Special Comment: Transparency in The Hobby

And now a Special Comment...



We all know that the trading card business can be a competitive one. So when I read this morning on A Cardboard Problem that Leaf, the trading card company formerly known as Razor, was withholding the final checklist (so as not to tip-off their "competitors," i.e. Topps) on its debut mixed-martial arts trading card set.

Leaf/Razor, of course, is a non-entity in The Hobby; as if buying a dormant brand name somehow adds credibility. "Leaf" is not the same company that produced Frank Thomas's rookie card 20 years ago. It's still the same ol' Razor -- a marginal trading card company with no real licenses, relegated to pseudo-sports and repacking other company's cards.

But sadly, the secrecy they employ is commonplace amongst other, more respectable, trading card companies. Upper Deck lost their MLB license months ago. Yet attempts by your humble correspondent to get Upper Deck to reveal the complete list of 2010 "Double-Take" variation cards, have been for naught. Despite the fact that UD no longer has a baseball license, they still refuse to reveal what the variations are. To their (partial) credit, six months ago, just days after they settled their lawsuit with MLB Properties, they did issue a checklist of what 25-cards are in the set. They have still yet to visually identify what the variations are.

What reason is there for UD's secrecy? Why haven't they identified what the variations are like they said they would?

But Upper Deck no longer has a baseball license. Topps still does, and when it comes to "stealth" inserts and other chicanery, Topps is a serial offender.

Case in point: The "World's Biggest" inserts in year's Allen & Ginter. Are these on the checklist? Were these mentioned on the sell sheet? How about Topps' pathetic excuse of a website?

No. You will not find any mention of these cards. Anywhere. No thanks to Topps, it was us, the collectors, who had to discover for themselves that the first five cards in the set were exclusive to Blaster and retail boxes and the other 20 are only in gravity-feed loosey packs.

Sadly, this is only one example. Remember "Scoreboard Abe?" Topps didn't make any mention of that card until March -- almost two months after the release of Series One Topps.

Why do card companies do this? Why do they keep giving us, the collectors, the people who support them and pay their salaries, "The Mushroom Treatment?"Is it asking too much of Topps, UD, Leaf/Razor, et al, to actually tell us what is in their products, before we buy them? Why do they continue to disrespect collectors like this?

I'm Chris Harris on this, the 386th day since Upper Deck lost their MLB license. Good night and good luck.

Start placing your pre-orders for 2010 Panini Baseball, now.

I guess we now know who Razor's "West Coast Sugar Daddy" was, huh?

(Epic WIN for Wax Heaven)

Stick a Fork in 'em.

Now, call me crazy. But if I were in charge of a trading card company, and if my company issued a product that cost $2500 a pack; I'd make damn sure the cut signatures are 100% authentic!

But then again, that's just me.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Razor Signature Series

I won a Beckett contest, and they sent me this waxbox of 2008 Razor Signature Series.



So, was this a loaded box, or not? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

Video Box Break: 2008 Razor Signature

Tom the Ripper busts a box of Razor Signature. Hilarity ensues.

Things to look for...

1) A CGI light saber,

2) A retractable razor blade (Get it? A box of Razor being busted with a razor?),

3) Ten autographed trading cards of players you've never heard of -- and more than likely never will,

4) A snippet of an epic rant by Gellman at SCU,

5) A 1950s anti-alcohol educational film set to the music of Alice in Chains.

1st Impressions: Razor Signature Baseball

Gellman over at Sports Cards Uncensored had the scoop a few days ago (pay no attention to the article that proceeds it) on the much-anticipated debut of Razor Baseball -- a product I've labeled "The Bowman Killer." But in perusing the checklist, I found a few things that were a bit strange.

For one thing, the posted checklist for 2008 Razor Signature Baseball doesn't list the first 100 cards in the base set -- just cards #101-200. There were also a few minor details that were omitted such as street date and MSRP for a pack.

I contacted Brian Gray of Razor to clarify and his response is that the first 100 cards in the set are all un-autographed base cards. The next 100 cards will repeat the checklist of the first 100 and each will feature a "trapped cut autograph."

What is a trapped cut autograph, you ask? It appears that in lieu of stickers (or for that matter, on-card autographs) Razor had each player sign what looks like a cardboard "tab." The tabs will then be mounted (or "trapped") into the card -- kind of like a cut signature.

Each pack will contain five cards (one of which is autographed) and will retail for an MSRP of $12.50. Waxboxes will have 10 packs. The street date is December 1st, which is about a week before the scheduled release of 2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects.

Things That Cost $2000

For $2-Large you can buy....

...a Dyson G-Force vacuum cleaner.

...16.12 Barrels of light sweet crude.

...a hour with a "high-end" New York call girl.

...4.22 shares of Google.

...one pack of Razor Oval Office Cut Signature Edition.

The most signifcant card in 20 years?

No, they don't have a license, and they probably never will. But the first of the Razor promos have hit The National and made their way to eBay. Get a good look at the "Bowman Killer."

The Beckham/Razor Deal. Good for The Hobby?

The Razor/Tim Beckham deal is good for The Hobby.

There, I've said it.

Even though I'll never purchase a single pack of Razor -- acquisition of a Major League license notwithstanding -- their exclusive deal with Beckham and two other first-round draft picks is a win-win for everyone in The Hobby. It's a win for Razor for obvious reasons; a once-obscure start-up bought itself instant credibility. It's a win for future first-round draft picks who'll now be able to sell their likeness on the open market to whomever they want (Razor, D'Russ, Topps, et al), for whatever they think they're worth.

Believe it or not it's a win for Topps and Upper Deck, as players like Beckham will now have the novel concept of having their "true" rookie cards issued the same year they make their Major league debut; thereby spurring demand of all Major League products, across the board. This, of course, was the original intent of the Players Association "Rookie Card" rule of a few years ago.

And it's a win for the collector. Based on what they've said thus far, Razor's going to give card collectors what they actually want, instead of what they think they want. Granted, they haven't actually issued anything, and this may be all empty rhetoric. Actions, after all, speak louder than words. But in an era where the legacy companies have skimped on quality and customer service, settled for mediocrity in most of their products (especially on the low-end of the scale), and have put most of their creative efforts into gimmicks, this is refreshing.

Cutting into Topps.

Razor Entertainment -- best known for its Signature Series Poker trading cards -- is branching out. The three-year old company has signed a trio of 2008 MLB first-round draft picks to exclusive contracts.

Tim Beckham, the first overall pick in this year's draft, Kyle Skipworth (#6) and Reese Havens (#22) all signed three year contracts with Razor. The threesome will not appear in any other trading card product (Major, Minor, or otherwise) until they make their respective Major League debuts.

In other words, 2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects WILL NOT have the #1, #6 and #22 overall draft picks.

No word yet on whether Razor has acquired the proper licensing, or what the company's future baseball card plans even are.

(h/t Wax Heaven)