“Pin-Up” of the Week: Chicago Cubs Sports Crate Bringin’ the Heat Pin

In May, collectors who purchased a Sports Crate began to receive their box full of goodies.  For each month of the MLB season, you can have a box of team-oriented items sent straight to your front door.  As of right now, only ten MLB teams are available.  You can pay $39.99 per crate or $179.99 for the whole season.

Given that the people behind Loot Crate are the same ones behind Sports Crate, I think this has a lot of fun potential.  The items inside are exclusive to Sports Crate.  Even Topps has made special cards for them.

This isn’t the first sports-themed subscription box service.  A few years ago, Collector Crate gave it a shot but quickly went out of business.  Some collectors have been a fan of The Loot Locker.  But everything inside a Loot Locker box has been around for a while and isn’t anything new.  In my opinion, you need to put some serious money behind a service like this in order for it to be successful.  Exclusive in-demand items are key.  I look forward to seeing what else they roll out.  Hopefully the Phillies are coming soon.  It would be neat if Sports Crate came to the National Sports Collectors Convention and sold special boxes.

Loot Crate is known for including pins in their boxes.  This seems to have carried over to Sports Crate too.  “Bringin’ the Heat” was the theme for May, so each box came with a team logo pin surrounded in fire.  On the back of the pin’s package it says “The original Bringin’ the Heat pin was designed by your friends at Sports Crate.  It was created to be either worn or displayed.  Since there are a limited number of these in existence be sure to take good care of it.  You never know what it will be worth someday.”  They’ve been selling for $13 on the secondary market.  I highly doubt they’ll ever increase in value, but its nice of them to give you a heads up.

“Pin-Up” of the Week: Miami Heat 2012 NBA The Finals Champions Pin

Well, it looks as if LeBron James finally got his championship after being drafted almost a decade ago.  I guess everyone thought that he should have had ten championships by now.  I was routing for the Thunder.  Professional athletes all have some kind of ego, but when it comes to basketball, the Heat have some of the biggest egos around.  Remember the spectacle the Heat put on when James came to play for them?  Wade, Bosh, and James were all up on stage surrounded by fog.  Give me a break.

This pin, along with many others are starting to surface.  $10.00 seems to be the going price.  After the Heat won last night, you know what that means?  Some poor kid in Ethiopia is soon going to be walking around wearing a 2012 Thunder championship shirt.

Card of the Day: Ryan Howard 2010 UD Pure Heat