So the next release of Leaf Pop Century Metal should appear at the end of this month. Box price without any discount looks to be $335. That's for 4 autograph cards and some 2 unsigned pre-production cards that are basically useless.

Now included for 2026 as the big new signers are Nic Cage, Johnny Depp, Ann-Margaret and Winona Ryder. Lots of other big names that have already appeared in 2025 and earlier product. The joys of banking sticker autographs is that they never appear to run out and the manufacturer can make 200 1/1s over time.

Pop Century had already gotten greedy under Brian Gray, but since his departure it actually got worse. There is also some other version of this called Code Red. Not sure when that comes out, but you get an additional autograph card for $220 more a box. Now we are talking $550 or $110 per signature to break even.

I happen to really like Pop Century products as a means to get autographs I could never find. I have even made my peace with stickers, if that is the only option. However only buyers who are really flippers can afford to break these boxes now, and even they are getting squeezed because the repeat signers increase the supply and decrease the demand. Every repeat signer potentially lowers the price of the last card. It's risky to pray for a new big signer at such limited numbers.

Nevertheless, for us autograph card collectors there will be more bargains and more signature holes filled. It may take a while for the dust to settle, but there will be more happy hunting, if you look before you leap. How's that for stringing old expressions?