Hobby Surge: Thumbs up or thumbs down?

I've been thinking about something somewhat random, but entertaining. With all the Bowman that has been sold, sold-out, and that appears to be backordered it has clearly given the hobby a surge for the better of Topps. Now, we all know between here and Twitter I have done my share to add to the lunacy of the whole thing, as did Sooz.

Since this Bowman release is Strasburg's prospect card, there are going to be prospect cards and then rookie cards to be released and definitely there will be autographed rookie cards. This is going to keep this ridiculous trend of not being able to find cards, or buy them for a decent price going for some time if you want my opinion. Could you even imagine the selling price of a 1/1 Strasburg superfractor auto? This blog could also serve as a reminder to head to the bank and apply for a personal loan now so that you don't miss the chance to bid on that card.

There was an e-mail sent the other night from Blow-Out Cards that they were sold out of 2010 Allen & Ginter as well as 2010 Topps Chrome. I have no interest in Ginter whether there is a piece of lettuce from Strasburg's teeth, or some Wooly Mammoths butt hair in it. Topps Chrome I tend to dabble with usually just retail packs or a blaster but never buy much of it since I don't really collect prospect or rookie auto's. Will I buy a box of it? It's tempting.

With all that being said, how many of you have pre-ordered either of these products in an attempt to not get ripped off when they are released? Now... how many of you pre-ordered them to try and pull a Strasburg auto or re-sell the boxes when people are in dire straits trying to find them?

Anyone think that the surge is a bad thing for the hobby or the collectors? I honestly could answer this either way. People like us and most of you have been supporting this industry and been interested in collecting for many, many years but are now paying dearly for product because of people just trying to make a quick buck by buying and re-selling or buying and ripping trying to find the golden ticket. On the flip side, I am enjoying that something is driving kids and adults alike to buy cards and attend games or pay attention to baseball. It cuts both ways, but overall I would go with thumbs up on the recent surge in the industry.

Limited Edition Yankee Stadium Legacy Set

So.... we got hosed. $38.74 for 100 cards and 2 game-used jersey cards of no one specific. If I could choke someone at Upper Deck, I might. Don't get me wrong, the cards are nice looking, but they are not in chronological order which annoys me. We pre-ordered these 2 months ago, and waited... for what? We waited for 100 cards that are in no specific order, first card being Babe Ruth (which is the exact same card from the YSL blaster you can buy at Target for $19.99), and ends with card 100 the 1951 World Series. Figure that one out.

The game-used cards are an insult to card collectors. They lead you to believe that you could pull various Yankee game-used cards, and send you a blank card essentially with a swatch of a jersey that means absolutely nothing at all. I am going to post the description of this item so you can see what you might have expected had you placed an order for this product. It is serial numbered /53540.

My advice: save your money. (What do I know about that? Nothing.)

Here are the pictures and description of this set courtesy of QVC.com:






Be one of the few to own a piece of The Final Season of the vaunted Yankee Stadium with this Limited Edition card set, featuring great moments and great players from the team's history. It captures all the mystique and aura of Baseball's Cathedral in game-used memorabilia and images from its opening in 1923 to the final season and final regular season home game in 2008. The New York Yankees are the most successful team ever in sports, with 26 World Series titles--all of them won after this national landmark was built.

Grand slam set. If you're a baseball fan, this collection is the ultimate catch. Officially licensed by MLB and the Yankees, it is individually numbered and exclusive to QVC--it has never, and will never be, offered for sale anywhere else.

Two game-used cards. One card holds an actual uniform swatch, and the other a piece of a bat--both used at the stadium by a Yankee superstar like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, or Mariano Rivera.

All-Star lineup. This is the first set with cards from the 2008 All-Star Game, the fourth and final one to be played at the stadium. You'll own exclusive cards from this historic matchup.

Final game. The set contains cards featuring photos and commentary from the last regular season game ever played at Yankee Stadium, on September 21, 2008. This is the only 2008 trading card set with photos of the final game in the Bronx!

Pinstripes past and present. All-time legends forever commemorated on cardboard include Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, Goose Gossage, Roger Maris, Sparky Lyle, Don Larsen, Red Ruffing, Wally Pipp, and more. Recent top Bombers include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Don Mattingly, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, David Wells, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, and more.

If you must say good-bye to Yankee Stadium, make it a walk-off homer with this must-have memento. From Upper Deck.

* Includes 102 cards (100 regular photo cards and two game-used cards)
* Five cards commemorate the Greatest Yankee Teams Ever
* Officially licensed by Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, and New York Yankees
* Limited Edition to what is sold between today through the last home game of the regular season, scheduled for 9/21/08
* Manufacturer's Certificate of Authenticity on game-used cards; individually numbered
* Pinstriped collector's box
* Made in USA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please feel free to comment if you ordered this same set, or think that I'm off my hinges for being kind of annoyed at Upper Deck.

Anxious to Get the Mail.....

I am expecting 2 hobby boxes of 2008 Topps Co-Signers this week... I can not wait. I have taken a small break from buying cards recently as a result of having some bills to pay. But I have a small update on the status of my Yankee Stadium Legacy collection, it is up to 140 cards, not including the cards that MPStar here has for me.

Again, if you have any Yankee Stadium Legacy cards for trade and are on the Beckett message boards, please PM me on there, screen name 39poolshark.

Stay tuned for a box break sometime this week. Anyone get anything good in the mail recently? Any good bargains out there I should know about?