In the last few editions of Bowman and Topps products, they have included a wrapper redemption aimed at rewarding people who open packs and send in the packaging for special cards. As I have said on numerous occasions, giveaways are awesome, and we should be pretty happy that they continue to be included in products despite the cost of producing them. Of course, that is never the case, but I think that the positives of Blue Wave redemption packs far outweigh the negatives.

Here are the most memorable ones over the last few years:

2012 Bowman Chrome Blue Wave Oscar Taveras Auto RC

2012 Bowman Chrome Red Wave Bryce Harper

2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Alfred Morris Auto RC

2012 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Andrew Luck Chuckstrong Variation

The main positive of this whole program, which has been done in both baseball and football, is that the entire thing is a toss in – save the small shipping costs of sending the wrappers to Topps. No return shipping or cost to do so, and you will get your cards in the mail. Additionally, the cards’ pattern is exclusive and very cool, which makes the results incredibly valuable, a bigger added bonus in tow. Lastly, Topps has included rare parallels and autographs in every wrapper redemption they have done, including on card autos in some cases. Cant beat that.

There are some MAJOR negatives, especially on the football side, but many of them should have been considered with the way the cards are done. Time spent waiting for the cards is the biggest issue that has been experienced, as we see months go by without updates or information on the status of the packs. Similarly, the packs all come with clear cellophane packaging, which means they cant be re-sold due to searching. Lastly, there have been complaints on collation, as autographs, big names, and parallels seem to be clumped together. Not really sure if anything can be done when the program is thrown together so quickly to mitigate complaints on time, but its worth looking into.

I was lucky enough to get a blue wave pack with one of my football redemptions, and I absolutely love the way the cards turned out. These examples are some of the best giveaways that are done across the hobby, but its all about how much patience and understanding that people possess in the results they receive. Witj small amounts of patience, and no understanding of the process, its likely that this isnt for you. That’s not saying that Topps should get better at putting this together now that its been done so many times, but it is a test of one’s resolve in a lot of cases. The worst part is, not everyone is privy to that mentality, thus causing a lot of frustration.

Although we have already gotten word that the program is in play for 2013 Bowman, being released next week, we still do not have confirmation if its being revisited for Topps Chrome later this year as well.

Back in 2011, Topps wowed everyone by releasing a product pre-season, that not only had rookies depicted in their NFL uniforms, but also had on card autographs on said cards. Usually, because of when the rookie photoshoot took place, this type of product was unavailable until the pictures were processed and cards were sent to and returned by the rookies. It took months upon months for this to happen, and every pre-season product through september would have stickers. Inception turned the majority of this on its head, using photoshop and computer programs to picture the new class on the field, before they actually got on the field.

From all accounts, this is a very tall task. You have the draft happening the last weekend in April, and the signing needs to be completed in the middle of may at the rookie premiere. That is literally two to three weeks to take all the attendees of the shoot, pick the photos, retouch the photos, get the cards approved by the NFL, and then printed all in time for them to be signed at the premiere. Ridiculous time crunch for both companies to deal with. For the first time, Panini tried it with Prestige, with mixed results.

In the first year, Inception was able to be successful because there was a lot more leeway on using numbers perceived to be correct going into the shoot. Topps took liberties in using college numbers and rumored numbers to construct the cards, which led to every rookie having close to the number they would eventually wear on the card. There were some mistakes, but many couldnt have cared less.

In 2012, the NFL tightened the belt, and said that any rookie without an officially assigned number at the time of printing had to be pictured in a 00 jersey. This led to many issues for the a lot of the draft picks, as many numbers arent assigned until tuesday or wednesday after the draft. By that time, the cards are already approved and being set for printing, by my guess. This led to cards of players that didnt do any justice to what makes Inception so amazingly awesome. It left us with a terrible taste in our mouth, and that is not a good thing.

This year, from what people are saying, the number of 00 jerseys is reduced because NFL teams have been pushed to assign numbers much more quickly. Guys that would have gone to the backup 00 last year, have a number this year. There will still be some who dont have numbers, thus forcing the backup numbers, but I hope it isnt many.

From the preview we got on Twitter, the cards for 2013 Inception look better than they ever have. Not only do they feature the redesigned jerseys released the week before the draft, but the subtle changes in the card’s composition make it that much more exciting to collect. There is a LONG road ahead for pre-season products, as the class will be extremely weak until they get on the field in week one. That doesnt bode well for potential value in a box. That being said, these cards look great, and that wont be an issue that Topps has to worry about.

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.