The
Next Generation of Trading Cards
April 16th, 2007 by Tim Lovett
Anyone
who has collected sports trading cards in the last decade
knows that the industry has greatly evolved from its humble
roots of simplistic cardboard base cards. Now packs offer
the possibility of pulling rare inserts featuring extravagant
features such as autographs and game-used jerseys, patches,
cleats, grass, turf, court, stick, bat, ball, and helmet,
with jockstrap no longer too absurd of an idea.
Having passed
the 10th anniversary of the first game-used jersey card, I
can’t help but reflect on how these “pimped-out”
cards have never elicited any additional excitement from me.
They always failed to bring me that closeness to the game
and athletes that was promised. Luckily, all the top brands
are coming out with some new inserts to further reach out
to the serious collector and generate unprecedented industry
buzz. Here is a sneak peak at what to look forward to:
Topps
Game-Used Flesh Cards
Finally, you
can own a piece of your favorite athletes, literally! Throughout
the year, certified Topps surgeons attend sporting events
throughout the world and shave off portions of skin from select
players.
Odds:
1:50 packs
Estimated Value: $800-$2000 (depending on
player popularity)
Multipliers: x 1.5 if hair is included ;
x 2.0 for piece of nipple
Most Popular: Shaquille O’Neal flesh
with Superman tattoo.
Least Popular: Rod Brind’Amour slice
of nose
Upper
Deck Birth Cards (BCs)
Rookie cards
will be a fad of the past as collectors can now obtain cards
depicting their favorite players just minutes after they came
out of the womb. These extraordinary cards are made possible
by Upper Deck's massive legion of photographers who travel
the globe snapping photos of every person ever born. Then,
when someone becomes a professional athlete, they take the
player's birth photo from their database and create a brand
new Birth Card (BC).
Odds:
1:15 packs
Estimated Value: $0.50-$15,000
Most Popular: Henrik and Daniel Sedin Combo
Least Popular: Ryan Leaf
Also, be sure
to look for Upper Deck's upcoming line of Funeral Cards (FCs)
featuring your favorite athletes final worldly appearance
before they are cremated or lowered into the earth.
Donruss
Shiny Motherfuckers
Sparkles? Check.
Hologram? Check. Surface reflecting all colors of the rainbow?
Check.
Cards with
various shiny properties have always been a hit with younger
collectors, so this new brand is going all out by including
every shiny element ever conceived. These aren't so much cards
as they are a collectible acid trip. You'll be the envy of
other collectors as they shower you with praise such as, "Cool
card!" and "Damn, that's a shiny motherfucker!"
These are also good for burning ants and blinding people you
don't like.
Odds:
1:10 packs
Estimated Value: $10-$30
Most Popular: Peyton Manning
Least Popular: None, since shiny cards are
impossible to dislike.
Fleer
Stick of Bubblegum
Go totally
retro by enjoying free sticks of bubblegum inserted into every
pack just in like the old days! As an added incentive, some
of them have randomly been licked by popular superstars, both
past and present. It will be just like the incident with Luis
Gonzalez's gum, except with athletes who actually qualify
as superstars. Licked gum may be identified by the distinct
tongue imprint and serial number.
Odds:
1:1 (Unlicked); Numbered to 100 (Licked)
Estimated Value: $0.25 (Unlicked); $5000-$750,000
(Licked)
Multipliers: x 1.5 if gum is still fresh
; x 4.0 if gum is hard-to-find grape flavor
Most Popular: Anna Kournikova licked gum
; Rare error-gum featuring both cherry and grape on the same
stick.
Least Popular: Magic Johnson licked gum.
Printer
Friendly Version
Game-Used
Website Version
-
4.16.2007
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