Guest Article by Juan Martinez aka illadef5
Collecting cards is a quirk. You don’t really talk about this hobby with friends and family unless they’re fellow quirky card collectors. Bass fishing? Sure. Skeet shooting? Of course. Card collecting? Not so much. Trust me, nothing kills the mood at the dinner table better than telling your girlfriend about the time you spent $100 on a box full of cardboard and you got a dime-sized piece of LeBron’s laundry from game #37 from 2006 where he put up 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists… and his team lost… and that piece of laundry sold for $20 on eBay… which I did once… we never spoke of cards again…
Today, basketball card companies are in a flux. With the announcement that Panini will be the exclusive producer of basketball trading cards for the foreseeable future, there will be change. The question is will it be change that we want? Collectors are saddened by the loss of Upper Deck and Topps, and fearful of a future of kiddie cards and stickers. But it wasn’t like the two companies holding down the fort for the past several years has been cutting edge either. The recession wasn’t doing them any favors, but their problems started way before the word “bailout” became the way to solve everything from the auto industry to the housing industry to a broke Scottie Pippen. Their new releases didn’t exactly exude “new” and “fresh,” and whatever “innovation” they came out was cannibalized to the point of worthlessness. Five years ago, did you ever think to yourself that you would bust open a box full of non-game worn manufactured letter patch cards and be happy about it? Did you ever think you would be able to buy the “holy grail,” a Michael Jordan autograph, for the same price as a Nintendo Wii, and that it would be easier to find than a Wii? Like Shaq and Kobe, the card industry has gone too far to ever get back to where it once was, but a slim chance at redemption (not the ones you wait months for and you end up getting a Paul Millsap jersey card as an apology) is possible. It would take a long winded conversation with David Stern that would probably end with me being carted off by his bodyguards for having the nerve to disagree with him, but here we go:
23 Ways to Fix the Basketball Card Industry
1A. NBA needs to rescind their deal with Panini
Like most exclusivity deals that you hear about in other industries, there was probably a lot of money thrown the NBA’s way. If collectors were frustrated when there were only two companies monopolizing the hobby, how are they going to feel about one monolithic company?
1B. Michael needs to retire
Michael Jordan used to be the one we all aspire to pull. How many times have you opened a pack and thought to yourself, “well, I didn’t get a hit, but at least I got a Jordan base?” That allure extended to his inserts and his game-worn cards. But there was the special sense of euphoria when you got the coveted autograph. Today, collectors don’t have that feeling to look forward to anymore. As the years went by, Upper Deck kept pumping out Jordan autographs until they flooded the market. So Michael needs to step back for a few years, if not stop completely. This is not an attempt to create artificial scarcity, but rather a chance for collectors to appreciate what they already have because one day it could all go away. Since Jordan is an Upper Deck exclusive and no licensing deal with Panini has been announced, this might happen, but not in the way I planned.
2. No exclusive contracts until after their 4th year
Exclusive contracts create incentive for collectors to follow a particular company. I don’t see the problem with that. It limits the number of autographs that hits the market every season and it creates excitement for whenever that contract is up. How many people have been waiting for a Shaq-Kobe dual auto or a Tim Duncan Upper Deck autograph? However, I don’t see the need in scooping up rookies. Working in tandem with how the NBA works, rookies should not sign exclusive contracts with card companies. This allows companies to have these players into sets that they might not otherwise be in (example: Dwight Howard was an Upper Deck exclusive his rookie year, so we never saw a “legitimate” Topps Photo shoot release). Also, this hopefully means that the companies will wisely spend their money and invest in players who have proven themselves worthy of an exclusive contract.
3. No more Exquisite Collection
A great idea that lasted 4 years too long, Exquisite Collection should have been a once-in-a-lifetime thing. At the time, Upper Deck had the perfect storm of having LeBron James as an exclusive signer, “common” Michael Jordan autographs were selling in the high hundreds and low thousands, and the most promising rookie class in almost a decade. Exquisite Collection was meant to be a one year experiment. Granted, the successive years may have given the Exquisite brand name more cache, but I think they’ve done more harm than good. Ultimate Collection already started to divide the collectors into the haves and have nots, Exquisite amplified it. Losing Exquisite will even the playing field again and give the impression that everybody has a shot at every card.
4. Donruss needs to be granted an NBA license
Despite not having an NBA license, Donruss has managed to release a long-awaited dream card: at triple autograph of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. The fact that it’s not licensed does matter as evidenced by the sales of the card. What would happen if Upper Deck released that same card? I could see it going for double or triple. Some collectors like to believe that the NBA logo doesn’t matter, but it does. It carries a sense of legitimacy, seeing those Celtic legends in their full attire rather than hack Photoshop jobs.
5. Upper Deck must sell the Fleer brand
Upper Deck has done as good a job at resurrecting the Fleer brand as they have in butchering their own name. Limiting the number of releases per year, incentivize collectors with great hooks to pick up each (example: 2005-06 Greats Of The Game, despite Jordan’s absence, might have the greatest old school basketball autograph checklist to date) product, it’s amazing how far Fleer has come from the depths of bankruptcy, those terrible factory-auction test cards popping up on eBay notwithstanding. Given time, if Upper Deck had realized the success of the Fleer brand, they were going to kill it with brilliant ideas like, “hey, let’s bring back Brilliants, Dominion, Mystique, Jam Session, and Patchworks.” Oh, dear…
6. Card companies need to market to the kids
When was the last time you saw a basketball card commercial? Exactly. I’ve seen a baseball card commercial here and there, but a basketball one is a rare sight. It’s not enough to advertise, kids have to know the appeal of cards. Wax nostalgic on them. I know that kids today are way more caught up in video games and iPhones, so maybe they can appeal to the material side of it. Since most goods are digital, cards provide that “thing” you can hold in your hand that a video game or song no longer does. As collectors, we will accept a lot of atrocities , but a digital game-used autographed card will never work. You might as well collect eBay photos if that ever happens.
7. Each company should be limited to 4 releases a year*
Last season, Upper Deck had 17 releases and Topps had 13 releases. What the hell is the difference between Trademark Moves and Luxury Box? How about SP Rookie Threads and SP Rookie Edition? I see why they feel the need to release that many products, but it’s asinine to expect collectors to scoop up every release. Limiting the number of releases and loading them with hits would be a better solution. It would even be easy to categorize them: a base product, a “flagship” product, a “hobby store” exclusive product, and something for the “super premium” collectors that doesn’t eclipse a $100 MSRP. The asterisk is for those special, every once in a blue moon release, like Greats of the Game or 1952 style. We don’t need something like Chronology every year.
Topps: Base Topps, Topps Chrome, Bowman/Bowman Chrome, Stadium Club
Upper Deck: MVP, Upper Deck, SP Authentic, Ultimate
Fleer: Base Fleer, Ultra, Flair Showcase, E-X
Donruss: Base Donruss, Throwback Threads, Playoff Memorabilia, National Treasures
Panini (not actual brand names): Panini Stickers, Panini Shiny, Panini Penultimate, Panini Summit
8. Separation of sports card journalists and card companies
Publications like Beckett, Tuff Stuff, and others are loaded with information on what cards to invest and what the trends are in the market. What they also need to be doing is bashing the products they cover if need be. If a new release is terrible, let the public know. I realize this is the equivalent of biting the hand that feeds them because they are so reliant on their advertising, but they need to shift to non-endemic advertisements so that way they don’t have to be indebted to the card companies to keep them in business.
9. Hobby publications need to be transparent
One of the most infamous incidents involving Beckett was the Exquisite Football box break where they pulled the product’s top hit. Regardless of whether or not there was collusion between Beckett and Upper Deck is almost irrelevant at this point. Once there’s doubt, it’s impossible not to acknowledge it. If they want to continue to review products or post YouTube videos of breaks, they need to buy their boxes blind and sell whatever they get. This creates trust and faith with the readers, clearly something they don’t have.
10. A Facebook for collectors
The problem with message boards is that you’re limited to that board. You can join other forums, but soon that becomes a zero-sum game with too many hands in too many baskets. What we need is one universal destination for collectors. Entire collections are scanned that is linked to a comprehensive and accurate database. If a collector uploads a scan and checks it off the database, and another collector needs it, an alert is sent so they can coordinate for a possible deal. And yes, there will be a message board for people to whine and complain if need be. There can even be a podcast that brings the community together (and turns the funnier members of the site into pseudo-Internet celebs and yes, I’m available on Skype).
11. An alternative to eBay
Similar to the Facebook idea, this site will not charge for transactions, but it should have a feedback system similar to that of eBay. Trading sites and message boards have popped up with a similar idea, but I feel we need to be at eBay’s level of ease of use and customer service.
12. Excess parallels need to go away
A typical Topps card can be recycled to have several parallels, and “several” might be a conservative term. That needs to end. Cards can have parallels, but limit it to numbers that collectors care about. Today, anything numbered above 100 might be considered too common, so make it a chase. There should be a base card, a parallel limited to 25, another limited to 10, and the obligatory 1/1. Printing plates should continue, however, collectors should be informed of whether or not ALL of the plates were released to the public and not being held back in the factory. Master set collectors would appreciate this.
13. Sticker autographs need to go away
I personally don’t have a problem with stickers, but I understand that it needs to go away because of the backlash it has created over the years. Limiting the number of releases allows companies a bigger window of time to get players to sign. This might lead to an increased number of redemptions, but it is a necessary evil.
14. Retrain Customer Service reps
Almost every collector who has had to suffer through the indignity of calling customers service to get the status of a delayed redemption wants to kill themselves. Most of the reps are either incompetent or just plain don’t care. The people on those lines should either be fellow collectors who understand our plight or at least highly trained in knowing that you can’t replace a Carmelo Anthony 1/1 autograph with a Yaroslav Korolev rookie card and a pack of retail product.
15. Make inserts worth chasing again
I would rather have a non-signed Jambalaya insert card than most autographed cards. Sometimes it’s not about the ink or the laundry. Panini has the unenviable task of detoxing collectors from autographs and memorabilia and reintroducing the concept of inserts.
16. More emphasis on team
Complete team checklists, right down to even Dan Dickau, aka Euroleague bench warmer. Theme sets like all-time teams, starting fives, Super Team redemption sets can help bring back the days where a sect of collectors just went after their favorite teams.
17. More personalized cards
The players already have the pen in hand; why not let them have fun with it? Topps is already doing sketch cards, so give players a blank canvas card as well to work with it. Imagine the buzz a Shaq-drawn sketch card would create, especially if it’s one of him stepping on a Black Mamba?
18. No “event-worn” memorabilia
Simply put, jersey cards taken from photo shoots are asinine. Either come game-worn or don’t come at all.
19. Increased retail presence
Remember when Wal-Mart and Target actually had card displays and not the hokey shelf on one of the checkout stands? That needs to come back along with the retail exclusive. People are way too knowledgeable for there to be another 1996-97 Topps Chrome (overlooked product that became a landmark release in the hobby), but the hobby snobs should have a reason to check them out. Also, pack searchers should be arrested on spot when caught…
20. Fire design teams
You know your creative department is lazy when all they’ve done for the past few years is revive old designs from the past and call it a day. It’s even worse when that “retro” design is a bullet point on the sell sheet. I have no problem with acknowledging the past, but it should not come at the expense of creativity. I miss the days of Metal Universe and Dunk ‘N Go Nuts…
21. Common sense with memorabilia cards
If a Kevin Garnett jersey card comes out and it’s from his Minnesota days, the accompanying picture should be him in a TimberWolves uniform. It looks especially uncoordinated when multi-player memorabilia cards come out and they’re supposed to be in the same team, but the game used pieces don’t match. My favorite example: a dual jersey card of Gary Payton and Antoine Walker. They’re both supposed to be members of the Heat, but Payton is pictured in a Celtics uniform with a Lakers jersey piece, and Antoine Walker is also in a Celtics uniform, but his jersey piece is from his days with the Hawks. Wait, what?
22. Continuity
Upper Deck has already done this with football: continue a popular set with successive releases. Last season, they released an autographed set in UD Black that features the 50 Greatest Players. While I don’t condone them releasing Black again as a standalone set (I prefer the original redemption concept of Black), I would love to see them continue to fill out the set with the same design until they complete the set with Pete Maravich and Dave Debuscherre cut autographs.
23. A David Stern and Ron Artest dual autograph
Who wouldn’t want this card?
