Hey eToppsers! A special service announcement.

eToppsians, eToppites, eToppsesians...

Anywho, if you're like me and were into eTopps back in the day chances are you still might have a couple cards in your portfolio.

I just got this email the other day from Topps letting me know that shipping fees are 25% off, which would make them fairly affordable.  After a quick check there are a few cards I have left that I'd like so I might have to take advantage of this.  So if you've still got some cards sitting in the Topps Vault now might be the time to have them shipped.

www.etopps.com

eFavre

I was going to post these over at my Packers blog Long Way from Lambeau, but since I mentioned I was getting a big eTopps haul I might as well just lay them all out here.  Out of the over 200 eTopps cards I had shipped there were maybe only 20 to 30 I actually plan on keeping for my collections.  The rest will be up for trade or go up on ebay to help support my habit.  These are all keepers.

I present to you my eFavre collection

2004 eTopps limited to 900 not individually numbered but does have a unique hologram sticker number.

2004 Packers Team card limited to 2500 copies.  I do believe these were issued for all the teams that made the playoffs that year.

2005 eTopps Favre card. It doesn't say it anywhere on the card but this card was limited to 1200.  This was also the worst Packer season while Favre was quarterback.

2006 eTopps.  I really like this years design and on top of that they started serial numbering the cards.  This issue was just to 749!

I didn't snag a 2007 Favre card and at only 499 produced it's one of his pricier cards.  But I did snag this team card number to 999.  NFC North Champions baby!

Even though he left Green Bay and what a soap opera that was, I still love the guy and collect all this later cards too.  Here is his 2008 eTopps card numbered to 799 and yikes in a Jets uni!

Woe is me.  Not the great Favre in Viks jersey!! Yep, a nice looking set, I also got the Aaron Rodgers from this year.  I do believe statistically that this year was Favre's best and he was one interception away from taking the Vikings to the Super Bowl.  Doh! You've been Favred.

The Vikings team card featuring Favre and Purple Jesus among others. 

Of course Favre's best season was followed by one of his worst. He didn't have a regular issue eTopps card that year but did have one of these 1956 Tribute cards issued for him numbered to just 799.  My only complaint is that Topps could have easily put him in a Packers uni seeing as this was a Tribute product, but what ever.

Holy Crap that's a lot of eTopps!

What does over 200 eTopps cards look like?  Em Well, I didn't take a picture of them so you'll never know, but here's one I know was in there that I yanked from the eTopps site.  I have to say from placing my order to getting them at my front door was very quick.  Especially considering I put the order in right before the Christmas weekend.  But for what the shipping cost would have been if I hadn't used points it should have been.

Anywho.  I figure that the haul should produce multiple posts to enjoy.  I started sorting through them last night and it became a little overwhelming.  Now I have to find a place to store all these bad boys.  I will say these are some nice looking cards.  I'm half tempted to crack one open just so I can get a good look at it without the plastic holder.

And stay tuned for my Super Bowl contest.  I've got the announcement queued up, but seeing as two divisions are still undecided and that the last game of the regular season will determine who wins the NFC East, it should be a good weekend of football even if most of the teams already in the playoffs phone it in on Sunday, yeah I'm looking at you Mike McCarthy!  And how great would it be if the two starting ProBowl QB's don't show up because they're in the SuperBowl?  That's a rhetorical question, cuz the answer is awesome!!!  I have a feeling that a few eTopps cards will make it in to the prize pool for this contest too!!

Whew!!! I got a mess of eTopps coming.

I'm not sure how many of you have ever bought IPO's or cards off of eTopps.  I've been picking stuff up since 2004 and to be honest it's hit or miss.  eTopps can be bought or sold from your online portfolio on the eBay trading floor and it seems except for a few rare instances that the prices rarely stay above the original IPO price. That being said I've had over 200 some odd cards in my portfolio forever.  I kept thinking about selling them on ebay on the trading floor or having them delivered, but just never did.  You also accrue performance points if players you buy meet certain goals in the sports year.  Over the last 7 years I've accumulated over 300, so when Colbey over at Cardboard Collections pointed out that Topps will be updating it's shipping policies next year and doing away with the ability to use your Performance/Rewards Points to pay for shipping I jumped and had everything in my portfolio available sent to me.  That's over 200 (222 to be exact) cards baby.  Now you can use your rewards points for stuff in their catalog, I never seem to be able to get in when they sell boxes of cards, but I did pick up some cheap eTopps cards from their leftovers.   Needless to say in the 7 years I've been buying and picking up eTopps cards I've never redeemed any Rewards points and after looking through the catalog one more time decided it was time to save myself a crap load on shipping ($237!!) and have my complete portfolio sent to me. And of course I missed a few the first time through so I had to place a second order, but I still have over 100 rewards points left!

What am I going to do with all those cards you ask?  Well I'll probably sell a few, but more than likely there will a ton of really cool trade bait for everyone.  So stay tuned.

So just to help Colbey spread the word if you have a bunch of eTopps cards in your portfolio and and bunch of unused Rewards Points and you want some cards get to it before it's too late!!!

Cynicalbuddha's Top 100 #27

I'm not sure how many of you ever buy anything off of eTopps.  I've been picking up IPO's for about 7 years.  Sadly rarely do the cards keep their value from their initial offer price, but they are some nice cards.  In 2008 Topps offered a Yankee Stadium Tribute set on eTopps.  You had to buy the whole set that was something like a hundred bucks or so, but then you could part it out.  That's where this Reggie came from.  Someone parted it out. I actually got this one in hand and for fairly cheap considering how much you had to put down to get the set.  And of course it's numbered and super shiny.  And encased, hence why the scan is a little blurry.

#27 on the Top 100

2008 eTopps Yankee Stadium Tribute Reggie Jackson #d 0877/1499 (in hand)

cb out

2011 eTopps are out.

Sorry I'm a little late with this post as these have been out for almost 3 hours now and probably have sold out.  But eTopps finally has begun offering it 2011 MLB IPOs. 

Like the last couple of years, the offering will be heavy rookies with a  few vets mixed in and the Rookies will be what Topps calls RRO or Restricted Rookie Offering.  Meaning that the offer will close before the normal week that regular cards are offered at.

This year card number 1 is a favorite of mine and I have already ordered one.

The Hebrew Hammer!

Topps hasn't released what the backs will look like but this is what all the front designs will be.  Not terrible, pretty much typical eTopps if you look back at past designs.

Here are the other two RRO's being offered this week

If you've never seen an eTopps in hand they are very shiny and these look to be super shiny as well.  Think Finest Refractors here.
Well have a good Monday.
cb out.

New etopps and who will be the rookie redemption for week 10?

Well after a bye week eTopps is back with another offering of 3 IPO cards.  For those of you that don't know eTopps is Topps' online card offering site started in 2001.  Through out the season they offer exclusive numbered short print run cards.  And then after they are issued you can take delivery or trade them on their trading floor on eBay.  To be honest most of their cards don't hold there value from their IPO price but this is also one way for Topps to issue cards for a rookie as they make their MLB debut or first cards of traded vets in their new uniforms.  I've been picking up cards here since 2004 and to be honest getting the IPO isn't necessarliy the best deal.  You can usually pick up these cards off eBay for much cheaper than the IPO price.  There are a few however that do out perform.  Here was were you could have gotten one of the first Strasburg cards and I'm sure when Bryce Harper makes his MLB debut you'll see it here first.

Back when Topps had a NBA license they offered NBA cards as well but now its just MLB and NFL.
So this weeks NFL offerings are.

Mike Williams

Pickle boy.

And the one rookies card I seem to pull from every product this year.

The last 2 are RRO or Restricted Rookie Offerings and are not offered the whole week just till the 18th.

Now on to the question who will be Topps' Rookie Redemtion for week 10?

I've been trying to guess this for a few weeks now and have not been right once.

I'm going to have to throw my hat in the ring for Dez Bryant this week again.  3 reception for 104 yard!! and 1 TD and 4 kick returnes for 80 some odd yards.  Seems a shoe in to me.

Tebow had his first career TD pass a little 3 yarder and I'm sure that Topps will get him on a card yet, but it shouldn't be this week.  We'll see tomorrow.