The Trading Card Manifesto

Parks and Recreation Trading Cards from Press Pass

2013-06-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Boasting one of the most impressive entertainment autograph checklists of any recent non-sports trading card product, Press Pass has obviously has put a lot of eggs in their picnic basket for Parks and Recreation. Big names including Amy Poehler, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari, Paul Rudd, Megan Mullally, and key cast members Retta, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman and more have signed for the series. Each box included a memorabilia card and 2 autographs. Look for some fun inscriptions and a complete recap of the series.

A Brillant New Basketball Brand From Panini America Shines

2013-06-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

Tired of the same-old-same-old? I am, and any time the creative juices flow in the trading card industry, it piques my curiosity. When Panini America announced Brilliance basketball, it caught my attention. Colorful, well designed, with a solid mix of past, present and future, it is a pleasure to look at and collect.

New Configuration on Old Favorite Proves Winning Combination For 2013 Score Football

2013-06-11T07:19:00.004-07:00

Great photos, a large base set, a 25th Anniversary celebration and more are packed into the 10, 50-card packs of 2013 Score Football. Have a look at the newly configured hobby edition of this old standard.

Press Pass Ignites a Flame For NASCAR Card Collectors

2013-04-30T08:49:00.001-07:00

Filled with gear from the 2013 Daytona 500, autographs from today's top drivers and a beautiful looking base set, Press Pass revs up racing cards with 2013 Ignite. With at least 1 autograph and 1 memorabilia card per box, Ignite, now in its 2nd year provides plenty of thrills and even some bonus hits for some lucky collectors, giving new meaning to the term Hot Box! Have a look at what the product delivers:

Booklets, Laundry Tags, Crown Royale Pair Up for 2012-13 Panini Preferred Basketball

2013-04-30T08:42:00.001-07:00

One of the most popular basketball releases in recent years returns for 2012-13, boasting a dual rookie class, laundry tags, patches, on-card autos from superstars past, present and future, and a variety of colorful parallels to make any NBA fan ecstatic. Check out what you could find in the elegant Panini Preferred Basketball product by tuning in to this video:

Find On-Card Autos of Top Prospects in 2013 Press Pass FanFare Football

2013-04-29T05:11:00.001-07:00

The Draft is done. It left many confused and bewildered, but if you listen to Cardboard Connection Radio, you'd know we spoke about how all of the offense players getting hyped were NOT going to get selected early. It seems the NFL agreed, as names like Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and many more weren't chosen until round 2 or later!

In a year where OTs, DTs, OLBs, and S had the advantage, it will be interesting to watch 2013 sets because the early ones are offensive player heavy with QBs, WRs & RBs that were left on the board for much longer than they anticipated.

There's no doubt that a talented player or group of players will emerge as outstanding from deep in this draft, it always happens. Some of the best players in the NFL Hall of Fame came from later rounds.

Let's see how 2013 Press Pass FanFare football fares... It contains on-card autographs of the top prospects and some very low numbered parallels and inserts. Priced at about $85-90 you'll get 5 cards per box or will you???

SAGE Autographed Football Delivers Draft Pick Autos Just In Time For Annual Event

2013-04-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

With 2 autos per pack, hot packs, hot boxes and unique new packaging SAGE Autographed Football returns for 2013 with over 60 subjects including Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, Manti Te'o Giovani Bernard, Eddie Lacy, Cordarrelle Patterson and more.\

With a draft that's leaning heavy towards a 1st round full of linemen, the checklist also includes Luke Joeckel, Datone Jones, Sheldon Richardson, Bjoern Werner too.

Have a look at what I found in a box:

2013 Topps Tribute Baseball - High End, High Yield, High Stakes

2013-04-22T06:05:00.005-07:00

I've always liked the concept and appearance of Topps Tribute. It looks elegant, I'd say it would be the BMW of collecting. It's not the Lamborghini, but it is a brand that stands out on its own, is of a higher grade than other baseball cards and it usually delivers. You might find a lemon every once an awhile, or you might enjoy an experience of a lifetime.

Make sense to you? Not every box of Tribute is a game-changer, some are, but even in the boxes where the value doesn't seem to match up, there could be some long term potetnial that turns a mediocre box into a powerhouse down the road. I've had a few experiences like that with this product over the years because of the widespread mix of players on the checklist. Tribute's best element is the inclusion of baseball players from the past, present and future. From Willie Mays to Prince Fielder to Manny Machado, a multitude of generations is covered.

Originally priced at nearly $350 per box, it's come down to about $275. For all of the great elements like bat knobs, bat plates, eye black and the great looking designs and autos, there are a few shortcomings too. Small white swatches for instance are something you can find anywhere, they should be larger than life in a product like Tribute.

Have a look at what's in a box.

Impact Wrestling Cards Return with LIVE from Tristar

2013-04-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

As Impact Wrestling embarks on a road tour for their televised events, leaving behind the Orlando studio, Tristar has conjured up a brand-new set to coincide with the celebration.

An all-new 109-card set with nearly 50 autograph subjects, up to 12 autos on a single card and memorabilia from TNAs top stars including the Knockouts and most recent roster additions, it is another outstanding effort.

Have an in-depth look at the set:

Leaf Brings On-Card Autos of the Top 2013 Draft Picks & Johnny Manziel Too!

2013-04-17T05:14:00.005-07:00

2013 Leaf Metal Draft Football has quite a few surprises within boxes and cases, but the two things you need to know about the collection are: it brings you on-card autos of over 70 top NFL Draft hopefuls, and the first autographed cards of Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

There are 5 cards per pack and they are all autographs!

Here's what I found in a box:

Tristar's SignaCuts Baseball Returns with 2013 Bronx Edition

2013-04-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

Many collectors would balk at the premise of a one card per pack product. If there isn't a set building element involved, I prefer cutting to the chase. Tristar has had solid success with the formula within the SignaCut product line. It's back for 2013 with Bronx edition.

Loaded with players that donned the pinstripes for the Bronx Bombers, or as some might refer to them, as the Evil Empire, this is a very cool opportunity to score a fantastic cut signature for a fairly affordable price.

For under $50 you could add a Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, Joe DiMaggio or 1 of many other Hall of Fame or HOF caliber player to your collection. Of course there are some guys that aren't that great too, but many are tough to find players with little or no autographs on cards.

For the Yankees aficionado, it is a great way to bolster your collection with a solid element of fun.

Check out what you might find in a box, as well as what I did find...

The Big Hurt, Rocket Ismail, The Soup Nazi and Me?!?

2013-04-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I am living proof that is not true. I lived there for nearly 12 years and got out relatively unscathed. I've only been back 3 times since I left. It's a fun place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there!

I just returned home from the 2013 Industry Summit. It's an event not like many others. You get a room full of power players in the trading card industry for four days of rubbing elbows, making deals, pitching products and big announcements. It's four days of non-stop information with ample time to catch up with old friends, make new acquaintances, and most important... take care of business.

On the last day of the event, Chris Carlin, the PR machine at Upper Deck asked me to be a part of a bit he was filming for an upcoming April video. It was fun, as my friends Rob Bertrand and Wayne Frazer were also part of the shoot. A couple other guests at the Summit were also part of the video, you might have heard of them: "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas, "The Soup Nazi" Larry Thomas, and "Rocket" Ismail.

The premise is that Upper Deck is bringing gum pack to packs of cards. I'll let you see how that works out for them. Enjoy the video.

Cryptozoic Provides Collectors With An Inside Look at Castle Seasons 1 & 2

2013-04-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

With the 100th episode of Castle coming to TV this month, there's a reason to celebrate for fans of the show, and its cult star Nathan Fillion. One way collectors can get even closer to the Castle action is with the latest trading card release from Cryptozoic Entertainment. Castle Season 1 & 2 trading cards are finally in stores and collectors are snatching them up quickly.

The 72-card set features highlight from the first two seasons of the show and includes wardrobe and autographs from the shows top stars.

If you'd like to see what's inside a box, look no further...

ITG Shoots & Scores With Motown Madness A Trading Card Tribute to the Detroit Red Wings

2013-03-30T12:48:00.001-07:00

There are not many sports franchises that can be the sole subject of a trading card product. The NY Yankees, Real Madrid, The Montreal Canadiens, The Dallas Cowboys, Manchester United, The Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers could easily fill their own sets, but not too many other ones could and make money for a card manufacturer.

The Detroit Red Wings are another one that can fill a mighty long checklist with top names and at the same time make many fans and collectors reminisce about the 90+ years of making Detroit affectionately and passionately known as Hockeytown.

In The Game absolutely nailed this set. From the base cards to the manufactured patches to the autographs and real game-used items this collection will appease a Red Wings fan like no other.

I can already hear other hockey fans crying about this one. Guess what, if you are open-minded there is something here for you, if not... tough. It's called Motown Madness for a reason jerky!

Check out the box break video and if you want some more info about the product, be sure to visit the Cardboard Connection Motown Madness page.

The Soup Nazi talks to Cardboard Connection Radio

2013-03-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

On the next edition of Cardboard Connection Radio, our interview from the Industry Summit with the incredible Larry Thomas AKA the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld will air as part of a live show.

Larry was an awesome guest. Funny, appreciative and genuine, a great guy. He was so cool that he worked a little magical phrase especially for Cardboard Connection listeners...

Here's a clip of the interview

If you'd like to add this autographed photo of the Soup Nazi to your collection, make sure you are following @CardboardRadio on Twitter and tweet what the Soup Nazi says to us in this clip to be entered in a drawing for the photo.

You have until Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 11:59 PM Central Time to enter.

A tremendous thanks to Dave and John at Sweet Deal and long time friend Scott Schwartz for making this possible.

New Guests Bring Significant Impact To Cardboard Connection Radio

2013-03-08T06:11:00.002-08:00

Wednesday night we welcomed Mandy Fuerst from Tristar, Brian Gray from Leaf Trading Cards, and Colin Barnicle the producer of the ESPN 30/30 short The Holy Grail on the show. We were also supposed to have Scott Gaeta from Cryptozoic on the show. For some reason, he no-showed even though we double-checked for confirmation. While we were disappointed that happened, it didn't put a damper on an amazing show.

We talked about TriStar's brand-new Impact Wrestling LIVE! wrestling card product hitting stores in a few weeks as well as the National Sports Collectors Convention autograph pavilion with Mandy. She gave us great info about the schematics for their products and some hints on potential upcoming projects. It was fun after meeting her many times to finally have her on the show.

Colin spoke very candidly about his documentary of the esteemed and scrutinized Honus Wagner T-206 trading card that is currently valued at over 2 million dollars. It was a great discussion about a topic that has been talked about by many for years, and will continue to be for many more.

Brian Gray earlier in the day had dropped the bomb that his products included a mystery redemption card of one Heisman winning Johnny Manziel. We spoke with Brian about the major announcement and some other Leaf happenings. He's continuing to break ground as a manufacturer and is finding ways to deliver the cards he wants to put into collectors hands. Always interesting.

If you missed the show, here's a link to the archive to listen: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cardboardconnectionradio/2013/03/07/wednesday-cardboard-connection-radio

Tune in tonight for an all-new show with artist Sean Kane of Painted Glove Collectibles

editor of the Cardboard Connection Ryan Cracknell, Law of Cards with Paul Lesko and NHRA and NASCAR racer Nicole Lyons. Listen live at 10pm EST: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cardboardconnectionradio/2013/03/09/friday-cardboard-connection-radio

Topps Series 1 Price Drops, Is It Loaded With Too Much or Not Enough?

2013-02-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

I was looking over some products in hopes of picking something up at a good price while simultaneously putting together a video of 2013 Topps Series 1 Baseball. I recently opened a hobby box and a retail box of the first entry in the 2013 MLB collecting season. Needless to say, that when I saw Series 1 had dropped from $60+ to $46 I was a little surprised. That kind of drop doesn't usually happen this close to the release date.

But it has happened, and while I am an avid fan of many of the manufactured relics that appear in 2013 Topps I can't help but wonder if there is just too much going on with the brand. I've heard commentary from all kinds of collectors. Some love it, some do not -- I get that.

You can beef about what you love and hate, it is a free country. When I look at what the flagship product has become, I see many of the traits that I loved about it as a youth. It still has the set building qualities I remember as I tried to collate a set.

I love inserts as much as the next guy or gal, but it seems excessive here. I don't need that bloat to keep me interested in the base product. Some of it I can handle, some of it I can even tolerate, and some of it I can really enjoy, but I guess my question is, when is enough, enough?

This hobby seems to be geared towards outdoing the competition and then outdoing yourself. I understand that competitive nature. I have it. I want every Cardboard Connection Radio show to be better than the previous one, but even I know that when you overdo things it seems forced. That's pretty much how I feel about this year's product. All of the gimmicks, followed by the biggest card promotion, the million dollar chase, etc, etc.

That's said, when it comes down in price to the point where it is $1.27 per pack, it is one of the best bargains in the industry. There is no product that can touch it at that price, and that my friends is why it's been around longer than I have and will probably be around long after I am gone.

What a week for collectors and Cardboard Connection Radio

2013-02-17T17:51:00.004-08:00

It's been a great week for collectors nationwide and beyond. The NBA All-Star Game is going strong and Panini America is right in the thick of things in Houston rubbing elbows with the top names in the sport, past & present. They are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Contenders Football and waiting with baited breath on the conclusion of an Andrew Luck 1/1 from the 2012 product that's over 30K.

It was National Hockey Card Day in America, following a successful run in Canada last weekend and collectors got a treat from Upper Deck.

We announced the Scholarships that we are working with the Industry Summit to provide to Hobby Shop owners a few weeks back, and now you can get the details of our Media Partnership with this tremendous event.

This past week we had a couple of great shows. On Wednesday we were joined by Onyx Authenticated President Lance Fischer and Miami Marlins prospect Justin Nicolino. We got the lowdown on some upcoming Onyx products, and had a great conversation with Justin about being part of the blockbuster deal that sent Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes to Toronto and Nicolino to the Marlins. He was a great guy and hearing the story about his mother collection cards was priceless. You can listen to the archive of the show using the link below.

Cardboard Connection Radio with Onyx Authenticated and Miami Marlins prospect Justin Nicolino: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cardboardconnectionradio/2013/02/14/wednesday-cardboard-connection-radio

Friday was also a fun show. We had an appearance from one of the most beloved people in the trading card industry, and good friend of the show -- Tracy Hackler. Tracy phoned in for our "This Week At Panini" segment live from Houston, TX and the 2012-13 NBA All-Star Jam Session. Also, to celebrate National Hockey Card Day in America, we spoke with Upper Deck's Josh Zusman about the annual event and some upcoming UD products including Fleer Retro Hockey. We also asked if there will be a 2012-13 The Cup product. What did he say? You'll have to tune in to find out.

Cardboard Connection Radio with Panini America's Tracy Hackler & Upper Deck's Josh Zusman: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cardboardconnectionradio/2013/02/16/friday-cardboard-connection-radio

Enjoy the shows!

Reach for the Sky - A Look At My Velvet Sky Autograph & Memorabilia Collection

2013-02-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

The art of building a collection can take many turns. If you are a player collector, it becomes a chase to get all of the cards of that particular player. If you open a lot of packs, sometimes you get into a rut. You might want to find a particular player and wind up getting another. This year I've been a magnet for the Colts Coby Fleener. It's gotten so bad that I've coined a phrase about it so that when I find one, I call it "Getting Fleenered".

Over the years there have been some players that have signed a lot of autographs for trading card products completely devaluing the worth of their signature. The big three that come to mind for me are Bob Feller, Pete Rose and Bill Mazeroski. This year, it seems that I could add Coby Fleener to that list. The guy has so many autographs in the overabundance of 2012 football releases that there is no way it'll attain a solid value unless he sets a bunch of records and notches a Super Bowl or two. It's a shame too, because with Andrew Luck as his QB, he has a chance to enjoy a great NFL career.

Anyway, I am rambling, and my point was that sometimes pack opening dictates what or who you collect. As an avid fan of TNA Impact Wrestling, I was drawn to the Tristar products when big names like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Sting, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, Kevin Nash and Mick Foley graced the autograph checklist. However, as much as I loved those guys during their careers, I've had the opportunity to interview and interact with several of the TNA Knockouts. Traci Brooks, Gail Kim, Tara, and some past Knockouts including Trinity, Chelsea, Goldy Locks & Lollipop all have appeared on Cardboard Connection Radio. All were incredibly fun and passionate about their craft.

I'll tell you that the fact that I helped write card backs for the very first TNA Trading Card set from Pacific Trading Cards made me want to see what was next for the card line. Tristar has done an awesome job with them and I own every single set they've produced. My only beef with them is that they need to do an ON-CARD set. It seems they only deal with stickers and it's just lame that they can't do one series on-card after all this time.

That said, they have really nailed the autographs. They have gotten just about anyone that laced up the boots, or spoke a word on TNA television or PPVs to be a part of one or more of their sets.

Back to the Knockouts... I was already a huge fan of Tara, Traci and Gail Kim. As the Knockout division has grown, I also became a fan of Mickie James, Brooke Adams (Tessmacher), and Velvet Sky. Honestly, I was shocked when she disappeared from the Impact Wrestling scene for a tad last year. You could see that beyond her beauty, she had a relationship with the TNA fans that was unparalleled among her peers. The Knockouts are the main reason many people watch Impact Wrestling in the first place. She was one of the biggest draws for the company and quite frankly her Beautiful People gimmick with Angelina Love is arguably the best Knockout angle to this date. She returned in late 2012 and it was evident that she was missed by the crowd reaction.

As I've opened a lot of Impact Wrestling product, Velvet became the wrestling version of Coby Fleener for me. Like I said, it's not a bad thing. I always enjoy adding new cards to my collection of people that are great at what they do. Unlike Fleener, and yeah I get that its Sports Entertainment, in this case though she is a proven commodity, and has a Knockouts Championship on her resume. I imagine she'll add several more before her career is over. Here's to hoping both of them have stellar careers, then they benefit, and my collection does too.

All of these cards with the exception of the personalized one came out of a pack of cards, I didn't get any on the secondary market. The personalized one was a purchase I made when Velvet offered them up to assist her friend and fellow wrestler Daffney, who was involved in a car accident (another reason ya gotta love Velvet).

I'm hoping someday we'll get Velvet on Cardboard Connection Radio. She's a bit of sports fan herself, a Yankees fan and it would be cool to hear her perspective about being on trading cards and signing autographs.

Here's a look at a few cool cards from my Velvet Sky collection:

Knockout Signature Curves Auto

TENacious Velvet Sky/Gail Kim


Reflexxions Personalized

OBAK NSCC Exclusive

TNA Xtreme Velvet Sky Auto

TNA New Era Auto/Memorabilia

Signature Impact Quad Memorabilia


Reflexxions Quad Memorabilia

Xtreme Beautiful People Dual Auto

Celebrating 20 Years Of Contenders Football - Congratulations Panini

2013-02-17T08:10:00.001-08:00

Bringing the rookies since 1993 has been one of the hobby's favorite products -- Contenders. It's back and collectors and Panini America have a lot to celebrate. An outstanding response to 2012 products, an amazing rookie class, 14K Golden Tickets and more should fire up the football category with this season finale.

One note: Panini needs to do a football update series for 2012. It is a necessity. They've missed the boat on getting some key players on their checklist including the 49ers Colin Kaepernick, and it would be a great opportunity to get a little more mileage out of the amazing rookie crop.

Topps Serves Up A Little Magic To Close Out The 2012 NFL Season

2013-02-17T07:54:00.001-08:00

Abracadabra! Topps hits collectors with some Magic as the 2012 season comes to a close. The set harkens back to the designs of the early 80s while paying homage to a vintage brand. It is a set builders series with lots of great incentives including memorabilia, mini-booklet autos, coin cards and much more.

It's a simple, yet fun and enjoyable foray compared to the many exorbitant releases this season. Refreshing and full of tricks -- Magic delivers.

Totally Awesome - Press Pass Brings The Memorabilia!

2013-02-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Last year, I was very vocal about how bland some of the NASCAR checklists have been. Not only were the same guys in set after set, it became difficult to tell some of the cards apart from one another. Clearly Press Pass felt the same way as they dropped several lines and incorporated news ones into their release schedule.

Bolstering products like Showcase made a big difference too, but the introduction of Total Memorabilia and Redline were the kick in the pants the category needed. Total Memorabilia not only provided a big assortment of gear from top drivers, but it also contained autographs, many fresh faces to the NASCAR scene. Young Guns like the Cope Twins, Ty Dillon, Maryeve Dufault, & Harrison Burton made their debut on Press Pass cards.

The 2013 edition follows up with more rookies including Kyle Larson, Brian Ortiz, Nicole Lyons and a few others. It also contains tire swatches from several drivers that notched 2012 Sprint Cup victories, and the tires come from those particular races.

Priced at $100, it's one of the better products and the racing season hasn't even started!

What better to follow up a break of Marvel Beginnings II? A Break of Marvel Beginnings III

2013-02-12T09:09:00.004-08:00

I really did enjoy Marvel Beginnings II, enough so that I went back and purchased the original product, and am now going to try and build the entire collection.

I love comics more than cards, but the combination of both is even better! Here, Upper Deck shows they have mastered this formula, and one can only hope they deliver more quality Marvel products.

Find out what I found in a box of Marvel Beginnings III

Upper Deck Unleashes Marvel Beginnings II Trading Cards

2013-02-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

Over the years Marvel Comics have introduced some of the most popular comic-book heroes. From the core Avengers including the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Iron Man to Wolverine, Spider-Man, the Punisher and many, many more these fictional figures have become part of pop culture. For every one hero or villain that the average person would know by name or photo, there are 20 that they probably never heard of.

Marvel Beginnings gives Marvel fans the best of both worlds. You'll get profiles and a variety of characters from The Red Skull to the Skrulls, from Squirrel Girl to Spider-Ham, from the Taskmaster to Thanos.

A rub to some Marvel card collections of the past revisits hologram technology, and die-cut cards. You'll also get a look at some of the most important Marvel Comics covers from their most storied, well... stories.

Catapulting it into a league of its own are the Comic Panel cards where vintage comic book panels are placed into a super-thick, framed card. Along with a massive selection of sketch cards from top artists, and the inclusion of creator autographs including Stan Lee, there are many reasons the collection will resonate with the masses.

Cracking A Tin Of 2012-13 Panini Timeless Treasures

2013-01-29T19:21:00.004-08:00

The $100 Timeless Treasures tin returns for another run. With 2 rookie classes, and a bevy of beautiful cards, Timeless Treasures is bringing the bounty to basketball collectors.

Cardboard Connection Radio takes a look inside the tin.

What did we find? Watch and see...