Here is a little information specifically for our newer card collectors.

We realise that this newsletter is read by a few High End Collectors (who spend thousands of dollars each year) as well as a lot of primary school aged children (who spend their pocket money on footy cards - or their parents money ).

Most readers fall somewhere in between… but this section of the newsletter is aimed purely at our new collectors.

The Topic is Redemption Cards.

I’ve mentioned Redemption Footy Cards a few times so far in this issue and I’m guessing that some of you may not know what they are, and most of you would never have sent in a redemption card.

So let’s explain…

Redemption cards are special cards that are inserted into regular packs.

They are called redemption cards because when you send in your card to Select you will receive “by redemption” a much more valuable card - SO valuable that Select choose NOT to insert it into regular packs!

When you find a redemption card YOU WILL recognise it immediately. The card itself will congratulate you on finding a redemption card and it will explain that it entitles you to a Limited Edition card.

The limited edition cards are often Signature Cards with very low circulation numbers like these ones:

To redeem your card with Select, it is extremely important that you carefully follow all the instructions on the card. You need to send your card via post (we recommend Registered Post) to:

Mailguard Services
Locked Bag 11
PO MONA VALE, NSW 2103

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.

The thrill of receiving your Redemption Card in the mail is worth the effort… not to mention the value of the card itself.

Next month we would like to once again include the “BUSTIN’ OUT” section. This is the section where you tell us about your best find from bustin’ open packs of footy cards.

With the new release coming out soon, many of our readers will be back in the habit of opening packs of footy cards — riding the emotion, suspense and wonderment of discovering just what cards you have inside.

Please send in your “Bustin’ Out” story to
BustinOut[at]FootyStars.com.au

We will select at least one “Bust” that has been submitted by a subscriber and publish it in the next issue of this newsletter.

Share your success with all the other footy card collectors out there… and tell us what you found inside when you busted open some packs.

This month I will continue my theme of the Champions Series cards for NRL and AFL and at the same time explain the differences between the first and second series release of each year.

Select Australia (Select) print and produce a number of different series each year. Most often, they produce a “value” set (Champions Series) which is available through Newsagents, and a “premium” series (released around the middle of the year) which is available only through Hobby stores (Supreme and Invincible in 2006).

The differences between the two sets are many, but the most noticeable are the price of the packs, the number of cards in each pack, and the thickness of the card stock (cardboard) on which they are printed.

The value packs retail in Newsagencies for $2.95 per packet for 8 cards (7 cards + 1 holographic foiled card), whereas the premium hobby set retails for approximately $5.95 per packet ($4.99 for NRL last year) and include at least 10 cards (9 cards + a die cut card last year).

The thickness of the cardboard or card stock as it is known in the printing industry, demonstrates the cards durability. The thicker the card stock the more valuable the card and the less likely it is to get bent or creased.

When you hold the different versions of each set in your hands you can immediately tell the difference in card stock. Champions is on a thin stock, and the premium Supreme or Invincible cards are on a thicker stock.

Another major difference over the years has been the inclusion of signatures. Over recent years BOTH the value and the premium releases have had hand signed signature cards included in the release. In the value packs these have usually been redemption cards rather than the actual signature card itself but nonetheless you got a hand signed card.

Sure, the players featured on the value packs signature cards were more “up and coming players”, while the true legends and modern day stars of the game were featured in the premium hobby series… but that’s one of the reasons for the price difference.

I guess the bottom line here is this…

Know what you’re buying… know why you’re buying it, know why one series is priced lower than the other, and make an informed choice from there.

We write this newsletter for you each month to help you make this informed choice and we hope that we’ve helped you somewhat this month.

Please let us know what you think… you’ve heard my opinion and I would love to hear yours.

Share your opinion with all our subscribers by using the comment link below. You don’t necessarily need to agree with my views — just have your say.

In this section I like to share real-life stories about collectors and their passion… collecting footy cards.

This issue is no different. This next story is actually a copy of an email exchange I had with a customer of ours who I respect and admire for the way he collects his cards. I won’t name him — but he knows who he is.

I received a question from this customer about getting signatures on valuable insert cards… and in this particular story we were talking about the Legend Die Cut cards from the 2006 NRL Invincible Series.

His question was:

Does it devalue an expensive insert card IF I had it signed by the player featured on the card?

This type of question is one that we receive fairly often here at Footy Stars… and I wish there was a definitive answer — but there isn’t!

It really comes down to your individual preference.

Some people believe it increases the value of the card, while others believe it decreases it.

My personal view is that it INCREASES its value!

My view is based on the fact that card values are determined primarily by scarcity and demand. If you can increase either the scarcity of a card OR the demand for a card, the value of that card will increase.

If you’re lucky sometimes you can increase BOTH and watch as the value soars!

In this case scarcity is the factor that will determine the value.

Now, I haven’t seen a signed Legend Die Cut (LDC) — so we don’t know exactly what it COULD be worth, instead let’s look at the basics first.

Each LDC is limited to 175 cards. That makes it relatively scarce to begin with. Only the 4 Redemption Signatures are more scarce in the 2006 Invincible Series with a release of 120 each.

The LDC’s have been selling for between $30 and $80 with most of ours selling for around $60. Demand is pretty constant with each card attracting enough interest to set the price at about $60.

IF you managed to get the card signed by the player featured, your signed card would be 1 of possibly only a handful of signed LDC’s by that player.

How many other signed LDC’s is something we would never know (and the player featured isn’t likely to be counting for us) but that’s irrelevant for the moment.

Let’s say that 50 other people got him to sign their LDC. It’s highly unlikely that 50 people could all get him to sign it, but let’s look at that number anyway.

That would mean your card is now 1 of only 50 signed LDC’s. Your card is now even MORE scarce than before!

Following my logic about scarcity and demand being the determinants for value… you have just increased the scarcity of the card and thus increased the VALUE of that card.

We all know that 50 people couldn’t get his signature on the card if they tried. My guess is that it’s likely to be much closer to 10 at the absolute most! Making your card even more scarce again!

And so it continues… the more scarce your card, the greater it’s value is likely to be.

Having said all this, long time subscribers know my philosophy about the value of the signature cards you collect.

They are only worth what someone else is prepared to pay for them and that means letting them go to someone else. In many cases the memory of GETTING the signature is more valuable than the card itself.

What do you think? Add your comments below…

“Why is one card worth more than another?”

This is a question we receive at least once a week from visitors to our web site.

The question usually from new footy card collectors — kids just starting out, and while the answer to this innocent question might seem straight forward there is often a little more to it than meets the eye.

Let’s start with the basics… Insert cards (also called “Inserts” or “Chase Cards”) are some of the most valuable cards available today.

Inserts are included randomly in packs of footy cards or can be purchased individually from card dealers.

Inserts are much harder to find in packs than regular issue cards (called “commons”). Inserts are less common.

For example, chances are you would have to buy eight packs of the 2006 AFL Supreme Series before you found just one All Australian Insert! That’s a ratio of 1:8 packs.

To collect all 22 All Australian Inserts you would have to open at least 176 packs of cards (22 x 8 packs = 176). More if you got doubles.

Because insert cards are less common and harder to find, they usually are worth more money than a common card. Inserts also are more valuable because they have special features that regular cards don’t.

While most novice collectors believe it’s only the ratio of inserts that determines the value (1:8 packs), true card collectors understand the ratio is only a tiny part of the equation.

Of far more importance to true collectors are things like:

• the actual players featured,
• their achievements to date,
• premierships won,
• representative honours,
• popularity of the player and
• the level of expectation for future success of the star;

particularly if they are at the beginning of their career.

The level of differentiation in the insert set cards can also raise their value or hold it back. Inserts have some of the flashiest most unique designs and recently Select have shown their keeness to include a healthy dose of gold or silver foil print to their insert cards.

If the insert set features its own special mark, logo or shape that instantly shows a difference between this and the common set the value will be higher. The perfect example is the Jersey Die Cut Cards that were introduced to the NRL series for the first time this year.

With just 1 Jersey Die Cut in each pack, it’s unique look and the high profile players featured, it was always going to be a valuable insert set.

Of course there are many other features that make one card more valuable than another, but I might save that part of the story for another issue of the newsletter.

One thing is for sure… footy card collectors believe the insert trend has added an exciting new dimension to footy card collecting… and I have to agree whole heartedly!

As I mentioned to you before, I received an email from Robert, another newsletter subscriber with this question:

“What type of pen would you recommend I use to get NRL cards signed, as my son does at his favourite team’s fan days. I have tried lately to use the Artline permanent markers, but they now smudge as I think that the cards have been made with a different coating lately.”

My answer was simple… When it comes to signatures I only use and recommend Sharpie Permanent Markers.

Sharpies have different kinds of pen available but the best for Autographed Footy Cards is by far the Super Sharpie with Bold Point 1.5mm.

It works great because they are made to write on most “hard to mark” surfaces… things like glass, metal, photos, foils, plastics and wait for it… coated paper!

Footy Cards are, afterall… coated pieces of paper.

In my experience Artline just don’t cut it as Robert also found out. My experience with Artline has shown them to smudge easily which effectively ruins the card. Unless you can let the card sit for hours untouched, the Super Sharpie is a much better pen for autographs.

We sent Robert a Sharpie, and he and his son Josh had and opportunity to put it to the test just the very next week. They went to the Roosters Vs Dragons match at SCG where they scored an autograph from Braith Anasta.

You could imagine how happy both Robert and Josh would have been. He was kind enough to come back to me with this comment the next day.

“Thanks for sending the Sharpie Pen, it is far superior than anything that I have used in the past. The pen we got from a local art shop was no where near as good as the Sharpies one.”

That’s a glowing recommendation in anyone’s language. So if you’re looking to get players signatures on your footy cards, take my advice (and Robert’s feedback) and use a Super Sharpie.

The quality of the signature makes all the difference and you will be so much happier with the end result.

You will remember from our last issue that we covered our 5 rules of card collecting. If you can’t remember the rules please visit http://www.FootyStars.com.au and read the article on the first page. If you’ve got a good memory, you’ll recall that Rule #3 is:

“Look everywhere until you find reliable sources or dealers with whom you are comfortable”.

I received yet another reminder last week that eBay can sometimes be a tough, unfair and unscrupulous market place for unwary buyers.

The reminder came from a customer of mine who was buying cards for her son and his little mate on eBay.

To keep a long story short, she found what she wanted with what seemed like a price that was too good to be true. Sadly, it was too good to be true.

After successfully bidding the highest price, she paid for the item by sending a Money Order (the only payment option allowed) and then waited for the cards to arrive.

She waited…

and waited…

and waited…

She emailed the seller…

and waited…

and waited some more.

After almost three weeks, and no response she completed the eBay dispute process.

Unfortunately in this case the seller is no longer registered with eBay, and the chances of getting her cards OR her money back are slim at best.

It’s sad, but it proves it can happen.

In the words of this mother:

“I was so glad to find your site. My son had been looking for months to find the cards he wanted, and after my eBay experience I was glad to deal with a legitimate business that won’t disappear overnight”.

So to put your mind at ease, and reassure you that we are here to stay for the long term… We are a registered company (IET pty ltd, ACN: 101 865 678) and we have been in existence for over 4 years. Our trading name (Footy Stars) is registered in NSW.

We have applied for and are awaiting final approval for trademark registration of our name and logo (update: this has now been registered and protected under the Trademark Act). We have invested a lot of time and money in establishing this company for the benefit of our customers and we plan on being in business for a long long time.

To further put your mind at ease we have our own comprehensive Refund Policy and Guarantee.

In short it says:

“If for any reason you are unhappy with the condition or quality of any purchased product you receive from Footy Stars or if it is faulty or does not arrive as described we will happily exchange the item or refund your money”.

We want YOU to be happy.

If you want to read the entire refund policy, click here…

Our concern for you doesn’t stop there however… the Footy Stars web site is secured with GeoTrust’s 128-bit True BusinessID SSL Certificate which utilises the highest level of security encryption possible. This keeps all your transaction info safe and secure.

We also aim to provide you with convenient payment options. Not everyone is comfortable using a credit card over the internet (as safe as it is now days), and we understand and appreciate this.

In our store you can choose to Direct Deposit funds in to our bank account (online or over the counter in a branch), you can send a Cheque or Money Order, or you can use the very popular PayPal system. We can also accept Mastercard and Visa payments. Choose whichever option suits you.

If you do buy from eBay, try to stick to well know sellers who have been selling for a long time. Review their feedback ratings and if in doubt, ask them a question before bidding.

We hope this helps to keep you safe in your search for reliable sellers and dealers.

By the way, if you ever want to get in touch with us please feel free to call us on 02 9639 1889 or 0417 228 640, or use this contact form to email us.

In this the first issue of the Footy Stars newsletter we would like to share with you our 5 rules of Footy Card collecting.

We believe these rules will ensure your footy card trading will be a pleasant experience.

Rule number one:
Have fun… Collect for fun, not for profit.

Although you may one day be able to make a profit on the cards you buy now, the true value of footy cards is in the enjoyment they bring you today.

Rule number two:
Try to concentrate your collecting to a specific area of interest.

Collect footy cards you enjoy and in which you’re interested. If you like AFL, collect AFL footy cards, and if you like NRL, collect NRL footy cards. Some people collect all the cards from just their team…

Rule number three:
Look everywhere until you find reliable sources or dealers with whom you are comfortable. Take it slowly. Enjoy your search. Take the time to discover new and exciting cards.

Rule number four:
Take good care to protect your collection by using nothing but the best in footy card protection from Ultra Pro, and finally,

Rule number five:
Don’t forget rule number one!