waiting 24- or 48-hours, or for the network to make an agreement with one service and months later, yet another. We have a DVR that is <checks real quick...> 43% full. Most of that is made up if movies recorded over the years when we had free preview weekends or something like that. In addition, we have a ton of timers to record shows. I prefer to wait for a full season now to binge (which I blame on Netflix) whereas my wife watches her shows whever she can.</p>
<p>Remember when I mentioned we still have the dvd plan on Netflix? It is due, in no small part, to a handful of shows I like from Showtime. I just can't bring myself to get yet another subscription when I can just rip them from dvd and binge them on my own schedule. For example, I get Billions from the dvd plan because I just don't want to have Showtime+ or whatever their service is called.</p>
<p>Where am I going with all this?</p>
<p>With the DVR, all the on-demand content, all the various watchlists, it is probably mathematically impossible for me to watch all the content I am even vaguely interested in. Yet I still add new things all the time. And yet, as I type this up, I sit here watching a Halloween episode of Modern Family on syndication that I am sure I have seen no less than five times over the years.</p>
<p>There are too many options. You subscribe and just pay without noticing. I have never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones. It's full run was one of the things that tipped the scale toward getting HBO Max. In the last few months since we have had it have I even watched the first episode yet? Nope! Have I gotten past the third episode of the odd Jeff Goldblum show on Disney+? Nope. It is quirky and right up my alley. I enjoy what I have seen so far, but it's just there, so no rush, right?</p>
<p>But when I decide to binge something now do I go with the rest of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on Netflix, start Terriers on Hulu since I heard great things, or do I finally take the plunge into the dense world on Thrones?</p>
<p>No idea, there is just so much to watch!</p>
<p>Edit: Crap! I completely forgot that we have Amazon Prime, too!</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-20471724854922298572022-03-28T15:52:00.002-07:002022-03-28T15:53:47.682-07:00Biggest card selling regret?<p>This topic comes up from time to time in any number of Facebook groups or on forums, such as Hobby Insider or Blowout Forums.</p>
<p>For me, the answer is easy. It's this one:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/gallery/GONE/IronMan_Auto_RobertDowneyJr.jpg"></p>
<p>So what is this card?
<p>Back in 2010 time frame, Rittenhouse Archives held the Marvel license for trading cards. They produced a full set of cards for the first "big" MCU movie, Iron Man. Maybe you've heard of it...</p>
<p>Anyway, I was building a master set for the movie. It had some costume cards (including short-printed Obadiah Stane tie cards and some Pepper Potts bustier cards). It also had a handful of autographs, notably one of Robert Downey, Jr. While I was building the set, I picked up the the RDJ auto for $180 or so. A few months later I got bored with the set and split it up.</p>
<p>I posted the cards on Hobby Insider to sale. Someone offered me $250 for the RDJ auto. I thought sure, $70 profit for a few months of sitting in a box, why not?!?</p>
<p>Fast forward to today. That same card is selling for $12,000 or more.</p>
<p>So yeah, the moral of the story is NEVER SELL ANYTHING!</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-65550688157306900232022-01-13T09:19:00.000-08:002022-01-13T09:19:08.974-08:00Buyer frustrations
<p>I collect sketchcards from Mark Bloodworth (along with some artwork directly from him--see it all <a href="http://rhinosgonecrazy.com/html/gallery_s-bloodworth.html">here</a>).</p>
<p>Mark doesn't really do a lot of sketchcard sets, and even when he does, he generally only does a handful. You won't see a set with him doing 50 or more cards. It's usually 4-6, something like that.</p>
<p>That said, his cards don't pop up too often. Those that are up on eBay have been up for a while, only because the asking prices are a little... hopeful. I say that as someone who owns several cards myself. I kinda know his market.</p>
<p>So there was a 2-card puzzle that had been up on eBay for months. Most recently it had an opening bid of $150 (with a much higher BIN). I felt kinda interested, but just had other things going on, so didn't get a bid in.</p>
<p>While it was still up, I get an email from the seller. They were moving away from an eBay store and to their own website. They had taken images and shared them out in a GoggleDocs folder. Was I interested in any?</p>
<p>You bet, the Bloodworth and a couple of others. I asked for what they were looking for on the cards. Generally speaking, off-eBay prices are a little less since there are no fees taken out as well. Usually the sellers are willing to lower a little.</p>
<p>So that $150 card puzzle on eBay? They wanted $400.</p>
<p>Pfft, no thanks. I explained that there were no bids at $150, so I was out. I also gave some suggestions on the other two cards I was interested.</p>
<p>The reasoning was that the seller's partner got mad it was priced so low on eBay.</p>
<p>Hmm, if it didn't sell at $150 on a global marketplace, how in the world is it going to sell for nearly three times that on a personal website?</p>
<p>They did take my advice on the other two cards and offered them to me at that amount.</p>
<p>No thanks, I'll pass on all of them now. Thanks, though!</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-28907772375188342362022-01-11T21:04:00.000-08:002022-01-11T21:04:05.687-08:00Two things that have ruined the hobby<p>I'll keep this one short:</p>
<p>
<ul>
<li>Speculators</li>
<li>Grading</li>
</ul>
</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-36288801409244924272021-11-12T11:42:00.001-08:002022-04-05T12:11:42.985-07:00Aftermarket sketchcards - do your homework<p>There are a ton of sets that feature sketchcards these days. There are a ton of artists that produce those cards. And there are a ton of blanks available for any price range.</p>
<p>I came across a couple of fantastic cards on eBay that were being sold directly by the artists themselves. This usually means they are Artist Proofs, Returns, or whatever the nomenclature is for that particular manufacturer. I believe both of these showed up in the bottom of other listings, one of those "related items". Both caught my eye, and not having much time right then I just added them to my watchlist and moved on.</p>
<p>The first is this one:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/indyheritage-aftermarket.jpg"></p>
<p>This is the "love you" girl in Indy's classroom at the beginning on Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it-moments from cinema (pun intended). Anyway, a phenomenal sketchcard. It is done by Javier Gonzalez. I am familiar with Javier's work as I have a couple of commissioned cards of his in my own collection. I saw this and wanted it immediately. I actually had a snipe set on it (lower than the final bid, obviously).</p>
<p>In the description, Javier clearly states the following (font and caps his emphasis):</p>
<p>"This is what is commonly referred to as an <font color="red">Aftermarket Sketch Card</font>. This piece is done on OFFICIAL Topps Stock by a <font color="red">non-set artist.</font>"</p>
<p>No harm, no foul. Javier was clear, but to the unsuspecting bidder who may be just skimming the listing, would they care? I didn't at the end of the day. This is one card that would go in my collection and stay there. But there is definitely some differences in realized prices if this were an official pack-inserted card.</p>
<p>The second card is this one:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/swevolution-aftermarket.jpg"></p>
<p>Without even looking at the seller name I knew this was a Charles Hall card. I have a few of his cards in my collection, too. Charles does not have the disclaimer in his listing that this is an aftermarket, but any smart collector should know a few basic things about this.</p>
<ul>
<li>Charles Hall was not on the artist listing for this Star Wars Evolution set (though there can be some errors on those)</li>
<li>Charles typically puts the year on the front, and is from 2021</li>
<li>this particular Evolution set came out in 2016</li>
<li>Topps does not give blanks to artists for their Returns/Proofs (like Rittenhouse, for example)</li>
</ul>
<p>Ergo, this was originally a blank card that Charles painted on. It is not an "official" Star Wars sketchcard. I don't know if he purchased it blank, if another collector purchased it for Charles as a commission that fell through, or what. Doesn't matter. Not an "official" Star Wars sketchcard.</p>
<p>I am not implying that Charles was being deceitful--much like the Gonzalez above, I had a snipe in on this one, too. And I imagine that if this were an official card it would have ended higher as well.</p>
<p>So to some collectors, it just doesn't matter. A great sketch is a great sketch, right? But do a little homework before you start bidding, especially if you ever plan on selling or even flipping the cards. If you don't disclose it, that's on you...</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-7867932211020332512021-11-12T10:26:00.000-08:002021-11-12T10:26:10.375-08:00Economics of ePack and COMC<p>For anyone who is into non-sports, particularly Upper Deck products, they know about UD's ePack platform. For anyone into non-sports OR sports cards, they know about COMC. They are tied together at the hip, as COMC does the fulfillment for ePack. That means that when you open any physical product for ePack, those cards are actually at a COMC facility. This also means when you transfer from ePack to COMC, really all they are doing is taking it from your ePack account and switching it over--it's ostensibly a database update with no need for physical shipping or anything like that.</p>
<p>Unfortunately that is a one-way street. You can transfer from ePack to COMC, but you can't go the other way. I'm not exactly sure why, as it would be just another database update (there is more behind the scenes, probably, so I am oversimplifying things). A big part of ePack is the achievements, and once you redeem a card for an achievement, you can't redeem it again. The ePack platform flags it as redeemed, though it is still a perfectly viable physical card. Once you transfer that same redeemed card to COMC, it doesn't matter. There is no flag there to say if a card was redeemed or not, because it doesn't matter.</p>
<p>This prevents you from buying cards cheaply on COMC, transferring them back "upstream" to ePack, and doing achievements. This also puts a divide in the different markets.</p>
<p>Another feature of the ePack platform is combining base cards. Right now there is an X-Men Metal set live on ePack. It has a low and a high series. The low series is not a physical card, meaning you cannot transfer a low series card to COMC. You can, however, combine 10 base cards to get an ePack-exclusive Blue parallel which is physical. If you are industrious enough with pack breaks or trading, you can do this multiple times and get 10 Blue parallels, then combine those for a Black parallel. So in essence, 100 base for one Black. Let me rephrase that: 100 non-physical, relatively worthless, low-series base for a physical Black ePack exclusive parallel.</p>
<p>You can do the same with high series as well, but those are already physical cards (meaning you <i>can</i> transfer to COMC if desired). Some people are offering $1.50 for a high-series. So that means if they are going for the Black parallel, that's roughly $150 in perceived value for that collector for the Black version of the high series card. That's more than many of the Red PMGs are that are /100, and more than the Pinks which are /75. That's strange to me.</p>
<p>Getting 100 of any card is a challenge because ePack trading can be... difficult. There is a chat feature on the site, and you may get some trades for exactly what you are looking for. Most times, it is lopsided. Few people seem to be ok with base-for-base trades.</p>
<p>With Metal, for example, I am collecting the Firestar cards. She has a low series and a high series base (along with some others, but we'll focus on the base). Same as above, I can collect 10 of each to get the Blue parallel, then 10 Blues to get the Black. Since I am a completionist, technically I need 110 of each, since I gotta keep a Blue one, too.</p>
<p>This is where that one-way street breaks down.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/comcfirestar.jpg"></p>
<p>If I could buy 10 of the Blues on COMC, it would cost me roughly $6.50 (they're not all $.65, but you get the idea). I could then transfer them BACK to ePack, combine them, and be done. That is much cheaper than the $27, which is currently the cheapest Black version.</p>
<p>I've read some collectors say they keep things on ePack because they are worth more there. I can see some arguments for that.</p>
<p>The other odd part of ePack and COMC is this. We know they don't produce the base low series, again, using X-Men Metal as an example. This is also true for most of the non-premium sets. But that means that UD created the Blue and Black parallels specifically for combining base on ePack. OK, fine. But let's say that no one wants a Black parallel. People want Blues and that's it. That means that UD has to account for that (admittedly far-fetched) idea and print the maximum number of Blues that could possibly be made from however many low series cards are distributed via ePack pack, boxes, and cases.</p>
<p>In this example, what happens with all those Black parallels that were made and are sitting in COMC warehouses somewhere? Do they purge those at some point? Is there an expiration for ePack exclusive parallels, or will they sit there for an eternity? Maybe three-years from now someone on ePack decides they want to combine 10 of those Blues for a Black. So they have to keep them all, right?</p>
<p>Then think about what happens for the combined cards. You can combine 10 Blues for one Black. You no longer have those Blues in your account, but they are physical, so they are... somewhere. Do they physically destroy Blues when combined into a Black?</p>
<p>Just some of the weird things I think about.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-1954594396468415342021-10-01T15:11:00.004-07:002021-11-12T10:21:53.869-08:00The Alpha and the Omega<p>Card collecting can be an odd hobby. I have collected cards in one arena or another since I was a kid, and my uncle gave me a rubber-banded stack of 1987 Topps baseball. You know, the wooden borders. In the mid-90s I picked up hockey, then eventually some non-sports. So I've seen it all. From a time when jersey cards were rare hits to them being so common you can't give some players away. From a time when cards were hard-signed to when they are all nearly stickers. From before sketchcards to them being readily available in nearly every non-sport release, oftentimes as a box hit.</p>
<p>So while I consider myself a veteran of card collecting, I was a little shocked when someone mentioned the terms "alpha" and "omega" in a Star Wars collector group on Facebook. In the context of the post, it was obvious they were talking about the first and last stamped card. By that, I mean if a card is stamped out of 99, the "alpha" is stamped 1/99. The "omega" wold be the 99/99.</p>
<p>Because card collectors are a strange breed, some will actually pay a little more for one of these. I personally do not, but I also have to wonder if collectors would attach any premium to these stamped cards if they knew that the "alpha" card, stamped 1/99 in this example, is <i>usually</i> the LAST card stamped. Most manufacturers will, essentially, have a setting on their stamping machine that represents the total print run of any given card.</p>
<p>So, again using this example, they would set the stamping machine to 99. The first card gets it's 99/99 stamp, then it goes to 98/99, 97/99 and so on until the "alpha" card of 1/99 is actually the last card. In a sense, the alpha IS the omega, the omega IS the alpha.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-75597820818862524562021-08-03T08:01:00.003-07:002021-08-03T12:58:37.844-07:00It's only worth what someone will pay for it. Kind of.<p>Ever been on a forum or in a Facebook group and someone asks the "What's this worth?" question? Of course you have. Oftentimes someone will post the simple answer of "It's only worth what someone will pay for it."</p>
<p>While this is, on the surface, a factually logical statement, it is greatly oversimplified.</p>
<p>The real answer, when applied to any sold item, is far less elegant:</p>
<p><font color="blue">That <i>exact card</i> is only worth what that <i>exact</i> seller sold it for, to that <i>exact</i> buyer, at that <i>exact</i> time, on the <i>exact</i> site, and under those <i>exact</i> circumstances.</font></p>
<p>Why the difference? Numerous reasons. Let's assume it is an item on eBay:
<ul>
<li>-perhaps it was a card listed on just the ebay.ca site as opposed to the ebay.com, hence limiting the audience</li>
<li>-perhaps the seller did not ship to certain countries</li>
<li>-perhaps two interested bidders happened to see it and bid it up</li>
<li>-perhaps the winner needed that single card to finish off a set they have been working on for months, and were willing to pay whatever it took to cross it off the list</li>
<li>-perhaps it was a specific serial numbered card (some collectors collect jersey numbered, 1/x, x/x, or some other specific numbering)</li>
<li>-perhaps there was shill bidding</li>
<li>-perhaps it was a seller with low feedback</li>
<li>-perhaps it ended at an odd time</li>
<li>-perhaps a player got hot and the cards are rising</li>
<li>-perhaps a player is on a cold streak and the cards are dropping</li>
<li>-perhaps a player got traded and people are dumping cards from the old team</li>
<li>-perhaps there were two of the same card that ended around the same time</li>
<li>-perhaps that one bidder who really wanted the card just flat out forgot to place a bid or set a snipe on it</li>
<li>-perhaps the seller just didn't know what they had, listed it for a low BIN, and it was quickly snatched up</li>
<li>-perhaps the seller charges a lot for shipping, so buyers have to factor that into total costs</li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>The list goes on. But you can see, there is no magical formula for what a card is worth. So in the future, when you see someone asking, feel free to use my more accurate answer above.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-8741780959099196132021-07-23T09:03:00.001-07:002021-10-01T15:09:48.781-07:00Can't find comps?<p>Yes, you can. You just have to know how to do it.</p>
<p>In trading cards, there is a huge variety of, well, everything. Serial numbering, autographs, memorabilia, 1/1 cards, printing plates, die-cut parallels. If you can imagine it on a trading card, it has probably been done.</p>
<p>I am a member of a number of Facebook groups ranging from hockey to Star Wars card to Marvel cards. Due to the high prices being realized all across the board, people are spilling in still at an alarming rate without really knowing what they are doing. These are groups that are well-established, so you can always tell who the new member is. It's not a problem per se--heck, we all want the hobby to grow! But inevitably someone will post "I just [pulled this from a box||won this in a break], and I can't find any comps. What is this worth?"</p>
<p>First of all, the general answer is always to check two sources:<br>
-*sold* eBay auctions<br>
-130point.com</p>
<p>Of course, 130point covers sold items on eBay, so there is a lot of overlap. However 130point shows Best Offer amounts, so there is a little more value using that site.</p>
<p>Anyway, people seem to expect there to be established values immediately on a product THAT JUST RELEASED! Spoiler alert, cards don't always end up on eBay right away. Especially in the case of breakers where cards need to be mailed to their owners. But this brings me to my point.</p>
<p>What is a "comp"?</p>
<p>Most seem to be under the impression it is an evaluation on the exact card they are asking about. Sure, sometimes that may be possible. In that case, you should have found it already on eBay/130point. However, for those lower print-run cards, oftentimes there won't be one of those on the market yet.</p>
<p>It's short for "comparable", as in "what would a comparable card be worth".</p>
<p>This is where you have to know what you're doing. For hockey, for example, you need to know who the top Young Guns are, or that there are more desirable parallels each year. Or just understanding the hobby in general. Your average Cup patch auto /25 is going to be more than an SP Game Used patch auto /25 of that same player. A McDavid will sell better than a Kopitar. A multi-color patch will sell better than a single color.</p>
<p>Veteran collectors probably know that Beckett used to have a listing of players they grouped into Unlisted Stars and Semi-Stars. This means they were roughly equivalent in value. They've done this for years.</p>
<p>Groupings are important for Star Wars and Marvel as well. Rey is more popular than a random Clone Trooper, but pretty close to Leia; Wolverine is more popular than Bishop, but pretty close to Venom.</p>
<p>As far as comps, do your homework. Use eBay. Figure out what that player/character sells for with, say, the same serial number. Or what those equivalent people sell for.</p>
<p>You pulled a base Qui-Gon parallel out of 10? Fine, find the /15 or /20 and... add a little more.</p>
<p>You pulled that Sebastian Aho SPGU Patch Auto? Cool, look at values form last year. They'll be about the same. Add a tad more since it's the new shiny product, but they'll approach the same value in short time.</p>
<p>Bottom line, there are plenty of ways to figure out evaluations. No one wants to see a lazy collector. Do your homework.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-24750981322138340732021-07-06T21:09:00.021-07:002021-07-15T09:43:16.210-07:00How do you price a sketch card?<p>In short, it takes a lot of experience and homework. I've mentioned this before, and it still holds true: There is no magical formula for determining what something is worth, or will sell for. You have to make some concessions for some of what follows. Imagine the exact same artist draws the exact same sketch for different products; or imagine two artists of "similar collectibility" draw the same character for the same release. Among the many criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>The artist.</b> Probably the most obvious, but some artists are simply more desirable than others. Some have a huge following and their cards will routinely sell over $500 USD minimum. They are usually rarer artists, for a number of reasons--not involved in too many sets; don't produce a lot of cards in any given release; some may have gained popularity after they exited the sketch card world and became more involved in the comic industry. There are a ton of reasons, but if an artist has a distinct style and consistently produces good work, chances are someone somewhere collects that artist.</li>
<li><b>The character.</b> Probably the second most important. This is one criteria with a ton of exceptions. But in general, a Wolverine will sell better than, say, Urthona. Jean Grey will sell better than Shanga the Star-Dancer. Indiana Jones will sell better than a generic Thuggee guard. This can be highly variable, especially when a collector collects specific characters (like I do with Rhino and Firestar).</li>
<li><b>Male versus female.</b> In general, a female character will sell better than a male character. I have my suspicions why...</li>
<li><b>Costume.</b> It's no secret that characters, especially in comics, can have a ton of costumes over the years. There are different universes, different artists, different story lines, different movies. Some costumes are simply more popular with some collectors. (I'm thinking of you, Savage Land Rogue and Slave Leia!).</li>
<li><b>The property.</b> Marvel or Star Wars is likely going to sell better than, say, Nosferatu.</li>
<li><b>Does the character "belong" in the release?</b> This one is a bit odd, so an example probably works best. I collect Rhino sketchcards, among other things. I am more likely to pay more for a card from Masterpieces or Premier or Metal than from, say, Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardians was tied to the film release, and Rhino was nowhere near that movie. I commissioned several Rhino vs. Irom Man APs for the Iron Man 2 release and still feel weird about it.<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/guardians.jpg"></p></li>
<li><b>The method of distribution.</b> This dovetails somewhat into the property one above. A set released in box or pack form that can be bought in a store (brick and morter or online) is likely to be more popular on the secondary market than a set released through a Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaign. Would you rather have something from Empire Strikes Back or Old Man Like Ron? Conversely, something like an ePack achievement can go for more as there is a difficulty factor in obtaining one.</li>
<li><b>Is it an AP/Artist Proof, Artist Return, Artist Exclusive, 6-back, etc.?</b> These are, ostensibly, cards provided to artists as part of their payment. Depending on the manufacturer, artists can sell them as commissioned blanks, and others will draw whatever is relevant to the release and sell them that way. For Topps, as in the case of the 6-backs, these were cards that an artist would designate to be returned back to them that they could sell themselves. Regardless of how we refer to these special cards, artists typically spend more time on them than a card inserted into packs. They are also able to sell at their usual going rate, so APs can oftentimes cost more than a pack-inserted card on the secondary market. Rittenhouse also provided larger uncut cards to artists, so they had a larger area to work with.</li>
<li><b>Is it a case incentive?</b> A few manufacturers have released case incentives to entice buyers into buying whole cases. I tend to think more about Rittenhouse when it comes to this one, though they are not the only one. Rittenhouse had specific artists produce case incentive sketches for people buying 3- or even 9-cases at a time. These are all well done and usually sell quite well (especially if in their original Rittenhouse holder with the sticker). Many Rittenhouse case incentives were also uncut as well.</li>
<li><b>Price of a box or pack.</b> Marvel Premier sketch prices will typically be higher than, say, Marvel Annual.</li>
<li><b>Color vs gray-scale or b&w.</b> Generally, color sketches are expected from collectors these days, and I think mandated from card companies on most sets. There are some exceptions, like the three Star Wars Black & White sets, or the earliest sketch sets where cards were done in pencil or inks only. But for modern sets, collectors are usually going to pay more for a full-color sketch.</li>
<li><b>One character versus many.</b> Is it just Cyclops, or a team sketch of the original X-Men? Composition and arrangement of characters is a big aesthetic point in this one, but it can be a factor.</li>
<li><b>What's the background look like?</b> Is it some simple clouds, a detailed cityscape, or nothing? All things similar, a detailed background will usually win out.</li>
<li><b>Photorealistic versus cartoony.</b> Collectors and most manufacturers have expectations these days around having photo-realistic sketches. I think some artists do fantastic cartoony work. I'll put up a Locoduck or Agnes Garbowska against anyone. But some collectors do prefer one over the other, and it can sway costs.<p align="center"><img src="http://sketchcollectors.com/gallery/weasel-king/1269530913-thumb.jpg"></p></li>
<li><b>Characters versus scenes.</b> Characters are 99% of the sketches we see. However, there are some artists that excel in landscapes and scenes. I think back to some of the fantastic Hoth battles, or some of the Lord of the Rings battle scenes I have seen in the past.</li>
<li><b>Characters versus vehicles or weapons.</b> This one is tricky, and maybe seen more in Star Wars or Star Trek sets. I know some collectors who collect only vehicles, and some artists who do a fantastic job with them. Similarly, some will do a run of, say, just light sabers.<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/gallery/hardy/s/s2018SoloAStarWarsStory_Sketch-Die-Cut-IngridHardy_Falcon.jpg"></p></li>
<li><b>Single or multi-panel cards.</b> Multi-panel cards give more real estate for artists, and they are typically more rare in a given release than single-card sketch cards. That may automatically make you think panel cards are more collectible, but some collectors find it more challenging to store or display them. So there is a balance to take into account. This is also applicable to cards larger than standard-size, like uncut cards or even the 5x7 cards from some Marvel sets.</li>
<li><b>Single versus puzzles.</b> This used to be more of an issue in past years where manufacturers would split up puzzle sketches for pack insertion. Lately we have seen more and more where all pieces were packed together. Years back it was a feat to track down two- or three-piece puzzles, and could be expensive (especially if someone knew you needed that third piece to finish it off!). But much like the multi-panel cards mentioned above, there is simply more room to work with on puzzles so they can be sought after.<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/gallery/ns/sketch/spidarc/s/sSpider-ManArchives-AmazingFriends1of3-NicoleGoff.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/gallery/ns/sketch/spidarc/s/sSpider-ManArchives-AmazingFriends2of3-NicoleGoff.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/gallery/ns/sketch/spidarc/s/sSpider-ManArchives-AmazingFriends3of3-NicoleGoff.jpg"></p></li>
<li><b>Themes within a release.</b> I remember for 2009's Spider-Man Archives from Rittenhouse, Sonny Strait did a handful of cards with characters in a variety of themes. He did some in space, some in a bobble-head style, and some with an off-card "thwip" to the face of the subject. If collectors are interested in the theme, they will be willing to pay more to add to the collection.</li>
<li><b>Timing of real-world releases.</b> This one is a bit abstract. In short, we saw an up-tick in interest in the Scarlet Witch when WandaVision came out on Disney+. Similarly, when the Avengers: Age of Ultron came out, more people seemed to be looking for Ultron sketches. These sorts of things tend to die down over time, but the reality is that seeing a character on the screen can increase interest in sketch cards.</li>
<li><b>Is the character on the "banned list"?</b> Sometimes characters are not licensed to be included in some sets. We see this in Marvel sets more than other properties. It is typically because the manufacturer or distributor do not have the licensing rights to produce cards with those charactrs on them. However, those characters sometimes slip through the cracks and make it into packs. Because of the perceived rarity, these can sell quite well.</li>
<li><b>Uniqueness - Part 1</b> He tends to be a punchline, but look up Ryan Waterhouse sketches. He did a ton of repeat sketches for some Indiana Jones releases several years back. And Lord of the Rings. And Halo. But he is sort of the extreme end of it.<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/waterhouses.jpg"></p></li>
<li><b>Uniqueness - Part 2</b> Be aware that sometimes companies will give artists a restricted list to draw from. It can vary from company to company, but Topps may offer limited screenshots to use as references (like some of the pre-release Star Wars film sets); yet other releases have characters pre-determined for the artists. This creates a large number of, say, Magneto sketches from a particular set, or the same likeness of Lando sketched a lot.<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/designated.jpg"></p></li>
<li><b>Is it from an "official" set?</b> By this I mean does the card come from a manufacturer (regardless of how it was distributed--boxes, KickStarter, etc.) or is it on the artist's own cardstock, also known as PSCs, ACEOs, and probably some other names. If the exact same artwork is done for an official set versus the artist's own blanks, the official one will sell better.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you read the above, you'll see I use the words "typically" or "generally" a lot. That's because there are always exceptions to all of these rules. All it takes is two people interested in a particular artist, or someone needing that final sketch for a master set, to drive prices past expectations.</p>
<p>Note I tried to stay away from listing "how good a sketch is" as a point above. As cliched as it is, art is very subjective. One of my favorite Lando cards is done in construction paper (OK, so technically not a sketch, I suppose). Likewise, there are some very popular artists I'm just not into. That's fine. As I always say, collect what you like.</p>
<p>I'm sure I missed several other factors. Let me know, and I'm happy to include them!</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-77376467915662111472021-07-06T19:51:00.002-07:002021-07-06T19:51:45.955-07:00Part 2: Boo COMC, and Boo Hobby Insider!<p>So earlier today someone updated an existing thread on Hobby Insider about COMC shipping times. Apparently that is all that can be discussed. Someone commented sonething that could be construed as negative, so I replied something along the lines of "Watch out, we're not allowed to speak ill of COMC on here."</p>
<p>Later in the day I discovered I was banned:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/banned.jpg"></p>
<p>No communication from an admin, much less the owner.</p>
<p>Meh, September will be here before we know it.</p>
weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-89964359782003385342021-07-02T22:36:00.003-07:002021-07-02T22:45:51.561-07:00Boo COMC, and Boo Hobby Insider!<p>It's amusing and sad at the same time. I have had several posts in recent months deleted from Hobby Insider.</p>
<p>The topic?</p>
<p>The terrible service with COMC.</p>
<p>My story is no different from any other's. I placed a shipment request back in early January for a little over 100 cards. They were supposed to ship in mid-April. That sort of three-month delay is laughable, but at least they told me up front.</p>
<p>Then April came and went. Emails to COMC went unanswered. The president (or CEO?) of COMC goes on Sportscards Live and answers some softball questions. You know, the answers that don't really answer anything. People praised him for being transparent with their problems.</p>
<p>All I heard were excuses. I had been pretty critical on Hobby Insider about COMC. Others were, too. I'm pretty sure I had a couple of thread replies removed, but never thought much about it. There are weekly complaint threads about COMC, so I'd have another chance soon.</p>
<p>Eventually I resort to Twitter DMs to try and get an update on my shipment. This is in June. Why Twitter? Because I still don't have my cards and get no responses to emails. Twitter must have been the way to go, because I get a response to one of the previously unanswered emails.</p>
<p>They can't tell me when my cards will be mailed, but they were kind enough to refund my shipping costs. Thanks. I'd rather have my cards, though.</p>
<p>Just this past week COMC sent an email out saying they are essentially focusing on the two fastest shipping methods. So screw those of us who have been waiting months, I guess. I'd pull all of my cards out of COMC if I knew I would get them in a reasonable time frame. Oh, and great news, they are increasing their Customer Service team from 4 to 20. Why would they need to do that? Because people are complaining. Why are they complaining? You got it, the abhorrent delays. What happened to the 50 people they proudly claimed they hired back in the January timeframe?</p>
<p>Meanwhile I have cards sitting on ePack for my personal collection, too. Who knows when (or if) things will return to normal for me to send them home.</p>
<p>COMC use to be an integral part of the hobby. Now they are a joke. Go check their Better Business Bureau profile (<a href="https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/redmond/profile/baseball-cards/check-out-my-cards-1296-22439836/complaints">link</a>). I am far from the only person who thinks so. My how they have fallen. They blame staffing, blame Covid, blame moving warehouses.</p>
<p>I blame inadequate planning. I blame them for implementing eBay auctions. Despite what was said on the first Sportscards Live interview, yes, yes you could suspend your eBay auctions. Even for just a few months. Want to know how great the service is on their eBay auctions? Go check out their feedback.</p>
<p>Perhaps most importantly, though, I blame collectors for not having other options.</p>
<p>I have said this before, though some of the veteran HI members disagreed--aside from their relationship with ePack and Upper Deck, there is nothing proprietary in what COMC does. I have done web development for 2-decades and could sketch something pretty close to COMC functionality on the back of a napkin using off-the-shelf software for inventory control. And make some improvements along the way, too (ever try and search sketchcards by character names?).</p>
<p>Am I just impatient? Maybe. But is it reasonable to expect your customers to wait months for a shipment? Is it reasonable to let that date pass with no updates? I am now almost 12-weeks past my expected ship date, and if I am lucky enough to get an email response, there is no useful information in it. They told me they cannot tell me when amything will ship. Why don't they know? Maybe that says more than anything.</p>
<p>In the meantime, COMC is going on Sportscards Live again this weekend. I'm not going to listen because I can predict what will be said. Meanwhile, I am still waiting. And I'm sure my posts on Hobby Insider will continue to be removed. And I know exactly why (and probably by whom). For those who happen to see them before they are deleted, let me ask you: Am I wrong?</p>
<p>Maybe if I had my own podcast COMC would be able to give me an update on my shipment. But then I don't think I could publicly complain, either.</p>
<p>So I have left the Hobby Insider group on Facebook, as well as the Sportscards Live group. I'll unsubscribe from the podcast and delete the ones I have yet to listen to. Eventually I'll probably leave the HI forums, too. I know no one cares about one person, and that's fine. But seriously, removing my entirely factual posts because I speak ill toward COMC is childish.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-3835977295355211732020-08-04T14:11:00.004-07:002021-07-13T10:58:13.464-07:00Quick study on Jagr stick usage for 19-20 Engrained Remnants<p>I fully admit this should be filed under "internet pedant". However, I was looking at the recent Jagr cards in Upper Deck's release of 2019-20 UD Engrained. I know it is no mystery that there are oftentimes mismatched player uniforms and the game-used equipment in the card itself.</p>
<p>For Engrained, Jagr is pictured in Pens jerseys. However, based on the images on eBay thus far, UD used basically two sticks, neither of which he used as a Pens player.</p>
<p>The card images I nabbed from eBay, so they may very well belong to some of you here.</p>
<p>From the regular /100 Remnants--</p>
<p>These came from a CCM Vector model Jagr used with the Rangers. CCM appears a few different places, so they had several choices depending on how the stick was cut up:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/8-100.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/14-100.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/44-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick sections:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/cc.jpg"></p>
<p>Upside-down "M":<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/32-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/upsidedown-m.jpg"></p>
<p>Bottom with shield and warranty:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/36-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/bottomshield.jpg"></p>
<p>Bottom just by the nameplate:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/45-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/bottomplate.jpg"></p>
<p>And this particular pattern appears under the handle area, so it seems they removed the tape as the white line is near the top:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/47-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick: (sorry, not removing my tape!)<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/handle.jpg"></p>
<p>They also used a Pure Combat stick, a model he used during his Dallas/Bruins/Flyers days.
<p>The "P" and juuuust a touch of the "U":<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/100-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/p.jpg"></p>
<p>A gold line:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/67-100.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/gold1.jpg"></p>
<p>The Auto Remnants are /35. There are a few very generic stick pieces, so it is hard to tell where they came from. But these two came from the Pure Combat stick again:</p>
<p>Gold line:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/20-35.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/gold2.jpg"></p>
<p>The "U" and a bit of the "R":<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/5-35.jpg"></p>
<p>Stick:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/research/u.jpg"></p>
<p>EDIT: There is one copy of the Flexures that has some distinguishing letters, but I forgot to look for it on my sticks. Maybe later...</p>
<p>So some questions:<br>
1. Does this mean UD only has these two sticks in their possession at this time?<br>
2. Did they simply use Pens pics because Jagr collectors tend to be more interested in his earlier career? Was it licensing?<br>
3. If they had pieces of old Christian sticks or the old Koho models he used with the Pens, would they sell better?<br>
</p>
<p>Just random things I think about these days!</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-71796430276570303482019-02-06T11:43:00.002-08:002019-02-06T11:43:58.252-08:00Making some sales on the ol' Jagr collection!<p>So after joining a couple more Facebook groups, I have been selling a handful of my Jagr cards. I think only 20 or so have been sold, but I am thankful for having some good Facebook Messenger conversations with a few collectors.</p>
<p>For the most part I have gotten what I have wanted out of them. Maybe I'll drop $5 off an auto or $15 because you are buying four or five cards, but it's pretty close. To be honest I am basing a lot of my asking prices on what I paid for them, but a lot of it is gut feelings.</p>
<p>But there is a growing sense sadness and regret. I guess because a hobby I have enjoyed for 25-years is leaving, bubble mailer by bubble mailer, magnetic one-touch by magnetic one-touch.</p>
<p>For now the rush is fun, seeing what people are interested in. But I realize that will die down. A couple of Jagr collectors are picking over my collection like a buzzard over a dead opossum, but at least they are respectful of my prices and I know the cards will "go to a good home".</p>
<p>But what I once held as a sort of bragging point is falling away. Coveted cards are only coveted because people want MINE. When I sell them off that no longer applies. I can no longer post those same cards in a "see what I have?" manner anymore.</p>
<p>So was all this just to get the largest collection? The best cards? I don't know. But I'm glad to sell off what I can.</p>
<p>Unfortunately many sales have fallen through because shipping costs are so high these days. For a $70 card does it make sense to spend $15 or more on shipping to get it to Europe? Nevermind that it is over $35 to some countries just to get a tracking number. I am fortunate, though, that some are utilizing US-based services like COMC Mailboxes or Get it Shipped International. Those may be my saving graces!</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-67490380945644397392019-01-28T12:29:00.002-08:002019-01-28T12:59:08.746-08:00Collecting cardboard - is it over?<p>Bittersweet to say the least. I have collected Jagr cards for the better part of 25-years, with a break in there somewhere. I have spent an embarrassingly large amount of money on Jagr cards. I sold off some of the better cards years back (including a ton of 1/1s that I wish I had today), then when he returned from the KHL I started in full force again, focusing on game-used, autos, and plates. I picked up some 90's eye candy and some other lower-numbered cards along the way, too.</p>
<p>But I think I'm done now.</p>
<p>As soon as I saw Jagr did not get picked up for the 18-19 NHL season, and that he had moved back home to his Kladno team, I knew the end was probably in sight.</p>
<p>Then the new sets starting coming out with few or no Jagr cards (with the exception of the superb Jagr Years subset in UDs1).</p>
<p>I still picked up the cards I wanted for my collection. Unfortunately as of late, those have been mostly printing plates, and I seem to be the only person picking them up. Then I picked the full set of four Leaf Distinguished Series plates for like $14. Oof, that was sad. Yeah, it's Leaf, but a lot of collectors like the "rainbow" set of cards. But not this one. Maybe because it's Leaf? Who knows.</p>
<p>Over the 6-months I have tried to sell some of the duplicate Jagr cards. Message boards, Facebook. Facebook is an odd place to try and sell things off. Knowing there are a ton of thirsty Czech collectors, the only people I have been able to sell any Jagr cards to are in Canada. Facebook groups love razzes, but I can't bring myself to do them. People pay for a chance at a card? No thanks. I'm sure that is hurting me, though.</p>
<p>Anyway, so yeah, I'm done. Last week someone on Facebook contacted me about buying ALL my Jagr cards, and he assured me he was a "serious buyer". Eyebrow raised. I told him it'd take me a few days to come up with a number, so he comes back with 70 or so cards specifically. Of course it's all mostly high-end. I tell him to give me some time, but I'm not looking to dump the cards. He seems fine with it. I create a shared Google doc with the cards and prices, then I hear nothing. Nothing. Thanks, big guy. He appears to be a flipper, so it doesn't surprise me.</p>
<p>Another of the many things I collect are Billy Dee Williams cards. That said, they are 99% Lando cards from Star Wars sets. The most recent set to come out is Star Wars Black & White: Empire Strikes Back. That set is not doing well, but it presented me the opportunity to chase numerous parallels (too many, really) of Lando. I grabbed a few, the /25, the /10, some others. But I think I'm done with all the parallels. I believe I am cutting back on Billy Dee to only auto cards.</p>
<p>The worst part about all this? I KNOW I will lose money, but that's not the point. The kicker is that people who collect individual characters are almost to themselves. No one will want to pick up a lot of Lando cards. I have some decent low-numbered parallels, but who's going to want them? Star Wars is such an odd non-sport area to collect. Maybe I can sell off some of them, but there are a lot of those purple or copper parallels that will sit in my office doing no one any good.</p>
<p>That's the worst part of collecting--when you are done, you know you will have a ton of things left over that you will still own. My wife never understood why I collected cards. I guess because I started when I was a kid, back when '86 Donruss baseball was all the rage; back when my uncle gave me a stack of '87 Topps baseball cards, rubberbanded together; back when my dad used to tell me stories about collecting Yankees team sets when he was young, growing up in New York City. Collecting cards has been in my blood for 30-plus years.</p>
<p>I would do anything to get back only what I put into all the cards. Sort of a zero-interest savings account, I guess. Not gonna happen. Now I have a ton of webpages to update, more message board threads and Facebook group posts.</p>
<p>Maybe I'll get lucky. I doubt it, but maybe.</p>
weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-72877078826855802812018-10-17T12:49:00.001-07:002018-10-17T12:59:12.250-07:00Leaf Invictus - you gotta do better than this!<p>Note: This is entirely my opinion, but this is NOT a good product. I will never buy a pack/box of this, so all images below are courtesy of eBay or Hobby Insider. And sadly, as a huge Jaromir Jagr collector, there is not a single card of his from this release I will own. There is only one subset that I half-way like, and they even screwed up the Jagr card for that one.</p>
<p>So, Invictus, huh? The 2009 rugby film directed by Clint Eastwood? The poem published in 1888 by William Ernest Henley? The international games (held this year in Sydney) for servicepeople? The Latin word meaning "unconquered" or "undefeated"?</p>
<p>Nope, 2018 Leaf Invictus Hockey. Now let me get a few things out of the way. Leaf does not have a license for NHL cards, so most shots of modern players are shoulder-up, logos airbrushed when needed. This is nothing new. Some players have no agreement at all with Leaf, so their pictures are represented by cartoony jerseys representing the player. Notably on this list are Gretzky (exclusive with UD), Roy, Orr, and a handful of others. So overall it is hard to knock Leaf for including cards of these players. They're at least getting the memorabilia cards out there, right? They did they best they could, right?</p>
<p>All excuses.</p>
<p>I watched as people busted this product on Blowout Cards and Hobby Insider. People loved it. I did not. I commented on HI that some of the designs looked like custom cards made by amateur Photoshoppers, and I stand by that. For the most part the cheers came from the vintage pieces, so maybe that's the strong suit. I do know that the Upper Deck releases are a little thin on vintage items.</p>
<p>Before we jump into the cards, I will admit that some of these seem like minor and petty complaints, but some of the overall design choices and memorabilia pieces are baffling. This is not the most expensive product out there, but it's not a blaster box from Target, either. I would expect more from a company who doesn't have a license, meaning their standards should be higher.</p>
<p>First up let's look at the terrible designs of some of the card sets. Now this is a professional company putting out tons of products every year, not just for hockey, but for many collectors. So what makes them think they can get away with designs that looks like my 11-year old used GIMP to some up with some home-made cards?</p>
<p>This one is a Carpe Diem card for Newsy Lalonde. Kudos for the decent size swatch and vintage player. But remove the picture, remove the memorabilia, and really look at the layout:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/baddesign01.jpg"></p>
<p>There are at least five different fonts, and the text of "SINGLE" is running into the halo of white surrounding the swatch window. The spacing is uneven at best. And I guess Carpe Diem ties us back to the Latin usage of Invictus?</p>
<hr>
<p>This Unconquerable Duos card of Scotty Bowman and Guy Lafleur looks ok at first glance. A decent job at airbrushing the Lafleur logo, and the word "Unconquerable" a meaning of "Invictus", so yeah, I see what they did there. But wait, is that chain mail covering the entirety of the background? Sheesh.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/baddesign02.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>This Rocket Richard card for the "Ice in His Veins" insert set is quite special. I'm not sure what the background is supposed to be, but look at those effects put into the title. So awesome.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/baddesign03.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>The Winters Past cards have roughly 3/4 shots of the players, which means the airbrushing is more obvious. The layout is fine, but the background of the card is an almost holographic tree. A tree. And the reverse has... more trees and some (presumably) snow falling.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/winters01.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/winters02.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/winters03.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>Now having multiple players on a card can either be a thrill or a curse, depending on who or what you collect. Having some of the best 8 players of all time? Probably a win overall. But when you get nitpicky, it falls apart. This particular "8" card (I have to assume that is the name of the subset?) has some of my personal cardinal sins for hockey cards. First off, we know that UD has the rights to Gretzky and Orr, so fine, but I guess they can't even put their names on the back of the jersey pictures? Fine. But with a quick glance, it looks like Vezina is wearing Gretzky's jersey. Also, it looks like the Gretsky depiction is of an Oilers jersey, but the swatch is clearly a Rangers piece.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/choice01.jpg"></p>
<p>For this one, look at the swatches. Messier has a cool patch or label piece; Bourque's is obviously a patch. Francis, Coffey, and Oates are probably patch pieces simply from the density of the fabric. Gretzky and Jage are jersey pieces (and Jagr's is likely from an All-Star jersey though he is pictured in a Pens uni). There is a lot of inconsistency with the swatches chosen. And design--the Invictus logo isn't at the top!<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/choice02.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>I'm not sure what to call this one. First off, I like the general design--we don't usually see multi-swatch cards where the pieces are that large and elongated. It does lock you into a certain design, but Leaf pulls this one off. And the patch pieces are fantastic. However, the lack of licensing bites them. What's weird about this one is that they have Jagr pics in numerous cards, but they chose to put a jersey mock-up in his spot, likely so that it "matched" Hamrlik and Bonk (players we don't see much game-used cards of anyway, so yay?). Unfortunately the Jagr jersey is a Pens jersey and the patch piece is (likely) a Rangers piece.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/consistency.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>Next up are what I will call the multis. They are cards that have many swatches, but with little selection to the individual pieces. For my money, the best single-player multi-swatch cards ever done were the Complete Jersey cards, because there was a patch, a jersey, some fight strap, whatever--some variety. The ones below happen to be from the Ice Age subset, but there are other examples. Not a great design, and again, the "Ice Age" looks like my son did it, but whatever. And don't worry about the fact that the subset is literally about the start and end dates, so the ice age, of the players. But really, what is the point of having six (!) memorabilia swatches on the LaFleur if they look exactly the same?<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/multi01.jpg"></p>
<p>And this Jagr. A couple of patch pieces, fine. Then four burgundy swatches from an All-Star jersey (nevermind he is in a Pens jersey again):<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/multi02.jpg"></p>
<p>The Lemieux is basically the same. Four identical swatches along the bottom:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/multi03.jpg"></p>
<p>While I think the burgundy swatches at the bottom only appear to be different because of lighting, at least this one is mostly acceptable:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/multi04.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>Again with the name--Undefeatable Fabrics is just a dumb name for a subset, but it goes back to the whole Latin Invictus meaning. We get it. This design is far too similar to the Carpe Diem one, and looks like more Gimp-skilled kids did it. This subset also has a ton of "let's put three swatches that look identical!". And poor Roy--not only is he nameless, but the pictured jersey is Habs while the swatches come from (probably) an Avs jersey. Examples:<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/undefeatable01.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/undefeatable02.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/undefeatable03.jpg"></p>
<hr>
<p>Lastly, the one subset I actually like, the International Ice ones. Decent pics chosen to minimize airbrushing, the row of flags, the globe in the background. Sounds like a winner. See? Some good examples--Bure and Salming.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/intl01.jpg"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/intl02.jpg"></p>
<p>Then, uh-oh... Jagr and Golzig are from the US? Naslund is Canadian?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>Jagr is famously from the Czech Republic.<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/intl03.jpg"></p>
<p>Olie the Goalie was born in South Africa to German parents who moved to Canada. He never applied for citizenship which allowed him to represent Germany in a number of appearances at the Olympics and World Cup. He did play a couple of seasons for the Tri-City Americans and later the Capitals, so <i>maybe</i> that qualifies him to have a flag from the US shown?<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/intl04.jpg"></p>
<p>Mats Naslund--not Canadian. Tons of international play for his native Sweden. He was drafted by the Habs, though, so I guess he can get a Canadian flag for that?<br>
<img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/hockey/intl05.jpg"></p>
<p>There are other examples, but you get the point.</p>
<p>So I'll stand by my opinion. Invictus is garbage. It's not meant for everyone, and clearly I am not their target audience. I'm glad they have a market for some die-hard collectors. I'm just not one of them.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-4915999912086236122011-09-10T01:17:00.002-07:002012-04-10T00:03:42.700-07:00Wow, it's been a while!Woowee, I can't believe it's been 2-1/2 years since my last post. Honestly I had forgotten about this blog until I started up my <a href="http://buildingahouseishard.blogspot.com/">other one</a>.<br /><br />By the looks of it I missed A LOT!<br /><br />I amassed a collection of roughly 1,800 sketch cards, built a couple more Lost sets, and didn't really ever sell off much hockey.<br /><br />Well, there was one guy that spent a decent amount on some of my leftover Jagr collection, and a few small sales here and there. But for the most part those same hockey cards are still in boxes in my office. Stowed away in the closet hidden amongst boxes of comics and other items now.<br /><br />But back to the sketch cards.<br /><br />After being a very active member of the <a href="http://scoundrelpublishing.com/spart/index.php">Scoundrel message boards</a> I called sketch card collecting quits. The short version is that I simply got tired of waiting too damn long on too many artists to come through. Chris Gutierrez, Justin Vandemark, Jim Kyle, Jeremy Treece, and a few others.<br /><br />I never publicly aired my grievances much with these guys, as they finally came through (eventually, some after 15-months...). The last incident is still open and is with Jeremy Treece. He had an artcast that I knew about ahead of time. I paid for three 8x10-size items he was doing live. I paid him, I saw two of the three being worked on live, but then had to leave.<br /><br />I still don't have the 8x10s.<br /><br />I paid in April.<br /><br />I have not gotten responses to emails--sent to a couple of different addresses--or PMs through Scoundrel or DeviantArt. I even responded in a journal entry that he had put up the previous day in one case.<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />I used to wonder why collectors got all up-in-arms over artists taking so long. Toward the end of my collecting, which was probably finalized in April, I easily understood.<br /><br />One artist had $300 of my money for several months that was to cover a few cards. Over time only one card, an Artist Proof, was left over. It was $150 of that original total. He had been working on it, had something roughed out in pencils, etc. When I pushed for an update, at the 11th hour he wasn't feeling it and refunded my money. It was months after the initial payment.<br /><br />Oh wait, that was Jeremy Treece, too. Oops. Either way, I felt that in good faith he could have the live artcast items mailed out.<br /><br />Still waiting.<br /><br />So what's going on today? I still have a ton of sketch cards available for sale.<br /><br />Take a look at my <a href="http://sketchcollectors.com/gallery.php?user_id=18&search_desc=yyzz&perrow=5">sketchcollectors.com list</a> for the cards and prices.weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-43438966772395660952009-01-04T22:58:00.001-08:002022-04-05T12:21:14.354-07:00Razor Cut autos - should they be numbered?<p>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...</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I've had this search in place since the first Razor Cut product hit the shelves.</p>
<p>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?).</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>Who knows, because none of the non-1/1 cards are numbered...</p>
<p>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?</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-75656753199999512572008-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:002021-11-30T16:41:33.026-08:00The problem with sketch cards (Part 2)<p>This is spin-off of <a href="http://czech-it-cards.blogspot.com/2008/10/problem-with-sketch-cards.html">my earlier post</a> from October 5th.</p>
<p>So what's in a name?</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_man">Joseph Merrick</a> wearing a Castro Hat, with a hint of Abraham Lincoln's chin thrown in.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/indy-1.jpg" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/indy-2.jpg" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/indy-3.jpg" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/indy-4.jpg" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/indy-5.jpg" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-75267970260725940072008-11-09T21:44:00.001-08:002022-04-05T12:23:05.544-07:00More hockey housekeeping<p>I did some more cleaning in my office. Say goodbye to the following sets:</p>
<p>
1991-92 Stadium Club<br>
1995-96 Pinnacle<br>
1996-97 Donruss<br>
1996-97 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut and Bronze<br>
1997-98 Pacific<br>
1997-98 Pacific Dynagon Ice Best Kept Secrets<br>
1997-98 Pacific Omega<br>
1997-98 Pacific Revolution<br>
1997-98 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut and Bronze<br>
1997-98 UD<br>
1998-99 Pacific<br>
1998-99 Pacific Aurora<br>
1998-99 Pacific Dynagon Ice<br>
1998-99 Pacific Omega<br>
1998-99 Topps Gold Label<br>
1998-99 UD3 (several 1-60 sets)<br>
1999-00 BAP Memorabilia<br>
1999-00 Pacific<br>
1999-00 Pacific Aurora + Striped<br>
1999-00 Pacific Paramount<br>
1999-00 Pacific Prism<br>
1999-00 Pacific Revolution<br>
1999-00 SP Authentic (minus SPs)<br>
1999-00 Topps Premier Plus<br>
1999-00 UD HoloGrFX<br>
1999-00 UD MVP<br>
1999-00 UD Piece of History<br>
1999-00 UD Retro<br>
1999-00 UD Wayne Gretzky Hockey<br>
1999-00 Upper Deck (minus SPs)<br>
2000-01 UD Heroes<br>
2000-01 UD MVP<br>
2001-02 SPx (minus SPs)<br>
2001-02 Topps<br>
2001-02 Topps Heritage parallel<br>
2001-02 UD Honor Roll (minus SPs) (x2)<br>
2001-02 UD Ice (minus SPs)<br>
2001-02 UD Mask (minus SPs)<br>
2001-02 UD MVP<br>
2002-03 BAP All-Star<br>
2002-03 Topps Total<br>
2002-03 UD Classic Portraits (minus SPs)<br>
2002-03 UD Mask<br>
2003-04 BAP Parkhurst Original 6 NY<br>
2003-04 SP Authentic (minus SPs)<br>
2003-04 SPx (minus SPs)<br>
2003-04 UD Ice (minus SPs)<br>
2004-05 ITG Franchises Canada<br>
2004-05 ITG Franchises East<br>
2004-05 ITG Franchises West<br>
2004-05 SP Autnentic (minus SPs)<br>
2004-05 UD All-World (minus SPs)<br>
2004-05 UD Ice (minus SPs)<br>
2004-05 UD Legends Classics<br>
2004-05 UD Rookie Update<br>
2006-07 SPx (minus SPs)<br>
</p>
<p>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.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-75140484318682012742008-10-22T11:26:00.000-07:002022-04-05T12:19:10.205-07:00So what do 25,200 hockey cards look like? *<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>A veritable plethora of dead trees and ink, gloss and great action photos, stats and pronunciations, holograms and logos. All gone. **</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>So what sets did these thousands of cards come from?</p>
<p>Topps, OPC, BAP, BAP All-Star, UD Foundations, BAP 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.</p>
<p>Notice I didn't break them out in years, as the list would be terribly long.</p>
<p>And I'm not even sure what sets are in the other boxes.</p>
<p>So goodbye Gretzky checklist card, later Iginla Hot Prospects, see ya' Datsyuk Parkhurst. It was fun.</p>
<p>With no further delay, this is what 25,200 cards look like:</p>
<p><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/thousandsofcards.jpg"></p>
<p>Next up, what ever shall I do with all my complete sets?</p>
<p>Footnotes:</p>
<p><font color="red">*</font> The 25,200 total was a safe estimate based on the full boxes and some added in for the stacks tossed, as well.</p>
<p><font color="red">**</font> OK, so they're not <i>all</i> 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.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8970767585234661239.post-64088423350782089752008-10-05T21:29:00.000-07:002022-04-05T12:16:58.539-07:00The problem with sketch cards<p>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?</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.)</p>
<p><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/Heroes-sketch_Claire.jpg" /></p>
<p>The above is <i>supposed</i> 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.</p>
<p>The next example is:</p>
<p><img src="http://www.rhinosgonecrazy.com/img/blog/Heroes-sketch_Niki.jpg" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>Sorry, but a crappy sketch card by a great artist is still a crappy sketch card.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE</b>: The soap opera "Claire" gal is, after some investigation, Leven Ramblin from All My Children. Here's a small pic:</p>
<p><img src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/video/071105/leven_ramblin150.jpg"></p>
<p>Thanks to my wife for pointing me in the right direction on that one.</p>weasel-kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387814234799389665noreply@blogger.com0