#CardSTOCK is an ongoing series created by Baseball Cards Daily’s Chris Steuber that details the hobby value of baseball players based on their popularity and performance . You can check out all past editions of #CardSTOCK here. You can catch Chris’s podcast ‘Baseball Cards Daily’ for free on itunes and Google Play.
This time around we’re highlighting a unique group of players under the age of 30 who are all experiencing different trajectories of their careers. Each of these players came into the league with high exceptions, and while some have performed better out of the gate than others, we still have faith that the others will come around. While Alex Bregman and Trevor Story cards are reaching new heights almost daily, there is still plenty of room for growth. On the other hand, cards from players such as Byron Buxton and Amed Rosario remain largely undervalued, and could see huge growth if these players can live up to their expected potentials.
One of the hottest baseball sets this fall is 2018 Topps Heritage High Number baseball. Here at COMC, sets such as Heritage are very popular among our team, as there is a contingent of collectors on our team who prefer classic designs and traditional card stock over the chromium card stock and futuristic designed sets. This makes Heritage High Number the perfect product for our latest installment of ‘Retail Therapy”.
Stylized in the spirit of 1969 Topps, this set is crammed full of key rookie cards of all of the usual suspects from the 2018 rookie crop such as Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Gleyber Torres, as well as the first non-online-only exclusive Topps rookie cards of fan favorite rookies such David Bote and Dereck Rodriguez.
We took a short trip to our local Fred Meyer (Meijer) to track down two $19.99 blaster boxes of Heritage High Number near release day. You can check out our full recap below, and as always, any cards featured in our Retail Therapy series will be available for sale on the COMC_BreakHits account!
We stumbled out of the gate as our first blaster had to be one of the worst in the history of retail products. Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration when you consider some of the products that were sold in supermarkets all around the world in the early 1990’s.The first Heritage High Number blaster we opened yielded zero serial numbered, variation, errors, or parallels at all. Our loan ‘hit’ in this blaster was an Ichiro Suzuki Deckle Edge insert that falls one every 10 packs. OUCH.
For those who don’t believe us, we photographed the miserable experience, so revel in our disappointment:
Pack 1
Pack 2
Pack 3
Pack 4
Pack 5
Pack 6
Pack 7
Pack 8
As luck would have it however, we quickly had a reversal of fortune as the first pack of the second blaster yielded the purple goodness that was a Chrome Hot Box Refractor. For those who don’t know, hot box parallels tend to come in bunches in some recent Topps products. Hitting one meant that each of the remaining seven packs in the blaster would also contain purple mojo!
Acuna Matata!
And a Tyler O’Neill RC as well!
In a shocking turn of events new to the Retail Therapy series, we actually had a pretty decent hit! Although it is unnumbered, Hot Box Purple Chrome Ronald Acuna Jr. RC’s have consistently been selling for about $30. With four sharp corners and pretty good centering, whoever decides to purchase this card from the COMC Marketplace will definitely have a good candidate for grading on their hands! Not only did we hit one Acuna….
We hit base RC as well! Heritage High Number marks the Topps debut of Chicago Cubs up-and-comer David Bote, who as of this writing has zero cards available on COMC. The set is also home to the first pack issued Dereck Rodriguez rookie card as well. Rodriguez is the son of all-time great catcher Ivan Rodriguez and bright spot in the San Francisco Giants pitching rotation. Rodriguez also had an RC released in the Topps Living Set. It will be interesting to see how the value of his Living Set & Heritage RC’s compare to his flagship RC that is expected in Topps Update later this year.
As far as short prints & inserts go, we did hit six short prints, easily recognizable as they are cards 701-725 in the 225 card checklist (cards 1-500 can be found in the standard 2018 Topps Heritage released earlier this year). Our two retail exclusive Collector Card Set Checklist were expected and nothing to write home about.
Lastly, before we wrap up, we just had to share what is arguably the best photo in the base set:
We’re giving Daniel Mengden a 7 out of 10 on the Rollie Fingers mustache scale, and we’re giving Heritage High Number two thumbs up as a fun product for those who prefer a more straight forward and traditional pack ripping experience. There are plenty of autos, memorabilia and inserts that we didn’t even touch on in this blog. You can check out a full breakdown of the product here. Although time will tell, with a checklist this stacked, it’s hard to imagine this product not increasing in value over time. Until next time, good luck and happy ripping!
We are now two weeks into the NFL season, and the landscape of the league is beginning to take form. While perennial greats such as Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, and Julio Jones are doing their thing and posting the type of stats that are to be expected, there is a whole crop of players who have emerged from the pack and are positioning themselves to have a stand out 2018 season. As a result of their strong performances, the collecting world has taken notice and these player’s cards have seen renewed and/or increased interest on the COMC Marketplace.
With that in mind, we want to share our top players who’s rookie cards you should consider picking up sooner rather than later. Whether you’re looking to invest and resell at a later point in time or you’re simply adding them to your collection, here’s who we think you need to consider buying right now:
Patrick Mahomes II | Quarterback | Kanas City Chiefs 38-55, 582 yards, 10 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
The 10th overall pick of the 2017 draft, Patrick Mahomes II has lit the NFL on fire through the Kansas City Chiefs first two victories. After his six passing touchdown performance in Week 2, Mahomes set a record for most TD’s thrown through the first two weeks of the season. Will he eclipse Peyton Manning‘s record of 55 in a season? Only time will tell, but regardless this second year stud is headed in the right direction both on the field and in the collecting world. As of this writing, his Optic Rated Rookie RC is currently selling above $12 and continue to rise with only a handful of copies available.
Our Pick: 2017 Donruss Optic #177 Rated Rookie
Alternative Pick: 2017 Panini Rookie & Stars #201
Ryan Fitzpatrick | Quarterback | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 49-61, 819 yards, 8 Touchdowns, 1 Interception
2018 marks the emergence of ‘Fitzmagic’. Over his career, Ryan Fitzpatrick has perfected the disappearing act, as the Buccaneers are his 7th team in 12 seasons. In the wake of Jameis Winston‘s suspension, Fitzpatrick was given one more chance to shine and did he ever! Not only has he accumulated back-to-back 400 yard, 4 touchdown performances in two wins, including one against the defending Superbowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s created a buzz off the field as well. Donning teammate Desean Jackson‘s outfit, he set social media on fire with an appearance that can only be described as Conor McGregor‘s older brother. Plenty of his 2005 rookie year cards can be found on COMC, including autographs at reasonable prices (for now).
Our Pick: 2005 Bowman #180
Alternative Pick: 2005 SPX #162 /1199
Tyreek Hill | Wide Receiver | Kansas City Chiefs 12 receptions, 259 yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Return Touchdown
With Mahomes having a record setting start, someone has to be catching all of those passes right? That someone is Tyreek Hill, who is on pace to shatter the career bests that he set in 2017. A dynamic play maker, Tyreek not only found pay dirt three times on passing plays, but he also electrified the Chiefs Kingdom by running back a 91 yard return for a touchdown as well. We could be seeing the rise of the next great QB to WR duo in the NFL.
Our Pick: 2016 Panini Prizm #296
Alternative Pick: 2016 Donruss Optic #117
Michael Thomas | Wide Receiver | New Orleans Saints 28 receptions, 269 yards, 3 Touchdowns, 2 fumbles lost
In his first two seasons, Michael Thomas has posted 1,000+ yards seasons, while hauling in 14 touchdowns combined. It’s been apparent that the talent has always been there for this 2016 2nd round pick, but Drew Brees‘ favorite target has taken it to another level in 2018. He’s hauled in 28 of the 30 balls thrown his way through the Saints first two games. Even though he has lost a couple of fumbles, Thomas is positioning himself to have a truly special 2018 if he can stay consistent. He has no shortage of rookie cards to choose from, but we prefer his 2016 Prizm over the rest of the field.
Our Pick: 2016 Panini Prizm #230
Alternative Pick: 2016 Panini Playoff #240
James Conner | Running Back | Pittsburgh Steelers 39 rushes, 150 yards, 3 Touchdowns, 10 receptions, 1 touchdown
Leveon who? In the absence of arguably the best running back in the league, James Conner has emerged in the Steeler’s backfield as a similar offensive threat. With Le’veon Bell‘s hold out having no end in sight, Conner is doing his teammate no favors by stepping up and increasing his stock, while decreasing the chances of Bell getting the big payday that he seeks. Though the Steelers are 0-1-1 on the season, Conner is a big winner among fantasy owners and card collectors alike. His rookie card market has gone from stagnant to ablaze, so we’d recommend getting in on the action sooner than later!
Our Pick: 2017 Panini Prizm #225
Alternative Pick: 2017 Panini Donruss #322
That’s going to do it for this installment of rookie review. We’ll be back in a few weeks with another installment. What do you think, COMC Nation? Which NFL player’s rookie cards will you be hoarding this season?
As you are likely aware, Canada Post services may experience a disruption as early as September 26 amid negotiations with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. In the event of a work disruption, COMC and Upper Deck e-Pack shipments to Canada will experience delays. Shipments will be held at our Burnaby, BC office and will be promptly shipped when work resumes.
Orders already in the Canada Post system during a work disruption will remain in their system until Canada Post resumes operations. Please anticipate delays in delivery times for these orders. Should the work disruption occur, we strongly recommend our Canadian customers take advantage of COMC’s unique service which allows customers with a COMC account to buy over time and ship everything together in a single shipment when Canada Post resumes operations.
If you do not yet have a COMC account, sign up for free here.
Canadian sellers: You can either drop your consignment submissions off at COMC Canada in Burnaby, BC or use alternative carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and Canpar. There will be no service delays for cards stored remotely in Canada purchased by non-Canadian residents.
In the meantime, we encourage you to visit www.canadapost.ca/update to read about the latest developments and sign up for email updates.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help! Contact our Customer Service at staff@comc.com or 1-800-517-3540.
#CardSTOCK is an ongoing series created by Baseball Cards Daily’s Chris Steuber that details the hobby value of baseball players based on their popularity and performance . You can check out all past editions of #CardSTOCK here. You can catch Chris’s podcast ‘Baseball Cards Daily’ for free on itunes and Google Play.
This time around we’re highlighting six players who have stepped their game up in a huge way in 2018. Whether it be an immediate impact upon their big league debut, posting career highs at the plate, or helping carry their team to the postseason, these players have turned on the jets this season. As a result, their most coveted prospect and rookie cards have seen substantial growth. Who should you invest in? Check out their cardstock and decide which of these players has room for the most growth both professionally and in the world of cardboard!
Over the course of our 11 plus year existence, we’ve seen A LOT of cards. In many cases, we first saw a superstar’s cards long before they became a household name. As a result, this lends itself to some pretty hilarious completed sales in our historical sales history. Whether these buyers are cardboard Nostradamus’s, or simply happened to pick up a card before it’s value skyrocketed into oblivion, one thing is for sure: they got a crazy good deal!
In our last installment, we looked at some skewed historical sales history on baseball’s Mike Trout. You can check out that blog here. This time around, we’re featuring ‘The Greek Freak’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. Selected 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, Giannis’ first couple of years in the NBA produced stat lines that were commendable but by no means eye-popping. Coupled with playing for the smaller market Milwaukee Bucks, it wasn’t until the 2015-16 season that his rookie cards begun to take flight.
Then came his breakout season, which saw his cards surge in value and popularity. Not only did Antetokounmpo notch his first All-Star Team selection, but he also won the 2016-17 Most Improved Player award. Playing in 80 games for the Bucks, he accumulated a stat line of 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. He became the first player in NBA history to finish a season in the top 20 in points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks. Even though the Bucks fell to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the statement had been made. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a megastar in the making.
He did not disappoint the following season, further cementing himself as the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise. He improved in nearly every statistical category, earning the nod as an Eastern Conference All Star Team starter. By posting his ninth career triple-double in 2017-18, he overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the history books as the Bucks all-time triple-double leader. Now it’s our turn to look at the history books of COMC and present some of the deals of the past that could have been yours!
The Panini National Treasures RPA is without question one of the most desired rookie cards in the game. Numbered to just 99 copies, our most recent sale saw the highly coveted card sell for just over $3600 back in February 2017. Two years prior, a savvy COMC user was able to snag one for less than 1/6th of that price! Earlier this month, a BGS 9.0 copy of this card ended at auction for $5300.00!
These are our favorite examples to showcase in the ‘It Sold for What’ blog format because it shows exactly how lucrative rookie card investments can become. Here we see a BGS 9.0 copy achieving an all-time high sale of over $5200 in October 2017. This even better BGS 9.5 Gem Mint version sold back in June 2015 for just over $700.
This is also a fun card for us to showcase because the pricing for different graded copies is all over the place! With raw copies having sold for up to $430, none of the yesteryear sales have remotely come close to that figure. That being said, the buyers of the two Mint 9’s and one Gem Mint 10 were all able to secure their graded copies in 2016 right before the rise of The Greek Freak took form.
Crusade inserts have always been a set that is sought after by collectors for it’s beautiful design and wide array of colors of the rainbow. In recent years, Panini has added die-cut versions into the mix, which makes these cards especially difficult to secure a high grade on. This BGS 10 Pristine copy narrowly missed the prestigious black label by just .5 on corners, but it’s former owner narrowly missed hundreds (thousands?) of dollars by selling it in June 2016. With raw copies selling for over $100 just one year later, we’re willing to bet that it will be a long time before another pristine copy hits the market again!
Precious Metal Gems are another multi-colored insert set that are widely popular among collectors, with some earlier year sets worth thousands upon thousands of dollars for the right player. Seven lucky individuals were able to get their precious fix by securing one of the 150 red gem Giannis’ printed for less than $20 in 2014. The last completed sale of a PSA 8.5 version was in November 2017 for $236.99, with raw copies selling elsewhere as of late in the $100.00 range.
We shared this card back in May in our first ‘It Sold For What?’ blog post, but we wanted to bring it back for the Giannis edition! This beautiful Red Prizm RC autograph sold for just $256 back in October of 2016. A Non-graded version of this card sold for over $1,700 earlier this year.
A word to the wise: BGS 10 Pristine grades are very hard to get, especially on chromium cardstock rookie cards. If you’re ever so lucky as to get one that doesn’t break the bank, hold onto it as long as you can! This BGS 10 Pristine copy of his 2013-14 Panini Prizm ‘true’ rookie card sold for a paltry $20.87 back in December 2015. Santa delivered one heck of a Christmas present that year, as this card has topped the $300 raw completed sale mark as of November 2017. A PSA 10 copy of this card sold at auction one month ago for $470, but we’re guessing it’s BGS counterpart would sell for a lot more!
Now we want to hear from you! What Giannis Antetokounmpo cards have graced your collection for less than a pretty penny? Share your best investment and #collectfail stories with us!
In our ongoing series ‘Fresh out of the Pack’ , we shine the spotlight on the latest sets that have emerged on the COMC Marketplace. We have seen a flurry of new products released as the dog days of Summer wind down. New baseball products remain hot and will continue to do so well into the fall with sets like 2018 Bowman Chrome on the horizon. With the start of football on the horizon, perennial release like Panini Spectra, Impeccable and Absolute are quickly approaching. High end basketball products such as Panini Immaculate Collection are slated for fall release, and Upper Deck certainly has more than a few hockey and non-sports releases slated for this fall.
Fresh new inventory of these sets will be added for many months to come, so be sure to check back often!
2018 Baseball
2018 Topps Chrome Featuring rookie cards and autographs from Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna, and Rhys Hoskins.
2018 Topps Pro Debut Top Prospect laden set featuring cards of quarterback turned baseball player Tim Tebow.
2018 Bowman Platinum This prospect packed retail set includes autos from Kevin Maitan and Luis Robert among others.
2018 Panini Diamond Kings Filled with variations, memorabilia and autos of stars from the past, present and future.
Week one of the 2018 NFL Season gets underway this week and we’re so very excited that gridiron action is back! It has been an extremely eventful off-season, with major free agent signings and trade deals going down even through last week. Could anyone possibly have guessed that Khalil Mack would start the season in a Chicago Bears Uniform?!!
Before the 2018 NFL season unfolds, we wanted to offer our take on six second-year players who all had great rookie seasons and appear poised to be standouts entering their second season in the league. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll focus on offensive skill position players in fantasy sports style format, featuring one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers and a tight end.
This kid was absolutely electric in the first half of the 2017 season, garnering early consideration for the league’s MVP award. Unfortunately for Houston Texans fans, a torn ACL sidelined Watson for the second half of the season, wiping out what could have potentially been a rookie season like none we had eer seen before.
Through seven games (6 starts), Watson threw for 1699 yards and 19 touchdowns, while throwing eight picks. His versatility also left defenses scrambling to catch up, as he added 269 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. A healthy Watson and a strong defense should position the Texans to be a playoff contender in 2018, elevating Watson’s stock among the game’s best quarterbacks and reaffirming that the magic we saw in early in the 2017 season was just a small taste of what is to come for many years.
Kareem Hunt’s put up big numbers in 2017 – leading the league in rushing and earning a Pro Bowl as a result. Hunt lit the NFL on fire through the first five weeks in 2017 before returning to earth and posting several ho-hum performances. A strong push at the end of the season led him to finish the season with 1327 yards and eight touchdowns. Even though he hauled in 53 receptions as well, he spent this off season working with quarterbacks on route running and catching. If those efforts pay off, we could see a huge season from the second year back.
Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints offense were a match made in heaven in 2017, leading Kamara to be named the 2017 AP offensive rookie of the year. Saints QB Drew Brees airs it out often, and the versatile Kamara was yet another weapon in Bree’s arsenal, hauling down 81 catches for 826 yards and five touchdowns. When they did run the ball, Kamara was effective, averaging 6.1 yards per rush, finishing the season with 728 yards and 8 TD’s. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and we expect to see a lot more of the same in 2018.
Of the 2017 class, no rookie was more personable than JuJu Smith-Schuster. Starting the season as the Steelers 6th receiver, his explosive on field talent quickly moved him up the depth chart as he finished the season with 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. Schuster will line up opposite of arguably the best receiver in the game Antonio Brown in 2018, which should provide him plenty of open looks. As long as he stays focused and keep his Fortnite addiction in check, Juju has all the talent to be a top-20 receiver in 2018.
One of the biggest surprises of the 2017 rookie class was Cooper Kupp, a third round pick out of Eastern Washington University. Kupp emerged as a serious target for Jared Goff, hauling in 62 balls for 869 yards. With the Rams on the rise, Kupp will continue to shine as the team’s juggernaut offense will simply run over defenses in 2018. Expect to see the first of what could be many 1,000 yard seasons for him, which should make at least one fellow Eastern Washington University alumni and COMC employee very happy.
By all accounts, Evan Engram probably should have had the standout rookie season that he had in 2017. The New York Giants were ravaged by injuries, with Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall missing much of the season. This paved the way for a 64 reception, 722-yard, six touchdown performance from the Giant’s 23rd overall pick in 2017. A healthy team, coupled with rookie running back Saquon Barkley should allow Engram to slide into the offense as an outlet for Eli Manning. Engram showed us in 2017 that he has all the tools to succeed, but the question remains if he’ll get his share of looks in 2018.
What do you think? Did we get it right? Did we sleep on your favorite under-the-radar rookie? Let us know in the comments below which second-year player you think is poised for a big 2018!
One of the best resources to previewing new products released is to simply type in the name of the product into a Youtube search. Perhaps you’re a veteran of the group break circuit, spending hours watching breakers such as Firehand and Cards Infinity, hoping that they have the hot hands and pull some sick mojo for your spot in a break. Maybe you’ve even shot your own box break video and shared it via Instagram or Facebook live. Case in point: you’re no stranger to the world of box break videos. But we’re guessing that you’ve never seen a break quite like this!
Earlier this month at the 2018 National Sports Collector’s Convention, two members of our team saw an opportunity to shoot a unique one-of-a-kind break, and wasted no time planning their move. The IX-Center in Cleveland, Ohio, the venue that hosted this year’s National Convention, features a full-sized Ferris Wheel in the center of the building that ascends up into the rafters of the building, offering a view of the entire show floor as well as at the Hopkins International Airport outside in the distance.
Join James and Jeremy of COMC as they embark on a box break like no other. Did Jeremy find incredible hits in his box of 2018 Ultimate Hockey? Did James immediately regret his decision to step foot on the Ferris Wheel when his fear of heights kicked in? Check out our video and let us know what you think!
One of the hottest baseball sets this fall is
Patrick Mahomes II | Quarterback | Kanas City Chiefs
Ryan Fitzpatrick | Quarterback | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tyreek Hill | Wide Receiver | Kansas City Chiefs
James Conner | Running Back | Pittsburgh Steelers
This is also a fun card for us to showcase because the pricing for different graded copies is all over the place! With raw copies having sold for up to $430, none of the yesteryear sales have remotely come close to that figure. That being said, the buyers of the two Mint 9’s and one Gem Mint 10 were all able to secure their graded copies in 2016 right before the rise of The Greek Freak took form.
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