Card of the Day: Carmen Electra 2005-06 Topps Basketball 1st Edition #252

Card of the Day: Jasson Dominguez 2020 Bowman 1st Edition #8

Preview: 2020 Bowman 1st Edition Baseball

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many things will have to be put on hold.  That includes future card products.  According to Topps, Transcendent HOF Edition and Definitive Collection Baseball will be the last products to be released via the traditional route.  The release dates for everything else is TBD, including 2020 Bowman.

Topps is still able to produce online-exclusive products.  Project 2020, Topps NOW Turn Back The Clock, and The Topps Living Set are in full swing.  Lots of other ones too.

Even though 2020 Bowman is delayed, Topps has something special planned for collectors.  Enter 2020 Bowman 1st Edition Baseball.

Available as an online-exclusive on the Topps website, 2020 Bowman 1st Edition Baseball will be sold in 10-card packs.  At a cost of $14.99 per pack, these cards will feature the 2020 Bowman design, and contain the 1st Edition logo on them.  Topps plans to sell them on their website between April 22-24.  Card shops who are part of the Topps’ MVP program should also be receiving some of these packs as well.

(150) prospects make-up the set.  This is the same group of prospects who are expected to be seen in the main 2020 Bowman.  Parallels include Sky Blue (1:2) packs, Blue #’ed/150, Yellow #’ed/75, Gold #’ed/50, Orange #’ed/25, Red #’ed/5, and Platinum #’ed 1/1.

1st Edition stamped autograph cards will also be randomly included.

These packs are going to be flaming hot!!!  You’ll only be allowed to purchase a certain amount.  Early May is when the packs are expected to ship.

Checklist

1st Topps Baseball Cards – 1948 Topps Magic Photos

The 1948 Topps Magic Photos set is drastically overlooked in my opinion.  If you’re looking for the first baseball cards Topps produced, this is the place.

Throughout the (252) cards, you’ll find a wide range of people, places, and things.  Not just baseball players.  Each tiny card (7/8″ x 1-7/16″) came out of the gum pack with a blank front.  On the back of every card is a trivia question that gives you a hint as to who or what will appear on the front.  In order to make the picture “magically” appear you needed to lightly wet the card’s front, apply a special chemical that came in the pack, and then expose it to sunlight.  Slowly a sepia-colored photo would emerge.

Based on the procedure needed to make the picture appear, its no surprise that most of these cards aren’t in the best condition.  You’re just asking for trouble when applying water, chemicals, and sunlight to a card.  But these were sold with gum as a toy, and monetary value wasn’t a concern to the person.  It was just plain fun.

Fully-developed cards tend to command a higher demand.

I wouldn’t recommend putting water, chemicals, and sunlight on today’s cards.  Then again, who knows what or who might show up if you do.

Glebe Wraps Up Their 1st Sports Sculpted Sketch Card

Collectors are itching for something new.  You can feel it in the air.  Finding growth within this industry today has become quite difficult.  It needs a shakeup.  But yet, there is nothing more exciting than pulling a big “hit” from a nice box of cards.

In February I blogged about these really cool looking Sculpted Sketch Cards by Glebe.  At the time they were making them for comic book and movie characters.  Recently they wrapped up their first sports related Sculpted Sketch Card.  This Michael Jordan Sculpted Sketch Card was recently finished for a private collector.

These pieces look so awesome, and make unique additions to any collection.  From the moment I saw them, I knew it wouldn’t take long until sports collectors would want them.  I believe its only a matter of time until they strike a deal with a card manufacturer.

What famous sports scenes would you like to see done like this?  Babe Ruth’s “called shot” with the bat coming right off the card would be neat.

Be sure to follow Glebe on Twitter and Facebook to keep up-to-date on their latest artwork.

Card of the Day: Mike Schmidt 1988 Chef Boyardee 1st Annual Collector’s Edition #14

Card of the Day: Pat Tillman 2001 NFL Showdown 1st Edition #13

“Pin-Up” of the Week: 1972 Central Counties Bank 1st Generation “Crush the Orange” Penn State Button

Its funny how the simple looking things can end up having an entire science to them.  That’s the way this hobby works.  Take for example the button pictured above.  Central Counties Bank produced three generations of buttons for Penn State fans in 1972.  This button is one of six from that first generation.  They all have phrases on them such as “Get the Goat”, “Hammer the Hawkeyes”, “Crush the Orange”, “Trip the Terrapins”, “Wallop the Wolfpack”, and “Pulverize the Panthers”.  Central Counties Bank wasn’t sure what type of response they would get from the public, so they only made them for the six home games and left their logo off.

Fans went nuts for these buttons.  Generation 2 consists of a second printing of the last four buttons from generation 1, and the Central Counties Bank logo is at the bottom.  Generation 3 is a third printing of the last two buttons from generations 1 & 2.  The main difference are the metal backs compared to green cardboard found on the first two generations.

Central Counties Bank eventually was taken over by Mellon Bank.  Now Mellon Bank is Citizens Bank.  No matter the name of the bank, they still made buttons.  Its a tradition that continues to this very day.

Many of the early buttons first introduced in 1972 carry a hefty price tag.  A collector recently spent $100 for this generation 1 “Crush the Orange” button.  For all Penn State button collectors, check out this great resource.  The site looks like something from the 90s, but its kept up-to-date.

Card of the Day: Shohei Ohtani 2013 BBM Japan 1st Version #183

Card of the Day: Brien Taylor 1993 Topps Stadium Club 1st Day Production #689