Atlanta Sports Cards Feature

By Jamie Kennedy

“Who to buy before the Playoffs start?”

TAMPA BAY:

Certainly, their pitching should be watched.  Although Matt Moore won’t be starting, he will most certainly will make a difference.   Even if he doesnt, your left with the most high ceilinged prospect in the game.  HIs high 90s fastball was showcased as he struck out 12 Yankees in his debut.

Jeremy Hellickson, who WILL start, was actually a Top 10 prospect in 2008 and 2009.  Picking up his 2006 Refractor Bowman parallels are safe bets:

While Longoria may be too expensive to stock up onat this point, Ben Zobrist, who had 30 HRs this year, is not.  This 06 On-Card issue won’t cost you more than $5:

NEW YORK (AL)

While most Yankee starts already command good money, there are some sleepers here, mostly in the pitching dep’t.  Ivan Nova, who is the #2 starter, has a TON or room to go up.  While I don’t love his stuff, a couple big starts will propel him:

The problem with Nova is that this base auto is commanding $20, and he would have to pull off something special for the card to rise any higher.  Dellin Betances though, who may see starts (The Yanks haven’t announced a game 3 starter, Betances is certainly a candidate) has been a Top 50 prospect for years now, and is still very young.  His 07 Bowman Chromes are worth a look regardless, as is his much more scarce 07 EEE:

DETROIT

Justin Verlander may hog the spotlight, but its Game 2 starter Doug Fister that has shocked everyone:

Record aside, a 2.83 ERA is spectacular.  His lone RC (and no autos at all) is 2006 BDP, and refractor parallels aren’t exactly lighting up EBAY:

Alex Avila has been the breakout catcher of the year, batting .295, 19 HR and 82 RBIs.  His 2009 BDP cards have already jumped, but he, like Matt Moore, will retain value whether theyre postseason heroes or not:

When will Jhonny Peralta get his due? .299, 21HR, 86 RBIs is a huge season, and his 2002 BDP cards are ripe for gains. 

TEXAS

Michael Young batted .339 with 108 RBIs.  One of the best pure hitters in the game, its safe to say if he gets up with a chance to win a World Series, he may be the best bet o make that happen.  His 2000 Traded/Update cards remain bargains:

Alexi Ogando, who was a starter most of the year, has been relegated to the bullpen.  That has seemingly caused a death sentence to prices of his autos.  But just because he will start in the ‘pen, doesn’t mean he won’t be in there in key situations.  Like Moore and Avila, his cards should be worth buying throughout the next 5-10 years anyway.  Take a chance on his beaten down 2011 Topps Chromes, or Marquee cards:

 We’ll look the NL tomorrow!

Hello,

All who have teams for the Marquee case break (which is mine, not Atlanta Sports Cards) should call the Case Break Hotline between Weds and Thurs to get their password for Friday nights Break.

Please call 774-454-7631 *=(jamie)  to get your log in info!

Thanks and talk yo you soon!

“Humble Pie”

By Jamie Kennedy

1. 2011 Bowman Paul Goldschmidt Blue Refractor /250 (non-auto).

After his multi homer night on Sept 3rd, these jumped from $11.50 (at 7pm) to a whopping $38.99 (at midnight).  Basically on Goldy, I’m eating crow and am not ashamed to admit it.  No one is perfect in anything; picking baseball cards to increase in value in the future shows that we all make mistakes.  I still dont understand how the BB/K total got dramatically better.  That said, his average toils under .270.

2. 2010 Elite Gary Brown Auto /199.

The most simple equation in collecting:

• Great Player, plus
• A short printed, base set auto, that is crash #d less than most in the set, plus
• And a gifted 4-5 tooler with no ceiling, equals:

HOBBY LOVE!

 This card used to fetch just $10, but now, they are commanding $40, and that’s if you can find them.

3. Stephen Strasburg Autos

 Here we go again…

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Written By James Kennedy, ASC Blog Writer

August 26, 2011

1. 2011 Upper Deck Football Ryan Mallett Auto

Mallett rises $30 from $60 to $90 based on his stellar QB play for the Patriots.  I don’t even like to think about it, but if Brady goes down with an injury (eeek!), we have a Navy SEAL talent in the “Reserves.”  Its great to be a Pats fan….

2. 2008 Razor Baseball Brett Lawrie Autographs

Some rose to $50 and beyone before settling in the $40 range.  His latest Grand Slam fuels this Razor release even more, as its now worth 2 times Hosmer’s only card, also a Razor exclusive.  Lawrie is talented, but when Topps drops the hammer with some sort of chrome autograph of Lawrie, this card may unfortunately be an afterthought.

3. 2011 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Football Tyron Smith Auto

Bizarrely, it will cost you in excess of $30 for this offensive lineman, up $10 from last week’s price (which also seemed high).  If I had to guess why Upper Deck Football remains strong on secondary sales, is because they made cards of anyone they wanted who played college football, often producing cards of local giants that went undrafted.  Smith does not fall in that category, but if Upper Deck didn’t step up its game with its last few football products, I doubt they would have lasted much longer.  This may still be the case, but I’m impressed with creativeness of both regular Upper Deck, and the newer Sweet Spot release.

4. 2008 Bowman Sterling Baseball Jesus Montero Auto Jersey

Raking since the All-Star break, Montero has restored himself to top prospect status since.  This card doubles from $20 to $40.

5. 2011 Topps Inception Football Kendall Hunter On Card Auto /600

He’s playing well in the preseason, but even if he wasn’t, that doesnt explain the $1 price tag on these cards early on.  They now sell near $10, for a great profit.

6. 2005 Bowman Draft Ryan Braun Autogaphs

Its amazing his cards aren’t thousands of dollars.  He’s on pace to become the most all around accomplished hitter of this generation, and if he continues to improve, has potential to be mentioned alongside Williams and Mantle years from now.  That’s high praise, but he produces high output.  Raw cards jump from $105 to $130, while BGS 9s jump $40, from $160 to $200.

7. 2011 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Football Ross Homan Auto

Upper Deck taking advantage of their college license by making OSU fans drool, as every graduating senior from last year has an auto in 1 of the 2 products.  Homan’s up, and I’m not even going to try to explain why:  I have never heard of him despite spending 29 hours per Saturday watching College Football.  (That’s actually possible if youre on the East Coast, and you watch the end of Hawaii home games.  Nevermind, that would only be 17 hours.  But as usual, I digress…)

8. 2010 Elite Extra Baseball Drew Smyly Auto

My favorite set has another random late pick as an exclusive auto.  Buyers have taken note of Smyly (who has 3 one-hit starts this year), and the card rises from $10.02 to $16.  Plus s/h of course!!

9. 2009 Elite Extra Baseball Tyler Skaggs Auto /820

Skaggs wasn’t supposed to be this good, but he turned out to be better than sure-things like Kyle Gibson and Chris Archer.  But that’s why they play the game folks….. Skaggs moves from $7 and change to $13 and change, as he continues to lead every league he’s in, in strikeouts.  There’s still scouting issues with certain pitches and arm action on his pitches, but the numbers speak for themselves.

10. 2011 Inception Football Stevan Ridley On Card Auto 

I told you it’s great to be a Pats fan!  Ridley leads the NFL in rushing early on in Exhibition Mode, but thats enough to move these cards.

11. All Roy Helu 2011 Football Autographs

12. 2010 Bowman Platinum Baseball Miguel Sano Ref Auto

Topping the BA Hot Sheet, the 18 year old continues to mash and rake, rake and mash.  This jumped from $10.50 to $20.

13. 2007 Bowman Chrome Peter Bourjos Autographs

Modest but admirable jump for the Angels’ speedster: $20 to $31.

14. 2006 Bowman Sterling Clayton Kershaw Auto

If you haven’t heard about Kershaw, mark your calendar and watch his next start.  he’s the classic “under the radar” guy you torture yourself over when he becomes the perennial CY Young award winner.

15. 2011 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Football Greg Salas Auto

This started out around $8, and now sells for $22-$25 regularly. 

16. 2011 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Football Mark Ingram Auto

This variation will run you $130, up 50% since last week.

17. 2011 Topps Inception Football Hobby Boxes

Coulda shoulda woulda.  This product makes it extremely tough to land a top QB or WR, and is heavy on second and 3rd rounders.  But presell prices were in the low $600s, paling in comparison to the $700 wholesale price right now.  Magnificent looking, its only marred by Rookie Photo Shoot patches used in totality.

18. 2011 Inception Football Von Miller Autograph Patch

The #2 overall pick has seen this card jump $10 from around $20 to $30.

19. 2010 Elite Extra Baseball Matt Moore Autographs

These held steady at $35 per this week, but the paralells are starting to command higher prices weekly.  No Minor League pitcher comes close to Moore’s stats or potential.  A no-brainer.

20. 2010 Elite Extra Baseball Jurickson Profar Autos

Profar, who’s ascent started at the Futures game, as he sped around the bases, has continued throughout the whole second half.  A buzz on profar eminated from the National Convention earlier this month, and the aftershocks are keeping buyers interested.  Great player to pick up.

August 26th, 2011

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Thanks to Mr. James Cherry who has shared his break of 2011 Topps Inceptions bought from Atlanta Sports Cards.  The card look amazing and he had some really nice pulls.  These cases are on sale for $659.99 this weekend, so quite them while you can.  Click on the photo and it will take you to his eBay listings where these cards will be up for auction soon.  Have a great weekend!

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Hobby News 

Atlanta Sports Cards

Our friends at topprospectalert.com do a great job on their Twitter account.  Real-Time Minor League happenings.  This is their take on the show:

Modern single cards, especially those from Bowman rookie and prospect products were selling very well. Most bargin boxes were elbow to elbow with collectors jostling for position to find a bargain. As was the case with vintage discount boxes. Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, and Jurikson Profar seemed to be among the most heavily sold rookies at the show.

Goldschmidt, just called up to the majors with Arizona, is a plus power slugger, but by no means is he even in the same class as Braun or Texiera.  Harper continues to struggle, but because the hype is so large, demand is high, and prices on his singles are soft- but selling well, as collectors have been told he is the next big thing.

Which brings me to Jurickson Profar.  Born 2/93, he JUST TURNED 18.  Which is fine and all, but after an awesome future game showing where he showed off his SS ability and legged out a stand up triple that most ball players would have settled for a double, momentum gained.  After a few BA hot sheet appearances, his prices have taken off.  Most desirable is the 2011 Bowman Auto, but don’t sleep on the 2010 Elite Profar Auto /390, a short print.  Out of the 3 biggest sellers, Profar is your best bet by miles:

If you look at the bolded numbers, this is his walk to strikeout ratio.  Is this for real?  At 18, he is one of the only people in the Minors that walks more than they K.  And he isnt even close to being 50/50.  Power was always going to develop, but with 10 HRs and 30 doubles, this kid is SCARY good.  

Lets compare his BB/K  ratio with Harpers and Goldschmidt.  Let me say that guys that walk more than they strike out have tremendous discipline, bat speed, and hand-eye that translate almost 100% into MLB success.  This is a HUGE cue to look out for when evaluating prospects.

Paul Goldschmidt, 24 years old on the 10th of this month, 6 years older than Profar:

Not bad, in fact better than most.

Bryce Harper:

As you can see, the most expensive and heralded player in the card market owns a paltry 53:80 BB/k ratio, or a little worse than 3:4.  Profar, at a ratio of 6:5, technically is more advanced at the plate than Harper.

Thanks again to TPA for their show updates and their commentary.  We leave you with this final report:

Tons of awesome vintage stuff, a lot of wax from [Industry giants] Atlanta Sports cards among others. 

Thats us!  Come by this weekend.  Were in Chicago at the National Convention!

Be well,

Jamie Kennedy

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Atlanta Sports Cards is set up at the National in ChiTown this week and everything is going great!  You have 2 1/2 days left to come visit.  Make sure you come to our booth, where owner Josh P. will take care of you like he does all of us.  early reports have been great, and everyone at ASC is VERY grateful for your loyal business now, and for any time in the future.

Plenty of new releases are hitting the market, and new product releases are about to  get frantic, so keep tuned to the ASC Blog, where we will let you know the cutting edge info you need in this crazy but awesome hobby we are all a part of!

Stay tuned, and make sure you stop by and see us in Chicago!  Josh will be back in the office Tuesday, and in the meantime, enjoy the show in chicago, and eep tuned to the blog as the hobby is heating up!

Thanks all!

Jamie Kennedy

Atlanta Sports Cards

“Money Where My Mouth Is”

Volume 5

By Jamie Kennedy

Volumes 1-4 have been VERY successful!  We will be posting a tote board by week’s end showing many, MANY gains!

But thats old news: lets add some cards that will surely bring some profit in the future!

ADD:  2008 Elite WILIN ROSARIO Autographs

Combine Rosario’s two half-seasons at Double-A and you’ve got a .272/.322/.514 hitter with 35 homers and 22 doubles in 551 at-bats. In that time, he’s gunned down and above-average 38 percent of 132 would-be basethiefs. Rosario’s raw tools suggest that the power and arm strength he’s shown with Tulsa are very real, and it’s easy to see why scouts project him to be an above-average regular at the big league level, possibly as soon as next season. One caveat: Rosario has mashed 12 of 16 homers this season versus Texas League righthanders, but he’s also gone just 43-for-192 (.224) against them.

Lets add 10 copies of the elite autos (the bases are #d to 1099).  These should run you from $5-$10 and are WELL worth the investment.

ADD:  2009 Bowman Draft TIM WHEELER AUTOS (Gold Refractor /50)

It’s been a bounce back year for Wheeler, the 32nd overall pick in 2009 who hit .249/.341/.384 in the high Class A California League last year. He’s been noted for his plus raw power before, but he’s been on a major surge of late. Wheeler has gone deep nine times in his last 18 games (he hit 12 in 129 games last year), moving into a tie for the minor league home run lead with 28 on the year. It’s worth noting the lefthanded-hitting Wheeler still has a fairly sizable platoon split, a carryover from last year. But he did hit one of his homers this week against a lefty, his sixth long ball against a southpaw out of his 28 this year.

For just $99, these are available on Ebay.  Make sure and pick up at least 1 copy!

ADD: 2010 Bowman Chrome Miguel Sano Autos

Scouts have talked about Sano’s ability to hit and hit for power since he was 14. Four years later, Sano is showing why, with a quick swing that produces thundering power. Sano hit his sixth home run of the season this week, pushing his slash stats to .298/.338/.612 through 30 games. Of his 36 hits, more than half (21) have gone for extra bases. His 32 strikeouts are a touch high, but he has a good swing and enough power to produce 30-plus home runs in a season if it all comes together for him. The question right now with Sano is whether he’ll finish the season with more extra-base hits or errors. Extra-base hits have the lead for now, but Sano already has 16 errors—seven in 10 games at shortstop, another nine in 20 games at third base. Sano’s bazooka arm would be a weapon at third base, but to even stay at the position is going to take quite a bit of work.

Add 2-3 base autos ($20) and 1-2 refractor autos ($40-$50)

ADD:  Any Jurickson Profar Autos

Profar’s season batting line of .284/.387/.521 would be impressive on its on merits, but put in context his performance makes him one of the two best shortstop prospects in the minors (the other being Manny Machado). The South Atlantic League’s youngest player, Profar has continued developing his power—10 homers this year—while showing plate discipline that would be uncanny for anyone, let alone a player so young. Profar has drawn 42 walks in 77 games, while striking out just 40 times. He’s been the fourth-hardest hitter to strike out in the SAL, going down on strikes just once every 8.7 plate appearances. We ranked him 12th on our midseason Top 50 prospects list, and scouts are saying now that we could have been even more aggressive in moving him up.

We can’t stress enough, at 18 years old, that Profar now is the consensus #2 overall hitting prospect behind a very cooled-off Harper.  Grab as many 2010 Elites or 2011 Bowman Chrome Autos as possible.  This kid WILL skyrocket in value over the 2nd half of the season.  We’re betting on it!

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Atlanta Sports Cards

Preview of Bryce Harper Upcoming Bowman Cards

2011 Bowman Draft Baseball

Bryce Harper Green Auto: 350 copies

There will also be 69 signed Futures Game Harper Jerseys inserted!

2011 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Auto

50 copies

There will be all the normal refractor variations

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Atlanta Sports Cards Baseball Card Hot Sheet

July 16th, 2011

By Jamie Kennedy

1. 2010 Michael Choice Wrapper Buyback Auto /100

He’s 1 HR off the Minor League lead, and this card has surged 100% from $55 to $110

2. 2010 Elite Matt Moore Autograph /819

He just keeps impressing at every turn.  His card moves from $25 to $40 and seemingly has no ceiling

3. 2010 Bowman Sterling Jesse Biddle Autographs

He’s let up 3 ERs in last 5 starts and his cards are scorching hot as he draws comparisons to Steve Carlton

4. 2010 Bowman Chrome Wrapper Auto Drew Pomeranz /100

A promotion to AA has made this card double in price from $50 to $100 and rising.

5. 2010 Elite Extra Ronald Torreyes Autos

6. 2010 Elite Nick Castellanos Autos

7. All Taijuan Walker Autographs

At 18 years old, people are finally starting to realize this kid is the realest of deals.

9. 2010 Bowman Chrome Miguel Sano Refractor Auto

He was cold; after a few stints on BA Hot Sheet though, his refractors have moved from $30 to $60 and rising.

10. 2010 Elite Extra Cody Buckel Autos