Product Highlight: 1988-90 Topps MLB Sports Shots Duo-Tang Pocket Folders

Whether you’re heading back to school or looking for some fun office supplies I think we can all agree these pocket folders are freakin’ awesome.

I’m going to be dead honest. There really isn’t much to say about them. Pocket folders designed to look like giant Topps baseball cards. You could find them in a variety of stores between 1988 and 1990. We know those are the years they were available because 1988, 1989, and 1990 Topps baseball card designs have been used.

Without an official checklist its unclear if every card in each 1988, 1989, and 1990 set was turned into a pocket folder. You will find folders of stars such as Tony Gwynn and Mark McGwire. But then folders were also made for guys like Greg Walker and Dion James. Folders were not just limited to top name players.

These pocket folders are about as easy to find as their baseball card counterparts. Plenty of them floating around the secondary market.

Folders were issued in 1991, but the design doesn’t follow any known baseball card set.

Card of the Day: Rob Manfred 2017 Topps Archives Fan Favorites MLB Commissioner Auto

Cancelled 2020 MLB Little League Classic Pins Begin To Surface – Red Sox vs. Orioles

This COVID-19 virus sure has messed-up a lot of stuff.  Everyone wishes we could just go back to the way things use to be.  Life will eventually get back to normal, but it certainly won’t happen overnight.

One of the casualties of this horrific virus is the Little League World Series.  It has officially been canceled for 2020.  This will be a significant impact to baseball fans, and businesses to the surrounding communities.  Hotels, restaurants, and shops are already hurting.  Taking away the business generated when the world comes to Williamsport will only deepen the economic blow.

With the cancellation of the 2020 Little League World Series also comes the cancellation of the MLB Little League Classic.  Taking place during the Little League World Series, the MLB Little League Classic features two MLB teams playing a regular season game at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field right there in Williamsport.  Little League players, and their families are welcomed to attend.  For a lot of these kids, this game might be the only chance they have to watch a MLB game in person.

Collectible lapel pins are a huge part of the Little League World Series.  Everywhere you look teams, districts, players, umpires, ushers, emergency medical staff, security guards, corporate sponsors, and local businesses have pins they’re looking to buy/sell/trade.  2020 will be an unusual year with a low number of pins.  With no Little League World Series being played, it doesn’t make sense to spend money on making them right now.  Especially during this economic downturn.

Some 2020 pins have found their way out.  I suppose they were in the works before the Little League World Series was cancelled.  Take this pin for instance.

It commemorates the now cancelled 2020 MLB Little League Classic between the Red Sox and Orioles.  A handful of these pins have been floating around Williamsport.  I wasn’t fast enough to hit the “Buy It Now” on the first two, but I got lucky with the third.  They were selling extremely fast.  According to the seller, only (50) of these pins were made.  I’ve seen a few different variations.  The pin I bought has a white scoreboard.  Others come in grey.  Its possible there could be more colors.  I’d speculate each color is limited to (50) copies.

Who’s Going To Win The 2019 MLB World Series? – Introducing Topps Now Future Cards

Official Topps press release from the awesome Susan Lulgjuraj.

“The Topps Company, the exclusive trading card partner of Major League Baseball, is offering an innovative way to collect cards.  Topps is excited to announce TOPPS NOW Future cards for the 2019 Major League Baseball season, giving baseball fans a chance to win rare and valuable prizes that only Topps can offer.

Topps is combining a fantasy sports element with trading cards by giving fans a chance to win by getting the 2019 World Series champion Future card.

Starting Tuesday 3/26, TOPPS NOW Future packs, which contain three random cards, will be on sale for $12 each.  The cards will feature players from all 30 teams.  Scratch the back of the card to reveal a code and enter it on Topps.com.  If the team represented on the card wins the 2019 World Series, you win the prize indicated on the back of the card.

“This is an exciting way to follow your team all the way to the World Series,” said David Leiner, Topps Global General Manager of Sports & Entertainment.  “These exclusive cards can’t be found anywhere but on Topps.com.  TOPPS NOW continues to push the envelope with its innovations year-after-year.”

The limited-edition packs are only available while supplies last and the World Series packs won’t be offered again this season.  Prizes can range from special rare card sets to autographed trading cards from a player on the World Series winning team.  TOPPS NOW Future packs for other events are planned throughout the season.

Head to Topps.com to get these exclusive cards for a chance to win.  For a full list of rules, visit – Topps.com.”

Sports Card Info’s thoughts

Just like the Home Run Challenge cards, I think this is a very cool idea.  Anytime you can win stuff based on a team/player’s performance makes watching the games even more exciting.  Once these TOPPS NOW Future cards are in the hands of collectors, you know that many will hit the secondary market.  As teams perform well and/or go into a slump, it will be fun to watch the prices fluctuate.  The prizes Topps plans to offer are going to be highly sought after.

Complete Checklist

Astros ’18 Topps Update Patch Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Carlos Correa 2018 Topps Update Series MLB Postseason Logo Manufactured Patch Gold Parallel #’ed/99.  Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, November 30, 2018 @ 8:00 p.m. EST.
• To enter, please leave a comment in this post.
• You can enter once per day.
• The winner will be selected at random.
• Please provide a valid e-mail address when entering.
• The winner will receive an e-mail when the contest is over.
• The winner has one week to send me their contact information or the contest will be held again.
• Once the contest is over, I will need the winner’s mailing address so I can ship them this card for FREE!!!

Pin Highlight: 2018 MLB All-Star Game Press Pin

Its hard to believe that we’re half way through the 2018 MLB season.  Phillies fans like myself should be thrilled with how the team is playing.  Especially when you compare what their record is now to what it was last year at this time.  The Phillies are 53-42, and half a game ahead of the Braves while sitting atop the NL East Division.

Earlier this year, I purchased a 2018 Topps Now Philadelphia Phillies Road To Opening Day Team Set.  If anyone from that team does something special throughout the season, Topps will send out a special card to those who purchased the set.  One of those special moments is placing #1 in the division at the All-Star break.  So I will have to keep an eye on the mail for that.  I’ll show it off when it arrives.

The 2018 MLB All-Star Game takes place in Washington D.C.  FanFest has lots of merchandise to buy.  But its the stuff not for sale that draws massive attention.  Pictured above is the press pin made for members of the media, and various MLB partners.  The center portion is made of a finely crushed marble powder, which was then mixed with a resin and molded into the shape of the U.S. Capitol Building.  That’s just not any marble powder they used either.  Its from the actual U.S. Capitol Building steps that were removed during a 1995 renovation.

I find it ironic that something as patriotic as this pin was made in China.  Well, the metal part of the pin and plastic container it comes in is from China.  A few have leaked their way on to the secondary market.  One completed sale ended at $125.

2018 Baseball Treasure MLB Coins 3-Pack Break & Review

Wow!  These bring back some memories.  During my early collecting years I remember buying packs of Pinnacle Mint baseball and football cards at my local shop called The Penalty Shot.  Everyone remembers those cards that came with coins.  I had a ton of them.  John Connor and Rick Canale of Baseball Treasure have decided to bring this idea back in what I think is a bigger and better way.

Housed inside each $6.99 pack is (1) baseball coin.  There is (1) player coin made for each MLB team.  Officially licensed by both MLB and the MLBPA.  On the “heads” side you’ll see the portrait, name, and position.  The “tails” side has a career highlight and action shot.

Baseball Treasure minted most of the coins in one-ounce of copper.  Falling about 1:432 packs are rare one-ounce silver coins.  Even rarer, 1:21,600 packs, are special coins redeemable for a one-ounce gold coin of Aaron Judge.  Just to be clear, Aaron Judge is the only player to have a gold coin.  Everyone else only has copper and silver.  It would be neat to see someone complete the Aaron Judge rainbow and own all three coins.  Here is what the redemption card looks like for the Aaron Judge one-ounce gold coin.  By the looks of it a copper coin comes attached to the redemption.  That’s a good idea otherwise the pack with the redemption card in it would feel much lighter making it easier to pick out.

I like the fact the focus is mainly on the coins.  Its also nice that the coins already come inserted within the card.  Having the collector do that can really damage the card.  I did that plenty of times with Pinnacle Mint.  An album to help store the coins is coming out soon.

For those wondering who all is included in this first series, here is a checklist:

• José Altuve, Houston Astros
• Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
• Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates
• Adrián Beltré, Texas Rangers
• Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
• Justin Bour, Miami Marlins
• Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
• Robinson Canó, Seattle Mariners
• Michael Conforto, New York Mets
• Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics
• Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay Rays
• Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
• Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
• Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
• Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies
• Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
• Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
• Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
• Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
• Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
• Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox
• Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
• Salvador Pérez, Kansas City Royals
• Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
• Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
• Travis Shaw, Milwaukee Brewers
• Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays
• Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
• Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

Here is the result of my 3-pack break:

Pin Highlight: 2017 MLB Little League Classic – Cardinals vs. Pirates – Baseball Pin

There is no doubt that one of the major highlights during last year’s Little League World Series was the Major League game that took place at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.  In nine innings the Pirates defeated the Cardinals 6-3.  It even got it’s very own Topps Now card.

Three different pins were made to celebrate this inaugural event.  The first two are fairly simple to find.  One features the MLB Little League Classic name with logos from both teams.  A second has Fredbird and the Pirate Parrot on it.  The third pin is what you see pictured above.  As you can probably tell, it has the MLB Little League Classic name, team logos, and is in the shape of a baseball.  Unlike the other two though, this pin was not available for sale over at Little League.  A majority of them were given out to game attendees.  Only Little League players and their families, plus any Lycoming County residents lucky enough to win a lottery were allowed to attend the game.  Not much of the general public made it in.  All pins are made by WinCraft.

Sports Card Info has been known to get me into certain events for free, but this wasn’t one of them.  So how did I get one?  For a short time Fanatics had them for sale.  The day after I purchased mine, Fanatics pulled them off the market.  Why?  I don’t know.  The next thing I saw were them being handed out on T.V.

The 2018 Little League World Series takes place August 16-26.  Little League recently unveiled the official logo for the 2018 games.  The Phillies will take on the Mets August 19 in the second MLB Little League Classic.

Card of the Day: Roy Halladay 2017 Topps Transcendent Collection MLB Moments Sketch Reproductions

Monty Sheldon’s 2017 Topps Transcendent MLB Artballs

For a mere $27,000 you could own and open a hand-crafted wooden box of 2017 Topps Transcendent.  It doesn’t get much more high-end than this.  When you’re spending that kind of money there really isn’t a bad box.  What can you pull from a box that costs as much as a new car?  According to the sales sheet every box will contain the following:

• (1) complete set of Transcendent Icons Base Cards
• (1) complete set of Transcendent MLB Moments Sketch Card Reproductions
• (50) Transcendent Collection Autograph Cards – numbered to (25) or less
• (1) Aaron Judge Topps History Autograph Card #’ed 1/1
• (1) MVP Cut Signature or MVP Autograph or MVP Dual Autograph #’ed 1/1
• (1) Transcendent Moments Sketch Card or Authentic MLB Baseball Sketch #’ed 1/1
• (1) Oversized Cut Signature Card #’ed 1/1
• (1) Hank Aaron VIP Experience Invitation

1987 Topps Baseball has a heavy presence through the entire set.  The wood grain design is somehow incorporated into almost all of the cards.  Only (87) boxes will be produced.  That’s up from (65) last year.

Everything about this product looks awesome.  But what impresses me the most is the artwork.  Artist Dan Bergren did the sketch cards, while Mayumi Seto and Monty Sheldon created the baseballs.

Monty Sheldon has been making his world famous Artballs for awhile, but this is the first time any of them have been included within a product.  These just aren’t regular baseballs either.  They’re actual game-used baseballs, and come with certification from Major League Baseball.  Mayumi Seto and Monty Sheldon both did (10) baseballs each.  That leaves (67) sketch cards from Dan Bergren.

The baseballs Monty Sheldon did include Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Adrian Beltre, Clayton Kershaw, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rizzo, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Trout.  Both the Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger baseballs come affixed with the official “RC” logo.  The sweet spot was even left blank just in case you’re ever able to get that player’s autograph.  Talk about a truly unique collectible.