Pro Set’s Failed Attempt At Entering The Baseball Card Market

Pro Set released a steady run of products starting in 1989, and continued to do so until they met their demise in 1994.  During that time period, Pro Set produced cards for football, hockey, golf, soccer, and racing.  They also released a handful of entertainment sets.  It was football and hockey that they were mostly known for though.  Pro Set was the king when it came to error cards.  Some of these errors continue to bring in big dollars today.

You wouldn’t know to look at them, but 1992 Flopps was made by Pro Set.  It was a project that didn’t get that far off of the ground.  To put it simply, it was Pro Set’s attempt at making a baseball card product.  Without obtaining a license from MLB or getting permission from the MLBPA, Pro Set decided to throw these spoof cards out there to see how collectors would react.

Pro Set made 5-card promo packs that were distributed to dealers.  Each pack contained the same cards – Barry Bones, Ken Groovy, Jr., Stickey Henderson, Wade Bugs, and Lance Perishable.  Of all the products that Pro Set made, these were probably the most artistic.  I wonder what happened to the original artwork?  The card backs feature fun write-ups too.

The name “Pro Set” doesn’t appear anywhere on these cards.  They made it look like “Flopps” was an official company.  Maybe that’s what Pro Set wanted because they knew there was a chance that someone was going to step in.  And that’s exactly what happened.  The MLBPA took legal action, and Pro Set never tried to make baseball cards again.  The actual set was suppose to contain (66) cards – (55) base, (10) Scratch N’ Sniff, and (1) collectible card.  I have no idea what the collectible card was going to be.  Holograms were big at the time, so perhaps something like that.

The only cards Pro Set officially released were the 1992 Flopps promo packs.  The MLBPA jumped in before Pro Set could go any further.  Occasionally a Scratch N’ Sniff card will popup.  Those probably found their way out the backdoor.  You would think a canceled product such as 1992 Flopps would be rare, but that’s not the case.  Sealed promo packs can easily be found for next to nothing.  Even the Scratch N’ Sniff cards barely draw much attention.

New HK Bobblehead Hits The Market

Last Sunday, the Wilmington Blue Rocks gave out a new Harry Kalas bobblehead to the first 1,000 fans through the gate.  Before this, Kalas’s only bobblehead came from a stadium giveaway in 2002 and also contained Richie Ashburn.  Many of you know how much an HK fan I am, and I have a feeling one of these will be reaching my shelf soon.  Although its not quite as popular as the one featuring HK and Whitey, they seem to sell for $25.00 to $45.00.

Ball Player Siting

Today I went down to Lancaster and spent most of the day with my aunt and grandmother.  We decided to go out for lunch to a local marketplace that has a ton of great food.  Going through the front door, my aunt said “hello” to a woman and her husband, but I didn’t pay attention to who it was until we were inside and they were out near their car.  After sitting down I found out that she was talking to Tom Herr and his wife.  My aunt use to work for a clothing store in Ephrata where Herr’s wife would shop a lot.  Herr played for the Phillies from 89-90, was an All-Star in 85, and won the World Series back in 1982 with the Cardinals.  Currently he his a bench coach for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League.  Last year I met Herr while attending the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show in Reading and obtained his autograph.   

Have you ever seen a pro athlete at a non-sports related event?

 

Q & A: In Person Autograph Market

Question:  How do I know the value of signed cards.  I’ve had these ones since high school(90’s).  Are they worth anything and is there a market?

Answer:  Sports cards that people get signed in person aren’t worth as much as the ones that come from packs of cards.  The only way that any value could be added to your cards would be to get them certified by a reputable company like PSA.  When people get cards signed like that, they usually keep them in their personal collection.  The Yzerman autograph looks to be a little faded as well.  If I were you, I would keep them.  I don’t think spending the money to get them certified would be worth it.

 

Global Authentication Holdings Announces Launch of Web Based Technology to Thwart Fraud of Online Buyers and Sellers

Source – Market Watch

“SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Sept 15, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Ault Glazer & Co., Inc. (Pink Sheets: AULT) announced today that Global Authentication Holdings, Inc., (GAI) a wholly owned subsidiary, launched a web based verification service that will take some of the risk out of purchasing collectibles and memorabilia online. The service is available to anyone who has a high quality, no-flash image shot of their collectible or other piece of memorabilia in a well lit environment, and submits it to Global Authentication (GAI) regardless of whether the item was signed or unsigned.

“GAI Digital Review enables a higher level of confidence in the buyer and is simple for any seller to integrate into the selling platform, resulting in a win-win situation for buyer and seller,” said Mike Baker, Director of Grading and Authentication for Global Authentication.

“The process was designed to only take minutes to accomplish yet leave the buyer will a life long reassurance that their purchase is in fact the real deal,” said William Dully, CEO and President of Global Authentication. Dully added “after the snapshot is submitted to Global Authentication via the web, the item is then shipped to Global (GAI) for a formal certification and grading procedure.”

The launch follows the recent announcement (see September 5, 2008 release) of a service which utilizes advanced image optimization hosting for online auctioneers which adds another layer of security to the buyers and sellers of sports cards and other memorabilia.

About Global Authentication, Inc.

Global Authentication, Inc. (“Global”), based in San Clemente, CA, provides grading and authentication services to the collectables industry and on-line shopping communities like EBay, Overstock.com, and Amazon.com, specifically in sports memorabilia products like baseball cards, and signature items where counterfeiting of such items is a particular problem. Global is only one of four authorized companies selected by EBay as part of their Trust and Safety Consortium used to prevent online fraud for buyers of collectables. Global’s service is used for sports collectables including baseball cards, and signature items where counterfeiting of such items is a particular problem. It is also used for other widely collected items such as coins, comic books, and stamps. For more information, go to http://www.gacard.net.

About Ault Glazer & Co., Inc.

Ault Glazer & Co., Inc. ( http://www.aultglazer.com), a holding company, which through its wholly owned subsidiaries and minority interests, is engaged in a number of diverse business activities, which include: merchant banking; corporate lending; shareholder activism; Internet sales and marketing; real estate; healthcare; energy; consumer products & services; insurance and media. It has plans to change its name to Global Sports and Entertainment, Inc. and plans on divesting its assets that are not sports and entertainment related in the coming weeks.”