Sorry for the lateness here, something came up with my family and I just made it home. Break is filmed, and will be posted tomorrow morning. We hit a nice card – booklet style, and the results were definitely pretty cool.
I hate to keep you waiting, but I promise it will all be up soon.
Thanks for your patience!
Teams as done by Random.org:
The Packers had a pretty nice run during this past season, only to see it come abruptly to an end versus New York yesterday. Even though they only lost one game during the regular season, their overall performance will never be etched in history the way it probably should be, and the question becomes more about whether they were ever as good as they were made out to be.
The one person who has benefitted most from the run is Aaron Rodgers, whose cards have spiked to astronomical prices over the course of the season. The price bump was based mostly on speculation at the Packers making ANOTHER run to the Super Bowl, with Green Bay being favored over just about everyone. Collecting is based almost completely on speculation and team affiliation, and luckily for Rodgers’ card hoarders, he had both. Although rarity of the autographs also played a factor in some cases, Rodgers having a shot at a second title amongst his enormous production drove things more. Now that the second title has evaporated for now, I have to believe his cards are going to come down in the next few days, even more as the offseason drags on. They will bounce back if the Packers start up where they left off, but for now, they have to take a hit.
Check out some of the recent auctions from after the game – prices have already started to decrease:
2005 Aaron Rodgers Contenders Rookie Ticket Auto BGS 9
2005 Aaron Rodgers Finest RC Auto /199
2005 Aaron Rodgers Topps Pristine Rookie Auto
Rodgers has a ridiculously bright future, no doubt, and that isnt going to change just because he lost this game to a strong team. Its not like he performed like Tebow did on Saturday, but it was enough to show he is actually human. Collectors who dump their cards at this point should take lessons from previous players in this situation, and realize that patience is a virtue. For someone like me, looking to pick up one of his rookie autos, I hope there are not many people who will heed this advice. The hobby around the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and its not only frustrating, but bad for the people who like to hold on for the long run. Instant gratification is the name of the game, and I will no doubt be taking advantage if things go anywhere close to where they were at the start of this year.
Hey, at least he didnt tear everything in his knee, right?
Tight ends are never worth anything in this hobby. I have said it over and over again, but it wont change anything about the situation that collectors subscribe to with each new player that comes through the league. This week’s playoff games have obviously made the best case to take the scenario and turn it on its ear, yet I do not see the tight end improving as a collectable option once the games are done. Although guys like Rob Gronkowski, Vernon Davis, and Jimmy Graham are incredible players and vital to the success of their teams, they are not the poster boys of their offense. That falls on the quarterbacks, the running backs, the receivers, the defensive stars and THEN the tight ends. The hierarchy of media coverage is not on their side, and therefore, collectors rarely assign value to their cards.
Great games do help, but these prices are severely temporary I believe:
2010 Topps Chrome Rob Gronkowski Black Refractor Auto /25
2010 Playoff Contenders Jimmy Graham Rookie Ticket Auto
2006 SP Authentic Vernon Davis Rookie Patch Auto
Rob Gronkowski has had the best season a tight end has ever had. Ever, in the history of football. Not only that, he has had more TDs during the playoffs than some number one receivers had all year. Yesterday, on Saturday versus the Broncos, he tacked on three more scores, one being one of the best catches of the entire season. He is like Jerry Rice on Tecmo Bowl, with no answer from many of the teams he faces. When they play to stop him specifically, Welker, Hernandez and Branch take over, and Tom Brady picks the defense apart. Its an amazing thing to watch. That being said, come the beginning of next season, Gronkowski will still struggle to maintain the huge value he has earned this year. This is the plight of the Tight End. Quarterbacks and Running Backs will always usurp the value guys like Gronk should get.
Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham had the game of their lives right before the nightcap game on Saturday, both of which had the country watching the final seconds of the Niners’ win on the edge of their seats. Jimmy Graham has quickly emerged as the best tight end in the NFC, a position held by Vernon Davis a few times since he was drafted in 2006. Graham, a rookie last year, came into his own with 11 TDs and over 1300 yards during a record season from Drew Brees, and had a crazy 61 yard catch to put the Saints ahead with almost no time left. Alex Smith used Vernon Davis to negate the score and put San Francisco ahead for good, and set up a defensive battle with either NY or Green Bay next week.
Because Davis was drafted the same year as Bush, Leinart and Young, he received about as much attention as anyone else that year. None. Davis’ struggled a bit through his first season and really turned it on the last few years to be the best option they have. Even though he had two amazingly productive seasons, collectors must still have a bad taste in their mouth from 2006’s complete flop. Not only are his cards worth very little, but they are also not going to get more expensive. I would be surprised if this bump earned yesterday fades more quickly than any other. Davis is just not a valuable guy, even though he is worthy of that value.
Look at a guy like Tony Gonzales or Jason Whitten. Whitten is one of the most popular jerseys purchased in the country today. Gonzales is the current “greatest of all time” at his position, and yet, neither auto will net you that much money if pulled:
1997 Tony Gonzalez SP Authentic Auto
2010 Crown Royale Tony Gonzalez Logo Patch Auto
This is just the way things are when it comes to Tight Ends that play well above their pay grade. Dont get me wrong, the NFL will eventually become a league that looks for Gronks and Grahams rather than guys of the past, but I doubt they will ever reach their true potential in terms of value. A player who has equal responsibility of blocking and pass catching on every play will never be popular enough with collectors to really be a factor. Sure doesnt hurt that Gronk and Graham have Brady and Brees to throw them the ball too, right?
Its been a very long time since we have done a group break on the site, but Topps Supreme has proven to be the perfect product to utilize for this particular venture. Here is the way it will work. I will offer sixteen slots for all of you to buy, and each slot will consist of two randomly assigned teams. If there is a card from one of your teams pulled in the two boxes, it will be sent to you. If a card is pulled that has multiple players from multiple teams on it, it will be randomly assigned to a team involved.
I will start with 2 boxes at 13 dollars per slot. Please post a comment if you are interested below, and send your money to gellmana@gmail.com to confirm your slot. This is for USA residents only. For the people who do not have the money now, Im sorry, but your slot will not be guaranteed until you pay via paypal. Please include your shipping address with your payment. If it fills quickly, I will open up a second break for two more boxes. Its a cheap thrill, even though you will not be guaranteed anything for your money.
For anyone that pays, but does not receive a slot due to the break filling up will receive a refund. Your payment includes box price, paypal fees, and shipping cost.
Thanks everyone!
CURRENT SLOTS AVAILABLE:
1. Steven M – PAID
2. Aaron L – PAID
3. Collin D – PAID
4. Mario Z – PAID
5. Mario Z – PAID
6. Shane P – PAID
7. Shane P – PAID
8. Mike P – PAID
9. Scott G – PAID
10. Scott G – PAID
11. Julian C – PAID
12. Julian C – PAID
13. Robert D – PAID
14. Russ T – PAID
15. Russ T – PAID
16. Pablo G – PAID
I remember back in 2007 when Topps Triple Threads was released with the first regularly produced booklet cards in Football. Although the booklet had been around in basketball previously, Topps made it famous. I have to say, I hated every minute of it, mainly because there was always more of a focus on the swatches in the booklet than the things that really count. Design was never a focus, and when you have TWO cards to use instead of just one, I dont understand why it took so long for the booklet cards to finally be something worth considering for purchase.
This year’s Supreme seems to be averaging a booklet card per 16 box case, something which would normally cause me to roll my eyes. However, there are some really nice looking cards that these booklets have produced this time around, all of which include large, full size player pictures. Instead of a penny sized photograph covered up by a hundred different swatches, Topps has actually composed the cards as an improved version of last year’s Five Star booklets. Although they are stickers, they use the stickers in a way that doesnt take away from the card. If a company is going to use stickers, at leasst use them in a way like this. Plus, when the boxes’ MSRP is 90 bucks, with a possibility of junk jersey card being the hit, there had better be some chase to buy more than one pack at a time.
Here are some of the cool ones:
Blaine Gabbert Dual Jumbo Patch Booklet Auto 1/1
Ray Lewis Six Jersey Autograph Booklet /10
Additionally, there are some really nicely composed patch cards that previously would have previously been a visual disaster for Topps. When there are multiple swatches to include on a card, Topps has had a very tough time doing things the right way until these last two years. Even with the space on a horizontal card, there are not a lot of ways to fit four swatches on the card, in a way that doesnt generally damage the visual composition or look of the final product. Supreme, and likely Five Star alike will not have this type of issue, as there is evidence that their design team has finally figured out exactly how to make products look high end.
Demarco Murray Dual Patch Auto /10
Joe Montana Quad Patch Auto /10
Supreme is definitely a hit and miss break, as was a product like Ultimate back in 2009. However, in both cases, when a box delivers, it is VERY tough to beat the results. When Panini’s products focus more on cutting corners with design to save money for the company, the cards dont even come close to measuring up against a product like Supreme. National Treasures hasnt even been previewed yet in a full capacity due to its late release, but I have to believe its going to take a miracle for it to beat Five Star now that Topps has had a full year to make that much more incredible.