It’s the type of story typically written just in Hollywood. An undrafted, undersized, unrecognizable, and very unnoticed athlete shoots into superstardom. The New England Patriots Danny Woodhead, who rewrote the NCAA records book out of Chadron State (Nebraska), was one of the best kept secrets during the NFL preseason, until the Jets had to cut him to make room on the roster. The only thing he has done since signing with the Patriots: Produce.

He was rookie last year, but did not have any NFL licensed sports card, until now. Woodhead is not completely without a card, he has an autographed version from Sage that is slowly becoming worth its weight in gold. Panini has announced that Woodhead will be in their upcoming 2010 Contenders release, slated for release on February 6, 2011.

Topps recently announced that the 2010 No. 1 draft pick of the Washington Nationals will be part of a sneak preview of the company’s 2011 Diamond Anniversary autographs in Sterling. The first one to hit eBay should fetch a pretty penny.

Harper, who is signed to Topps exclusively for autographs and memorabilia, signed a total of 60 cards with three inscriptions – “Happy 60th Topps”, “Happy 60th” and “Happy Birthday Topps.”

Topps is confirming that 2010 Topps Magic Football, which guarantees 3 autographs per box, includes several short printed Autograph cards and Base cards.

The following autographs are limited to just 15 copies each. In addition each subject has an Autographed Chrome card #’d to 10.

Adrian Peterson
Brandon Marshall
Brett Favre
Dan Marino
Darren McFadden
DeAngelo Williams
Eli Manning
Emmitt Smith
Jim Brown
Jimmy Clausen
Joe Namath
John Elway
Matt Ryan
Peyton Manning
Ray Rice
Reggie Bush
Roger Staubach
Tim Tebow
Tony Romo
Troy Aikman
Vince Young
Ben Tate
Brandon Gibson
Charles Scott
Chris Ogbonnaya
Dan LeFevour
Dezmon Briscoe
Dustin Keller
Ed Wang
James Casey
John Skelton
Josh Freeman
Kevin Kolb
Matt Leinart
Mike Kafka
Montario Hardesty
Nate Burleson
Trent Edwards
Willie Parker

The following autographs are limited to 50 copies each. In addition each subject has an Autographed Chrome card #’d to 10.

Ahmad Bradshaw
Antonio Gates
Brian Westbrook
Chad Ochocinco
Dwayne Bowe
Felix Jones
Frank Gore
Gale Sayers
LaDainian Tomlinson
Marcus Allen
Matthew Stafford
Patrick Willis
Sam Bradford
Sidney Rice
Steve Young
Tony Dorsett
Y.A. Tittle
Justin Forsett
Anthony Gonzalez
Bryan Bulaga
Damian Williams
Derrick Morgan
Dexter McCluster
Gerald McCoy
John Carlson
Paul Posluszny
Rey Maualuga
Steve Slaton
Tashard Choice
Tony Pike

The following autographs are limited to 100 copies each. In addition each subject has an Autographed Chrome card #’d to 10.

Beanie Wells
Braylon Edwards
Colt McCoy
DeSean Jackson
Earl Thomas
Ed Reed
Franco Harris
Greg Jennings
Jeremy Maclin
LeSean McCoy
Paul Hornung
Ray Lewis
Reggie Wayne
Shonn Greene
Chester Taylor
David Reed
Jimmy Graham
Rob Gronkowski
Sean Lee
Taylor Price
Toby Gerhart

And the following short printed base cards are found 1:3 packs

Card #

1
Jared Allen
Minnesota Vikings

5
Charles Scott
New York Giants

12
Joe Namath
New York Jets

16
Ndamukong Suh
Detroit Lions

21
Frank Gore
San Francisco 49ers

24
James Starks
Green Bay Packers

27
Jerry Hughes
Indianapolis Colts

30
Dezmon Briscoe
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

35
Alex Smith
San Francisco 49ers

39
Bobby Carpenter
Detroit Lions

42
Darren McFadden
Oakland Raiders

45
Jordan Shipley
Cincinnati Bengals

49
Andre Johnson
Houston Texans

53
Thomas Jones
Kansas City Chiefs

54
Tony Gonzalez
Atlanta Falcons

55
David Anderson
Houston Texans

56
Aaron Hernandez
New England Patriots

58
David Harris
New York Jets

59
Juaquin Iglesias
Chicago Bears

60
Bob Sanders
Indianapolis Colts

64
Gale Sayers
Chicago Bears

65
Sean Lee
Dallas Cowboys

68
Roddy White
Atlanta Falcons

69
Joey Galloway
Washington Redskins

70
Jonathan Crompton
San Diego Chargers

76
Aaron Curry
Seattle Seahawks

78
Sidney Rice
Minnesota Vikings

80
Jimmy Graham
New Orleans Saints

82
Quan Cosby
Cincinnati Bengals

84
Andre Roberts
Arizona Cardinals

85
Rey Maualuga
Cincinnati Bengals

86
LaDainian Tomlinson
New York Jets

89
Dustin Keller
New York Jets

103
Tom Brady
New England Patriots

105
Clinton Portis
Washington Redskins

119
Steve Young
San Francisco 49ers

120
Percy Harvin
Minnesota Vikings

130
Ahmad Bradshaw
New York Giants

131
Brian Urlacher
Chicago Bears

136
Brandon Gibson
St. Louis Rams

137
Vernon Davis
San Francisco 49ers

138
Taylor Price
New England Patriots

140
David Reed
Baltimore Ravens

145
Marc Bulger
Baltimore Ravens

148
Colt McCoy
Cleveland Browns

152
Joe Webb
Minnesota Vikings

155
Brandon Marshall
Miami Dolphins

194
Wes Welker
New England Patriots

[tab:Description]

For over 60 years, Bowman has been the go-to brand for collectors who follow the game’s top Rookies and Prospects. Bowman’s home field advantage continues in 2011 as 30 Bowman Rookies and 110 Prospects take the field led by #1 Draft Pick Bryce Harper!.

DETAILS:

• Release Date: May 9th, 2011
• 24-Packs Per Hobby Box/12-Packs Per Jumbo Box (32-cards per pack)
• Bowman Prospects (2 Per Hobby and 8 Per Jumbo Packs)
• Bowman Chrome Prospects (2 Per Hobby and 6 Per Jumbo Packs)
• Bowman Chrome On-Card Autograph Cards (1 Per Hobby Box and 3 Per Jumbo Box)
• Bryce Harper Autographed Prospect Cards
• Bowman 1948-‘49 Buyback Cut Signature Cards
• Bowman International Parallel Cards
• Bowman’s Best Insert Cards
• USA Baseball Patch Relic Cards
• Anniversary Autograph Cards

BOWMAN BUYBACK CUT SIGNATURE CARDS HOBBY & JUMBO EXCLUSIVE!

An original 1948 or ’49 Bowman Baseball card is embedded into a book card along with a cut signature from the legendary player depicted.

TOPPS 60th ANNIVERSARY AUTOGRAPH CARDS HOBBY & JUMBO EXCLUSIVE!

Sixty players past and present have signed these cards along with an additional inscription wishing Topps a “Happy 60th!” All autographs and inscriptions are signed directly on each numbered to 60 card. Three players’ cards will be inserted into each baseball product throughout 2011.

[tab:Photos]

One of the most anticipated Baseball product releases each year is without-a-doubt the Bowman Draft Picks & Prospect series from Topps. This year Topps did not disappoint, as the product is loaded. It features 32 different Chrome Auto cards of players taken, many first round choices, in last years MLB Draft. Along with the Prospect Autos, it is full of more Chrome USA Autos, as well as, AFLAC Autogrpahs – which are again machine numbered.

One of the most sought after cards from the product is Topps first certified autograph of Bryce Harper. His AFLAC Auto has been fetching over $600 on the secondary market with reports of nearing $1000 at release. The card is machine numbered out of 230, so be cautious when looking to buy.

The USA Auto sets features some of the youngest talent on the USA team. The 16 and under players are highlighted in the set and compliment the autographs inserted in the 2010 Bowman Chrome release.

Over all, the product has a very strong autograph checklist, with all of the first round signees, the potential is very high on a number of the cards too. The 3rd overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft, Manny Machado, has been one of the best sellers in the product, with base autographs averaging a sale price of $53 and refractors averaging prices of $72. A Red Refractor Auto of Machado also ended at $1,538.00. Bulk breakers have gone pretty crazy with this product as some of them have been breaking 20, 30, and even 50 cases to list on eBay. It is certainly a buyers market now with the flood of product hitting the secondary market.

Here is a detailed list of the first week’s sale averages on eBay of the 2010 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome Autograph inserts:

Stay tuned, we will be doing a Part 2 and 3 of this breaking down the sales of the AFLAC and USA Autos in the Draft release.

The first 2010 Bowman Draft Bryce Harper AFLAC Auto has hit eBay. Looks to be machine numbered to 230 in the upper left hand corner under the Bowman logo. Seller as a BIN at $999 (was at $899).

Panini recenlty posted an article announcing the arrival of their Tim Tebow 2010 Contenders Rookie Autographs back to their offices. Upon watching the video (see below), I noticed that Tebow had returned various inscribed versions of his Rookie Ticket and Rookie Ink autos. They featured such variations as “God Bless, Go Broncos, GB² (God Bless, Go Broncos), and some of his favorite Bible scriptures.

By the way, check out that awesome 1 of 1 Championship Ticket.

Recently a fake 2007-08 The Cup Patrick Kane RC has surfaced on eBay. The card in question is number 85/99. Please see the photos below, the orginal was a single color swatch, while the faked card has multiple colors in the patch.

Back in 2006, Michael Vick was the poster child for the NFL. His endorsement contracts included Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola, Powerade, Kraft, Rawlings, Hasbro and AirTran. At the end of 2006, Sports Illustrated magazine estimated Vick’s annual income between his NFL salary and endorsements at $25.4 million, ranking him just below NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a listing of highest earning athletes. He had reached the height of his popularity and then his world came crashing down.

Even before the animal cruelty case surfaced in 2007, Vick’s corporate status had started to deteriorate. Among the negative incidents was his middle finger gesture to Atlanta football fans in 2006. In August of 2007, Vick plead guilty to animal cruelty charges and was subsequently suspended indefinitely from the NFL.

Vick had now reached rock bottom. Facing 12-18 month is prison, on the brink of bankruptcy, and quickly becoming public enemy number one. While in prison, Vick’s income was reduced to wages of less than a dollar a day.

Fast forward to the 2009 NFL season. Vick had been reinstated by the NFL after his release from prison, and he signed a one year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick played 12 games, starting 1 of them in 2009. In December 2009, Vick became the Ed Block Courage Award recipient for the Eagles, an award voted by teammates. The award honors players who “exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.”

Coming out of training camp in 2010, the starting job in Philadelphia had been awarded to Kevin Kolb after the trade of Donovan McNabb. Kolb suffered an injury, which allowed Vick to take over the starting job. In his second game as a starter versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vick led the Eagles to a 28–3 win, throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns as well as rushing for a touchdown. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for the month of September. On November 15, in a week 10 Monday Night Football matchup against the Washington Redskins, Vick passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while he rushed for 80 yards and another two touchdowns. Vick threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson on the first play from scrimmage in the game, and went on to lead the Eagles to a 59–28 victory. Vick was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame asked for his game jersey to display after Vick became the first player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in the first half of a game.

His huge performance on Monday Night Football has vaulted Vick back into the limelight of 2006. I am not sure his image is ready for corporate sponsors just yet, but he certainly is back to performing to his old-ways. As a person who believes everyone should be given a second-chance, I am glad to see Vick making the most out of his.

Take a look at some of Vick’s recent card sales (some of these could have been had for less than $25 in 2008) on eBay:

• 2001 Contenders Michael Vick Rookie Auto 327 PSA 10 – $825.00
• MICHAEL VICK 2001 PLAYOFF CONTENDERS SP AUTO RC /327 – $450.00
• 2001 CONTENDERS MICHAEL VICK AUTO AUTOGRAPH – $372.00
• 2001 Contenders Michael Vick Auto Rookie SP /327 – $300.00
• 2001 (01) SPx MICHAEL VICK AUTO JERSEY PSA 10 GEM #/250 – $300.00

[phpbay]2001 Vick Auto*, 10[/phpbay]

[tab:Review]

Product Information

24 packs per box. 4 cards per pack. One Rookie Autograph per Hobby Box. Box prices have been around the $40-$60 neighborhood now, but was as high as $70 at release.

The Break

Topps recently released the follow-up to their initial football release – 2010 Topps Chrome. The product features Topps patented Chrome and Refractor technology. The set features 110 veteran cards and 110 rookie cards from the 2010 NFL Draft. Each box contains one rookie autograph card. Those come in a base, refractor (numbered to 50), black refractor (numbered to 25), gold refractor (numbered to 10), and superfractor (numbered to 1) versions. There is also an alternate rookie patch autograph (numbered to 25) version available for some of the rookies.

Additionally, each non-rookie autograph card has multiple parallel versions. Refractor (not numbered), blue refractors (numbered to 199), gold refractors (numbered to 50), red refractors (numbered to 25), and superfracotor (numbered to 1) versions are avilable for each base version.

Drawbacks

Much like previous releases, the 2010 Topps Chrome Football release features sticker autographs on their rookie autographs. Unlike their baseball counterpart who was able to move to on-card autographs for the 2010 release. A very hopeful sign that the football release will be doing the same in future releases.

The cards were produced far better than the baseball release and do not have the rampant bowing and off-center that was very prevalent in the baseball release. The surfaces of the cards are very condition sensitive and seem to have issues with scratches and roller marks.

Added Value

My box featured 9 parallel cards: 1 Blue Refractor, 7 Refractors, and 1 Rookie Autograph. Topps also added Rookie Retro autographs as added hits in some boxes. These cards features a reprint of some of Topps most famous rookie cards from over the years, featuring an autograph (sticker) on the card. A definite added bonus, that seem to be a very valuable addition.

Final Thoughts

Every year, Topps Chrome Football is a staple on the release calendar and the product rarely fails to provide a fun time breaking and collecting the set. With lots of parallel’s and chases cards inserted per box, the value of product is great around the $40-$50 area. As always, Topps uses their tiered rookie autograph system, so the chance of pulling some of the top rookies are slim.

I will be looking forward to more of the 2010 product, and I am already looking forward to the 2011 Topps Chrome Football set.

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[phpbay]2010 Topps Chrome Football, 10[/phpbay]