1. Muhammad Ali Leaf Fight Worn Patch Auto 1/1
Comments: We have made no bones about the fact that you make this hot list when you trend prices upward week over week. That being said, sometimes new cards roll onto the market and instead making a diver’s splash, they are more like Chris Farley doing a cannonball. That’s exactly what Leaf’s Muhammad Ali Fight Worn Patch 1/1 Autos have done. The first several have sold for over $1k and I think most expect them to sustain at that price.
1. Manny Banuelos 2010 Topps Pro Debut Blue /259 RC
Comments: Parallels of base cards usually sell poorly, parallels of Pro Debut base cards usually sell even worse. Not the case with Manny Banuelos whose Blue /259 is now selling for $50 plus. At this point you could probably draw a stick figure on a piece of cardboard and write Manny Banuelos on it and sell it for $5-$10. His stuff is en fuego.
The pre-rookie craze is nothing new to the hobby. From the high prices paid for 1992 Classic 4 sport Brien Taylors to the 2008 Bowman Draft Aflac Autograph of Jason Heyward. Even short performance or hype spikes of moderate players can cause a major release pre rookie to jump through the roof on the secondary market. This is one reason that collectors and prospectors are keeping eyes peeled for news of what Topps is going to do with it’s USA license now that they have it exclusively and for the full product year.
Today Topps announced part of the puzzle as they revealed a few player names and what products they would appear in. Next years potential first rounders that will appear in a new series called Topps Chrome Same-Day Autographs are Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray
, George Springer, Alex Dickerson, Jackie Bradley, Matt Barnes, Sean Gilmartin, Noe Ramirez, Jason Esposito, Henry Owens, Nick Delmonico
, Francisco Lindor, Christian Lopes, Dillon Maples. Noticeably absent from this list is injured Rice University slugger Anthony Rendon, who will need to show rehab progress before he regains first round status.
USA Autograph cards will also appear in Bowman Platinum, Bowman Chrome, and Bowman Sterling. 2010 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects will include players from the 16 & under team. Check out this FCB Forum Thread to discuss with fellow collectors.