Topps is at it again. The Boston Red Sox team card in 2008 Topps Series One has two variations, a normal card and a version with Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani digitally added. Giuliani, a self proclaimed lifelong Yankees fan, said that he was rooting for the rival Red Sox to win during the 2007 World Series, and those clever boys at Topps have added him to the Red Sox on-field celebration.

I really hope Topps isn’t going to make this a tradition in their Base Sets. I don’t like the idea of digitally altered cards becoming a regular hobby trend.

As a marketing ploy, it seems to be working really well. The Giuliani Red Sox cards are already selling for around $50. I wouldn’t expect those prices to hold up though. Like the Jeter/Mantle/Bush card, prices should come down a lot as more cards hit the market.

Check out this Richard Nixon Cut Auto from 2007 National Treasures Football.

Click to see the Auction.

This is a busy year for Nixon. He’ll also be featured on a Dual Cut Auto with John F. Kennedy in Topps Series II Baseball.

Despite my obsession with Presidential Cut autos, I’ll be sitting on the sidelines for these auctions, unless the lottery ticket I bought today is winner…

Another box break for your viewing pleasure:

Much better than my previous debacle of a box break.

My regular readers (all 3 of you) know by now that I’m pretty obsessed with Topps Sterling. Exhibit A and Exhibit B (Exhibits C,D,E and F coming soon!). So I finally decided to put my money where my mouth is and pick up a box.
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Here’s an interesting interview with a Topps Representative about the process of making a Relic Card. He takes you inside the Topps Relic Room where the Game Used relics that Topps uses to make cards are stored.

The Topps Sterling Barry Bonds Jumbo Swatch Card with the hat logo seen in the video has turned up on eBay. Click the picture below to see the auction.
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In 2007, Upper Deck introduced a set of manufactured patch cards in UD Premier Baseball. The Premier Stitchings set was also included in UD Premier Football and will return in 2008 UD Premier Baseball and 07-08 Premier Basketball.

Von Glitschka, a graphic designer and illustrator, designed the Premier Stitchings patches for Upper Deck. Check out his homepage and his art blog. He does some really neat stuff, including the logos for Orbit Gum (which I chew constantly).

Here’s how Von went about designing a Kevin Durant patch for 07-08 Premier Basketball.

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Here’s my entry in the “Most Painful UD Black Box Break” contest:

Ouch!

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