What do you get when you cross refractors with redemptions and modern day stars with legends?
Well... if you answered the 2011 Topps Prime 9 Player of the Week Refractors... then pat yourself on the back.
Last summer, Topps inserted special redemption cards into their Series Two Hobby (1:18) & Jumbo (1:5) packs. Each redemption card had a specific week designated on it... and collectors could bring them in to their local HTA store during that week and redeem it for a special refractor card.
Set: 9 Cards
#PNR1 Johnny Bench
#PNR2 Albert Pujols
#PNR3 Jackie Robinson
#PNR4 Derek Jeter
#PNR5 Mike Schmidt
#PNR6 Hank Aaron
#PNR7 Mickey Mantle
#PNR8 Ichiro Suzuki
#PNR9 Sandy Koufax
The program ran nine weeks which means that there are nine cards in the set. As you can see the checklist contains some of the biggest names in the game and no scrubs.
Hall of Famers: 66.6% (6 Players)
With only nine cards in the set, there's no surprise that the Prime 9 players are all big names... including "The Mick". In twenty years, all nine of these guys will be in Cooperstown.
eBay Value: $5 (+ Free Shipping)
These sets will never be rare, since I'm sure Topps sent their HTA stores a nice handful of these to hand out to their customers. Recent completed listings show that people have picked up complete sets for as low as $0.01 (+ $3.75 shipping). However, one seller even managed to sell his set for $9.99 (+ free shipping).
Beckett Value: $25
This is another example of inaccurate pricing in Beckett's price guides. Their complete set pricing ranges from $10 to $25. Based on my research... it should be more like $4 to $10. But I guess Beckett has to play their role in blowing smoke up peoples' butts... and making people feel like they're getting a great deal.
So... if you're not in it for the money... and are looking for some cool refractors... I encourage you to grab one of these sets. You really can't go wrong. For under five bucks (or the price of three hobby packs), I was able to add two players that I PC (Ichiro & Robinson).
If you're looking for specific cards, I encourage you to head over to COMC. Everyone (except for the Mantle) is listed at $0.79 or less, while the Mantle is listed at $1.95.
Okay... time to hear your feedback. I'm sure there are a fair number of collectors out there who wish card companies would end their use of "redemption cards" when it comes to redeeming them for a promised hit in a pack/box. But...
What's your opinion on redemption cards that encourage you to interact with local card shops? Would you rather just have card companies insert the cards into packs?
Personally... I like the "idea" behind the "concept"... however as with anything there are flaws. What happens if you don't have any local card shops in the nearby area? How do you prevent card shops from selling them, instead of handing them out?
Anyways... it's been a long week. I hope all of you enjoy your weekend. Sayonara!
3 comments:
In theory, I think this was a great idea because the LCS is something that needs help and deserves a place in the hobby. In practice, I don't have a local card shop in my town and the closest to me is around an hour away. Luckily, I ended up sending my redemptions (#2 and #3) in a trade package with Spiegel and let him keep the Jackie and he picked me up a #1 that the shop gave away. I'm sure there are other people that were in my situation that were not so lucky and got nothing.
I like it, although it mute for me, being overseas.
I have 8 and one in shipment, i'll be showcasing the set, as i don't collect that many sets.
In theory, it's a great idea. I have three shops in my town, the closest is 40 minutes drive. So it would get me to my shp(s) more often.
BUT!
Redemptions like this are not honoured by topps outside of the usa, so I get these wonderful redemptions instead of cards in my pack, and I can't use them.
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