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.

The 2009 NRL Classic Series 2 release from Select Australia is due for release at the end of July. You can get in now and pre-order what ever you would like on our site now by visiting here…

NRL Classic has some really good points, along with a few that will probably annoy some long time collectors — but more on that shortly. Here’s your introduction to the new series.

The 2009 Series is a limited edition release with 4800 boxes being produced, which is less than half the number released last year in the Centenary Series. Each Box contains 36 packets, and each packet contains 8 x Premium Quality cards plus 1 x Holographic Jersey Die Cut Card. Let’s take a look at the designs and inserts.

First is the Common Set. Once again each team has 12 cards made up of 11 player cards and 1 club logo card. With the 3 Checklist cards, this makes a 195 card complete common set.

Here is a look at the common card design.

The Holographic Jersey Die Cut Cards feature 6 players from each club, for a complete set of 96 cards… and unlike previous releases they are not a parallel set — some players on the Jersey Die Cuts aren’t featured in the common cards, whereas others are.

The Holographic Jersey Die Cut Cards are inserted 1 per pack, making it a challenging set to complete on your own.

The Club Player of the Year sub set is back again in NRL Classic — inserted 1 in 8 packs.

While some collectors are bored with the same old sub sets in each series, most collectors appreciate the set because it features the best players from each and every club.

This sub set is particularly sought after by people who collect ALL “their team’s cards”. Here is a look at the design.

This year the Club Player set includes:

• Sam Thaiday
• Andrew Ryan
• Joel Monaghan
• Paul Gallen
• Preston Campbell
• Brent Kite
• Billy Slater
• Kurt Gidley
• Aaron Payne
• Nathan Hindmarsh
• Petro Civoniceva
• Jason Ryles
• Luke Stuart
• Mitchell Pearce
• Simon Mannering, and
• Chris Heighington

The Team of the Year insert set is back again too. This is always a popular set because it features the best players in the competition… as voted in the Dally M Awards each year. It’s no surprise to learn that 6 of the 9 players in the set played in the 2008 Grand Final.

The Team of the Year cards are found 1 in 18 packets making it a challenge to collect the whole set. Here’s a look at the Team of the Year design.

The 2008 Team of the Year includes:

• Billy Slater - Fullback
• Colin Best - Winger
• Israel Folau - Centre
• Greg Inglis - Five Eighth
• Matt Orford - Halfback
• Alan Tongue - Lock
• Glenn Stewart - Second Rower
• Petro Civoniceva - Prop, and
• Cameron Smith - Hooker

Top Prospect Signatures will once again be a hot insert. These hand signed cards are limited to 300 per player and will be sequentially numbered as they have been in previous years.

On average you can expect to find 1 x Top Prospect Signature in every 36 packs (1 per box). Here’s a look at the design for the Top Prospect Signatures (no signature shown in this proof).

The Top Prospect sub set features one talented up and coming player from every club. Some have already been making a name for themselves, while others have all the potential in the world.

• Antonio Winterstein
• Jamal Idris
• Josh Dugan
• Mitch Brown
• Esi Tonga
• Tony Williams
• Joseph Tomane
• Akuila Uate
• John Williams
• Kris Keating
• Wade Graham
• Matt Prior
• Eddy Pettybourne
• Ben Jones
• Russell Packer, and
• Tim Moltzen

I’m especially glad to see the Premiership Predictors return to the NRL Series. The Predictors will be included 1 per box (36 packets) on average.

Collect all 16 Predictors and you can redeem from Select an exclusive 16 Card Sub Set featuring the Top Try Scorer for each Club in the 2009 season.

The redemption sets are limited to 300 sets at most assuming EVERY set is redeemed which is not very likely.

In an unusual move which will annoy many collectors, Select have introduced their first Acetate (plastic) card into a Series 2 release… and in doing so they have carried over a sub set from the Series 1 Champions release.

The Double Trouble cards will be inserted into packs at the rate of 1 card per 72 packs (which is 1 in every 2 boxes). There are only 12 cards released in the Classic Series because 4 were released in the earlier 2009 Champions Series 1.

• Broncos - Peter Wallace and Israel Folau
• Bulldogs - Brett Kimmorley and Josh Morris
• Sharks - Anthony Tupou and Trent Barrett
• Titans - Scott Prince and Preston Campbell
• Knights - Kurt Gidley and Jarrod Mullen
• Cowboys - Matt Bowen and Johnathan Thurston
• Panthers - Michael Jennings and Michael Gordon
• Dragons - Jamie Soward and Wendell Sailor
• Rabbitohs - Chris Sandow and Nathan Merritt
• Roosters - Braith Anasta and Mitchell Pearce
• Warriors - Stacey Jones and Manu Vatuvei, and
• Tigers - Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall

The design looks like this:

Carrying over a sub set from Series 1 to Series 2 is annoying for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Series 2 has long been a Premium Quality Series aimed at the Hobby Market. Series 1 has always been the “value” release aimed at kids via the newsagencies.

Many collectors (including me) don’t ever collect Series 1, instead preferring to collect only the more valuable limited release Series 2. All these collectors will now have a 4 card hole in their collection because the first 4 cards were released in Series 1. In my opinion the two Series’ should not be mixed together.

A second issue is the different release quantities of each card which will affect their scarcity, and therefore their value. Time for a little math…

Series 2 will be a limited release of 4800 boxes. The Double Trouble cards are found 1 in every 2 boxes which means there will be 2400 Double Trouble cards in Series 2 (4800 / 2 = 2400). With 12 cards in the release it means each team will have 200 Double Trouble cards in total (2400 / 12 = 200).

Series 1 on the other hand is an unlimited release, such that in previous years over 10,000 boxes have been released. In Series 1 the Double Trouble cards were found 1 in every 6 boxes which means there was 1667 cards in total (10000 / 6 = 1667). With just 4 cards in the release each team had 417 cards (1667 / 4 = 417). To have the same quantity as Series 2, the Series 1 release would need to have been limited to 4800 boxes also — but we all know that hasn’t happened!

It doesn’t make sense that cards of the “same” sub set would be released in different quantities. Some more valuable than others even before the player combination comes into it. Select should have waited until Series 1 2010 to continue the set rather than include it in the NRL Classic Series.

Enough about that… let’s move on to the biggest sub set in the NRL Classic Series.

There’s no doubt… the holy grail of the 2009 NRL Classic Series will be the Captain Signature Cards. There are 6 in the Series with just 50 cards signed by each of the Captains featured.

The design is very similar to the 2004 Captain Signatures and looks like this…

These will be the VERY hot items because of the extremely low number of cards per player (scarcity) but also because they feature many of the games top players (demand), including 2 Dally M Winners (Player of the Year) and 2 Golden Boot Winners (World’s Best Player).

The 6 featured Captains include:

• Darren Lockyer
• Andrew Ryan
• Cam Smith
• Kurt Gidley
• Johnathan Thurston, and
• Robbie Farah

The NRL Classic Series is due for release at the end of July. We’ve updated our site so you can go ahead and pre-order the cards and set you want.

If you’re keen to bust open packets you can pre-order your factory sealed boxes now for immediate delivery as soon as they are released.

Click here to download the 2009 NRL Classic Checklist in pdf format.

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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.

While we wait for Series 2 to be released, it might be worth taking a look at releases from previous years.

Are there gaps in your collection? Would you like the complete set from 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008?

Until the end of July 2009, we have reduced the price on all our Complete Common Sets by more than 50% from $39 down to just $19. There has never been a better time to add to your collection.

AFL Complete Sets can be found by clicking here…

NRL Complete Sets can be found by clicking here…

But don’t wait, stocks are limited and these prices will only be available until the end of July 2009.

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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.

Once in a while you find something that is better than you could ever imagine…

The limited edition Centenary of Rugby League Master Collection and Album released by Select as part of the 2008 Centenary Series is it… It is one of the nicest collections I’ve ever seen in all my years as a collector.

Limited to just 250 editions these will be highly prized by any Rugby League footy card collector for many years to come.

The specially designed, high quality Album is features a metal 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)

Here are a few examples of the Over Sized Cards… shown along with the regular sized card from the common series.

And here is your first look at the Over Sized Signature Cards from the Master Collection.

If you want to see the entire collection, including the album and presentation box, I’ve been experimenting with a video presentation.

If you’re a serious collector and you’re interested in securing one of these Master Collections we currently have One available to purchase.  This set is number 99 of 250.

As an extra bonus to the lucky person who purchases set #99 you will receive these 3 FREE bonuses normally only available to dealers and valued at $29.95:

• The official promotional Poster (A2 sized)
• The official promotional Flyer (A4 sized), plus
• The 4 card set of Promotional Cards.

And if you order before the end of November you can take advantage of the Free Postage offer.

Let us know what you think… share your thoughts and leave a comment in the comments section below. Would you like to see any other cards featured in a video presentation?  Let us know below.

In the last issue of the “Collectors Edition” newsletter we wrote an article titled “Individually Numbered Cards - Is It Important?“

In that article I mentioned that Individual Numbering tells us just how Scarce the card is… and the popularity and skill of the player drives Demand.

Well there is often MORE to it… and this month is the perfect time for me to outline exactly what it is.

Ask yourself this question.

Would you like to have a Signature card numbered #066 of 100, OR the same card numbered #007 of 100?

If you answered the card numbered #007 of 100… you’re in the majority of collectors.

As collectors, we’re fascinated with the prospect of having a low number!

The lower the number the more valuable the card in the eyes of most collectors.

Okay, ask yourself another question…

Would you prefer to have a Signature Card numbered #002 of 100, OR the same card numbered #007 of 100?

MOST collectors would take #002 every day of the week.

Why?

Because it has the lower number… and the fact that we know there is only one other card with a lower number available.

This is the element of Scarcity MAGNIFIED!

It’s simple… Low numbers are more scarce than high numbers. Typically cards from #001 to #010 are more valuable than all the others in the release.

In fact, I estimate that cards numbered #001, #002, #003, #004 and #005 are the most valuable of the release.

My personal rule of thumb is that any card numbered #001 attracts a premium of 100% of the cards NORMAL value.

That means… if most cards in the limited release are worth $200, then the card numbered #001 should be worth $400 purely because of the low number.

It follows that:

• #002 attracts a premium of approximately 50%.
• #003 attracts a premium of approximately 35%.
• #004 attracts a premium of approximately 25%.
• #005 attracts a premium of approximately 15%.

But… what if I told you that Select (the manufacturers of footy cards) NEVER release card #001.

It’s true!

Select NEVER release card #001

They keep it in their own private corporate collection.

So for Select products, #002 is actually the lowest card you will ever find.

I’ve been fortunate with the AFL Classic and NRL Centenary Series.  We’ve opened a lot of boxes and found a number of Signature Redemption cards.

We sent them in to Select as QUICKLY as we could, in an effort to get low numbered cards in return… and this is what we’ve got so far…

James Hird Tribute Signature #003 of 100

Jonathan Brown Tribute Match Captain Signature #003 of 100

John Raper Immortal Signature #003 of 125

Reg Gasnier Immortal Signature #002 of 125

We’re pretty proud of this collection… but like most things in life they are available to buy. 

They are all magnificent cards in their own right, but having a low number makes them EVEN MORE collectible and therefore more valuable.

There’s no secret to getting such low numbered redemption cards.  You need to get them to Select as quickly as you can!

We sent all ours the day each Series was released, so they arrived at Select the day after… and we were lucky enough to beat MOST other collectors to do it.

But that’s a whole different story… let’s get back to the low numbered cards themselves.

My rule of thumb for valuing low numbered cards is NOT fool proof.  There are a few other variations that can help the card value skyrocket.

Take this for an example.

Every AFL fan knows that James Hird’s Guernsey number is #5.

If you were lucky enough to get a James Hird Tribute Signature #005 of 100 I reckon it’s worth just as much as the #002.

It is still a low number in itself plus it matches his Guernsey number!

Same goes for any Wally Lewis Signature Card numbered #006 as #6 was always his Jersey number.

Here is another variation on the theme…

Any of the individually numbered NRL Centenary cards that is #100 would be more valuable than the same card numbered #099 or #101. We’re celebrating 100 years of Rugby League… so it makes sense that the number #100 would be more valuable!  Don’t you agree?

It’s a shame the AFL Tribute Match Signature cards aren’t numbered to 150 for Brown and McLeod.  It would have been fantastic to have card #150 of 150. It would have been one of a kind… literally!!!

I’ve even seen cards who’s numbers correspond with a time in history attract significant price premiums.

Cards like the Dual Provan Summons Legend Signature card from the 2003 Select XL Series numbered #063 which corresponded with the iconic 1963 Grand Final.

This card is worth approximately 60% - 70% more than others in the series in my opinion.

Other examples might be the year of the players’ birth or the year of their debut.

What other examples have you seen?

Let us know and share your thoughts with our other subscribers.  Leave a comment in the comments section. Click here…

So as you can see, the individual numbering of cards can have an enormous effect on their value.  Take a look in your collection and see what you’ve got.

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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.

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”.

This month I though we might take a look cards from the 2007 releases in both the AFL and NRL that were found only one card per box.

In this article we will look at the AFL Medal Winners and the NRL Rookie Sensations.

The 2007 AFL Medal Winners cards were inserted only one card in every 36 packs (that’s one per box of cards) making them a relatively scarce footy card, and with the high profile players featured, they are always high in demand.

This excellent subset features:

• Adam Goodes - 2006 Brownlow Medal Winner
• Brendan Fevola - 2006 Coleman Medallist
• Andrew Embley - 2006 Norm Smith Medallist
• Danyle Pearce - 2006 NAB Rising Star Winner
• Chris Judd - 2006 Leigh Matthews MVP

Take a look at them all in store by clicking here.

The 2007 NRL Invincible Series included a true box card once again.

The NRL Rookie Sensations were literally only avilable if you purchased a box of cards. Sitting beneath all the packs, the Rookie Card sat waiting for the lucky person to find it.

The subset features six up and coming players, many of whom have begun to stamp their mark on the game.

Included in the set are:

• Matt Ballin - Manly (now Cowboys)
• Israel Folau - Storm (2007 Rookie of the Year)
• Krisnan Inu - Parramatta
• Chase Stanley - St George
• Mitchell Pearce - Roosters
• Peter Wallace - Penrith (now Broncos)

Check them all out by clicking here.

If there’s a card 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”.

At the end of November 2007, Select released the ever popular Premiership Boxed Set for the winning teams in both the AFL and NRL.

So whether you want to celebrate the Geelong Cats record breaking Premiership success in 2007, or the Melbourne Storm’s dominant Premiership success in 2007, this Limited Edition 25 Card Box Set from Select is the perfect way to remember the victory.

With only 3000 sets for each team released to the public, these Limited Edition Boxed Set features a beautifully presented collectors edition outer sleeve encasing the Ultra Pro 25 card hard case — ensuring your limited edition set will maintain its value for many years to come.

The images used for the 25 cards feature action photos from the memorable Grand Final action.

With only limited supply of these Premiership Sets available they won’t last long so be quick to get your order in now.

Geelong Cats Premiership Boxed Set… click here

Melbourne Storm Premiership Boxed Set… click here

When you find a Premiership Predictor YOU WILL recognise it immediately.

The card itself will congratulate you on finding a redemption card and it will explain that it could entitle you to a set of Limited Edition cards.

There are two ways to redeem a Premiership Predictor.

1. Collect ALL 16 Team Predictor Cards, and redeem the Mini Premiership Card Collection of the Grand Final winning team, PLUS a limited edition set. In the NRL the set is an Enforcer Set featuring one player from each team, whereas in the AFL the set features Draft Picks from rounds 2 to 4, featuring one player from each team.
2. Collect the Predictor Card for just the Grand Final winning team and redeem the Mini Premiership Card Collection and the limited edition card for that team only (Enforcer or Draft Pick).

Whichever way you collect them, when you redeem your card with Select, it is extremely important that you carefully follow all the instructions on the card.

You need to send your cards to:

Mailguard Services
Locked Bag 11
PO MONA VALE, NSW 2103

We HIGHLY recommend you send them via registered post for your own security and peace of mind — these are valuable cards afterall.

As it says on the card, you MUST send your redemption card along with a Stamped Self Addressed Registered Mail envelope. Select advise that failure to follow the instructions as described on the card could mean either a delay in the return of your card, or perhaps even not receiving your card at all.

At Footy Stars we encourage you to carefully follow ALL the instructions as carefully as possible to avoid disappointment.

We also recommend that if you’ve got the right cards, you send them in to Select NOW. Numbers are issued strictly in order of receipt which means if you want a low number set you need to get in quickly.

We decided to discuss Error Cards in this issue because both the 2007 NRL Invincible Series and the 2007 AFL Supreme Series contain errors.

The NRL error is a Wrong Back (actually it’s a wrong front). Card number 130 in the base set is Craig Gower from the Penrith Panthers.

The back of the card correctly contains Gower’s information, BUT… the front of the card featured the picture of Tony Puletua.

Tony Puletua is correctly featured on his own card which is card number 126. If you have the complete set, or a Panthers Team Set take a look for yourself.

Select have already printed and distributed a replacement card for this error. We have a limited supply on hand and will soon be sending out the free correction card to people who have purchased either a Complete Set or Panthers Team set from us recently. Another benefit of buying your cards through us.

We also include both the original card and the correction in the Panthers Team Set for 2007 at no extra cost.

The AFL Legend Hall of Fame sub set includes an error on each of the four cards and the checklist for the entire Hall of Fame set.

While not as obvious as the Craig Gower error it is none-the-less an error — one that unfortunately won’t be fully corrected by Select.

This error falls into the Text Variation category. The cards were printed with the following card numbers.

• LGD13 - Kevin Bartlett
• LGD14 - Bill Hutchinson
• LGD15 - James (Jock) McHale
• LGD16 - Darrel Baldock

However, as the sub set was a continuation of a previous set of Legend cards the numbers should have been:

• LGD17 - Kevin Bartlett
• LGD18 - Bill Hutchinson
• LGD19 - James (Jock) McHale
• LGD20 - Darrel Baldock

Select have only agreed to reprint the Checklist card for the Hall of Fame Sub Set. Not quite as good as the Craig Gower solution, but one that I can fully understand.

Imagine the additional cost to Select in having to reprint 5 cards and distribute them to collectors, as opposed to reprinting just one checklist card. It would be a VERY expensive exercise.

Another Text Variation in the current AFL Supreme release is on the Darren Glass card from the West Coast Eagles (card number 176). On the back of the card, Darren’s name is spelled with 3 R’s. DARRREN.

Why is it important to know all this information? To be sure you don’t get scammed like this next person did!

Unfortunately here’s a little proof that eBay can be a very harsh place for uneducated footy card collectors.

I hope this little piece of information helps protect you if you ever make footy card purchases on eBay.

The story goes a little like this…

A handful of eBay sellers thought they would take advantage of unwary collectors who didn’t understand the situation with the Craig Gower error card (as discussed above).

The sellers lead visitors to believe the error was a rarity… and they neglected to tell anyone just how common the error actually was.

One eBay seller in particular was able to trick a collector in to paying $30 for a single common card.

A pure rip off.

The card would be lucky to be worth $0.50, no more than any other common card released in the series.

I would like to provide you with a link to the item on eBay, but to protect the identity of the BUYER who was tricked into buying the card I’ve decided not to.

Other eBay sellers with a lack of morals tried to jump on the bandwagon and make a quick dollar too… but before long, word had gotten out that the error was indeed printed on every single Gower card produced… and that it was no more valuable than any other common card.

Thankfully, we noticed a number of these sellers sold the card on auction for only $0.99 as collectors became educated.

I understand that eBay sellers have a goal of getting the highest price possible for their items, what I take offense to is the mis-leading tactics (almost trickery) that some eBay sellers resort to, in an effort to rip off collectors.

Karma will get them in the end, but until that happens IF you buy footy cards on eBay please be sure you are comfortable with the reputation of the seller BEFORE bidding. You don’t want to be the person caught out!

EDIT:  This is the scan of the Joel Selwood card mentioned by Kuzjuxcan in his comment below.  It’s hard to see but the last “word” of the description is ??.  Another error.