This years edition of Topps Heritage is the latest to follow the tradition of reviving a past design from a classic Topps Product. This year channels the 1962 Topps set with the distinctive woodgrain borders. The SP’s in the set mirror the original set with incorrect birth dates, wrong positions, and reverse negatives. The following below are some of the scans that we got in our break that we had live on UStream.tv.

Our box had one of the SP Green Tints of Luke Scott included, as well as a Clubhouse Collection Relic of Mark Reynolds. We didn’t hit any of the monster hits like a Koufax, Aaron or one of the dual patches, but we got our SP’s and everything that was promised. This is a set that year in and year out has been popular with set builders and there are a number of Topps designs that can follow suit to continue the product success.

It should be interesting to see how well this continues to do, or will it hamper upcoming releases like 2011 Topps Lineage but as popular as Heritage has been there should be room in the market for both.

2011 Topps Heritage SP Black Border Star Lot US $7.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:52:45 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 TOPPS HERITAGE BRANDON BEACHY ROOKIE CARD LOT OF (3) US $0.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:52:59 PDT   | Watch this Item

MARK TRUMBO 2011 TOPPS CHROME HERITAGE REFRACTOR #C122 ROOKIE SERIAL#121/562 US $5.99 Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:54:29 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 TOPPS CHROME HERITAGE REFRACTOR #C128 JASON HEYWARD ROOKIE SERIAL#121/562 US $9.99 Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:54:29 PDT   | Watch this Item

MYCHAL GIVENS 2011 17 card lot TOPPS HERITAGE BOWMAN SAL TOP PROSPECT baseball US $2.79 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:54:58 PDT   | Watch this Item

Cecil was on the 18U team in 2008, he had cards featured in 2008 SP Authentic, and the 2008 Team USA Box set that included Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper’s first cards. Cecil was a former Braves Draft pick in the 36th round in 2008. He was ranked 27th among prep prospects in 2008 by Baseball America.

He has one of the most live arms that I have seen in person, although much like Rick Vaughn, sometimes he didn’t know where it was going to go. I’ve always believed in his arm, and that he could be a dominant pitcher down the road. He just needs to calm down on the mound and have fun.

He had two great performances in the Cape League in 2010. He was the Falmouth Commodores Opening Day Starter and dominated the defending Champion Bourne Braves. He also was the pitcher on Falmouth who squared off with Anthony Renaudo in Brewster, he took the loss that day, but was solid through out.

But you can see the card posted above that was signed by Cecil. Well at least one of them was. The card on the left was signed by Cecil, the card on the right however was not. What I can gather is that the players all sat around and did their signing duty for their time with Team USA. You put a group of 18 and under year olds in a room for hours and players are going to end up goofing off over time. Well, it looks like a player on the team may have grabbed at least one of Cecil’s cards, faked Cecil’s name and Upper Deck missed this before inserting it in to the box sets.

I bought it on eBay for 1.30 plus shipping. I won’t be looking to sell it or anything. I have a nice collection of Cecil’s cards, and whether he is a hit at the pro level or not, I consider him a good friend and enjoy having this card that is a little bit off.

The expected named were rarer than others in this set such as Joe Namath, Jim Brown, Joe Montana, and Barry Sanders. I was surprised to see the rarest of all be Michael Irvin. Stay tuned for more official short-print information throughout the week.

# Player Name Team QTY
1 Joe Namath New York Jets 25
2 Lydell Mitchell Baltimore Colts 250
3 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns 25
4 Charley Taylor Washington Redskins 200
5 Steve Largent Seattle Seahawks 65
6 Pete Retzlaff Philadelphia Eagles 250
7 Barry Sanders Detroit Lions 25
8 Todd Christensen Los Angeles Raiders 100
9 Joe Montana San Francisco 49ers 20
10 Rick Casares Chicago Bears 250
11 John Elway Denver Broncos 20
12 Randall Cunningham Philadelphia Eagles 45
13 Bart Starr Green Bay Packers 40
14 Fred Biletnikoff Oakland Raiders 55
15 Art Monk Washington Redskins 35
16 Dave Casper Oakland Raiders 40
17 Floyd Little Denver Broncos 50
18 Jim Kelly Buffalo Bills 25
19 Michael Irvin Dallas Cowboys 15
20 Daryle Lamonica Oakland Raiders 55
21 Leroy Kelly Cleveland Browns 75
22 Jim Plunkett Oakland Raiders 100
23 Jim Taylor Green Bay Packers 60
24 Fran Tarkenton Minnesota Vikings 45
25 Don Maynard New York Jets 40

Von Miller AUTO 2011 Playoff Contenders RPS Rookie Tickets RC - Denver Broncos US $6.50 (7 Bids) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:54:59 PDT   | Watch this Item

Delone Carter On Card Auto RC Playoff Contenders Football 2011 US $8.99 Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 20:26:51 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Taiwan Jones On Card Auto US $0.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 20:33:48 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Anthony Allen Auto US $0.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 20:35:52 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Playoff Contenders Julio Jones Redemption # 221 Auto RC US $34.99 Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 20:36:28 PDT   | Watch this Item

TOPPS REVEALS DIAMOND SAPRKLE VARIATIONS

The Diamond Anniversary of Topps Baseball is off to a feverish start and collectors are uncovering rare Diamond Sparkle Variation cards in 2011 Topps Baseball Series 1. (image attached)

Following is the list of 60 players who have a “sparkle” on a few of their cards.

10 years ago, Albert Pujols burst onto the hobby scene with Topps’ iconic Autographed Rookie Cards. 10 years later, he’s considered one of the game’s greats and his 2001 Autographed Rookie Cards are considered some of the most valuable and treasured in this collecting generation. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of these iconic cards, Topps pays TRIBUTE with a special buyback program.

The company is inserting 30 redemption cards for Albert Pujols’ 2001 Autographed Rookie Card. Each redemption card is good for an original buyback of one of the following cards:

*2001 Bowman Chrome Autograph
*2001 Topps Finest Autograph
*2001 Topps Reserve Autograph

Collectors will be notified of which card they will be receiving once they’ve entered the redemption code’s pin number at Topps.com.

ALBERT PUJOLS 2001 Bowman Chrome Rookie, Rookie auto, PSA 9 383/500 US $5,250.00 Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 1:41:31 PDT   | Watch this Item

ALBERT PUJOLS 2001 bowman rc au & MIGUEL CABRERA 2000 topps traded rc AUTO bgs! US $1,050.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 11:36:26 PDT   | Watch this Item

Albert Pujols 2011 Bowman Chrome Throwback Refractor /99 PSA 10 2001 Auto Like US $199.99 Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 17:34:44 PDT   | Watch this Item

ALBERT PUJOLS 2001 TOPPS STADIUM CLUB ROOKIE AUTOGRAPH CARD JSA/SGC AUTHENTIC US $175.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 18:06:32 PDT   | Watch this Item

Quantities have not been released on the short prints yet, but keep checking back and hopefully we will have some news soon!

Leaf does not have ties to other sports at this point, so does not have quite as much to lose as Upper Deck did if they fight it. So this should be interesting to see how it developes. Brian Gray hinted in the thread that there will be an announcement on this in two to three weeks.

Why couldn’t these rumors have come up last weekend when I had Brian Gray on camera?

Topps has done a lot of crazy photoshops over time including the Derek Jeter with President Bush and Mickey Mantle, and Rudy Giuliani celebrating with the Red Sox, but this could potentially be the craziest photoshop ever. Brian Wilson, closer of the World Champion San Francisco Giants and in the background we have internet phenom and Brian Wilson’s neighbor, The Machine. Was he at the ball game looking to borrow some sugar? Was Brian not returning his phone messages? We don’t know, but either way this is AWESOME.

2011 Topps Opening Day #101 Brian Wilson San Francisco Giants US $0.85 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 20:20:42 PDT   | Watch this Item

Tim Lincecum / Brian Wilson 2011 Topps Diamond Duos US $0.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 22:32:49 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Topps Gold Brian Wilson #210 US $2.50 Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 10:00:18 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Topps Update #204 Brian Wilson Giants US $1.00 Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 10:15:57 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 TOPPS BRIAN WILSON COMMEMORATIVE PATCH TLMP-BW US $2.25 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Saturday May-19-2012 10:47:32 PDT   | Watch this Item

TOPPS GIVES 10 LUCKY COUPLES THE CHANCE TO WIN A DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING ON VALENTINE’S DAY

TOPPS TO CELEBRATE COMPANY’S
60th DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY AT
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL ON
VALENTINE’S DAY FEBRUARY 14TH

Valentine’s Day will be more memorable this year for one lucky couple. Today The Topps Company, the leading creator and marketer of sports cards and the official baseball card company of Major League Baseball®, announced that the company will celebrate its 60th diamond anniversary on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, by giving ten lucky couples the opportunity to search for one diamond engagement ring.

From January 17 through February 3 fans will have the chance to go to http://www.facebook.com/ToppsSports and upload a 90 second video telling their story and showing the world why they should be one of the 10 finalists to search for the diamond.

The Topps Valentine’s Day Diamond Dig will be held at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal where a diamond engagement ring, worth approximately $10,000, will be buried underneath a 30 foot diamond ball pit. At the same time, the bachelors, dressed in tuxedos, will dive into the pit in effort to be the first to find the engagement ring. The lucky bachelor who finds the ring will propose on the spot to their significant other, also dressed in evening attire, in front of the world on the most romantic day of the year.

“This is a great way for Topps to celebrate our diamond anniversary and give one lucky couple an opportunity to make this Valentine’s Day even more special for them,” said Warren Friss, Topps V.P. –General Manager. “The Topps Valentine’s Day Diamond Dig will certainly provide our fans with some memorable moments, something that we continue to pride ourselves on and have for the past 60 years.”

For more details about the promotion or to upload your own 90 second video, visit http://www.facebook.com/ToppsSports. Topps will announce the finalists online during the first week of February and will continue a year-long diamond giveaway promotion in their 2011 Topps products.

PHIL TAYLOR 2011 TOPPS ROOKIE CARD #27,CLEVELAND BROWNS US $0.20 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:47:48 PDT   | Watch this Item

Lot of 2 2011 Topps & Topps Chrome JACQUIZZ RODGERS RCS US $0.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:48:16 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Topps Prime AUSTIN PETTIS RC! US $0.49 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:48:16 PDT   | Watch this Item

2011 Topps PRINCE AMUKAMARA RC! HOT! US $0.49 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:48:16 PDT   | Watch this Item

Lot of 2 2011 Topps Chrome MARK INGRAM RC'S! SAINTS! US $1.88 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday May-18-2012 19:48:16 PDT   | Watch this Item

NFL PLAYERS SHOW OFF THEIR ARTISTIC SIDE IN FIVE STAR

Topps announces it will be adding its popular player sketch-cards as additional hits to the highly-anticipated Five Star Football. Several gridiron stars have added their artistic skills including Tony Romo (image attached), Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Roddy White, Matthew Stafford, C.J. Spiller, Matt Ryan, Mike Williams, Tim Tebow, Aaron Hernandez and many more.

Each original 1 of 1 drawing features the artist/player’s signature on the card’s back.

The hobby exclusive Topps Five Star Football hits stores late February.