Leading Off with Tom Bartsch - Monday, June 29, 2009

Two Shows Looking to Make a Big Splash
Posted by Tuff Stuff

It's summer, and that means it's almost time for the National Sports Collector's Convention – this year taking place in Cleveland, July 29-Aug. 2.

But wait, there's another. Taking place two weeks before that event is another Chicago show, and no, it's not named SportsFest. Held July 17-20 will be first the 1st Annual FansEdge Sports Spectacular at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

It's interesting timing to have another even so close to the National, especially when dealers are watching their dollars more than ever when it comes to travel. But it should provide a bonus for collectors.

The National won't bowl you over with flashy glitz and glamour. What it does have is stuff for serious collectors - good guests, exclusive card sets and the biggest and best dealer lineup you'll find in the country. And all those manufacturers, distributors and auction houses show up, too.

The new FansEdge event is offering a free admission day (thursday) and something called "Rollback Friday," where autograph guests will be at prices way less than the usual asking price. Plus, it's an all-day Friday show, so take off of work and take advantage of the savings.

But there needs to be more to attract people, so Mounted Memories - who is running the event - is also offering kids activities like a mini golf course, moonwalk and obstacle course.

So how exactly do you go from a moonwalk to buying an autographed Cal Ripken Jr. jersey? I'm not sure, but we're going to find out.

So it will be interesting to see how these shows do. Attendance will be key for both, as shows have been hit hard the last few years - especially in Chicago.

And if you're looking for Tuff Stuff, we'll have a booth at both events. Stop by for some prizes and let us know how that golf course treated yoy.

Monday, June 29, 2009 10:49:09 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Latest Sports "Challenge" Sounds a Little Too Fun
Posted by Tuff Stuff

Did you hear about this upcoming event in the Bahamas in which fans/collectors can get together with some high-caliber athletes for a few days of gambling and golf? It's like a fantasy camp, only it has nothing to do with playing games on the field.

Here are some of the details:
Legendary Auctions has joined with The Sports Legends Challenge presented by AbsolutePoker.net to produce the ultimate sports fantasy experience. On Sept. 14-17, the inaugural Sports Legends Challenge, benefitting the Butch Kerzner Summit Foundation, will take place at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas. The resort will serve as a backdrop for a world-class sports and gaming event which will feature sports fans and their sports heroes competing in a variety of casino games, including No Limit Texas Hold ’Em, Blackjack and Slots, as a well as a daily prize-money golf tournament.

Sports fans will compete with and against 25 sports legends, including: Troy Aikman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Richard Petty, Sugar Ray Leonard, Emmitt Smith, Reggie Jackson, Joe Namath, Mike Ditka, Julius Erving, Herschel Walker, Jim Brown, Bobby Hull, Jerry West, Brooks Robinson, Gale Sayers, Kyle Petty and more. The event will also feature 25 of the world’s top Poker Pros. The Sports Legends, Poker Pros and participants will compete in a wide range of tournaments for up to $10,000,000 in prize money. The feature event will be a winner-take-all, No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em grand finale televised nationally, Thanksgiving Day, on FOX Sports.

Legendary Auctions will also conduct a sports memorabilia auction event during the event.

Well, that sounds like fun. I am curious if there will be more details as to the charitable component of the event and exactly what the auction will entail. From the outside, it looks like a free "guy's weekend" for the athletes.

The idea is to hold a few of these events a year, with another one being planned for 2010 in London. I'll post some more details as they become available. In the meantime, I'll start practicing my poker face and saving my dough so I can go on a "work trip."

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 4:57:24 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Ticket Stubs Another Insert Worth Chasing
Posted by Tuff Stuff

When it comes to pieces of something, anything that can be inserted into cards, there seems to be few limits. We’ve all seen the pieces of jerseys, pants, shoes, bats, caps and cut signatures now seemingly in every brand available on the shelf.

And this doesn’t count the sheet metal, driver’s suits, pieces of tires and helmets found in racing products.

The latest is Topps’ 2009 Ticket to Stardom Baseball that features official MLB ticket stubs embedded in the cards. Tickets can be found from the World Series and Opening Day to the World Baseball Classic and prominent moments such as rookie debuts.The product also features Buyback stubs that would feature a stub from a classic game.

The product ships in August, so you have some time to come up with the ideal ticket you’d like to find in the product. We’ve covered the “ticket stubs you’d most like to own” in the past, so I’ll just say I wouldn’t mind the Sept. 9, 1992, stub from Milwaukee’s County Stadium in which Robin Yount clubbed his 3,000th career hit.

But I am curious as to what will be placed in cards next. Perhaps dinosaurs? Nope, that already happened, along with fragments of bones from Wholly Mammoths. I don’t have anything against those pieces being embedded in cards, but I just wouldn’t have expected that in my hockey box breaks or Allen & Ginter brands. As someone posted on the Sports Card Forum message board a while back, what’s next, strands of hair from a white buffalo?

If it hasn’t happened yet, I’m sure there is a way to have pieces of Tiger Woods’ putter placed into a card, or perhaps some of the apple core, bubble gum or other discarded piece of trash Woods used that seems to turn up on eBay a few times a year.

I find these diversions rather entertaining. And I have to think those who aren’t diehard card collectors probably feel the same way – and that’s why card companies go to such lengths to have these varieties as “hits” in their products. When the base collecting community has been contacted over and over again, you have to go somewhere else to expand to new markets, new buyers and new money. It’s a strategy every business utilizes.

That’s why you see some of these strange inserts. While hard-core collectors complain about them, most won’t ever see them (another gripe in the hobby, but that’s also the chase that drives the hobby). Most of the inserts are very limited and are more for the publicity to the unknowing populace who think they have a chance at something special than for the market the cards are designed to serve in the first place. For releases that draw the extra attention, the old adage applies: any publicity is good publicity.

The other day in the office, we busted open a box of 2009 O-Pee-Chee Baseball, a no-frills product that won’t hurt the pocketbook. The box offered no patch cards, no autographs and nary a redemption. We all remarked how we enjoyed the product. The card designs were simple and not flashy, the card backs had actual statistics and other nuances that made it fun to read and in the end you were generally pleased with the outcome.

But this won’t cut it for the populace I spoke about before. They need something more to give the product a try and that’s where the struggle is and why we have the products we do in the hobby.

Back to those ticket stubs. Would you rather have a card and stub that are related together in one piece, or would you rather have the ticket stub as a stand-alone collectible? If a had a choice, I’ll take the card because it aids in remembering the importance of the stub.

Monday, June 22, 2009 4:58:41 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Collect.com Auctions Provides a Fun Diversion
Posted by Tuff Stuff

First, a company note: Collect.com Auctions' debut sale ends Thursdaty. To see the lineup and register, click here.

But first, here is what it was like leading up to the auction:

So this is what it’s like to have unlimited amounts of money, time, energy, patience and eventually joy. I never thought I might be able to experience that all at once.

Nope, I didn’t win the lottery, enter never-never land or get a lobotomy. We’ve been going through some of the items that will be appearing in the debut sale of Collect.com Auctions, and it’s been a treat seeing all the great collectibles the world has to offer. It’s one thing to see these items in a catalog or on computer screen, but to see them pass through with our own eyes has been a blast.

The other day I got to “play” with a 1925 tin mechanical baseball game from Frantz Toys call The Great American Game. This beats any video game system I had growing up, even if it didn’t feature any real players. It was simple, colorful and fun. A rotating scroll determined the outcome of the “at-bats” and I never had more pleasure out of a game of chance. I’ve worked in the toy hobby market in a former life, but this was the first time I got to play with a toy that fit my grandpa’s generation. Did I mention it was a good week?

And then I got to pretend I was a kid in the 1940s who just polished off a bowl of Nabisco Shredded Wheat cereal just so I could redeem the box top for a Ted Williams ring. Heck, I would stomach the cereal today if that prize was still an option. Now, all the rewards from shredded wheat involve a healthier lifestyle. Big deal.

Under my desk, I have a couple of game-used bats from the likes of Tony Clark and Rondell White. Those full-size versions have nothing on the 1910 mini decal Joe Jackson bat I swung around a few hours before I penned this column. What great color and design on the barrel. What? It’s worth how much? Perhaps I should have been more gentle. I’m kidding of course. While curiosity got the cat, I was careful with all of my handling of these treasures.

I had never seen a NFL championship ring before in person, salesman sample or otherwise. They’re huge, glitzy, obnoxious and just what you want to show off to the rest of the world that for one season there wasn’t anyone better than you. Those rings make a statement and then some. This version was a 1972 Miami Dolphins Bob Griese example. It didn’t fit my fingers.

And then there were the signed balls – Babe Ruth, Don Drysdale, Ted Williams, Johnny Unitas, Michael Jordan, etc. It seems players took a lot more pride in signing items in years past. Big, bold and, most importantly, legible signatures were found on most of the balls, making for easy identification and the chance to piece together the exact years on team-signed examples.

It was also fun to see what types of items collectors got signed. One of the most unique ones was a 1:16-scale die-cast golf cart signed by Carl Yastrzemski. The artwork was the nicest to look at, but the ticket stubs, postcards and index cards weren’t too bad either.

I had the chance to feel what it was like to sit in the Boston Garden, courtesy of two cushy stadium seats. I lived a day in the warm-ups of numerous NBA players, realizing – when the outfits were far too big – why I never had a chance on the court.

I also learned that this is one big hobby, full of more material than any one person could ever dream of collecting. It’s those niches that keeps the hobby humming, and I hope you all keep it going. After all, how else am I supposed to learn about things like Stereo Viewers, 1946 World Series pen and pencil sets and how Al Kaline and Tom Selleck end up signing the same piece of memorabilia?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 8:10:44 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Sosa Retires and Some Great Releases Now Available
Posted by Tuff Stuff

Well, you leave for a week and lot happens in the sports world and hobby. Sammy Sosa says goodbye and makes a strong claim that he belongs in the Hall of Fame. I guess I missed that press conference and Sammy was never a player afraid to brag himself up. But my question is, is it really a story when you haven't played in a year and a half to call a retirement press conference?

It's amazing that a player who mesmerized the world only 11 years ago is cast aside like a utility infielder. It really speaks volumes for the sports world, and baseball in particular, these days.
SP LC - DiMaggio Auto.jpg

In the hobby, Legendary Cuts Baseball is now available from Upper Deck. The 100-card base set has countless, randomly placed inserts covering yesterday’s and today’s biggest stars via game-used memorabilia cards as well as autographed and signature-cut cards. Some of the “Legendary Cut” signature cards include scrawls from deceased baseball icons such as “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Roberto Clemente, as well as deceased MLB executives including former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley.

There's also four color parallels (that's four in all, such as blue, olive green, brown and red), but that doesn't do much for me. It just means there are more autographs than what you originally thought.

I like the Generations Dual card that feature a legend and a modern-day player, such as Nolan Ryan/randy Johnson and Reggie Jackson/Prince Fielder cards. People love to compare anyway, and this is just another way to do so.

Upper Deck’s 2009 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball yields five cards per pack, with 12 packs per box.

And some news for Topps Magic Football, 2009 style: On the heels of announcing it would recreate college themed Topps Magic Football, one of its first ever sports card releases, Topps is pleased to now announce it has added a very important subject to the product…Jackie Robinson, Running Back, UCLA.
rd2_JR_F[1].jpg

Robinson entered UCLA in 1939 where he would become the first athlete in school history to letter in four sports…Football, Baseball, Basketball and Track. And before breaking baseball’s color barrier, Jackie played semi-professional football for both the Honolulu Bears and the Los Angeles Bulldogs.

Topps is randomly inserting this limited edition card into packs of 2009 Topps Magic Football, which ships June 18. Each hobby box guarantees three Autographs.

Nice to see some classic football cards entering the market to complement all of the modern stuff, like Chrome.

All in all, there's a lot of good stuff going on, and there should be even more goodies and The National nears.

Finally, be sure to check out some signed NFL authentic items our sister publication, SCD, is giving away. CLICK HERE to check it out.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009 9:43:36 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Monday, June 08, 2009

And He's Not Named After Cecil Cooper
Posted by Tuff Stuff

At the time of this writing, I’m in Day Five of my new life. I didn’t enter the witness relocation program, leave a treatment facility or make a daily affirmation. Rather I entered fatherhood. It has been one of the most amazing, scary, humbling and best weeks of my life. I know many readers can relate. Words can’t even explain the admiration for my wife.

A million things have gone through my mind the past few days, such as is my son eating enough, where are those socks and where did that come from? I know a million more things will pop up in the next week or two, as well. But I’ve also taken a little time to look ahead a few years, though I’ve been told over and over again to enjoy this time like no other because it goes so fast. And typing in “Day Five” at the beginning of this column gives me a small hint of that.
COOPER1STWEEK_033 mini.jpg

But right now I can’t mesmerize him by showing him the beautiful green grass on a baseball field, or make his eyes pop out of his head when he touches a basketball rim for the first time. I want to teach him how to hold a baseball bat, toss a spiral and, since the soccer fields are so close by, kick a goal. But right now all I can do is hold him, which is a pretty good deal.

I want to sit and watch a game and explain things like a first down, penalty kick, free throw and explain why a batter is walking to first base. I can’t wait until his eyes can focus enough that when I read him books of dinosaurs and cuddly animals, I can throw in some baseball history books and explore why Babe Ruth, the Santa Claus-like figure waving a stick, is more remembered than any president in the U.S. Most of it won’t register most of it, but it will be a great experience for me.

It might be a tad more difficult down the line when I have to explain why Henry Aaron is the real home run king even though some other guys have more home runs. So I enjoy these first years, right?

I made it a point not to paint his room some garish colors of a major sports team, but that doesn’t mean I soon won’t be dressing him in those same garish colors for his first of many public appearances. Friends and family will find it cute, but I’ll be even prouder if, or when, he picks out those same types of clothes on his own later in life.

He already received his first pack of baseball cards, courtesy of the editor of this magazine. Oh yes, I’ll encourage him to collect if he wants to pursue it, but he’ll collect for the same reason I did growing up, and that’s to look over the cards of his heroes, memorize their statistics and keep those players’ names in his head 20 years later when he runs into those heroes on the show circuit or at a chance meeting in a hotel. But for now, that pack will remain unopened and stay with other artifacts from the week, such as photos, bracelets and those inky footprints.

People have already asked, since I am an avid Milwaukee Brewers fan, when he will make his first trip to the ballpark. My wife insists it should be this year, but I’m a little hesitant on that. I would like him to make it through his first few visits to the grocery store before plunging him into the middle of 42,000 fans on $2 beer night (note: those nights don’t exist except in minor-league parks, but you get my point).

However, when he does make it to his first game, he won’t leave my lap and I’ll babble on and on about the game unfolding before him and he won’t register a thing. But I won’t care. We’ll take about how the Milwaukee Braves because the Milwaukee Brewers and how the names in the outfield, from Jackie Robinson to Aaron to Robin Yount were some of the best to play in the game. I’ll tell him how the roof wasn’t always here and how those cold games in April were brutal, until the Brewers won. I’ll show him Bernie Brewer’s slide, those too-large-for-life racing sausages and have him sit in the giant glove in the interactive zone.

I can’t wait, I just can’t wait.

But wait I will. For now, I’ll wait for the first time he opens his eyes and recognizes me, his first wake-less night and for when the dog licks his face and he smiles.

In the meantime, I’ll make sure he doesn’t have to wait for me for anything, and I think that’s the best I can do.

Sorry for the proud-parent column, but this was a week with no deadlines, phone calls (except congratulatory), card release e-mails and it has been one of the best ever. I have someone else to share sports with – my son.

Monday, June 08, 2009 6:48:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Donruss Americana Rolls Out June 3
Posted by Tuff Stuff

Most people aren't real big on entertainment cards when it comes to their sports card products, especially when they are getting guitar heroes and such mixed in with their baseball and football cards.

But I think the one product that does it right is Donruss Americana from Panini. Donruss Americana doesn't hide what it is - an entertainment product through and through with some sports stars thrown in the mix for fun.

The latest batch will be released June 3 with five-card packs retailing for $25 each. Yes, that's a little steep, but there are some pretty cool cards included in the set that would make the purchase price a sweet deal – if you happened to pull it from the packs.

My personal favorite from the bunch is a card autographed by the four members of the Bundy family from the sitcom Married With Children. I'm a big fan of the show, so it would be neat to grab a card with autographs of Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate and David Faustino. This card is part of the the Casting Call insert set. This insert features 2-4 celebrities and one trapped parchment, numbered to 25 or less.

And that's just one of the dozens of inserts that can be found in the set. Other examples include Movie Posters, Private Signings, Cinema Stars, Hollywood Legends, TV Stars Directors Cut and many more. These often include both signed version and version with pieces of costumes worn or other relics based on the person, character, TV show or film.

Obviously, the draw here is the autographed card. The commons are nice, but they are just that – commons. To get a card signed by Jimmy Stewart, Charlie Chaplin, Johnny Carson or Frank Sinatra is the real draw. In all, there are 50 new signers for this set alone.

So aside from the Married With Children card, I would also prompt Panini/Donruss to make autographed cards from Top of the Heap (Matt LeBlanc), How I Met Your Mother and the HBO series Band of Brothers.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 5:30:05 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sportscard Forum and BlowOutCards.com Announce New Deal
Posted by Tuff Stuff

I'd like to share the following announcement between our online partner Sports Card Forum and a new deal they have in place with BlowOutCards.com:

BlowOutCards.com, the leading seller of sports card and entertainment boxes on the internet and SportsCardForum.com, the world’s largest and most active Sports Card Community have joined forces for a one-year advertisement and promotional deal. The financial terms of the deal are not disclosed. The deal includes special weekly promotions and marketing agreements coordinated between the two companies.

BlowOutCards.com will offer the more than 24,000 active SportsCardForum.com members special weekly promotions that will include major discounts on boxes and cases of cards. Every Thursday BlowOutCards.com will offer discounts on various items that will last until the following Sunday night or while supplies last. The first promotion will be offered to SportsCardForum.com VIP members.

“SportsCardForum.com is home to some of the most passionate card collectors in the world,” said Chris Park, co-owner of BlowOutCards.com. “After spending some time with the site staff and experiencing the community for myself, I knew we had to develop a relationship with the collectors of this community.”

“This is a tremendous win for our members,” said Michael Silvia, the owner of SportsCardForum.com, the most active and safest sports card community in the world. “We are excited to work with BlowOutCards.com over the next year to offer SportsCardForum.com members discounts on some of the best product in the sports card hobby. SportsCardForum.com is always looking for ways to bring great value to our members and we hit a home run with BlowOutCards.com.”

So feel free to check out our partners' site and these exciting deals. And tell them loud and proud about Tuff Stuff, too.

Thursday, May 21, 2009 7:53:27 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Yankee Stadium Memorabilia Will Find Buyers
Posted by Tuff Stuff

I have the opportunity on May 20 to intervuiew Brandon Steiner, founder of Steiner Sports. Currently, the company is making huge waves as the sole provider of Yankee Stadium memorabilia thanks to an agreement with the Yankees.

Currently, Steiner is offering stadium seats, sod from the field, infield dirt, stadium signs, turnstiles, lockers and autographed photos featuring many of those who made the stadium famous over the course of its history.

Some online articles and blogs have suggested that offering dirt is ridiculous and a waste of money. I disagree. People want a part of the most famous stadium in the world. If that means it's a test tube full of dirt (that's not how it's presented, obviously), so be it.

A few years ago, when they replaced the sod at Lambeau field in conjunction with the stadium renovation they iffered chunks of it in a box and fan bought it like it was a winning lottery ticket.

It's genius really. There's tons of it, literally, and collectors want it. It's affordable and can serve a wide range of fans.

But I'll ask Brandon about it, the response to the entire auctions and promotions the company is hosting surrounding Yankee Stadium and post some of his comments here.

Until then, I'm going to clear away seom of my lawn and see if I can't grow that beautiful Yankee Stadium turf.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 3:17:12 AM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Bruce Froemming Could Tell Stories until the Cows Came Home
Posted by Tuff Stuff

I'd like to touch on, again, the Milwaukee Braves dinner held last weekend that honored Bob Uecker. One of the guests of honor was long-time umpire Bruce Froemming.

Froemming worked 37 seasons in the big leagues, working 11 no-hitters. We're happy if we see one in our lifetime and he was on the field for 11 of them! He worked more than 5,000 games in this career. For those of you scoring at home, that's a lot of spit in the face from managers across several generations.

I truly wish he could have talked some more, because I bet he has a lot of stories to share. Froemming is much taller than me. I'm 5'6", but he's got about 100 pounds on me. He'd have to to stand firm behind the plate when dealing with A-Rod and Jason Varitek jawing at each other down the first base line or when an overzealous manager wanted to give him a piece of his mind.

But wouldn't it be fun to ask him who the biggest jerk was as a manager, a player and even stadium staff? Which person on the other end of the argument has the worst breath? What was some of the most ridiculous things ever said in an argument? You know some of the arguments are just guys yelling to make it look like they are backing up their teammates.

Froemming started umpiring in the ninth grade when he didn't make the baseball team. After that, he went from the minors, where he once cleared the press box after the PA announcer and a reporter were yelling at him. How about that for some fire in the belly?

Froemming was one of the most respected umpires in the game, handpicked to sit behind the plate in one-game playoff matchups in 1998 and 1999.

imagine how much baseball he has seen in those 37 years? From the Big Red Machine to the dominating Yankees and the upstart Marlins. He's watched a game from the flamboyant styles of the 1970s, to the drug use of the 1980s to the performance-enhancing days of today. Maybe he got out at the right time.

Not many think of umpires telling stories, but Froemming must have a million of them and I don't think he'd be afraid to share them. I'd love to grab a six-pack and sit in a chair with him for a day or three.

Monday, May 18, 2009 7:50:18 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

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