2011/12 Panini Titanium Adam Larsson Quad Memorabilia Card #’d to 25

This is Brian’s second entry into the contest and he doesn’t plan on stopping soon. Excellent card B!!

The post June ‘Hit of the Month’ Prospect Entry #7 – Panini Titanium is a hit!! appeared first on .

Rmember only 4,000 packs/boxes are being made. 14 Cards per pack/box made up of 8 Premium Base Cards and 6 inserts (a mix of Autograph & Game Used Memorabilia Cards)

Click here to view the Game Used Memorabilia, Autograph and Base Card Checklist

Here is a stunning display of the 10 1/1 Stickwork Orange variation cards

Papercuts

Click here to view the Autograph Card checklist.

Here are some preview shots of some other cool features Broad Street Boys has to offer:

Battle for the Cup

Games to Remember

Raised to the Rafters

Tough Materials

In The Game Broad Street Boys Releases June 29th

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Curtis came in looking to try his luck on some 2012 Historic Autographs NY Champions and ended up getting a beauty.

Frank Kellert Cut Signature, Mint 9 #’d to 3

Excellent pull, even though the signature was graded a 9 – Frank must have had a couple pops before he signed that one.

Welcome to the contest Curtis – This cut signature is gorgeous.

The post June ‘Hit of the Month’ Entry #14 – Rare Cut Signature!! appeared first on .

Check them out!

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Johnny Weismuller

Edger Rice Burroughs and Johnny Weissmuller Redemption cards that will be available in this very limited set (2,000 boxes).

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Ed Legend strikes again with a beautiful SP Game Used pull;

This is a Tyler Seguin Supreme Patches #’d to 12. The patch piece is from the upper-left of the ‘Rookie Face Off’ shoulder emblem off his jersey from the NHL All-Star weekend.

It looks as if Ed isn’t the only one who wants this card. Pictured with him is his 4 month old daughter celebrating the pull.

We will see ya soon Ed!

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I never actually planned on working at a card store. I had a very well paying job in the medical industry before beginning this new venture. I was miserable, hardly had time for any collecting what so ever and worst of all I completely hated myself for the mindless drone I had become, sacrificing myself to corporate America. There were mornings I didn’t even want to get out of bed, and sometimes I didn’t. Calling off of work towards the tail end of my medical career was common and after awhile I did it without bating an eye. On days where I managed to drag my bones out of bed after hitting the snooze button 10-12 times, I was a zombie. I’d grab a dress shirt off the floor, rub a dryer sheet under the pits of it and stuff it into my khakis like a minimal security prison uniform. The worst was pulling that noose of a tie around my neck, kind of like a leash for my superiors to drag me around by; But at this point in my 8 year career sentence as a Director of Business Development, that tie hung as loose as it could without being considered slovenly. The drive to work was even worse. Not the traffic part of it, that doesn’t bother me like it does some people; It was the shear terror of knowing I would be doing the same mindless, business-jerk job for another ten hours that day. Music or morning talk radio didn’t help anymore, I normally sat on the freeway in silence, generously waiving in cars coming from the on-ramp, hoping it would delay my commute a few extra minutes.

It wasn’t long before I started looking like this every night;

It was on a morning in November of 2011 that I saw the sign that would change things for the better. A sign that was probably hanging in that shop window for weeks that I somehow failed to notice because I was too busy wiping the coffee off my suit jacket after flipping my hand around to check my watch, which happened to have a hot coffee in it. It was the ‘Now Hiring’ sign in the window at the Dave & Adam’s Transit Road location in Williamsville, NY. I couldn’t get into that store fast enough to get that email address to send in a resume, as if a card store needed a resume anyway. I almost didn’t want to send one in for fear of being considered over qualified with my background, but I didn’t care. I was going to take a shot at glory, a chance at happiness, the sole opportunity my boring and routine life was waiting for.

To save you from the utter suspense, I got the job. My friends envied me, my brother was jealous and my parents showed smiles on the outside but the thought of why I would want to work in a card store over a publicly traded company most likely caused them to open up a second bottle of wine that night.

It was my dream scenario; Out of bed at 10am, jeans, t-shirt and a ball cap, and the most stress free ride to work I have had in 8 years.

Within a couple of days and jumping around from store to store I had the chance to meet everyone, and till this day I think they are the coolest group of people I have ever met. It was great to see how an eclectic group of people got along so well, almost like they grew up together, which I strongly believed in the beginning. There were college kids just working part time for some beer money, lovers of music with a more passionate love of life, fellow collectors and sports enthusiasts, and even semi professional weight lifter who could carry a Buick on his back and act like it was a sack of potatoes. He was my personal favorite; I hated to see him leave.

I was in a social rebirth of myself in a sense, and it was just the thing I needed. Instead of the fake smiles and empty descriptions of a boring weekend at home from the herd of sheep I used to work with; I heard epic stories of conquest from their weeknights out at the bars or a good-hearted pat on the back for something as simple as grabbing a pack of top loaders for a customer. The way things were done at the retail level screamed team work, and it would have been tough to find another group of people that could match our enthusiasm.

The level of customer service has changed over the years in local card shops everywhere, including where I live in Western New York. As a kid, I remember walking down to my card store only to find some slob with a meatball hoagie and a half spread across the glass counter, rolling his eyes because an unattended child with a fist full of money interrupted his pre-dinner snack. I hated asking this guy for packs of 1991 Pro Set Football, because it only meant he had to get up off his stool and walk 20 feet to get them, all while mumbling how much of a pain I was under his labored breaths.

After awhile I stopped going there, but encountered the same attitude everywhere I went, except Dave & Adam’s. The great customer service tradition still exists today and I couldn’t be more proud to say I was part of it.

Everyone always asks me and I am sure many have wondered; What goes on at the card store when no one is around? Do they rip packs, collate sets and troll auction sights looking for cheap buys? Not really. In fact, you would be surprised at some of the stories that have come out of the retail locations of our stores, and in the coming weeks you will be treated to them all.

Check back next week for Part 2 of ‘Retail Confessions: My Time Behind The Glass’ .

- Card Guy Andy

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We start with a very cool Martin St. Louis Fabric of the Game Jersey #’d to 25;

Landin was very excited to see this Jake Gardiner Rookie Jersey Autograph #’d to 499;

Great hits Landin!! Always good to see multiple hits come out of only a few packs!!

The post June ‘Hit of the Month’ Prospect Entry #3 – Panini Certified Hits! appeared first on .

Ed L out of our Niagara Falls store pulled a Sidney Crosby Jersey Autograph out of 2011/12 Upper Deck SP Game Used;

The card is #’d to 87, Sidney Crosby’s jersey number!!

Good Luck in the contest Ed!

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This year’s Topps Baseball product is nothing short of  ”GOLDEN” with The Golden Giveaway, Golden Moments inserts, Gold parallels, real Gold cards and more.  And leading up to launch, Topps has some special announcements to make regarding this special release…

Including this one!
Topps is pleased to announce it is offering a Gold Rush Wrapper Redemption program to support the launch of 2012 Topps Baseball Series 2 (Please read the following carefully and follow guidelines to ensure you receive packs)

This exclusive set continues with 50 new subjects and selected autographs from such stars Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish, Ken Griffey Jr. and more!

Collectors sending in 50 HOBBY wrappers (or 14 HTA Jumbo wrappers) of 2012 Topps Baseball will receive a 5-card cello pack of exclusive GOLD RUSH cards.

And now, Topps has opened up the program to RETAIL wrappers as well!  Send in 50 retail wrappers (12-card packs only) and also receive a 5-card GOLD RUSH pack.  There are an incremental 10,000 5-card packs available for Retail in addition to the 10,000 Hobby packs.

Following are guidelines for the program,

• All packages must be postmarked no earlier than June 6^th, 2012.
• Hobby and Retail wrappers must be packaged and sent to Topps separately and clearly marked “HOBBY” or “RETAIL” on outside of package.  Combined Retail and Hobby packages will not be accepted.
• Topps will accept 2012 Topps Baseball Series 2 wrappers only. This is limited to HOBBY, HTA and 12-card RETAIL wrappers.
• Each household will be limited to receive a total of TEN 5-card packs.
• This program is valid while supplies last.

Packages should be sent to:

Gold Rush

PO BOX 2008

Duryea, PA 18642

For real time updates, follow us on facebook and twitter @toppscards, because these will go QUICKLY!

The post The Gold Rush Continues With Topps Baseball Series 2 appeared first on .

In our case, we found the Topps Trading Card contract for relief pitcher Xavier Hernandez.

The contract was signed in July of 1996 with Xavier agreeing to an extension for three more seasons of Topps to use his image on their product. For the whopping payment of $75 per year, I’m sure Xavier found it more than fair to see his own face on a card.

With Topps baseball products stealing the show every year with their design and autograph content, putting original signed contracts into their products helps confirm their spot on top the baseball hobby world. While Xavier Hernandez may not be the best in the bunch, I am sure Topps put some gems out there, including this contract signed by Jose Guillen in 1997.

Either way you look at it, this is history and you can own a piece of it if you purchase a case of 2012 Topps Archives, which is looking to be one of the top products of the year.

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