Its always a treat when I can attend an event like this and not have to figure out a way to make it work. All the stars aligned and I was able to get there and get back without much impact to my family or work. If you are in a position like me with two young kids and a crazy busy job, you know that is a miracle. As a result I decided to make the most of it. I posted a ton of pictures on Twitter – be sure to check out the gallery below if you dont care about my ramblings. I also had some really nice pick ups, but most importantly, I got to hang out with all the other people just like me who love cards. If you were there, you know that was more than usual this year. Here are some of my observations.

Show Traffic

I have been to four NSCCs and this was the busiest by far. It wasnt even a contest. Every day was busier than I ever remember it, with Wednesday night being about as busy as Friday of previous years. Yeah, baseball is having a good year. More importantly than that, there was such a wide variety of people, even though Aaron Judge brought all the boys to the yard. Kids, vintage collectors, autograph seekers, and memorabilia collectors mixed in with the normal crowd, and that was just the start. Dealer tables were more impressive than I have ever seen them, and its clear that the best of the best were in Chicago this weekend.

Giveaways/Manufacturer Promotions

I think both Topps and Panini had a strong showing this year, despite Topps running out fast and Panini’s design being quite a bit more disappointing than some of the previous years.

Basically, Topps was relying on the parallel factors in Bowman to drive their packs, and it did by a significant margin. Topps had both Judge and Bellinger in the packs, alongside favorites like Jeter, Bryant, and others. Each card had parallels to both 50, 10 and 1, and there were autos too. The design was a special parallel of 2017 Bowman, so naturally it was super popular. Pulling a Judge on day 1 was a 50 dollar return, which was awesome on boxes that cost 90 to begin with. Problem is, lines were long and packs ran out quickly on Thursday and Friday. So much so that they started the giveaway at noon on Saturday. I can only imagine the line, as I left on Friday night.

Panini counted on Judge too, but their cards were significantly tougher to move if you pulled something nice. I want to say the Basketball cards were more of a draw than anything, and that’s because Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons were in packs, along with relics and autographs.

I personally HATED the rookie design, which is fucking annoying, because in 2016, it was great all around. They brought back weird towel relics again, but thankfully I didnt see any of those horrific Santa hats this year. I think the best cards in Panini’s stable were the private signings, which actually looked better than most of the content in much of what Panini has already released. I wish the base and parallels looked this good.

Judge Mania

If you were at a modern table of baseball cards at the show, it was guaranteed that Judge had a full case of cards, or a large plot of real estate at least. The guy was everywhere, and for the most part, the dealers werent really looking to add to their giant stash unless they were running low. I saw the BGS 9.5s at around 1000, but haggling was available in most cases. Because there was so much Judge at the show, if you didnt find someone who would work with you on what you wanted, it was very very easy to get in touch with another dealer who has the same stuff.

Vintage’s Huge Presence

If you havent been to an NSCC, it has been dominated by vintage since the beginning of having national shows. Many vintage collectors and groups of vintage collectors make it a point to schedule the convention into their year, as it is a place where many wants can be filled and extras sold.

Some of the things I saw at the show were absolutely jaw dropping, with multiple high grade 1952 Mantles on display next to high grade Ruth Goudeys and Joe Jackson Cracker Jacks. The vintage tables were honestly more crowded than the modern tables, even with Judge’s meteoric ascent, with many dealers catching up with friends they havent seen since the last NSCC.

I even saw a number of vintage collectors who didnt match the age demographic that one would expect. Younger guys are probably tired of chasing the next guy to make the hall of fame, when there are so many that are already there. They are not going about things in the wrong way AT ALL. I envy their patience and desire to pad their already impressive collections.

Basketball Trends Remain the Same

There were rumors last year that Upper Deck was making a huge push for an NBA license, and after seeing how collectors still treat the glory days of UD, that would have gone over like gangbusters. Current Panini stuff has a place, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, especially when your brand was maybe as strong as Topps is in Baseball.

Collectors go after Panini stuff because its the only option, but would switch back to Upper Deck loyalists the second any news could break. Their loyalty to the new guard is paper thin at best, and I would actually add Topps above Panini at this point as well. A set of Chrome would rock the foundations of what Panini has tried to accomplish and failed at over the years, something im sure the brass in Dallas cant be too excited about.

In the end, it comes down to relatively two names in the NBA, and Panini owns neither. Jordan and Lebron remain the top names in the sport, even though Curry is creeping up. I didnt see the fawning over Steph Curry autographs the way people were gawking at NBA Exquisite and SP Authentic cards. I counted five tables where cards were on display but not for sale. All were Jordan and Lebron from Upper Deck, none were Panini.

To think that the brand was so strong it has survived almost 10 years without losing steam is insane to me. I think they would see the same fondness in both baseball and football if they ever returned to the game, and I sit here thinking about what might have been if McWilliam never got involved with Yu-Gi-Oh.

Football’s New Golden Children

As judge mania sweeps baseball, modern football has really been whittled down in terms of truly sought after names on the modern side. First and foremost is Tom Brady. Every modern football table had a table of Brady all by himself. Brady cards were highlighted in every showcase that had them, with a few other big names like Rodgers and HOFers like Montana and Smith to accompany.

Next to that, it was Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot, who were there to try to recapture some of the lightning in a bottle from 2016. Two new names were on the velvet rope list, with one being so hot that it was insanely difficult to find.

First is Derek Carr, who has quickly become the new Andrew Luck of the football hobby. Carr’s stuff is white hot, mainly because of Raider prospects for making a deep run this year. Chrome autos from 2014 were almost non-existent at the show, and Contenders were selling at insane money, despite a horrible design that year. Treasures are already up near where Luck was in 2012, and its shocking to me how quickly this darling became a hobby legend despite a shortened post-season last year.

The second name is Jameis Winston, who people are tagging as a Derek Carr-lite with all the media coverage around the Bucs being a sleeper team this year. Vegas is in line with that way of thinking too, and collectors arent stupid.

As for the Texas twosome, it couldnt be more different of a story. Dak was the talk of the show, but not because the Cowboys are a favorite again this year. The autopen scandal was coming up at every table, but dealers were still looking for his stuff. I sold a number of Dak cards in thinning out my collection, and his freshly signed Treasures cards were among the most sought after premium cards on the floor. They were not as tough to find as Carr Chrome, but difficult to find at a good price.

Zeke, on the other hand, was almost on the no-buy list for dealers for what I had witnessed. I saw many Elliott treasures cards sitting on tables, but no one could move them and no one was buying more. With domestic violence and other off the field issues clouding the future for the biggest name of 2016, the tide has turned with people looking to prospect rather than just collect Elliott.

Topps’ Q&A

I was fortunate enough to get to go to the party on Friday night, and it was a good time to hear the different answers that Topps provided to some actually good questions this year. In previous years, collectors have gone to this thing to ask some crazy specific question that only matters to them, and it gets old. The whole joke about Santa getting cards in sets comes from this event.

Although we did get some odd ranting about digital to a team that really had no digital presence, there were some great questions about top concerns with the company and the industry in general. We saw that Topps still tries to witness every signing, with 98% having some sort of rep in the presence during the process. We also know that they want to add MLB authentication to as many things as they can, but dont always have that option.

Similarly, they know that expansion is a huge issue for growing their audience, and they seem to have a good understanding that Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger or Kris Bryant wont come along every year, let alone all in one. I have said time and time again that everyone recognizes that the current model of doing business doesnt seem to be a sustainable thing, but no one really knows how to fix the problem. I have outlined a few ideas, especially in the way product makes it into the hands of the end users, but for now, that doesnt look to be in the cards.

Lastly we saw that Transcendent will be back for another year, likely offering a party with someone like Judge or Bellinger as the guest of honor. They are also going to offer a crazy ultra premium version for Star Wars too, with 40 autos per box. Curious to see how that all works out.

Closing Thoughts

If you havent been to one of these, go. Figure out a way to get there for next year, I promise it will be worth your while. Even if the only money you spend is on the accommodations to get to the area, that’s fine. Its an amazing feeling to belong to a crowd like this, as there are so many like minded individuals at these events. The passion of the people in attendance is palpable, and its one of the main reasons I continue this site after 9 years of the grind.

Funny thing is, I even got the chance to catch up with Panini and their creative team with an opportunity to provide some feedback. Im not sure if it will go anywhere, as they feel as strongly about the way they do cards as I feel they are doing it wrong. They were happy to get feedback from someone who has been one of their most vocal critics, but we both understood that some things were just not going to change just because I wanted them to. I never really expected that to be the case, and I reminded them that my site has always been about providing my own personal opinion on how I saw the hobby.

I also got the chance to catch up with the team at Leaf and Topps, and had a great time reminiscing about the good ole days when things were a bit more simple. Its always great to catch up with Clay, Kevin, Dave, Gregg, Brian, and of course Sooz, along with all the “twitter celebrities” that I got a chance to say hi to.

What a great week I had, and cant wait to hear more about what happened after I left.There was a lot of time left on the clock for Saturday and Sunday, and hopefully next year I will get to be there for the whole thing.

Looking back over the last few weeks, things have gotten quite a bit out of hand. Its been one thing after the other, some good and some bad. Being that so many people have their ears perked up around collecting thanks to national attention, it breeds a great atmosphere and buzz heading into the NSCC this week in Chicago. Here are five things I am going to be talking about as I think about how to enjoy the show.

1. How will Panini deal with all the negative attention brought by the Dak Prescott scandal?

The timing could not be better for collectors to get an opportunity to interact with Panini on a large scale. Although I doubt anyone on the floor is going to offer anything outside of what has already been communicated, I think this is a unique opportunity for collectors to share their thoughts. There are only a few times over the course of the year where Panini wont be able to mute a tweet or just not respond, and this is one of those times. Will their show sales be impacted by the news? Probably not much, to be honest. That doesnt mean they wont face a number of people who want to say their piece and hear what the reps are going to be saying on the floor.

Events like the VIP party will also be at the forefront of this discussion, as its likely that the people at this party have seen the way that Panini handled the scandal, and the lack of communication that resulted. It was a terrible face for the hobby to wear, and it was handled extremely poorly by their team. Being that the people at this party will be the top customers Panini has, its not going to be rainbows and butterflies in that way. Regardless if the NFL/NFLPA dictated the process by which the scandal was communicated, its clear things went completely sideways. Someone has to answer, and Panini is the logo on the door. Good luck.

2. Will Aaron Judge / Cody Bellinger be center stage as people experience the show?

If you have been to an NSCC in the past, it has been as much about vintage and autographs as modern cards, and Im curious how that will play out. With everyone and their mother looking for any deal they can find for Judge, im curious how that might play out on the show floor. As much as the show has its roots in tables of cards, its become a vendor spectacle over the last decade more than anything. Less focus has been put on the show each and every year, with group breaks and giant booths now dominating the way the floor is laid out. In this sense, it will be all Judge and Bellinger all the time, as it has become clear to everyone that putting Judge’s name on a garbage bag will add value to the final price.

The fact remains, vintage is a HUGE focus on the floor, and I just dont see that changing anytime soon. There are collectors who come from all over the world to find rare cards they might be missing, and the dealers arent going to change their bread and butter just because everyone else is digging for 99.

3. Will there be any big announcements?

There is always something that gets dropped at the National, some years are bigger than others. I really expect some interesting news to come from the likes COMC or other vendors of that nature, especially as they begin integrating themselves into more of the industry. As a whole, I dont foresee bombshells like we have seen in previous years, but look for some nice little nuggets just because there is a big stage for everyone to shout from.

4. Will traffic be up or down?

I think I saw that 650 vendors and 100 exhibitors will be on hand, which I believe makes this a larger show than it has been in the previous few years. That being said, its all about the traffic, and that’s where we could get differing perspectives. I would love to see a ton of people latch onto the hype floating around baseball this year and decide a trip is worth it, but it might not end up that way depending on a number of factors. Chicago tends to be a great place for the show because of its central location, and that will help things, unlike Atlantic City where you couldnt fly directly there from many places. Im interested to see how everything plays out.

5. Will group breakers showcase their hobby influence?

This is where I am most intrigued, as its clear that the breakers have had more and more of a place at the show. Since the creation of the group breaker stage, all the card companies and exhibitors have made it their focus to get on camera as much as possible. More than that, show events and scheduling involves the breakers too, which means its hard to go to the show and not see how much their influence has grown. Because of the way it works, things like the Panini VIP party present a great number of attendees from all the breakers at the show, and I doubt that will change. Its clear that for new products, these type of people are quickly becoming more than just the face of the hobby. They are becoming power brokers in a lot of ways, and the NSCC tends to be a place where they have a chance to shine.

Stay tuned for more coverage all weekend long, as the fireworks will start and not stop once Wednesday gets up and running. Ill have pictures, breakdown from the show floor, and all sorts of stuff to see. Looking forward to a fun week, as always. Follow @SCUncensored on twitter for live coverage as the events kick off.

I feel like collectors all over the world are running to their shops today like madmen looking to get their hands on Ginter. Its one of the most popular releases of the year, and with Judge and Bellinger mania sweeping the hobby, I dont expect anything to be different this time around. I have already started price watching a number of cards, and man things are nuts to start.

Here are some of the big hits already up:

2017 Allen and Ginter Aaron Judge Rip Card /99

2017 Allen and Ginter Aaron Judge Framed Mini Auto

2017 Allen and Ginter Cody Bellinger Full Sized Auto

2017 Allen and Ginter Ronaldo/Pele dual auto booklet

First off, Judge and Bellinger both have autographs, even though they both look to be redemptions. In all likelihood, these could end up some of the more desirable cards to have this year for both players, if only because of how much hype is behind this set. Add in subjects like Floyd Mayweather and it becomes a race to see who can get the top cards for their set. Red inks will be so difficult to get a hold of that im curious just to see what becomes of the cards. With the NSCC less than a week away, this is going to be a set to remember as long as both players stay hot.

After spending some time looking at the design for this year, I cant say Im impressed in the slightest. I think it can be really tough to keep updating this set each year with the hope of bringing a fresh take, but they are trying. The rounded backdrop looks odd, and I have never been all that much a fan of the posed pictures for this set over action shots from on the field. Although its not the worst they have done, I have to say its quite far from the best too.

Other stars like Tom from MySpace and Gene Hackman are really interesting additions to the checklist, and relics from Yetis and Santa will definitely be a huge chase. I think I saw a sharks tooth as well, but im sure that is just the beginning.

Im curious how this product might fare without the two biggest names, but Topps has gotten lucky for the last few years with tent poles to hold up much of their card year. This stuff is going to be a hot commodity around the group breakers and at the National, so its going to be fun to watch the rarer cards and rip cards get sorted out across the product.

I look forward to this set every year. Its been a staple of the preseason since 2013, and brings tons of on card autographs with some of the more unique cards released all season. Inscriptions, acetate, jumbo patches, and a bunch of other hard signed cards look great and deliver one of the best box breaks of the year. Its impossible to find any unopened boxes of 2016 Leaf Trinity for good reason. Because of a limited run, not much of it still exists unripped. The set is too good to pass up.

Check out some of the better cards up so far:

2017 Leaf Trinity Dalvin Cook FSU Logo Patch Auto 1/1

2017 Leaf Trinity Deshaun Watson Inscription Auto

2017 Leaf Trinity Mitchell Trubisky Inscription Auto

2017 Leaf Trinity Deshone Kizer Logo Patch Auto /5

2017 Leaf Trinity Christian McCaffrey Clear Acetate Auto /10

Of all the types of cards out there, inscriptions are my favorite, without a doubt. With autographs, shields, logos, and everything being so common, adding a touch of personality in this format brings a new dimension to the card type that is still special. Trinity was built around these types of cards, and its one of the reasons why I love it so much.

This is easily the best looking year of the product to boot, which makes it more worthwhile to check out the cards in the set. Leaf continues to deliver high quality sets at prices that Panini is unable to compete with, and it shows in so many ways with Trinity. I opened 4 boxes and hit 3 of the top players out there, something that has become impossible with Panini’s watered down product lines. Metal already exceeded a lot of my expectations, but I can tell that Brian Gray knows how important over delivering on product quality is to his customers. Without logos or NFL branding, it can be tough to win over people who only collect licensed cards. Adding content that is unique in this fashion can do a lot to overcome a lack of pro jerseys – especially when Panini has yet to offer a fully hard signed set.

In the end, battles against the goliaths of the industry are always uphill, but when products like Trinity can chip away, Im all for it. Shit, even the redemptions get done 100x faster than Panini. That alone is worth mentioning. As I have said for all four years of this set, kudos to Leaf. Really well done all around.

Ill be the first to admit that my time working on this site has been minimal prior to this fiasco, and its because I got to the point where I was bored with complaining. I was just bored all around, to be honest, and I dont think I am alone in that feeling. As a football collector, its not exactly super fun happy time if you feel the way about Panini that I feel. We still have 9 years left of this shit show, and at this point they are doing so much harm to the football side of things, im not sure it could get much worse. Then the whole Dak Prescott thing happened, and I realized that rock bottom wasnt even close.

The reason I say that I dont think we are even within eye sight of rock bottom is because of the way the national media treated this. Autograph collecting is still a foreign concept to most Americans, even though chasing foul balls and running down a player for a selfie is pretty commonplace. What was made even more apparent was how little trading cards factored into people’s perception of autograph collecting, all of which should not be a surprise. Basically, no one who got wind of this story thought it was anything more than a tongue in cheek jab at a QB from one of america’s most cheered against sports teams.

As I have said thousands of time before – none of this should be a surprise. The industry around the hobby has shifted so drastically from where it was during my youth that it is barely recognizable. Lots of people like to get autographs of their favorite players, few will pay a premium for a trading card that features a contrived scarce availability.

With all of this as a consideration, how can things get worse than they already are?

I think the answer lies in the player themselves, as its clear that the trading card companies and their business model lies almost squarely on the player’s shoulders. Sure, league licenses are an issue in their own right, but just producing base cards with no autographs is likely a losing battle. They need the players as desperately as ever, and more and more, players are becoming more and more unwilling to participate. Even worse, they may not be understanding of why their participation is so important to the companies.

Imagine explaining how those 300 sheets of stickers were going to be used to a 21 year old college kid, whose intelligence is almost 100% based around their sport. In football, from my own experience, this is about as prevalent as any sport, and I dont think that is any shock to people. The autograph game is too one sided in so many ways, and with the way the general public is reacting to recent news, I have to think that the uphill battle of growing the hobby is tougher than ever.

Digital has a place in this as well, because it is introducing trading cards to thousands upon thousands of people who wouldnt normally be exposed. Since digital signatures arent actually signed by the player unless noted, it changes the game a bit. Product development can be hours instead of months, and that poses a unique advantage. You dont need to explain why the player needs to sign 10000 of the card in front of them.

Im generalizing, I know. Some players do understand what is going on and dont mind the process. With most of the kids being exposed to autograph days with their school or fan fests with the professional team, they get the desire for their signature. They also understand the contract they signed and why they are being asked to do specifically what they are asked to do. I have to believe this is the exception, not the rule, and the middle ground players can be very easy to work with. Older players who have been around the hobby for years are likely not as much of an issue other than cost per signature, too. I dont think they are the problem.

At the same time, if the guys dont really get what they are signing or why they are signing it, it becomes that much easier to shrug off their duties or try to manipulate the system in a way like Dak and others have tried. The NFLPA also has a stake in this, because they work with the players to ensure the cards get signed at many of the sanctioned events.

Im actually wondering how this all plays out over the next ten years, because I have put so much effort and money into the hobby that I really dont want to see things come crashing down in the industry that supports my addiction. Personally, I dont see the way things are set up right now as sustainable at all. Licensing costs are too much, players want more and more to sign, companies need them more and more, and box prices are getting so unreasonable that everything is diluted. It also doesnt help that Panini’s football business methods is to run the presses like they are on fire, only exacerbating many of the challenges everyone faces on a regular basis.

Here is how I see this. More and more players will try to do what so many have done already. They will try to get around the grueling five hour signing sessions or thousands of cards that show up in their mailbox. Its brutal. Ive watched them do it, and some have a system that makes it go faster, others struggle to get it completed. For that reason, companies will have to find a way to weed out the misses and capitalize on the players who understand what is going on. Hopefully they can do that and quickly, before more national news comes crashing down upon us all.