For a very long time, I have considered what it would take for a high end product to be ultimately successful in the baseball arena, where many of the players who have the most value are dead or not signing. One idea that was championed by Upper Deck, was to go the route of on card autos coupled with huge ridiculous patches, but it takes a certain level of planning and design success to make that happen correctly.

The one way that I have always said was the best way to make this work, was to focus on the autograph content. Basically, make it worth the while of the collector to actually buy the product’s unique autograph over an autograph from another product. In baseball, that is very tough to do, but I think inscriptions is a very good start.

Here are some reasons that this could be huge:

2009 Ultimate Matt Kemp Inscription Auto

2009 Ultimate Ken Griffey Jr Inscription Auto

2011 Topps Anniversary Chipper Jones Inscription Auto

Tribute baseball, over the last few years, has lacked the wow factor needed to be successful in a way that it had been in its first go around. Relics and sticker autos really dont present anything different than any other set, and this year, Topps looks to be going the right direction. They previewed some of the hard signed inscription cards that will be inserted into packs, and I must say, the cards look absolutely awesome. If the rest of the product can live up to these types of standards, I dont think that Topps will have any negative backlash like they may have had with previous products at this price point. Baseball inscription cards have always carried huge weight with collectors, as evidenced by previous year’s Upper Deck sets, and I think this could be a huge hit.

Panini just doesnt get it when it comes to football cards. Ones that most of us shake our heads over, are ENORMOUS RIDICULOUS SUCCESSES to them, and I can tell you its past the point of parody with the people whose opinions I value.

I mean, when cards that DONT NEED a big white box behind the sticker, still get a big white box just for shits and giggles, I have to question why cards are even being left to the same design team over and over again.

Last year, Plates and Patches was a pretty good looking set in a lot of aspects, but failed in many of the normal places that all Panini sets fail in. This year, even with on card autos, Panini’s judgment calls were absolutely incorrect and detrimental to the visual appeal, all over something as small as how much space a player has to sign a card. As a result, a set that I enjoyed a few cards from last year, despite its literal name, will be thrown on the trash heap with the rest of Panini’s abysmal calendar.

With Limited boxes delivering a redemption once every other box on average, they had better have planned this product out a little better. I have the uptmost clarity that overall, redemptions mean very little when you know what goes into them. However, when they are as frequent as they were in Limited, not only are the casual uneducated collectors alienated, but also the more seasoned ones who are annoyed by not getting live cards in their boxes. Redemptions dont sell as well, and that means even less of a return on your crappy box that also included a jersey card of Mark Mariani and Malcom Floyd.

Lastly, these checklists that Panini rolls out with each product seem to get more and more laughable. Second and third string veterans coupled with retired players with no value at all bring wax breakers to their knees. Not many players have the credentials of Charles Woodson, and it is NOT a good idea to go diving into the retired player dumpster just to fill out your horrendous products.

As I have said many times, the NFL has a crucial decision to make. Not whether or not Panini will stay licensed, but whether or not they will continue to allow MUCH NEEDED competition from Topps as the only company left producing good looking cards on a consistent basis. All Panini has shown is that since the takeover from DLP, their product designs have gone from below average, to poor, to burn my eyes out with a bucket of corroding acid. Its gotten that bad, and even 42% of the poll respondants on Blowout (a formerly pro-Panini message board) agree with the statement.

Here is the damage:

Last week, Leaf tried to be the first to market with Andrew Luck cards that catered to the instant gratification of the hobby. Unfortunately for them, there was a major error in the production of the cards themselves, with a spelling error being a determining factor in cancelling their eBay onslaught planned for the product.

39 of the cards were sold before Leaf took down the auctions, and in a move I fail to understand, they will be fufilling those cards for those lucky and quick handed people who bought them. Therefore, instead of 350 Luck cards hitting the market, there will only be 39 with the error and 350 more with the correction. As you can imagine, these cards have become quite the commodity in the days following the mess up.

Andrew Luck Leaf Metal Error Card /39

Andrew Luck Leaf Metal Error Card /39 – Example 2

Andrew Luck Leaf Metal Error Card /39 – Example 3

In my opinion, this is something that should never have happened, but it is very much the handywork of a guy like Brian Gray. He definitely has a reputation of pushing the envelope, and instead of just refunding cash, he is deciding to push it even further.

In the end, these error cards will go down with all the other famous errors of the hobby, and the eventual release of the Luck cards will not be that important in the grand scheme of things. I think that the prices are shocking to say the least, but at least something is going to come of it.

In baseball, there is not many times where a player of Albert Pujols switches to a new team and a new league. It happened twice with Alex Rodriguez, and should happen shortly with guys like Prince Fielder and a few others next year. Players just dont stay with the same team for their whole career like Puckett, Ripken and Jeter anymore.

You knew that Topps had a situation on their hands with 2012 flagship coming up just a few short weeks after the signing of Pujols. Personally, after seeing this new card, I have to say their airbrush artist needs a pay raise. Not only is the design of 2012 Topps a home run, the card looks about as awesome as one could hope.

There are already reports of SSP cards in the set, as usual, and I think that collectors will have no problem latching on and chasing the ones of guys like Reyes in his Marlins getup and Pujols in Angels gear.

Dont get me wrong, Topps has had their share of disappointments in baseball this year, but with the Tier One preview and the success that Topps Series One is sure to have, lets hope 2011 was an aberration.

To start 2011, many of the people around the league thought that the NFL was the Packers’ world, and that everyone else was just living in it. Now that they have been dismantled by, another team has taken hold in the NFC, and collectors are catching on quickly. The 49ers are made up of a number of players who really had little following in the hobby, who have since had some incredible gains in value during San Fran’s incredible run through the 2011 playoffs.

Alex Smith is a guy that should never have been a guy fighting for value among collectors. He was the number one pick, and had the skills and potential to be a great quarterback. When poor play and injuries derailed his place atop the 2005 draft class, I really had zero confidence that he would ever be back in the limelight. Since the victory over New Orleans, his cards have been going absolutely crazy, even more so once the Giants dethroned the Packers. They have a legitimate shot at making and winning the Super Bowl, and that is something that always spikes prices.

2005 Alex Smith Exquisite Rookie Patch Auto Platinum

2005 Alex Smith Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Auto 1/1

2005 Alex Smith SP Authentic Rookie Jumbo Patch Auto /5

Its also a good idea to check out the leaders of their staunch defense, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis. Both have seen significant spikes in value all through the season, but those bumps were child’s play compared to what happened during the game last week. Justin Smith’s autographs are basically non-existant, as most defensive guys are, so collectors have started clamoring to pick up cards like his Contenders RC autograph for their collections prior to the game tomorrow. Willis has had a number of cards since his rookie season in 2007, mainly because he was present at the rookie premiere, but not many have garnered value similar to what we are seeing now.

The funniest part of all of this? Even their coach’s autographed cards have spiked as a result of the season’s wins. Jim Harbaugh was a quarterback for a few different teams, and has had a few autographs as a result. During the course of the season, his cards have gone from absolutely worthless to a nice little chunk of change. I find this not only ridiculous, but telling of what the team has accomplished during Harbaugh’s short tenure.

If the 49ers can replicate the success they have had all year through sunday and beyond, Alex Smith and the other players have a reason to be included in packs again. Everyone loves a champion, and Smith’s value rebound is one that has been in progress for almost six years. These types of stories are the reason we love the NFL, and I expect it all over again next year too.