HALL OF FAMER HANK AARON TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS FOR TOPPS IN 2011

On the heels of announcing that Sandy Koufax would be signing autographs for 2011 Topps products, the company is pleased to announce that another legend will be joining its list of autograph signers…HANK AARON.

The first 2011 products to find Aaron’s autograph will be:

· 2011 Topps Heritage: Hank will be signing for the “Real One Autographs” program. (image attached)

· 2011 Topps Tribute: With the addition of Aaron, this checklist keeps getting better and better. Look for Hank’s autographed Relics!

· 2011 Gypsy Queen: Aaron will be joining Sandy Koufax on the list of signers for these stunning on-card autographs.

They pull a Pujols T205 1/1, a Babe Ruth Bat /99, and a Strasburg Auto Relic Redemption.  Beckett has always been a center of controversy with their box breaks after pulling the Adrian Peterson 1/1 from Exquisite, the Piccolo/Payton Cut auto from the same set of breaks and other huge hits like Brady Quinn RC Auto Patch from National Treasures, and recently a Kobe Bryant Nicknames from National Treasures as well.

I honestly figured it was a thing of chance, I have seen other sites in review boxes pull things such as an Alfonso Soriano ASG Sleeve Patch, Greg Halman Red Refractor autos, and I even pulled a Casey Kelly /5 autograph. But then Steven Judd had quite the post on Twitter regarding this situation.

“So Beckett got a loaded box, big deal. I “packed” quite a few of them over the years. Get over it. It’s part of the business. Geez….. When the Beckett boards were more dominant. I would make a special “case” (I’d give the packout vendor a specific list of auto/mem hits to put in each box), have it sent to a buddy of mine a week prior to the release date, have him break the scan and scan all of the auto/mem cards and then post a box-by-box break on the Beckett boards around midnight on the night before the release date in order to get people excited about the product.
I like to call it guerilla marketing. Just to be clear, Beckett or the folks who work there have nothing to do with the “loaded” boxes they receive. It’s the PDT/marketing people at the card companies that plot and scheme to jerrymander the box/boxes.

I think everybody takes some of this a bit too seriously. That’s just me. Maybe I’m the jackass here, but it’s just a box of cards. Again, I’m pretty sure Beckett Media, or any of its employees, is not responsible for all of the ills of this industry…good gracious can’t you all at least think of something different to bitch about? Same song, same verse, different day.”

With the National just around the corner, it should be interesting to hear from any of the involved parties and find out if anyone has a statement on this matter. We will be bringing National coverage to you next week for one day before I return for Cape Cod League Playoffs.

Babe Ruth Dual Relic — Bat/Old Yankee Stadium Seat

Babe Ruth Triple Relic — Old Yankee Stadium Seat/Uniform/Old Yankee Stadium Seat

Ty Cobb Dual Relic — Bat/Tiger Stadium Seat

Jackie Robinson Triple Relic — Ebbets Field Seat/Bat/Ebbets Field Seat

Mickey Mantle Triple Relic — Old Yankee Stadium Seat/Uniform/Old Yankee Stadium Seat

Topps will replace any of the above cards with a pack of 2009 Topps Tribute Baseball or comparable product for collectors that are not satisfied with their card(s).

In addition, every card in 2009 Topps Sterling Baseball features game-used bat and game-used uniform except for one subject — Carl Erskine, which features Erskine’s autograph with stadium seat.  Topps will replace this card with a pack of 2009 Topps Sterling Baseball for collectors not satisfied with their card.

Moving forward, to ensure no confusion, stadium seat pieces will not be used as memorabilia pieces unless it’s part of a special stadium seat-specific insert.

Please send all items intended for replacement to the address listed below.  Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

The Topps Company

ATTN: Seat Relic Replacement

401 York Avenue

Duryea, PA 18642