Some Hall of Fame classes are small. Some are filled with all dead guys. Then you have some that are jam packed with living talent. That’s what the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Class had. Inductees to the Hall of Fame this year included Bobby Cox, Tom Glavine, Tony La Russa, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Joe Torre.
Every Hall of Fame induction brings a whole slew of new merchandise. Pins are at the top of that list. The pin pictured above is one that wasn’t for sale to the general public. The only way you could obtain this pin was if you were invited to the private VIP cocktail party put on by the Cardinals in Cooperstown on July 26, 2014. This pin was your ticket into the party. About 100 pins were made. Its hard to put a value on a pin as rare as this. One has popped-up for sale with an asking price of $200.00, but nobody has pulled the trigger yet. If I had been invited to this party, I don’t think I could sell this pin.
If you were lucky enough to make it into the Super Bowl XLVIII Media Party that took place last Tuesday, you know all about this pin. Individuals that were allowed in, got one of these exclusive pins. They’re one of the more in demand pins that collectors can obtain since these weren’t sold in retail gift shops. Most of them sell for between $30.00 and $50.00.
The Super Bowl is one of the most merchandised sporting events. Given its location this year, you can definitely see that. Even though the actual game takes place in New Jersey, New York is making out well. Macy’s Herald Square in New York City created an entire lineup of pins to giveaway leading up to this year’s Super Bowl. The lines are quite long, but collectors do love their pins. Not to mention most of the Macy’s Limited Edition pins are selling for $45.00 a piece.
The Party Animal, Inc., creators of Lil’ Teammates, are introducing a new product to the market called TeenyMates. TeenyMates are pocket-sized NFL figures that come in blind packs of two. Series 1 quarterbacks cover all 32 NFL teams. Inside each pack you will find the following:
2 collectible NFL Quarterback figures. Collect all 32 teams!
2 puzzle pieces. Collect all 35 pieces to create a Double-Sided Puzzle with a football field on one side and collector mini-poster on the other side!
1 full-color collector sheet
They’ve also decided to throw in some rare TeenyMates that you can keep your eyes open for. Making rarer figures was something that I suggested awhile back.
Yesterday afternoon, my local card shop – Sports Zone Memorabilia held a 2011 Topps Rising Rookies Football Rip Party. Everyone got assigned 4 teams at random. You got to keep all the cards associated with those teams. I got the Browns, Jaguars, Ravens, and Rams. Check out the haul I got!!!
Parallels
Jimmy Smith #’ed/1339
Tyrod Smith #’ed/1339
Jabaal Sheard #’ed/1339
(2) Lance Kendricks #’ed/1339
Relics
Joe Flacco Playmaker Jersey
Todd Heap Draft Selections Jersey
Autographs
(2) Lance Kendricks NFL Draft 2011 Auto #’ed/260
(2) Greg Salas NFL Draft 2011 Auto #’ed/260
Austin Pettis NFL Auto #’ed/260
Cecil Shorts III NFL Draft 2011 Auto #’ed/260
Cecil Shorts III Red Ink Auto #’ed/15
Jimmy Smith Auto
Cecil Shorts III NFL Draft 2011 Manufactured Patch Auto #’ed/170
Tandon Doss NFL Logo Manufactured Patch Auto #’ed/115
Austin Pettis NFL Logo Manufactured Patch Red Ink Auto #’ed/5
I received all of that for the price of one box. I think I did pretty well 🙂
Sports Zone Memorabilia held another Rip Party last night. This time we were busting a case of 2010 Topps Supreme Football. Boxes only cost $87.00. Thats a deal considering they’re now selling for almost $130.00. At the time you could sign up for the party, prices were much lower.
This time, there was no picking teams. Everyone got to keep whatever they pulled from their box. There were a lot of nice hits. I think the base cards are my favorite thing about this product. I like the design and they are printed on thick card stock. Topps, Beckett, and Sports Zone Memorabilia supplied a ton on great prizes. The best thing about these rip parties, is that if you don’t get a great pull, your most likely going to get a nice prize like a box or a pack.
As I mentioned before, I attended a Christmas party on Saturday night at my local sports card shop – Sports Zone Memorabilia. Everyone who was invited got a gift and a ticket for a door prize. My gift was 13 packs and I was lucky to win a prize which was a ton a base cards from 2005/2006 Upper Deck Ice Hockey. I still can’t believe I was able to pull a “Cadillac” Williams autograph #’ed/5 from one of my packs.
Sports Zone Memorabilia is by far the best card shop I’ve ever seen. This is how a shop should be run within The Hobby today. If your ever in Central, PA be sure to stop in.
Presents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jason of Sports Zone Memorabilia handing out all the gifts
Last night I attended a Christmas party, and everyone that was invited got a gift. I received 13 packs ranging from 1994 to 2010 and covered all sports. The first pack I dove into came from 2006 Donruss Gridiron Gear Football. I wasn’t expecting to pull any hits, but I did. From just a single pack I pulled a Carnell “Cadillac” Williams autograph #’ed 2/5. Imagine how surprised I was when I saw that? There are lots of cool stuff still sitting in older products.
Yesterday evening my local card shop, Sports Zone Memorabilia, held a rip party for 2010 Topps Prime Football. I had a really great time a got some good stuff. My three teams this time were the Raiders, Eagles, and Dolphins. I scored a few hits, including a Jared Odrick autograph #’ed/25 and a Tebow/Cooper/Hernandez Triple Jersey #’ed/199. I also won a free box of 2009 Bowman Chrome Baseball for being the first person to pull a Brett Favre card.
The other week I was browsing Phillies.com to see what new items they had in their shop, and one thing caught my eye – Lil’ Teammates. They did exactly what they were suppose to do, and that was jump out at me. Lil’ Teammates are collectible 3″ sports figures made by The Party Animal. Kids can play with them, register them online, and use for gaming. They are brand new for 2010, and Series 1 contains over 200 figures. Series 2 is currently in the works, and they eventually hope to produce figures that are variants and/or come in limited quantities. This would really boost their popularity because collectors love stuff like that. Maybe its the size, colors, or packaging, I think they just look cool. They look excellent sitting on your office desk too. Its impossible to look at them and not smile 🙂
Today I received a package that contained two figures from the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Dolphins, and Penn State. Don’t be surprised if you see one pop-up during my videos when I’m reviewing a box break. I just might use some as contest prizes too.
Sports Card Info 