1. 2011 Topps Marquee Museum Collection Autographs.
These are some of the nicest autographs Topps has ever produced. You really have to see them in hand to appreciate them. They have a heavy feel to them, as well as a clean high contrast canvas for the signature. I saw a Kyle Drabek pulled at the shop, and the customer could not stop talking about how nice the card looked.
Starlin Castro’s sold for $200 and I have a feeling that the run on these cards is just starting as people get a feel for how nice they are. The market data on these cards is still quite new, and them getting the top spot is pure speculation on my part. Normally when a product is expensive and gets negative press on the internet it gets ripped less. The product getting ripped less leads to less of these hitting the market. Less of these hitting the market means higher sell prices per card.
The first high end one to sell was Albert Pujols and I get the feeling that if the seller knew then what he knows now, he would of waited to list. Lesson learned, when you pull a redemption card know what you have before you sell it.
2. Cameron Newton NFL Rookie Autographs
I used a qualifier in my title. This is because not all Cam Newton cards are created equal. His Leaf Autographs are pretty strong especially when compared to his press pass and sage cards, but its clearly the Carolina Panthers NFL cards that have taken center stage. The Current leaders in the club house are Inception, Finest, and Topps Platinum, with his superfractor selling for $2500. We might be calling that buy it now a steal considering that a brave soul decided to auction his Topps Finest base superfractor and was rewarded for his bravery.
Cam still has one major question to answer, was his record breaking rookie debut a product of him being amazing, or the Arizona secondary looking like Afghanistan (bombed out and depleted)?
3. Justin Verlander Rookie Year Autographs.
Almost every year there is one player who goes from good, to great, to best in the league. This year it’s Justin Verlander’s turn. MVP talk has shot his chrome autographs through the roof, and because hes a 2005 Rookie he has many options for autographs. UD and DLP were producing cards that year and Verlander had as large of an autograph deal as anyone. He can be found in many releases from all 3 of the major manufacturers.
My personal favorite of his is the UD Ultimate Collection auto. I still think it’s a steal at $290 compared to his blue refactor autograph at around $350.
4. Malcolm Brown Leaf US Army Autographs
Hook em Horns, and thank you Lord that college football is back and in full swing. The previous statement is really difficult for a die hard Alabama fan like myself to say, but with the excitement of all that is the NCAA season it rolls off the tongue.
Malcolm is the immediate future of the Texas running game, and perhaps the present as well. He has had a nice work load for a true freshman in his first two games, even when the second one vs BYU almost turned into an embarrassing loss. His solid start did not go unnoticed by hobbyists as this copy of his leaf card sold for over $120. As a side note, this card was pulled in the FCB store by FCB member hockeyfights who rips that product to hit his Georgia players.
Cards of other immediate impact players are doing well when they are listed, as people appear to be speculating these cards. Marcus Lattimore’s 2010 card is the catalyst that got it all rolling.
5. 2011 Topps Marquee Jumbo Patches (Especially Henderson)
For all the shots that Marquee has taken recently, it has some really nice stuff in it. You don’t hit often, but when you do it’s memorable. These Hendersons are selling for around $280, and as someone who frequents a forum that has a Henderson player collectors thread, I am not surprised. I know how crazy Henderson collectors can be.
Other patches are selling well too, as people are going the singles route instead of busting the product. You gotta wonder what kind of singles prices will drive people to open more of the wax.
6. Mike Tolbert Contenders Autos
The rumblin stumblin Tolbert made everyone take a second look at what makes a running back a star in his 2011 Debut. An unheralded, undrafted college fullback turned professional running back has danced his way on to fantasy football teams with a 3 td performance in NFL week 1. As fantasy football goes, so does the world of sports cards, as they are both hype driven markets.
This contenders card has doubled since week 1. Part of that is due to the excitement of NFL football in full swing, and part of that is due to what happened on the field. Either way, people still holding this card are glad it happened.
There are many other people who could have easily made this list. Buffalo’s wonderlic genius Ryan Fitzpatrick, New England’s super Caucasian Wes Wellker, Green Bay’s Randall Cobb all deserve an honorable mention. As far as next week goes, look for a lot of baseball to creep in as playoff runs intensify. And as any hot list during the fall goes, expect the weeks worth of NFL standouts to be well represented.