Today we got a first look at an upcoming Topps release that looks to be the first 2011 product preview we have gotten. As far as we know, the product looks to be rookie based, and will be titled “Rising Rookies.” I assume this will be released as soon as the draft happens, because it is still within Upper Deck’s brand exclusive to have a college player featured in a college uniform.

First off, the gem of this preview is obviously the Bradford jumbo patch auto. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CARD, despite its similarity to Unrivaled’s patch autos from this year. I didn’t like that Topps took to bordering the stickers AND the patches, and this card FINALLY got it right with no border on the sticker.

As for the Peterson, I think even it looks pretty damn good, as the card’s look and feel seems to be exactly what we are expecting in terms of a cool auto subset. I am loving the full game shot with the smoky fade, and I think that this will eventually turn out well if the product is structured more like Finest or Platinum and less like Prime or Supreme.

Without further adieu:

Here are the randomizer results for the Plates and Patches break, it should be going down in the middle of next week if everything goes to plan. Trading teams is available until 2 hours before the scheduled break, feel free to use the comments to say which teams are available.

Thanks again to Josh at Atlanta Sports Cards for the great price on these boxes, be sure to check out the site for some great deals on wax and other items or supplies. Josh is a great deal and is always happy to answer questions if you want to get in contact with him. I have not bought online boxes from anywhere else in a long time, and my pulls have been great. Check it out.

The video will be up as soon as it finishes processing. Thank you for your patience!

Ethan M – St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers
Scott K – Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs
Jeremy A – Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers
Mitch P – Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles
Justin J – Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints
Mario Z – New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins
Jason R – Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills
Brock M – Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals
Josh B – San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos
Steve O – Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Detroit Lions
Robert D – Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals
Russ T – Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jesse S – Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets
Clay B – Houston Texans, Chicago Bears

When I saw that the 2005 Aaron Rodgers SP Authentic 1/1 NFL logo Auto had been listed on eBay, I thought a number of things about the auction, some good, a lot bad. Most of the bad thoughts center on the fact that Beckett got a hold of one of the best SP Authentic cards ever to hit eBay, graded it gem mint DURING the auction, and summarily exacerbated one of the biggest conflicts of interest that I have talked about with grading cards.

First off, this Rodgers 1/1 NFL Logo is a ridiculous card. It could not have been put up for sale at a better time, and I think that Beckett  knew they had a gem in their hands when it came to publicizing their auction consignment services. Oddly enough, what they didnt realize, is that there are a number of people like myself who have seen this card before, and we know that it was not worthy of the grade they gave it.  BGS has proven themselves to be the punch line of a joke lately, mainly stemming from the fact that the bigger the publicity of the card, the looser the standards for their grade. Remember the Strasburg superfractor grading debacle? Yeah, this is a similar situation. Not only because many people saw that before it was slabbed, its corners were well below the 9 grade that was given, but also because it was specifically slabbed to be auctioned off. That presents an incredible conflict of interest, partially due to the way Beckett will make money and publicity on the sale.

Grading in general is a complete scam, as we have found out over the last few years, and yet, so many collectors still put stock in the completely arbitrary process. Yes, you can state that BGS’s standards are above PSA or any of the other companies, but that’s like saying Al Capone was a higher class criminal because he gave money to the families of the people he killed. He was still a criminal, and that is the bottom line, much like grading is still a money driving business for the companies that run it, not a service.

Remember, this “service” has no regulatory body, no review standards other than internal sources, and its end users NEVER question the results of its practices. Wait, I take that back. If the grade is low, the people just crack out the cards from the case, and keep resubmitting until they get the grade they want. Basically, if a card comes back a 10, it stays a 10 forever, because the person who owns it would never want to risk losing the extra money a 10 gives their card. In reality, the grade is only as true as the eye that examines the card, and in most cases, the human eye is subjective. Because the difference between a 9.5 and a 10 is so tiny, its easy to see why people are able to crack and resubmit with frequent success.

In this case, Beckett has used their grading “service” to earn them more money and more publicity on one of the biggest auctions of the entire NFL year. Personally, I am not surprised after seeing the complete EPIC FAIL that happened back when the Stras Super came into their possession, as this only goes to show how low they are willing to stoop for some PR. The card was graded for the auction YESTERDAY, which adds to the problem of why this is such a grift on Beckett’s part. Start the auction without the card graded, end it with a gem mint 9.5 and 10 auto despite the fact that many Rodgers SPA Patch auto cards never attain that standard.

Here is a larger picture from the bucket of the original seller.

FULL – VIDEO RANDOMIZER LATER TODAY

Its been a while since we have had a group break on the site, and I chalk that up to the lack of group break accessible products that have been released. Well, with the release of Panini Plates and Patches, we have a unique opportunity to break a higher end product that has lots of hits for this type of situation. Although I dont think the product is everything it can be, it lends itself well to us splitting up the cards, and that is where Atlanta Sports Cards is going to help us out. Josh over at ATL has given a great price on three boxes, here is how it is going to work.

I WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN THIS BREAK, which means there will be 16 open slots that are composed of two RANDOM teams determined by random.org and posted on Youtube. Each slot will cost 27 dollars, and that will include every card from the two teams you are assigned, supplies, paypal costs and shipping.  For example, if you are randomly assigned the Packers and the Steelers, and we pull an Aaron Rodgers autograph, you will be sent that card in your package. On the other hand, if we dont pull any Packers or Steelers, thems the breaks.

To reserve your slot, send your paypal payment to gellmana@gmail.com. This break is only available to US residents and you must pay before I list you as a participant. Once I receive payment, I will add your name below, and that is all you need to do.  These fill up quickly, be sure to get your payment in as soon as you can.

Here is a link to the product info page on Atlanta Sports Cards’ site.

Slots:

1. Scott K (PAID)

2. Jeremy A (PAID)

3. Russ T (PAID)

4. Russ T (PAID)

5. Steve O (PAID)

6. Steve O (PAID)

7. Clay B (PAID)

8. Ethan M (PAID)

9. Josh B (PAID)

10. Jason R (PAID)

11. Justin J(PAID)

12. Jesse S (PAID)

13. Mario Z (PAID)

14. Robert D(PAID)

15. Brock M(PAID)

16. Mitch P (PAID)

Today, I got an email on a card that I had requested replacement on from Panini. What I found out from my redemption replacement experience may be instrumental in getting to the bottom of the Bradford Mirror Black 1/1 fiasco. From what I gather, for every redemption that Panini replaces, they indicate replacements given on the request page itself in the user’s account. For my crap auto that someone gave me back in 2009, a replacement was needed due to the card never being made. As you can see from the picture below, its easy to see the card that was redeemed, as well as what Panini replaced it with.

Because this Bradford situation hinges on who is telling the truth, it will become essential for proof to be provided, one way or the other. Someone is going down, and it is either the poster on Blowout’s forum, or its Panini’s overall reputation as a trustworthy company. Because Panini has to keep detailed records for a number of reasons, this is a pretty easy situation to get to the bottom of. Its up to them if they want to go the route of UD and Beckett, issuing denials and refusal of responsibility, or actually owning up to the mistake if it happened. Then again, if my situation below is unique, we are back at square one.

Of course, this could easily be solved by Mr. Swift, but I dont think that is going to happen either. Screen shots are pretty easy to come by, but I doubt he would want to screw himself over if the proof isnt in the pudding. Also, if this request was settled outside of the computer system, a screen shot may not be available.

Here is a screen shot of my account, I would expect it to be very easy for the poster or Panini to show the picture from the request page to help clear the air.