quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
I think that is pretty much it and nails the real definition of "rare" in the non sports autograph world. Travolta has become a regular...aside from his on card Battlefield Earth sig all the rest tend to get tossed into the same pile.

The odd thing to me is that most autograph card buyers don't seem to understand or even appreciate what true rarity is. True rarity is not a series of short printed, numbered cards like those Pop Century is cranking out. Especially using the stickers, the inventory can just be held back and slowly be released for years to come. It is the worst kind of artificial rarity because you don't know when or where there may suddenly be a dump.

True rarity is when the signer has appeared on only one or two cards in a limited amount and is unlikely to sign anymore because they are not included in other titled card products and/or are unlikely to agree to any generic stickers.

Now this is hard to predict over the long term because we have seen the floodgates open for many celebrities who were tough autographs for a long time. People like Gellar, Craig, Berry and Ford turned down many offers to sign cards, until they didn't. Their cards are still expensive, but I wouldn't call them rare. If you have the money, the cards are out there waiting for you, and they will continue to sign for the right price.

Contrast that to two of my favorite actors, the late Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman, who had many opportunities to sign licensed cards and always refused. We started discussing that in another thread. I can only think of Eva Green and Timothy Dalton as names I know continually refuse card makers. Sean Connery did too, but in his later years and mainly Bond put him off.

But rare and likely to stay that way is people like Maggie Smith, Julie Christie, Miranda Richardson and Angelina Jolie (although I'm not really sure she can be trusted). Rare is people that appeared under one specific title and probably won't be in another one with cards. Rare is people well known enough to be desired by a few, but not "hot". Rare is when you don't see the cards because they are in collections, not when you see them, but just can't afford them. Rare can often be bargains because their value is not measured by the resale, but just in the finding.

I wouldn't trust anybody signing for Leaf to be rare.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I can only think of Eva Green and Timothy Dalton as names I know continually refuse card makers.

Tom Cruise, Neil Armstrong (while he was alive).

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
Either he is legitimately moving on or a bomb is about to drop.

Talking about the former Leaf CEO and one time owner Brian Gray, there is a rumor that has apparently been around for 3 or 4 months that Leaf may be on the sales block. PSA and Fanatics have both been mentioned as possible buyers.

I find it hard to believe that PSA is branching into making cards, when their business has been grading and authenticating them. Seems like some issues would come up.

On the other hand, Fanatics is loaded with cash and has been rumored to be looking at Panini, UD and Leaf. Personally I think they have been mucking up the non-sport titles they picked up from Topps, as well as their new ones, but it hasn't seemed to stop them so far. I would think UD would be a better target for Fanatics than Leaf, but as Gray has left in such a hurry, maybe he knows something we don't yet. Just speculation of course.

Is Gray no longer the owner of Leaf? I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere.

Also, are we sure he left in a hurry, or it just looks like he left in a hurry to collectors because we weren't expecting it? Per Gray he turned 50 and retired, and had been looking for a CEO to replace him for a while.

I have seen rumors of Fanatics buying Leaf, but I have no idea what Leaf owns that fanatics would want. I believe their only licenses are things like bowling and pickle ball, they don't have any 'brands' that would be in demand. . . the only thing they own that I would think another company may want would be some exclusive contracts. . . and maybe that is enough. . . but I think Fanatics could just start making their own version of the vast majority of what Leaf makes without having to bother trying to buy Leaf.

Also I think at some point Fanatics is going to have an anti-trust problem. . . I'm surprised they don't already with what they have done to Panini with the NFPLA license.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/...of-trading-card-deal

No expert on business structures but Leaf Trading Cards is an LLC. Brain Gray is routinely called Leaf's founder, which he is as it was established coming from switching over his Razor, but I don't see where he is specifically called Leaf's owner, although he could have been and maybe still is.

However, with an LLC the owner or owners typically carry some official title, like CEO or CFO. Since Gray resigned as CEO, and the last word from Leaf was to wish him "success with any and all future endeavors", it sounded like his future no longer had anything to do with the company, which would hardly be the case if he still owned it.

So I guess you could say his status is murky, unless someone here is a Leaf insider, but generally speaking, when a CEO steps down, they are usually voluntarily or involuntarily stepping out.