The articles that make up Issue #012 of the FootyStars “Collectors Edition” newsletter can be found in this newsletter archive by following these links.

Editorial
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2008/07/series-2-afl-classic-and-nrl-centenary-2008/

Footy Card Collectors Tips
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2008/07/individually-numbered-cards-is-it-important/

Footy Card Spotlight
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2008/07/so-many-football-cards-a-guide-to-the-differences/

Protecting Your Investment
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2008/07/ultra-pro-team-bags/

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Fantastic news… Select have released the first details about their Series 2 premium card release and we’ve got all the details for you here!

On Monday, 21 July the new 2008 AFL Classic series will be released, and just 7 days later on Monday, 28 July the new 2008 NRL Centenary series will be available.

Our long wait is almost over.

There is some really good news for collectors in both releases… with Select trying new things and including new sub sets, particularly in the NRL Centenary release.

Here are the highlights before we discuss the detail of each release.

AFL Classic will see 6000 boxes produced with 36 packets per box. Each packet will include 9 premium quality cards and sell for $4.99 per pack. Last year Select released 7000 boxes in the Supreme Series.

NRL Centenary will see 10,000 boxes produced (it was only 5000 last year for Invincible) with 36 packets per box. Each packet will include 9 premium quality cards and sell for $4.99 per pack.

Now… let’s get into the detail

AFL Classic 2008

The base set consists of 185 common cards, there are 10 players from each of the 16 AFL teams, however it seems there are no team logo cards (see below for a sneak peak). This year the 2007 All Australian Team (22 cards) are included in the base set and there are 3 checklist cards.

There is a 185 card Holofoil Parallel Set.

The Holofoil set runs parallel to the base common set including the All Australian Team. They include the holofoil finish along with a different card design that can be seen below.

You will find one Holofoil Card per packet.

Hall of Fame Tribute Match

Celebrating the 150 Year Hall of Fame Tribute Match at the MCG on May 10, 2008 this 50 card sub set features the 50 players who competed on the night. See the card design below.

You will find one HOF Tribute card in every six packets.

2007 Medal Winners

This year the Medal Winners sub set again features the five Medal Winners from the 2007 premiership season. The players highlighted are:

• Jimmy Bartel - Brownlow Medallist
• Gary Ablett Jnr - Leigh Matthews MVP
• Jonathan Brown - Coleman Medal
• Steve Johnson - Norm Smith Medallist
• Joel Selwood - NAB Rising Star

Geelong fans will be rushing this sub set that honours their stars from 2007.

These are inserted one card in 36 packets (one per box).

AFL/VFL Premiership Commemorative Cards

There are 12 cards in this latest sub set which is a continuation of the long running insert series last seen in the 2006 Supreme release. With each card limited in number to 550 cards these are sure to be popular once again.

Inserted at a ratio of one card in every 36 packets (one per box).

2008 Premiership Predictors

The old favourites are back. Each team is represented in the Premiership Predictor Redemption sub set with only 400 cards for each team produced. We’ve not been told what these cards redeem yet but we will let you know as soon as we learn what the offer is. Regardless of the offer, the 3 teams shown below are sure to be the most sought after of all Predictors.

Inserted one card per 36 packets (one per box).

2007 Draft Pick Signature Gold

In the 2008 Classic Series we see two sets of Draft Pick Signatures each featuring 17 players from the 2007 Draft.

The first sub set is the DPS Gold and is found one card in every 36 packets (one per box) which means we can expect them to be limited to 400 cards each. It appears that these “Gold” cards will be printed with Gold foiling to distinguish it from the other DPS sub set.

2007 Draft Pick Signature Platinum

The second DPS sub set is known as DPS Platinum and is the more scarce of the two sets. Limited to just 100 individually numbered cards for each of the 17 players, these are inserted into packets at the ratio of one card per 144 packs (one per four boxes). Rather than gold foiling, expect these cards to be highlighted in platinum coloured foil.

Signature Redemption

The 2008 Classic Series includes six Signature Redemption cards each limited to 100 individually numbered cards. Based on these numbers, I suggest they will be inserted one card every 360 packets (one per 10 boxes) which means some lucky collectors could find two in a case but they may be one per 12 boxes (one per case).

The Signature Redemption cards feature:

• Jimmy Bartel - Brownlow Medallist
• Gary Ablett Jnr - Leigh Matthews MVP
• James Hird - Tribute Signature
• Glenn Archer - Tribute Signature
• Jonathan Brown - HOF Tribute Match Captain
• Andrew McLeod - HOF Tribute Match Captain

Case Cards

Inside each Case (12 boxes) of AFL Classic you will find one randomly inserted Case Card. This year three players are highlighted… all of whom have played 300+ games in their career.

• Brad Johnson - Western Bulldogs
• Wayne Schimmelbusch - North Melbourne
• Don Scott - Hawthorn

AFL Classic Official Folder

Like the last few years Select will also be releasing an official folder for the AFL Classic series. Here is a sneak peak at the cover design.

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NRL Centenary of Rugby League

The base set is made up of 199 common cards featuring the 100 Greatest Players of the Century, 16 Club History Cards and 80 modern day players (5 per team) and 3 checklist cards. Specially designed to commemorate the Centenary Year these cards are sure to be highly desirable for years to come.

Holofoil Club Logos

This 16 card sub set features holofoil finishing. The logos pictured are the Centenary of Rugby League logos for each of the currently competing teams. Sure to be a collectible sub set for every rugby league fan looking to commemorate the Centenary year.

Inserted one card in every eight packets.

Past Heroes

This sub set features 32 players from the past 30 years with two players appearing for each of the current clubs. This is an excellent sub set that features players who were not lucky enough to make the 100 Greatest of all time, but who have certainly made an impact in the hearts and minds of fans over the past 3 decades. While the kids might not know who all these players are… Dads (and a few Mums) are sure to know them all.

These cards are inserted into packs at the ratio of one card per eight packets.

Team of the Century

Announced on 17 April 2008, the 17 players plus the Coach of the Team of the Century are highlighted in this historical sub set. A beautiful design that celebrates the history of the game.

Inserted one card in every 12 packets (three per box).

Team of the Century Gold Foil Signatures

This sub set again includes the 17 players and the coach of the Team of the Century, but this time with Gold Foil Printed Signatures for each person. Regular readers will know that I’m not a big fan of printed signatures (see this article) however given a number of these players have passed on, it makes sense to celebrate their achievements in this way. The additional benefit for these cards are that you know they are truly limited edition as each card is individually numbered to 600 cards.

Inserted one card in every 36 packets (one per box).

Immortals

There are seven men officially recognised as immortals… the highest honour bestowed upon any rugby league player. This sub set presents each immortal and is inserted one card in every 36 packets (one per box). Another historical design highlights these remarkable players.

Immortals Sketch Cards

Each Immortal is presented again, this time as a Sketch Card. Individually numbered to 750 cards per player, these will be highly collectible.

Inserted to the ratio of one card in every 72 packets (one every two boxes).

Prize Card Logos

Replacing the Premiership Redemption cards in 2008 is a four card sub set known as the Prize Card Logos.These cards display the logo of four foundation clubs (Western Suburbs, Balmain, Newtown and North Sydney) and it’s fantastic to see Select include them in this Centenary Series.

Collect all four Prize Cards to redeem them for a limited edition prize set which includes the 2008 Premiership Captain Signature Card.I estimate that this is limited to a maximum of 420 sets and will be extremely sought after.

Inserted one card every 216 packets (one every 6 boxes)

Immortal Signature Redemption Cards

The seven immortals are again featured in the 2008 Centenary Series, this time in Signature Redemption cards. The six living immortals have hand signed 125 individually numbered cards each while Clive Churchill’s signature has been a printed signature. These cards replace the usual Dally M, and Provan Summons People Choice Award Signatures that have appeared over the last few years.

Inserted at the rate of one card per 12 boxes (one per case)

Case Cards
Inside each Case (12 boxes) of NRL Centenary you will find one of three different case cards from the 2008 Centenary Test Match between Australia and New Zealand on May 9, 2008 at the SCG. The card captures one of these three images:

• Australian Team Photo
• New Zealand Team Photo
• Winners Card

Centenary of Rugby League Card Album

A specially designed, high quality album is emblazoned with the Centenary of Rugby League logo and comes with a bonus album card. The bonus album card depicts the Gladiators; Norm Provan and Arthur Summons.

This album is strictly limited to only 5000.

The BIGGEST and BEST surprise of the NRL Centenary Series release is this next item…

The Centenary of Rugby League Master Collection and Album!

Limited to only 250 individually numbered sets, this Master set will be highly prized by any high end collector. Available to dealers at the rate of one Master Collection for every four cases of NRL Centenary purchased. The specially designed, high quality album is emblazoned with the Centenary of Rugby League logo and includes the following sets and sub sets:

• 199 Base Set with a Platinum style finish (to distinguish it from the common base set)
• Team of the Century over size photo card (numbered to 250)
• 18 x Team of the Century over size cards (8.5cm x 12.5cm)
• 18 x Team of the Century Platinum Foil Signature over size cards (8.5cm x 12.5cm)
• Seven x Immortals Platinum over size cards (8.5cm x 12.5cm)
• Seven x Immortals Sketch over size cards (8.5cm x 12.5cm)
• Mal Meninga Authentic Signature extra oversized card (12.5cm x 17.5cm)
• Norm Provan and Arthur Summons Duo Signature Card extra oversized card (12.5cm x 17.5cm)

We will have a very limited number of these Master Collections available… they won’t be cheap (around $1500 each) but given what’s included they will be worth it.

If you’re interested please let me know immediately so we can get one secured for you. Email me now at ian[at]footystars.com.au to secure your Master Collection because it won’t be sold through our site.

I reckon that Select have done an outstanding job of creating something new and something unique in the NRL Centenary Series. The AFL Classic is also an improvement on the previous few years but isn’t as wildly new as the NRL cards.

What do you think? Add you thoughts in the comment section below.

Enjoy the rest of this issue… I’ll be writing to you again soon with more information about the pre-sale for Series 2 and when they are finally released by Select.

Ian

In the last issue of the “Collectors Edition” newsletter we wrote an article titled
“What You Would Like To See Included In Series 2″.

We shared the wish list of a few subscribers and asked for your comments and suggestions too… well one common theme of the discussion was the Individual Numbering of cards.

Daniel H made the suggestion first to have a few limited edition parallel sub sets that we’re all individually numbered (to /24, /48 and /100).

Then I added that it would be easy for Select to add the sequential numbering to their existing parallel sub set to the Jersey and Guernsey Die Cuts, Holofoil Parallel Sets, and the Footy Face Die Cuts for instance.

Adam agrees and left his comment in the newsletter archive saying:

… for me the biggest thing is NUMBER cards # of 450. I’m sick of seeing cards only written on the “this card is 1 of 450?. Give it an exact number!

And cards like the Rookie Predictors Redemption cards that aren’t numbered at all! I mean come on, now how do we know what they were limited to!!!???

It is something that can become a bug bear for many collectors. But is it important?

I believe it is, but I will explain my reasoning in just a moment.

Before we get into the reasons why, lets take a look at some recent examples.

We are told by Select that the cards are limited in number, but they don’t always make it absolutely clear to everyone by including sequential individual numbering. Clarity is what we’re seeking.

Please let me be direct — so I can avoid any confusion. I DO believe that Select are honest and limit their cards to the numbers that they say they do… from all my years in dealing with them, I’ve got absolutely NO reason to doubt them. After all their reputation (and therefore their very existence) depends on their integrity!

If you’re not sure what I’m referring to when I say Individual Numbering here are a few examples.

These two cards are from the Limited Edition Premiership Redemption Sets from 2007 Supreme and 2007 Invincible releases.

The card on the left is a Rookie Predictor Redemption card (the kind that Adam mentioned above) which is limited to 450 cards… but nothing is mentioned on the back of the card. Likewise, the card on the right is an Enforcer Premiership Redemption card which is limited to 350… but again nothing to provide this information on the back of the card!

These cards are not numbered at all - despite being limited edition cards.

Another example is where the cards simply have “1 of 240″ printed into the card design. It’s not sequentially numbered but every card says “1 of 240″.

If you look closely at the above card, you can see this card has “1 of 240″ printed in the bottom right hand corner.

And you can see it again in the above Golden Draft Redemption card. At the bottom right of the card you can see “1 of 440″ printed… and yes, that’s what they ALL say!

The following examples show the sequential individual numbering… this is what we would like to see for ALL limited edition cards.

You can see the individual numbering on the two cards above. The Darren Lockyer Case Card is numbered “008 of 225″ which is an extremely LOW number. Because of this low number, it has a perceived higher value than say the same card numbered “215 of 225″.

The Brendan Fevola Coleman Medallist Signature is numbered “047 of 100″ which also affects its value. Almost anything limited to 100 will be even more valuable than something limited to 225 and is certain to be more valuable than something limited to 500.

Here are a few more cards where you can see the individual numbering. The Bryce Gibbs Draft Pick Signature card on the left is numbered “286 of 450″ and the Ben Smith Top Prospect is numbered “362 of 500″.

Both of these cards are valuable but their value does not come from the numbering itself. The Player featured on the card drives a lot of the value.

The Bryce Gibbs card is $110 whereas the Ben Smith card is $47. Bryce Gibbs was the Number 1 Draft Pick in 2006… picked ahead of the other 3000 nominated players.

The prestige of being #1 drives the value of this card and the expectation that he will be a future star is high. His card is more likely to be in high demand which means the card value is more likely to increase over time.

Ben Smith on the other hand, while recognised as a promising talent is not recognised as the best talent in the NRL - demand is lower so the value of his card is more middle range.

Just two things determine the value of footy cards… Scarcity and Demand.

Individual numbering tells us just how Scarce the card is… and the popularity and skill of the player drives Demand. Find a card that has both and you have a sure winner on your hands!

I’m pleased to see that a few of the sub sets in the new 2008 AFL Classic Series and the 2008 NRL Centenary Series are individually numbered… and we hold our hopes high that in future releases ALL limited releases will be.

Let us know what you think… share your thoughts and leave a comment in the comments section below.

We quite often get emails from people looking for a particular footy card, but sometimes it can be difficult to give them a straight answer.

This year in particular there have been so many types of football cards released into the market that even we have trouble keeping up with them sometimes.

We thought it was time to prepare a short guide to the different types of footy cards in the market.

Before we begin however, just a timely reminder that we don’t sell any of these other products on our site… we only sell Series 2 footy cards manufactured by Select.

So now let’s begin the guide…

Select Australia released Series 1 Football Cards in March this year. They launched their collections named Champions in both the AFL and NRL. Rather than repeat something we’ve written about in the past, I will refer you to our article on the Champions Series 1 release here…

This year Select have also recommenced their AFL Stickers range… which is how I first got involved in the hobby many years ago. I’m not sure how popular they are in the modern era but I’m sure they will find some interested collectors. Here’s a few shots of them.

Also in March, Zone Properties released the latest version of their AFL Team Coach cards. This is an online game played in conjunction with cards purchased from AFL stores and selected newsagencies. The website for Team Coach cards can be found here: www.teamcoach.com.au/

April saw the launch of even more products. First there was the Footy Cards with your Newspaper, then the Smith’s Tazos in the AFL and NRL, and then AFL Chipz.

The Herald Sun launched their AFL collector cards with a special web site and television commercials created just for the promotion. I believe the Adelaide Advertiser ran the same cards with just the logo switched.

Likewise, the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph launched their NRL footy cards promotion with extensive television commercials and self promotion in the newspaper itself.

Both papers required collectors to buy a newspaper daily and purchase packets of cards. The Sun Herald promotion ran quite successfully however the Daily Telegraph ran into massive supply concerns. You can read some collectors comments on the Telegraph’s web site here.

Then Smith’s Chips released their popular Footy Tazos. Smaller than a regular football card, tazos are also distinguishable as they are made from plastic rather than cardboard. Found inside packets of Smith’s Chips the tazos successfully drive sales of the product every year. Check out their website here: http://www.smithsfooty.com.au/

Also in April this year Topps, the American Card company who hasn’t been involved with AFL for many years, reappeared with this new product called AFL Chipz. This product is shown below and is in the form of a poker chip. Their web site is here: http://www.aflchipz.com

While mildly popular with the kids, there has been significant criticism of this product by Anti-Gambling Groups concerned that these products, like poker chips, encourage children to look favourably on casino gambling. See this Article from The Age Newspaper in March this year.

So there are lots of products out there (and I may have even missed some), and I hope this simple guide helps you to understand some of the differences.

Ultimately it’s your choice on what you want to collect. My only advice is to know what you are collecting and why you’re collecting it.

We stick only to Series 2 because they are the Premium Footy Card on the market. Each new release contains real hand signed signatures, limited edition cards, a number of redemption cards to chase, but most of all they are a quality product printed on thick card stock with current season action photography.

That’s our choice… what’s yours? Tell us in the comment section below.

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If there’s a card or cards that you would like us to put the spotlight on please leave your comments below along with details of the card and why you feel it should be put “in the spotlight”.

With the 2008 Series 2 Footy Cards about to be released, it’s the perfect time to discuss Ultra Pro Team Bags.

These team bags are an affordable way to store and protect your team sets.

If you’re thinking of buying a Box of AFL or NRL footy cards this year you should also be thinking of getting some team bags to store your sets.

There are 100 bags included for the price of just $5.95 which makes them extremely affordable for any collector (that’s just $0.06 per bag).

They are archival quality, have a resealable opening and of course contain no PVC.

Each bag comfortably holds approximately 10 to 25 cards making them perfect for AFL Classic and NRL Centenary.

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All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter are available at great prices on our website at:
Ultra Pro Accessories

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.