It’s National Championship day and my Crimson Tide (whom you are probably tired of me talking about) are up for a back to back national title. As I write they are murdering Notre Dame just before the half in such a way that ND might not get another shot at a big championship game without some sort of miracle. Hail Mary mother of grace will be repeated over and over during the half by casual Catholics every where. It also might be worth noting that @Pontifex has been mysteriously quiet the entire game. That’s ok because TJ Yeldon and Eddie Lacy are providing me with plenty of chuckles as they tear through what was supposed to be an excellent defensive front 7.
And now for hobby news. Richard McWilliams passed away today at the age of 59. It’s a sad day when any one leaves family behind prematurely, and this case is no different. Yes there were people in this industry that hated him. With his passing let’s put all that behind us and see what lies ahead for an Upper Deck company who at least publicly can claim a fresh start and maybe recover from an image stand point to produce some of the great cards that we all loved before their license was pulled. If they worked as hard on a MLB brand (with proper licencing) the payoff for collectors and hobby stores would be large. I for one am pulling for fresh new start for Jason Masherah, Chris Carlin, Gregg Kohn and everyone else at UD.
The new FCB Mobile App has released on Android. You can pick it up here. At least one reviewer had it right when he said that “Gilmo is a stud muffin”. You are correct sir and your check is also in the mail. Speaking of in the mail, this week also saw a huge volume of our hot list champion of the week.
#1 Russell Wilson Rookie Cards
Hot across the board is anything with Russell Wilson’s name on it. Writers across the country are praising his toughness and leadership. This isn’t normal for a pro athlete in Seattle as they are more often regulated to regional coverage. Even the Boston based NESN was quick to feature Wilson in articles after his big win vs RGII and the Washington Redskins.
His cards have been popping all week and in playoff week 1 they hit another all time high as his Topps Chrome autograph went from $90 to $150. Even his base cards are taking off as a base strata can sell for about $8. Not to be overlooked is his baseball rookie card in 2010 bowman chrome. At $12 for a base rookie that could be bought for 50 cents even late in the football season you have to take that to the bank at this point.
#2 Mark Montgomery Contenders Autos
The AFL will always have a huge influence on prospect card prices. Prospectors have nothing else to view during this time. No minor league stat lines to follow, and unless there is a trade in the works it’s a very slow season for prospecting.
He has dominated the AFL though, holding hitters to a .143 average. His cards are just as dominant. It’s now the most expensive non SP card in the set as he has no other cards. The cards went from $3 box to almost $30 as Yankee collectors start to stock up. Javier Baez is still the steal from this set but then again he is the steal in every 2011 prospect auto set.
#3 An incredible rant by group case breaker “boomo”
I’m not really sure exactly what got in his crawl but man did he get angry. You can watch the video here. My guess is that it’s a breaking point due to blowout moderating a few threads of his and users addressing complaints that he views to be trivial. At any rate he’s fun to watch Poor Joe Adams, he is innocent in all this.
#4 Mike Zunino Bowman Draft Autographs
The market has dried up and there are about half the copies of this card traded online than were available shortly after release. The current precieved “best” autograph in 2012 Bowman Draft gets it’s natural January price bump and will probably get another one during spring training as he will get a non roster invite and some playing time.
In the meantime a $60 card moves close to $80 as supply gets short.
#5 2009 Razor US Army AJ McCarron
This is a complete and total homer call. Although it was hot for a few hours. Copies that were previously unsold started selling in the $2-$4 range.
As an Alabama fan we kinda have this whole love hate relationship with our quarterbacks. We recognize that we need them to play well, but we also understand that the game plan is to win by running the football, controlling the clock and playing defense. As Bama thumped Notre Dame in the title game AJ was able to force ND to respect the pass enough to open up the run.
#6 TJ Yeldon Leaf US Army Metal Autographs
This isn’t a traditional BCS Title Game bump. Normally those wait for stellar performances after the game. This is a result of all the hype leading up to the game.
These refractors that used to sell for $50 can now bring $70. It does not appear that people are willing to sell them at that price as buy it nows are still really high and the cards are selling at a really low volume. It’s only a matter of time before someone starts throwing down big money on these so hold them if you got em.
#7 Anyone calling for a BCS Playoff System
With the current landscape Notre Dame absolutely deserved to be in the title game. With a playoff in place they would probably have never been in position to make the biggest game of the year a complete snooze fest. Personally I would love to see a +1 solution where 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3. Then we would have a fully vetted national champion worthy of any scrutiny.
#8 2012-13 Panini Prizim Hobby Boxes
People are still chasing the high end content in this product and boxes are well above MAP. It’s about time one basketball product holds it’s value and does not rot on shelves.
Boxes are up from $100 to $130 proving that the chrome formula works even when products are done halfway like this one is.
