Ah Topps so were dancing again are we?

This card should be in my hands right now.

Redemptions.  Ah the one word you have to hate as a collector.  I opened a few mini boxes of Finest Baseball this year.  I think I did fairly well pulling a Joe Mauer logo man from one box that pretty much paid for both mini boxes.  I also got 2 Red Hot Rookie Redemption cards.  The first one I pulled was #9 Domonic Brown pictured above, the other was #3 Starlin Castro who's rookie season was sadly cut short from bat shrapnel.  Of course when I redeemed it I had no idea who it was going to be and of course the dilemma is whether or not to sell it as an unknown because who knows this might be a Strausberg auto parallel.  But I didn't, I redeemed.  They still have a month till the Castro card is due. 

Yesterday I received this email from Topps.

Dear Consumer.

This email is to inform you that the Topps Company is currently beyond the 15 week processing time allocated for the following redemption card:

PIN #: Product: Card/Player Name
 Topps Finest MLB Rookie Base #9

Our staff is working diligently to process and ship your redemption card as soon as possible. Please continue to check your Online Redemption account for updates regarding the status of your card.

If you no longer wish to wait for the redemption card, please contact our Consumer Relations team in order to place a substitution request for a card of equal Beckett value.

Do not hesitate to contact our Consumer Relations department via phone at 1-800-489-9149 or via email at support@etopps.com for assistance. A consumer relations representative will be available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30 pm (ET).

Sincerely,

Consumer Relations
The Topps Company, Inc.

Consumer that's me.  This is nothing new, as a matter of fact I was expecting this email.  Since every year I've submitted my redemptions, 3 now, I've gotten this e-mail.  But I did receive a card from their fulfillment company the other day, before the email, I thought maybe my red hots had come but it was my 2009 T206 Phil Hughs auto redemption I had gotten from a box I opened not too long ago.  I couldn't pass up $42 bucks a box at blowout for 2009 T206 not while I'm trying to put a set together. 

Here's what the Hughes auto looks like.

Mmmmmmm, Dear Consumer.  Not Customer, not Fan, not lucky redeemer or recipient, no consumer.

It makes me think and this is probably a rant for another day, what would happen if sports cards just went away?  What would happen if I, you, everybody stopped "consuming" sports cards?  Nothing.  Did you know that not one of the sports card companies is a publicly traded company? Not one. Topps use to be but not anymore.  Nope the world would still be turning, I would still be able to afford gas, barely.  I don't think the world would be a better place.  I like sports cards, as a matter of fact I would even say I love them, at least the hobby.   I know that I would have a ton of disposable income I probably should invest.  I'm sure I'd find a way to get rid of it. 

Consumer.  I scoff, I harummf, I chide, and I snear.  Like baseball cards are like a bag of chips to be eaten while watching the playoffs.  I can't build with them, the bank won't take them as payment on my mortgage, they don't keep you warm at night, I can't drive to the store on baseball cards.  They do however take up a lot of space.

One last thing, I love the second to last paragraph telling me that I can ask for substitution of a card of equal Beckett value.  Ah yes the Beckett scale.  So how does Topps know the value of this card when it has yet to be produced and distributed?  Redemption sales?  Before or after the player was announced?  GRRRR Beckett. 

cb out.