Since you last heard from me, the collegiate football card market has been pretty stagnant. Leaf and Sage were joined by Press Pass as the only three companies with 2012 cards currently on the open market. As far as secondary market value goes, Leaf Metal is still at the top of the charts overall, but Press Pass has made a big bang with their Andrew Luck autograph cards (being that he is signed to an exclusive predraft deal with Press Pass).
Despite what some may call mediocre sales, there is still a market for Press Pass—as they have a loyal following for their on card autographs, red ink variations, and unique inscription cards. The official list of print runs for red ink and inscriptions hasn’t released yet. However, I’ll be sure to come back and leave a link in the comments of this article when they do and most likely include it in my next entry.
There have been variant autographs of the lesser known players of the draft class all the way to the expected #1 and #2 picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. To date Robert Griffin III holds the record for highest selling variant autograph bringing in $350 for a Bronze /25 Red Ink, which should have a very small print run and very well may be a 1/1. Proving further that Press Pass still has a place on the market, Ryan Tannehill has brought in $82 for a Silver Red Ink (110846570111); though the silver base autograph doesn’t even have a print run to gauge how many variants may be available.
Even with the possibility of hitting a variant autograph, there’s really only one thing going through each person’s mind when they grab a pack of Press Pass out of a box: They’re hoping to get Lucky! With Press Pass having an exclusive predraft contract with Andrew Luck (the projected #1 overall pick out of Stanford) Press Pass has been able to keep their product relevant to those who might overlook them if Luck were available through new powerhouse Leaf or even the low priced Sage. Completed sales have shown that licensed or not collectors will pay nicely for anything Andrew Luck has scrawled his name on.
The bank breaker to date is this Gold /25 autograph that recently ended for $325 at auction. When they first released, the base autographs of Luck were bringing in $130 plus. The new product smell has worn off, and base Luck autos are still able to bring in $90 on a consistent basis. Even the nonauto base card is able to sell for $1 plus shipping—a respectable feat for a single Press Pass rookie.
The success of Leaf Draft retail is also worth mentioning. As additional products are opened, more gems are making their way into collector’s hands. Autographs range from DII linemen to arguably the best player that Leaf is able to have product in, Robert Griffin III. You’ll find players not available in the Metal release (such as top ranked linebacker Sean Spence of Miami), and there is a full base card set to put together if that’s your style. The Robert Griffin and Andrew Luck Army base cards are still selling on eBay. For $20 a box these blasters are quite possibly the best thing on the shelves at your local retail store.