quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
Wonder if this is his signature now or just a one off scribble?

Well it doesn't match for sure, but it could be a deteriorating autograph due to age or infirmity. It has that sort of shaky look to it. You would have to compare other examples of recent signings to see if this falls into a new pattern and I'm assuming that we know that first card was his genuine signature at one time.

When I don't know about an autograph, I just say it's not a good display piece, pass on it, and let it go at that.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Raven,

That picture of him is kinda weird too. Maybe he has rickets?

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Mullins:
That picture of him is kinda weird too. Maybe he has rickets?

Pop Century and current photos are not a common combination. I did look to see if he may have had a stroke or something but can't seem to find much on his current health status.

I have no idea what Seagal's autograph is supposed to look like. . . but does anyone else think it is possible these were signed by different people?

Like -- maybe the really good one is a secretarial?

I'm looking at some early breaks now and it's the same old thing. If you're lucky, you get one good autograph card out of the four hits per box. If you're not lucky, that good autograph may not be someone you even want. The other three cards (autograph or memorabilia) may have some interest, older names for older collectors, and usually previous Pop Century signers. Stickers have a long shelf life. They may be short numbered too, but where's the demand for Butch Patrick #3/5?

I don't think it's possible for anyone to pull four, or even three, solid signers together. That means that you are never going to get a box with a combined value that blows away the box price. You will likely have three cards below that average $75 price, assuming $300 a box, and the fourth good one has to be able to pick up all the slack. As a collector, you also have to like the lesser names that you get or it's a total waste.

The problem is not the cards here, they are what they have always been. It's that the price point has hit its peak for the blind breaking of a hodge-podge product. I see these breaks and the posters are trying to talk themselves into saying its pretty good and they're happy with what they got and I'm thinking "Man, what are you looking at? You're down all this money, and you got nothing you couldn't have had better for way less".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Raven,

Looks like it is going to be tough to find a nice Judd Nelson autograph. They are way off sticker in the ones I've seen.

Paula Abdul's signatures are shaky :-(

A lot of Black and White pictures -- which I personally hate -- especially for modern actors/actresses. Like why is there a Ralph Macchio card with a B&W photo?

That Megan Fox autograph looks like a butterfly next to a squashed butterfly. Is it an art piece about the fragility/brevity of life?

Is it just me, or is this the picture on this card not Charlie Sheen?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284906955391

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Is it just me, or is this the picture on this card not Charlie Sheen?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284906955391

Yeah just a really bad picture. The Robert Wuhl looks terrible too. I almost thought it was Ray Wise.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/33450...3:g:EGEAAOSwIeVi2e3g

I'm dropping this here instead of the break section so that more people might see it and it might help them to decide. I wasn't
going to pick up a box knowing the risk, but someone held it for me, so I went along. Here are the four cards that came out:

Live In Concert ticket Brian Wilson & Jeff Beck
Cole Hauser autograph, 11/20
Butch Patrick autograph, 7/12
John Amos & Jimmie Walker dual autograph, 6/12

I kid you not. A grand total of maybe $60 in cards, if anybody wants them. I don't know if this is a really bad box or an average box, but that Leaf would pack out repeat $10 signers and a nothing ticket in such a pricy product is a shame on them. Also, these metal cards are so thin, you wouldn't know they are metal.

A complete waste for me and the worst part is that I knew better. Oh well.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I'm dropping this here instead of the break section so that more people might see it and it might help them to decide. I wasn't
going to pick up a box knowing the risk, but someone held it for me, so I went along. Here are the four cards that came out:

Live In Concert ticket Brian Wilson & Jeff Beck
Cole Hauser autograph, 11/20
Butch Patrick autograph, 7/12
John Amos & Jimmie Walker dual autograph, 6/12

I kid you not. A grand total of maybe $60 in cards, if anybody wants them. I don't know if this is a really bad box or an average box, but that Leaf would pack out repeat $10 signers and a nothing ticket in such a pricy product is a shame on them. Also, these metal cards are so thin, you wouldn't know they are metal.

A complete waste for me and the worst part is that I knew better. Oh well.

It happens, the one box gamble hasn't changed much since the 90s. I have seen case breaks that come nowhere close to the cost. The concert tickets are such a low cost filler for Leaf and then they destroy the ticket to make the stupid card.

I just picked up a De Niro....just can't have Pacino without him.

Sorry for the rough break, Raven.

I got Judd Nelson to finish my "Breakfast Club" set, and was done with this year's model. They need to put these back on paper (with an accompanying price drop), especially if the cards are that thin anyway, and move away from all of the parallels. The low serial numbers they're going for by doing that are basically meaningless when most any given subject signed a few hundred stickers for them.

And as for the relics (and tickets, and anything else not autographed they come up with), they should drop those entirely, even if it means going to 3 autographs per box. It's hard to imagine memorabilia cards more worthless than ones that don't show the actual person who wore the gear on the card.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
It happens, the one box gamble hasn't changed much since the 90s.

The cost has changed and the difference of value to price has changed. You just can't do it on high end product anymore and getting a case of this stuff isn't the answer either, as you mentioned. The big case hit may be as lame as the big box hit.

Yes, as a collector you have to pick up only what you want and pay the higher price, rather than throw money away for nothing. But the thing is, no one will want to break boxes once they lose too much money, and then who will be selling the individual cards if the box stays sealed?

The concert tickets are a joke, as is the idea that a low print run for a sticker autograph should impress anybody. I wish the non-sport card market would collectively reject these gimmicks at this point, but it just seems to keep building momentum and the sky doesn't fall down. Yet.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
Sorry for the rough break, Raven.

Thanks, like in Margaritaville, my own damn fault.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

The cost has changed and the difference of value to price has changed.

True but is getting $60 worth of cards from a $240 box really much different than getting $15 worth of cards from a $60 box? Other than $240 would give you more chances to play in the $60 a box world.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

The cost has changed and the difference of value to price has changed.

True but is getting $60 worth of cards from a $240 box really much different than getting $15 worth of cards from a $60 box? Other than $240 would give you more chances to play in the $60 a box world.

By percentage NO, both are 25% value to cost.

But by actual money lost, it's the difference between being down $45 or being down $180. That's a huge gap even with inflation, but it is the chance you take. It's just unfortunate that there wasn't even one card in the box that I really needed or liked, regardless of it's worth.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:

They need to put these back on paper (with an accompanying price drop), especially if the cards are that thin anyway, and move away from all of the parallels. The low serial numbers they're going for by doing that are basically meaningless when most any given subject signed a few hundred stickers for them.

I miss the classic look as well. Because these look so bad it puts me in the position of looking for the best of the worst to collect. Certain colors appeal more to me, I think the glamour cards look much better than the base....stuff like that. Now the parallels are in odd and different designs like snake or zebra skin.

Generally once I get a feel for the crazy check list and I have seen enough cards sell I can get a close estimate to how many total cards were signed by the celebrities I am interested in.

I have noticed that none of Swanks cards are over 5 or 6. Even though she signed stickers for 3 different cards I am pretty sure she is a short run. The Meg Ryans look short too...not sure if they are hold overs from last year but I think there are too many for that. The Billy Crystal duo was a nice idea.

I am assuming Leaf has no Christina Ricci stickers left or we would have seen a duo Angelica Huston card.

If anyone is looking for a Tom Welling autograph he signed a bunch of em.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mykdude,

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
The concert tickets are a joke,

The value on these isn't there, but I think this is the best thing they've done in a long time. These would've been great in the Famous Fabrics music set that came out years ago.

Yeah, it looks like they clip the ticket to make it fit inside the card. Ticket collectors want unused tickets or at least a complete stub. They could have inserted it as a box bonus in a top loader instead and kept the stub untrimmed.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I'm dropping this here instead of the break section so that more people might see it and it might help them to decide. I wasn't
going to pick up a box knowing the risk, but someone held it for me, so I went along. Here are the four cards that came out:

Live In Concert ticket Brian Wilson & Jeff Beck
Cole Hauser autograph, 11/20
Butch Patrick autograph, 7/12
John Amos & Jimmie Walker dual autograph, 6/12

I kid you not. A grand total of maybe $60 in cards, if anybody wants them. I don't know if this is a really bad box or an average box, but that Leaf would pack out repeat $10 signers and a nothing ticket in such a pricy product is a shame on them. Also, these metal cards are so thin, you wouldn't know they are metal.

A complete waste for me and the worst part is that I knew better. Oh well.

It happens, the one box gamble hasn't changed much since the 90s. I have seen case breaks that come nowhere close to the cost. The concert tickets are such a low cost filler for Leaf and then they destroy the ticket to make the stupid card.

I just picked up a De Niro....just can't have Pacino without him.

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Yeah, it looks like they clip the ticket to make it fit inside the card. Ticket collectors want unused tickets or at least a complete stub. They could have inserted it as a box bonus in a top loader instead and kept the stub untrimmed.

Look at cut signature cards - people pay more for those than a complete original document the signature was cut from.