The articles that make up Issue #017 of the FootyStars “Collector’s Edition” newsletter can be found in this newsletter archive by following these links.

Editorial
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2009/12/merry-christmas-footy-card-collectors/

Footy Card Collectors Tips
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2009/12/premiership-predictor-redemptions/

Footy Card Spotlight
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2009/12/limited-edition-boxed-sets/

Bustin’ Out
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2009/12/factory-sealed-boxes-2009/

Protecting Your Investment
http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/2009/12/ultra-pro-card-sleeves/

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Can you believe it’s December already? Where did the year go?

With less that 3 weeks until Christmas Emma and I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.

It’s been a huge year both on the football field and off.

The Geelong Cats and the Melbourne Storm again showed us just how dominant they have been over the last few years taking out their respective premierships.

Off the field our nephew Thomas has been undergoing treatment for cancer… and I’m pleased to share the good news he just received…

After comprehensive tests, Tom has just been told there is no evidence of the disease, which is the fantastic news that we had all been waiting for!

The Doctors will still monitor Tom every three months — but the chemo and radiation are now finished. It’s the perfect christmas gift for Tom and his family.

While we’re talking about Christmas gifts… we have just reduced the price of over 350 items in our store including Signature cards, Inserts, Team Sets and more.

Take a look here in the AFL section or here in the NRL section to see if there’s anything you need to complete your collection for Christmas.

We have the last remaining Case of 2009 AFL Pinnacle… which guarantees you a Captain Signature card. If you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas present (for yourself or someone else) you can find details right here:

http://www.footystars.com.au/store/2009-pinnacle-case-p-910128.html

And a personal request from me. We’re currently trying to locate an Unredeemed 2006 Cronulla Sharks Predictor from the NRL Invincible Series. If you have one, or know someone who does, could you please let me know? This is what it looks like:

We trust you enjoy reading this issue of the “Collector’s Edition” newsletter, and hope you have a safe holiday season.

Merry Christmas,

Ian

At the end of each season, after we’ve celebrated the Grand Final victories, it’s time for us football card collectors to gather up all our Premiership Predictors and send them in to be redeemed.

It’s important that you carefully follow the instructions on the back of the cards.

This year for both AFL and NRL you send your cards to:

Mailguard Services
Locked Bag 11
PO MONA VALE, NSW 2103

We highly recommend you send your Predictors via registered mail for your own peace of mind — these are valuable cards after all.

And remember to send your redemption card with a Stamped Self Addressed Registered Mail envelope. At Footy Stars we encourage you to carefully follow ALL the instructions to avoid disappointment.

We recently received this year’s Predictors back from Select along with the limited edition redemption cards. They are all available to you right now.

Firstly, the most sought after cards are the Mini Premiership Redemption Sets.

The Geelong Mini Premiership Set looks like this:

And the Melbourne Storm Mini Premiership Set looks like this:

Because we redeemed the set of 16 Premiership Predictors we received the extra cards too.

The 16 x NRL Predictors redeemed a Top Try Scorer subset as shown here:

And the 16 x AFL Predictors redeemed a subset of Rookies (one per club from 2008) as shown here:

The Top Try Scorer and AFL Rookies are both available in our store by clicking here:

We also recently redeemed another set of 2008 AFL Classic Predictors and the 2007 Rookie cards they redeemed are also available now here:

Most people collect the card for their favourite team… have you got yours yet? With only a few of each available get in quick… or miss out.

For this issues Footy Card Spotlight I’d like to show you the 25 card Premiership Boxed Sets for the Geelong Cats and the Melbourne Storm that have just been released by Select.

These boxed sets are limited editions with just 2000 sets produced. The images used on each of the 25 cards features action photographs from Grand Final Day.

The Premiership Set features a beautifully presented collectors edition outer sleeve encasing the Ultra Pro 25 card hard case — ensuring your limited edition set maintains its value for many years to come.

These sets make an excellent Christmas gift for any Geelong fan or Storm fan, and at just $35 a set they are excellent value.

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Next month…

Each month we shine the spotlight on one of the most popular cards of the moment… and take a look a what it is that makes it so popular.

If there’s a card that you would like us to put the spotlight on please write to me at ian[AT]FootyStars.com.au with details of the card and why you feel it should be put “in the spotlight”.

What card will it be next issue? You’ll have to wait and see.

Is it time to treat yourself?

Have you ever experienced the thrill of opening a factory sealed box of footy cards? Here’s the perfect opportunity.

We’ve got a limited stock of 2009 NRL Classic Factory Sealed Boxes and 2009 AFL Pinnacle Sealed Boxes available for a new low price of $157 (RRP $178).

For information on what you can find inside a sealed box of 2009 NRL Classic click here to read our article from July:

http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/?p=92

And for information on a sealed box of 2009 AFL Pinnacle click here to read our article from June:

http://newsletter.footystars.com.au/?p=86

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Tell us about your best ever find from bustin’ open packs of footy cards and we might publish it in this newsletter.

Please submit your “Bustin’ Out” story to:
BustinOut[AT]FootyStars.com.au

If you act now and send in your story it might just appear in our next issue…

Card Sleeves are a heavy gauge poly-bag that is slightly larger than a football card.

The sleeve protects your cards from scratches and other surface damage to maintain the card in mint condition.

Card sleeves are really useful for a few reasons:

1. They are extremely affordable at just a few dollars for a packet of 100 sleeves, but even better is the fact that they fit inside Ultra Pro Top Loaders for even more protection.
2. And card sleeves are great for collectors because they are crystal clear and allow you to see both the front and back of your card, maintaining maximum visibility.

Like all Ultra Pro accessories, Card Sleeves are acid free and contain absolutely no PVC, which is important for collectors because it means your cards will be protected for many years to come.

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

http://www.footystars.com.au/store/ultrapro-c-25.html

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