I am a big fan of humor in just about every walk of life. If its clever, funny, or even offensively funny, Im usually at the front of the line when it comes to buying in. Maybe that is why I love this card so much, as I think the humor in it provides intrinsic value. That’s just who I am, and I get that there are a lot of people out there who dont agree with me.

When I hear that both Panini and Topps would be producing cards of Deion Sanders as Leon Sandcastle, I am on board. Not only am I a fan of the showboating HOFer in Primetime, but I thought the commercial was absolutely brilliant. It has also brought about some awesome stuff already on the market. To think that the card companies are catching on, makes me a very happy guy. I will DEFINITELY be buying these cards. Hell, these ones arent all that bad either.

Panini has even said that there would be Leon Sandcastle AUTOGRAPHS available in 2013 Prestige, which I cannot wait to see. Deion Sanders’ autographs already have a high premium considering he doesnt play an offensive skill position, but that only goes to show what fame and notoriety can do for card values:

1999 Score Deion Sanders Rookie Reprint Auto

2012 National Treasures Baseball Deion Sanders Auto Tag

2012 Contenders Deion Sanders Legendary Autographs

2013 Score and 2013 Bowman will both be out in a week or two, and both products will be the first of 2013 for each company. Although I think that the fact that Panini chose to use close up head shots is a horrible idea, instead of airbrushed pics like Topps, this card makes the set. Topps wins the visual appeal battle between the two, but I have yet to hear whether or not autographs will be available. I have much more faith in Topps’ making the cooler card than Panini, but autographs can easily turn the tide. Its all going to depend on the way they turn out. Who knows, it could turn out like these disasters, and then I wont even bother.

This one still remains the best – courtesy of Busting Packs.com

Now that both National Treasures and Five Star have been released, there seems to be a lot of debate over which product has the claim to the top product of the year. Although both products have put out their best showing in the history of the respective brands, the battle has sparked serious debate online and in the shops. Ill go through my opinions, and I am eager to hear yours. I very much like both products with a few exceptions on both sides, but I know its not necessarily cut and dry.

Value

This is about as lopsided as this debate can get, as National Treasures is obviously the more valuable of the two. Rookie patch autos in both sets are among the more valuable of the year for each of the brands, but National Treasures owns the best of the entire calendar in the worth of the base RCs. Similarly, the on card autographs of the veterans and HOF stars in NT tend to be 2-3x more valuable than in Five Star, which is completely baffling to me. It almost makes you wonder how people get to the individual valuations that these sets eventually come to, as I fail to see what makes one more valuable than the other. I would go so far as saying that Topps Five Star deserves to be more valuable, as I will get to in the later part of this discussion, but that isnt the case. I have heard theories, but to me its all because NT has been around longer, and Five Star hasnt recovered yet from 2011.

2012 Topps Five Star Andrew Luck Auto Jumbo Patch

2012 National Treasures Andrew Luck Auto Patch 2 Color /99

2012 Topps Five Star Brett Favre Auto /85

2012 National Treasures Brett Favre NFL Greatest Auto

Design

Both of the products feature some great looking cards, although I believe that Five Star has about as clear an edge as one can get on the look of their cards. Its been this way since the inception of the product. Not only does Five Star look more ornate and well put together, but the on card autos coupled with the clean look makes this set a juggernaut when facing any other product. Treasures’ rookie patch autos are an aesthetic nightmare to me, with the tiny player picture trapped in the corner for no apparent reason. Although they both have large spaces to sign, the Five Star cards look to be much more pleasing in the layout and picture composition. I still stand by my opinion that the Five Star jumbo rookie patch autos are the best looking cards of the year, and its not even a competition. National Treasures sticker autos just cant compete on this level of visual appeal.

Checklist

This is tough, and there is a reason why. National Treasures prides itself on having a large checklist, which is great for player collectors that buy singles. The issue is that many of the players on the checklist should not be included in a super high end product that is pushing 600 a box. With only 3 autos per, to pull one of these guys can be a box killer. Five Star has a solid checklist with few holes in it, although the overall value is lower in general. With so few of the scrub non-RPS autos included in the box, there is a much better chance of walking away with an auto that you actually might want. Considering that there are ZERO stickers in Five Star, those autographs of non-rookie players tend to be more likely to end up staying with one’s collection.

Packaging

I loved the tin strategy for Five Star over the last few years, and I think the new display is a novel idea. Its just not a good idea for a product like this. You need a tin or a wood box to complement the box price and I dont think there is a competition here. Treasures has its trademark Cigar box, and I think this is a clear win for Panini as it has been since Exquisite moved away from wood packaging in Exquisite.

Box Price

National Treasures’ box price has gone through the roof as people hoard boxes to trickle out through the distributors. This is where Five Star has a clear advantage, as there isnt as much risk going into a box. If you dont pull a Wilson, Luck or Griffin RPA, you are likely not going to make your money back on a box of Treasures, and this is where Topps has the SLIGHT advantage. Not that the cards are more valuable, just that when you have a dud, you lose less money at 450 a box instead of 600. Same amount of hits – less money needed to break even. Both products are overpriced at where they stand, but I still believe that Five Star is tracking well below where it should be on individual card sales.

Overall

I have said before that Five Star should be worth more than it is. I wholeheartedly believe that, as many of the individual sales I have seen defy common sense. Its almost like collectors are fixated on National Treasures’ perception with the herd. I have also mentioned that I feel as though we are not speaking according to the feedback I see posted everywhere. We complain constantly about sticker autos in high end products, yet when a product with all on card autos are released, its not worth more for the effort. I almost believe that collectors have lost trust in Topps’ ability to remain worthy of consumer trust in the wake of the Blue Wave and redemption issues, but that cant be all of it. Im going to put this into an analogy that I hope makes sense. National Treasures is like Justin Bieber – incredibly popular but manufactured to play to the masses in a way that preys on people who buy into the collective consciousness. Five Star is like Arcade Fire – everyone always tells you how great it is, but its the product that only the people in the know really appreciate.

In the end, both products are great showings. I love Five Star because it represents what I care about – autographs. If I were a relic collector, I might go with National Treasures. The products are so different, that I honestly believe there is room for both in this hobby. They play to two different types of people, and I hope that this year doesnt serve as discouragement to Topps to change the format. If anything, the fact that Panini had to include the on card stuff should only serve to show that they know how much power it has. They are getting tired of hearing “if Topps can do it, why cant it happen in Treasures too?” That is good. That is very good. These just go to show us that everyone won in 2012.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here it is – the people who will be making and breaking your boxes of 2013 Football cards. Normally this isnt released for another couple of weeks, but a website offering bids on the experience of going has posted a preliminary list. On it are the names everyone expected to be listed, but there are a list of surprises indeed. Again, this website is not affiliated with Topps, Panini or the NFLPA from what I can tell, but the list looks formatted the way the press release usually is done. Im guessing there are a few guys that were determined to be going as long as they were drafted, and any other additions and subtractions will be made before the final list is approved by both of the card companies. There are less than 35 players on this list, so its possible that guys like Gavin Escobar and Terrance Williams of the Cowboys and Zack Ertz from the Eagles should end up going too.

My biggest problem on this list is two – the absence of Manti Teo and the presence of a guy like Tyler Bray. Te’o has a valuable autograph due to his national attention, and should have been included in this year’s premiere. Being that Bray went undrafted, I would be shocked if he goes once the final list is released. However, if he does end up going, it will only be further testament to the weak 2013 class. Bray doesnt sell all that badly, but undrafted players rarely attend.

This new structure has been in place for a few years now. There is a big focus placed on skill players – especially QBs, and defense and non-skill players are no longer present. This is a VERY good thing, because you avoid situations like this and of course, like this. No one wants a box hit to be a defensive tackle that is taking the spot of a running back that could actually see playing time. Alfred Morris was left off the list last year, which is likely because he was drafted so late. Even though Topps was able to get relic content into later products in the year, I doubt the companies let this happen again.

All I have to say to everyone out there: Brace yourselves.

Baseball, like every other sport consistently delivers new talent that impresses with surprise. Guys like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg were expected to be superstars from day one, and no collector ever expected to get them at bargain basement prices. Unlike these superstars, Matt Harvey and Chris Davis, two players who have had incredible starts to their seasons, which have led to ridiculous speculation of their cards.

Recently, the Matt Harvey Bowman Superfractor auto sold for a price usually reserved for guys like Harper and Strasburg:

2010 Bowman Chrome Matt Harvey Superfractor Auto 1/1

His other cards are also selling for ridiculous prices reflecting his recent dominance on a top MLB collected team.

2010 Bowman Matt Harvey Red Refractor Auto /5

2012 National Treasures Matt Harvey Rookie Auto Patch /25

2006 Topps Aflac All American Matt Harvey Auto

Chris Davis, who has hit more homers this season than many expected him to hit in his entire career, has done exceptionally as collectors have caught on. Like Jose Bautista a few years ago, Davis has been around for a while, which has led to a little bit less potential where buys would occur. This is a very small sample size for a guy like this, and it begs the question of whether or not this production will continue.

2008 Bowman Chrome Chris Davis Red Refractor /5

2007 Elite Extra Edition Chris Davis Status Auto 1/1

2006 Bowman Chrome Chris Davis Blue Refractor RC

I have never bought into hot starts or even great seasons without consistent production in baseball. Too many things can change that prevents the player from catching on and staying on top of the mountain. The same thing is present in football, but there just seems to be more variables that lead to a successful baseball career in a much more skill oriented sport.

Similarly, with pitchers like Harvey, there are always arm injuries that many players cant avoid no matter the situation. Strasburg hasnt even been in the league for five years, and has already had one major surgery. During that surgery, his value plummeted. Even though its back and better than ever now, its a ticking clock for these guys. One can only imagine what is possible if a guy can perform at the top for a long time, without blowing out an elbow.

It takes a lot for me to get going on a guy, as baseball functions unlike any other sport. Mike Trout was an aberration in 2012, and now that 2013 has come along, he has slowed down a bit. He was literally unstoppable before. Sustained superstardom in baseball is rare, and many collectors are just trying to get on the train before the tickets are too expensive to buy.

Even though we waited three days to see two of the biggest prospects of the draft finally picked, it looks like it worked out pretty well. We saw Geno Smith and Mike Glennon go on day two in the second and third rounds, but top prospects Ryan Nassib and Matt Barkley were still waiting for a home. Matt Barkley was especially concerning, as early on in the year, he was considered a top 5 pick. Now, here we are on day three and he finally comes off the board.

2013 Leaf Metal Draft Matt Barkley Superfractor Auto 1/1

2013 Upper Deck Matt Barkley Auto Letter /15 SSP

2013 Leaf Metal Draft Ryan Nassib Red Refractor Auto /5

2013 Upper Deck Ryan Nassib Auto RC SSP

Interestingly enough, had Barkley not gone back to school, he would have EASILY been a first round pick in 2012, but decided to take his chances with huge talent in Griffin and Luck leading headlines at the draft. Now, after struggling through his senior season, there were more reasons NOT to take him early, than to waste a pick on a potential project. The Eagles felt strongly enough in said potential to trade up and make him the first pick of day three, and that actually is a great thing. Nick Foles didnt show enough during 2012 to have solidified the starting job, and with a new coach, Barkley will get a legitimate look.

Across the division in New York, Ryan Nassib had been waiting since being projected number 9 to Buffalo in the first round. He slid and slid until eventually being picked up by the hometown New York Giants. Obviously, the only way he is going to see the field is if Eli Manning gets injured, which isnt an ideal situation, but he will get seasoning and possibly make his mark as a backup before testing the waters after a handful of years on the bench. Ryan Mallet was in a very similar situation in 2011, and has been the talk of potential trades all week long. Once he is available after next season, he should get a shot somewhere. He has carried value as a backup all around, thanks to this assumption, and there is no reason to believe Nassib wont be the same with all of the talk prior to the draft.

Other notable He has carried value as a backup all around and Marcus Lattimore found a home too – Franklin with the Packers to accompany Eddie Lacy, and Lattimore with the niners. Its likely that Lattimore wont play this year as he rehabs his gruesome knee injury, but Franklin should get a few carries in the Packers’ committee system.

This is always a bittersweet post for me, because it means no football until August, but the rookies were likely not going to be the talk with the class being so weak. Hopefully we see what they have early on, as 2013 products are not looking good right now.