Thursday, May 8, 2014

I Gambled and Lost

A few weeks back, I noticed a few fellow bloggers writing about Leaf's latest gimmick involving Johnny Football and decided to join the club.

The concept was simple.  Leaf produced Johnny Manziel draft predictor cards.  There were a total of 41 cards made for each NFL team and if you received the team that drafted Manziel... you could redeem your card for his autograph.

The cards were an eBay exclusive and sold in packs of one for $9.99 (+ shipping).  I rolled the dice and picked up three packs for $32.96 ($29.97 + 2.99 shipping).  Here's who I received:


By now you've probably heard... the Cleveland Browns completed a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and grabbed Johnny.  Oh so close... but no cigar.  Oh well.  Three more overpriced conversation pieces added to my collection.

On a brighter note... I recently received my 1996 Topps Laser (Series Two) Bright Spots set in the mail:


Just like Johnny Football there are going to be fans of this product and people who think it's a little "over the top".  Regardless... it's hard not to appreciate the intricate detail put into this product.  Here's a closer look at the Derek Jeter:


Topps analysts did a pretty good job with Jeter's projections.  They were only 16 hits under their prediction and 45 RBI's over.

Okay... it's getting late, I'm getting sleepy, so I need to wrap things up.  In short... I struck out with the Manziels... but hit it out of the park with these Bright Spots.

Hope all you are having a great week.  Happy Thursday and sayonara!

30 comments:

Swing And A Pop-up said...

I've never seen those Topps Laser cards before...but then again I say that about every set from 1996 - 2001.

Tony L. said...

And I am in the same boat on those laser cards. Weird. Interesting, but weird.

Play at the Plate said...

I've seen some Topps Laser cards, but not those Bright Spot cards. Sorry you didn't win the auto!

Corky said...

I got the Oakland Manziel predictor, I was unhappy after the #5 pick. I love those laser cut cards, the only downside is that some of the more intricate cut cards get damaged easily.

Dawgbones said...

Those die cuts are a bit difficult to read until you get up close with them.

Mark Hoyle said...

The the the Manziel cards will probably confuse the hell out of somebody thirty years from now

Anonymous said...

Look at it this way... In the best-case scenario, two of those Johnny Football cards wouldn't be worth what you paid for them. At least they're pretty decent looking cards...

BobWalkthePlank said...

The cards from the non-drafting teams might end up being a valuable collectable.

Commishbob said...

With the hoopla over my Texans having the first pick and the unrelenting, never-ending and overbearing Johnny Football hype down here I've NEVER been happier to have the draft come and go.

Ana Lu said...

Wow I'm impressed too with that predictions too. There are people that really get the players.

hockey kazi said...

and the Bills traded up

Greg Zakwin said...

I like the idea of those die-cuts, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Also, State of The Hobby bought one of those Manziels as well and ended up with Cleveland.

brian said...

i bet those cards made the draft 10x more fun

Yankeejetsfan said...

That is a sweet Jeter! I don't think I have that one. Time to scour eBay.

Unknown said...

I'm interested in the Manziel to Tampa card. I know he didn't go there but it would be cool to have it in my collection. Let me know thank you.

Man said...

I actually think the concept is interesting but although I am not really in to football I sense he will be a bust given the hype.

Fuji said...

I can't speak for everyone... but if you enjoy die-cut cards, they might be worth looking into.

Fuji said...

Yeah... my set has a few chips and bent pieces.

Fuji said...

Lol. Maybe someone will look them up on the internet and stumble across this post.

Fuji said...

Yeah. Like I wrote... they're cool, overpriced conversation pieces ;-)

Fuji said...

The way I see it... maybe one day he'll get traded to one of these three teams. Then, maybe I can make some of my money back. Heck... they're pretty scarce. Only 41 of each team was made.

Fuji said...

It's the first time I watched the NFL Draft in a long, long time. But I'm glad it's over too.

Fuji said...

Very cool. Definitely beat the odds.

Fuji said...

It totally did. To be totally honest... I'd probably try it again next year.

Fuji said...

Haven't decided on what I'm going to do with these yet. If I decide to trade them away... the TB card is yours.

Fuji said...

Yeah. I'm not a huge fan of the guy and the way he portrays himself. But I wouldn't be complaining if I won his autograph ;-)

Unknown said...

Ok thanks Fuji! Maybe we can figure out that Mark Barron trade in the near future too!

Fuji said...

Sounds good. Stumbled across the Barron a couple of weeks ago, so I know I still have it.

Unknown said...

Sounds good. I've got a few As, Seahawks relics and autos and a bunch of inserts and parallels. Let me know thanks

jacobmrley said...

If you decide to trade these away, I would love to have that New Orleans card. Lemme know.