Hobby Oddities: 1997 Pinnacle Inside Can Opener

It slices. It dices. And all you have to do is “set it and forget it.”

Pinnacle was an innovative card manufacturer. You’ve got to give them credit for trying different ideas. Not every idea was a winner though.

In 1997 Pinnacle introduced collectors to the Pinnacle Inside brand. This time it wasn’t the cards that were innovative. Instead it was the delivery system.

Soup cans. That’s what the cards came packaged in. Between 1997 and 1998 Pinnacle released these soup can cards for MLB, NFL, NHL, WNBA, and NASCAR.

Some thought it was cool. Others found it annoying. Displays were bulky and took up a lot of space. Each can had a different player on it. Many collectors would pick out their favorite player(s) and keep the can(s) sealed. This made it even more difficult to locate some of the rarer cards in the set. Lots were sitting in sealed cans on collector’s shelves.

Pinnacle sent out a kit to shops and distributors in 1997 to promote this new line of cards. The kit consisted of a sample can (with Ryan Klesko on it), a trading card picturing the sample can, and a Pinnacle Inside branded can opener.

Its not everyday you see a card company’s name on a kitchen accessory.

Upper Deck gave the soup can idea a try with 1999 UD Choice Baseball.

Card of the Day: 1992 Topps Trash Can Trolls – Slam Duncan #9a

Q&A – How Can I Tell If A Topps Tiffany Baseball Set Has Been Searched?

Question: Could you please tell me which Topps Tiffany Baseball sets arrived from the factory sealed in cellophane?  Looking on eBay I see some that are and some that aren’t.  I don’t want to buy a set that’s been searched.

Answer: Between 1984 and 1991 Topps issued Tiffany sets to various dealers, hobby shops, and mail-in publications.  These cards look just like the normal flagship sets except they’re printed on high-quality stock.  For those same years Topps also issued Tiffany cards for their Traded sets.  Each set has a limited print run.

The sets issued between 1984 and 1988 did not come packaged in cellophane.  Just the seal on the lid.  Its the years 1989-1991 where things can get a little confusing.

• 1989 Topps Tiffany – Clear cellophane & seal
• 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany – No cellophane, just seal
• 1990 Topps Tiffany – Just seal
• 1990 Topps Traded Tiffany – Clear cellophane & seal
• 1991 Topps Tiffany – Topps branded cellophane & seal
• 1991 Topps Traded Tiffany – Topps branded cellophane & seal

If purchasing a set, there are some factors to consider.  Does the box show any signs of prior opening?  You want everything to be flat and flush.  Bent-up flaps are not a good signal.  The top part of the box where the lid tucks in should be completely straight and tight against the cards.  Cracking can easily take place on the lid’s hinge after it has been opened.  Inspect the hinge looking for any cracking, bending, and/or change in color.

How does the box feel from the outside?  If its truly never been opened before the box should feel full.  The cards are packed tightly inside.  You shouldn’t feel any movement.  Movement could indicate that cards might be missing.

Finally, inspect the label.  Resealed boxes can have double labeling.  Upon breaking the set’s original seal to remove the good cards, people have been known to print-up fake labels to place over the older broken ones.  Stay far away from them if you see any signs of two labels.  Others have figured out ways to remove the original label without damaging it.  Once they’ve searched the set they simply reapply the label.

Just because a set may have been shipped sealed in cellophane from the factory doesn’t mean it hasn’t been searched over the years.  Resealed Topps Tiffany sets have been making the rounds for a long time.  Its a major problem you have to watch out for.

This 1985 Topps Tiffany set did not originally come shipped in cellophane from Topps.  It was added later by a scammer once the Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Kirby Puckett cards were removed.

Q&A – What Can You Tell Me About This Danny DeVito Autograph?

Question:  I know this isn’t a sports card, but what can you tell me about this Danny DeVito autograph?

Answer:  Cool card!  In 1992, Danny DeVito portrayed the Penguin in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.  As a child, this was one of the movies I watched all the time.  For a film that was marketed towards kids, its quite dark.  That scene near the end where Penguin slowly walks out of the water bleeding to death sparked the attention of many parents.  I thought it was awesome.  Things like that are one of the reasons why the studio decided to go in a different direction for the next two films.  Batman Forever and Batman & Robin were fun to watch as a kid, but I can’t watch them today.  In my opinion, Batman and Batman Returns still hold up for me now.

Topps created a few different sets to go along with Batman Returns.  One of them being a Stadium Club set.  The unsigned version of this card originated from the Stadium Club set, but not the card containing Danny DeVito’s signature.

In 1993, Topps issued two sets based on Batman: The Animated Series.  They were split up between Series 1 and Series 2.  Despite not having anything to do with the cartoon, Topps randomly inserted these Danny DeVito autographs into Series 2 packs.  2,000 copies of his Batman Returns base card were signed.

I wish this card had some type of notation, foil stamp, or serial number printed on it.  Even though Danny DeVito has a complex signature, an unsigned base card and silver pen are all a scammer would need to attempt at making a counterfeit.  I think they’re a hard sell because of that fact.  An asking price for an example deemed authentic can be up to $250.  Its a great example of an early buyback autograph.

Oswald Cobblepot!

How Can Panini Make Their New NASCAR Line Work?

NASCAR collectors have gone over a year without any type of new trading card product.  Press Pass went out of business a few days into 2015, and that’s the last we heard of anything.  Over the last year when asked whether or not we’d see cards anytime soon, NASCAR would come back with a generic response but never really answered the question.  During the 2016 Industry Summit that question was finally answered.  Panini will be giving NASCAR a shot on a very limited basis.

It doesn’t surprise me that Panini is the one who will be making NASCAR cards.  D.J. Kazmierczak who once was the head of Press Pass, now is the VP of Sales/Product Development at Panini.  Plus they have all that sticker money from their big daddy over in Italy.  NASCAR driver Chris Buescher kinda left the cat out of the bag before Panini’s announcement when he posted a bunch of sticker autographs he just finished signing on his Instagram account.

You can tell that Panini is really testing the waters with this new deal.  They only plan to release four NASCAR products this year.  The brands include Prizm, Certified, National Treasures, and a new product called Torque.

Panini is known for churning out one product after another.  Lots of cookie cutter stuff.  Releasing four products per year is how they should treat some other sports.  Trust me.  If NASCAR works for them, Panini will turn the printing machines on high.  I think initially it will be interesting to see what NASCAR looks like on these brands.  Over time, Panini will probably get repetitive though just like they do with everything else.  Collectors are so use to the designs Press Pass used, almost anything is going to look different to them now.  I hope Panini doesn’t make a mess of things with the NASCAR brand.  Starting off with sticker autographs isn’t the best sign.  Especially when Press Pass had so much on-card autograph content.  People that collect NASCAR have yet to really see any sketch cards or shadowboxes.  Too bad Panini isn’t known for either.  There are a lot of popular elements which have been used in other sports card products for years that haven’t been seen in NASCAR sets yet.  Including some of those things would make for a unique NASCAR product.  The key here is to do something different that NASCAR fans haven’t seen before.  Treating NASCAR like everything else they make will just end in disaster.  Perhaps getting into something digital would be the way to go.

Topps, Upper Deck, and Leaf I bet could’ve made some great looking NASCAR products.  Panini was the last company I really wanted to see NASCAR with.  But I knew it would be the first company to give it a try after Press Pass went under.

I haven’t opened a Panini product in almost two years.  Even though it didn’t qualify for any of their wrapper redemption programs, I decided to try a box of 2014 Elite Football during the National Sports Collectors Convention.  Panini should have some of their new NASCAR products ready for the National this year.  They would be smart to have them qualify for their promotions too.

Racing Rookies Can Be Mind-Blowing

Next month Press Pass plans to release 2012 Total Memorabilia which I have referred to as FanFare on steroids.  In it, collectors will find Danica Patrick’s Sprint Cup Series rookie card.  That’s correct, Danica is getting another line of rookie cards since this is the first year she will be in the Sprint Cup Series.

When I think of her rookies, the first thing that comes to mind are some of the Rittenhouse cards released well before Press Pass got their hands on her stuff.  2006 Allen & Ginter contains some popular rookies of her too.  In 2010, she decided to take on NASCAR which is when Press Pass jumped all over her.  Now in 2012 we are getting a new set of rookies all over again.  She isn’t the first driver for this to happen to either.  Its happened to many others that have gone down the same path.

As these updated rookies keep coming out, they get watered down more and more.  Nothing ever beats someone’s first licensed cards.  You can especially see this when your dealing with baseball cards.

Watch out collectors, if she sneezes you might get another line of rookies.

The Official Pinnacle Can Opener

Pinnacle has finally released a device that helps you get into those packs of 1997 Pinnacle Inside.  Its the official Pinnacle Can Opener 🙂

  

Flashback Product of the Week – Pinnacle Inside

Over the years cards have been packaged in a lot of different ways.  Before Pinnacle died back in 1998, one of their last products they released was the second version of their Pinnacle Inside cards.  What made these cards unique wasn’t just the design of the cards, but the package they came in.  Instead of your standard wax or foil pack, Pinnacle Inside cards came in a clear plastic pack that was then inserted into a sealed soup can.  I don’t know where they came up with the idea that collectors would enjoy opening soup cans to obtained their cards, but this has to be one of the top craziest packaging ideas a card company has ever come up with.  WARNING!!!  DON’T TRY OPENING ANY OF THESE WITH YOUR TEETH!!!