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Quick Rips | RIPPED Newsletter Archive

All the Hobby News That’s Fit to Rip

11/21/23 by RIPPED

Josh Jung: archetype of fun

What’s Hot

2023 Topps Chrome Update Series Hobby Box  I 2023 Topps Archives Hobby Box I 2023 Topps Tier One Bundesliga Hobby Box

Happy Thanksgiving, rippers! This week, we have players doodling, memorabilia from the tennis GOAT, and unanimous MVPs

  • Josh Jung shows his creativity
  • Best Djokovic item to own?
  • MVP Buyback underway

World Series champion Josh Jung added a twist to his Topps Heritage card

While signing autographs for cards might get tedious, Josh Jung found a way to have fun and add a chase for collectors. Last week, eBay listed one of Josh Jung’s Rookie Autographs from 2023 Topps Heritage, but this card was unlike the rest. The card had glasses and a mustache added in Sharpie, inscribed with “Go Rangers” and “1/1.” It was a unique card, but collectors wondered if Jung added the extra ink. However, Josh Jung confirmed that he did make these additions, making this an awesome one-of-a-kind card.

Novak Djokovic Championship used racquet up for auction

Nothing beats game-used memorabilia, and one fan came home with quite the piece of memorabilia at the 2016 French Open. Moments after Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray to win the tournament and complete his career Grand Slam, he tossed a match-used racquet into the crowd. Abby Doherty from Portland, Maine, was lucky enough to come down with this one-of-a-kind souvenir. Seven years after Djokovic claimed the record for most Men’s Singles Grand Slam Titles, she is auctioning the racquet. The auction will run till December 2nd and could fetch six figures.

Unanimous MVPs announced in both American and National League

What felt like a formality became official last week when Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani were named MVPs of their respective leagues. Acuna claimed his 1st MVP award, and two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani earned his second. Acuna Put together the first 40 homers and 70 steals season in MLB history while carrying a .337 batting average and 1.012 OPS. In comparison, Ohtani’s 44 homers and 20 steals seem pedestrian until you remember he also sported a 3.14 ERA in 132 innings. Congrats to both of these superstars, and don’t forget to bring their 2023 Topps Chrome cards to your LCS for store credit!

Rips Around the Hobby

11/14/23 by RIPPED

What’s Hot

2023 Topps Archives Baseball Hobby Box  I 2023 Topps Chrome Mcdonald’s All-American Hobby BoxI 2023 Bowman Platinum Baseball

Hope you’re hungry, rippers! This week, we have Jell-O up for auction, Rookie of the Year winners, and a new way to package cards.

  • 2023 Rookie of the Year winners announced
  • Most expensive Jell-O ever? 
  • A new way to ship singles

Unanimous Rookie of the Year winners in both leagues for 5th time

On Monday, Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson were both unanimously voted Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues. This was the first time since 2017 that both winners were selected unanimously (Judge & Bellinger).  Carroll and Henderson each reached 25 home runs, 75 RBI, and > .800 OPS in their rookie campaigns. Additionally, both got a taste of the postseason, with Carroll taking the Diamondbacks all the way to the World Series. With Corbin Carroll being the older of the two at just age 23, we will be seeing these superstars for years to come.

A snack complete with a baseball card from 1963 is up for auction

An unopened box of strawberry Jell-O from 1963 has hit the block at Heritage Auctions. This is no ordinary box of Jell-O as the back features card #59 of Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. The estimated sale price, according to Heritage, was $2,000, and that number has been blown out of the water. This auction will end on Wednesday, and bidding has already surpassed $15,000. It is not every day you can add a box of Jell-O to your sports card collection.

eBay launches new mailing kit for ungraded singles

With the introduction of the eBay Standard Envelope, sellers have been able to send raw cards valued under $20 with tracking for $1.11 or less. Sellers have used many different envelopes and packing supplies to comply with eBay Standard Envelope regulations. eBay is now standardizing packaging and selling its own trading card envelope kit. Each kit comes with an outer envelope #10, a cardboard insert for protection, and a 3-pocket insert that can support up to 8 cards per pocket. You can now ship up to 24 cards at a time securely without any toploaders.

  • Find out what determines a card’s value here

Rips Around the Hobby: 

11/7/23 by RIPPED

Baby Babe Ruth from 1914

What’s Hot

2023 Topps Star Wars Chrome Black  I 2023 Topps Chrome Mcdonald’s All-American Hobby BoxI 2023 Topps 206 Baseball High Series 

Turn back the clock, rippers! This week, we have a fan risking it all for an autograph, an auction expected to fetch $10 million, and Bob Ross to the moon!?

  • Potential eight-figure Babe Ruth rookie card
  • Why did the baseball fan cross the road?
  • Super Short Print Bob Ross painting money for lucky collectors

1914 Babe Ruth rookie card set for November auction

Anytime Babe Ruth and Rookie Card are in the same sentence, we are talking serious money. How serious is yet to be determined, but Robert Edward Auctions expects upwards of 10 million dollars. Beginning November 17th, a rare 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card will be up for bidding. This is Babe Ruth’s first trading card and depicts him as a 19-year-old on the front with Baltimore’s 1914 schedule on the back. Can this SGC 3 Babe Ruth rookie challenge the $12.6 million record sale for a baseball card?

Young Rangers fan won’t let anything keep him from an autograph

Tickets to a World Series game will run you hundreds of dollars, but chasing down a moving vehicle for the MVP’s autograph is priceless. During a parade to celebrate the Texas Rangers 1st World Series title, players rode the streets of Dallas in the back of trucks. Corey Seager was one of the main attractions after being named World Series MVP for the second time in his career. Fearlessly, one fan ran into the street to approach the moving vehicle where Seager was riding. The fan got Seager to sign his jersey, leading to jumping, fist pumps, and a memory of a lifetime.

First public sale of Bob Ross Flagship Super Short Print

Collectors have been loving the Bob Ross product collab 2023 Topps x Bob Ross “The Joy of Baseball.” Aside from the baseball stars, one big chase is the Bob Ross Flagship Super Short Print card. These super short prints are very rare, falling only 1 out of every 380 packs or almost 50 boxes. The first public sale of this card was an auction that ended Sunday for $455. A few more copies of this card have since hit eBay, and prices are rising fast on these auctions.

Rips Around the Hobby: 

10/31/23 by RIPPED

📸 ebay | Ancient City Cards

What’s Hot

2023 Topps Star Wars Chrome Black  I 2023 Topps Overtime Elite Inception I 2023 Topps 206 Baseball High Series 

Happy Halloween, rippers! This week Ichiro went big, we found the couple who channeled Randy Johnson and won Halloween, and a card with a unique bounty is up for sale.

  • The value of free concert tickets
  • This Halloween costume tops anything else
  • How much is the most ever paid for an Ichiro card? 

Hoodie Allen’s Ginter bounty is up for sale

The non-baseball subjects are a big part of what makes Allen & Ginter Baseball so beloved by collectors.  In 2023 Allen & Ginter X, musical artist Hoodie Allen decided to have some fun while signing his cards. Hoodie took to Twitter to show off one of his gold ink autos. Hoodie Allen put a bounty on one of the copies by inscribing in on the back, “FREE TIX 4 LIFE.” Shortly after 2023 Allen & Ginter X dropped, the card was pulled and listed on eBay for a price of $4,999, or best offer.  Would you turn in the bounty for free tickets for life, or would you look to cash in on the card?

Costume inspired by infamous baseball moment wins Halloween 

Now we know: famous moments on the baseball diamond make the best Halloween costumes. Every baseball fan has seen the infamous video of Randy Johnson obliterating a bird while pitching. One creative couple turned that moment into the costume of the year. We may never see a costume that tops the creativity of this one, 10/10.

Signed Ichiro Rookie Brings $207,400

As reported by Sports Collectors Daily, a signed PSA 10 graded 2001 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection #120 Ichiro RC sold for over $200K at Goldin’s most recent Elite Auction. The winning bid equals the highest amount ever paid for any Ichiro card. According to Card Ladder, the last Ichiro PSA 10 sale happened in 2016 when another of the three copies netted $10,412. In January of this year, a BGS 8.5 copy sold for $5,160. 

Rips Around the Hobby: 


10/24/23 by RIPPED

 (📸Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

What’s Hot

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks  I 2023 Bowman U Chrome Football I 2023 BowmanPlatinum Mega Box  

What’s up, rippers! This week, Bryce Harper fights for his first ring as his best card goes to auction, Victor Wembanyama suits up for a historic NBA debut, and Max Verstappen continues to dominate F1.

  • Playoff star Superfractor auto up for sale
  • The biggest (literally and figuratively) prospect since LeBron poised for debut
  • One Formula 1 driver is lapping the competition 

Bryce Harper’s best card set for auction amid Phillies playoff run

The collector selling the Bryce Harper 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autograph Superfractor could not have picked a better time.  Later tonight, Harper and the Phillies will host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a winner-take-all all game with a trip to the World Series on the line. Philadelphia is looking to make their second consecutive World Series, where they came up short last year. Harper is already a 7x All-Star, winner of 2 NL MVP Awards, and a former Rookie of the Year. This 1 of 1 of one of the faces of baseball last sold a year ago for $432,000.  What will this card fetch at auction this time? Will Harper finally win his elusive ring? 

All eyes on Spurs’ #1 pick as NBA season tips off

Wemby mania is finally here!  After years of hype, we will see the 7’4 19-year-old Victor Wembanyama take the NBA court on Wednesday. Since the NBA draft in June, collectors have already been chasing Victor’s cards in various Topps releases.  Wembanyama is the third #1 overall pick in Spurs history, and he will have to live up to the careers of Hall of Famers David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997), who both won multiple championships in San Antonio. Which Wemby cards will you be chasing during his rookie campaign?

Max Verstappen is driving circles around the competition 

This past weekend, Max Verstappen claimed his 50th Formula 1 win in Austin, Texas.  At only age 26, Verstappen is already halfway to joining Lewis Hamilton as only the second driver to win 100 races.  This US Grand Prix win was also Verstappen’s 15th win of the season, which ties his own record for the most race wins in a single season. The now 3x reigning F1 Champion absolutely has his sights set on the all-time record of seven Championships held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

Rips Around the Hobby: 

10/17/23 by RIPPED

Adonis and Aubrey Graham wonder if anyone has pulled any Jordan RCs lately 

What’s Hot

 2023 Bowman Platinum Baseball Box  I 2023 Bowman U Chrome Football Hobby Box I 2023 Bowman Chrome Mega Box I 

What’s up, rippers! This week, Drake’s son, Adonis, drops a freestyle of his own, we examine an unconventional Superfractor auto, and witness an instance when someone signs their own card, and it’s worth even more money! 

  • Famous collector’s 6-year-old son drops freestyle visual 
  • Aftermarket signature on a Superfractor… yay or nay?
  • Cy Young’s own auto is up for auction 

Famous collector’s son drops “My Man Freestyle” 

File under: Nepo baby got bars. Celebrity collector Aubrey Drake Graham has something new to brag about: his son Adonis’s burgeoning rap career. Hot on the heels of the release of Drake’s eighth studio album, For All My Dogs, he released a video for his son’s song “My Man Freestyle.” Adonis freestyles over a Drake-style beat while playing basketball with his friends. This could be Drake’s best basketball moment since pulling a bunch of Jordan rookies with Ken Goldin.   

Aftermarket Spencer Jones Superfractor auto upgrade gets PSA graded 

We all love Superfractors; we all love autos; so what’s not to love about the combination?  The collector who owns the Spencer Jones non-autographed 1st Bowman Superfractor thought the card could be improved. Despite not having an autograph while pulled in the pack, this collector went right to the source to add one, having Jones sign the card before sending it to PSA to get graded. Some collectors think it is an awesome addition to add ink to this one-of-a-kind card, while others don’t agree with adding aftermarket autographs to rare cards. Which side are you on? Would you let your favorite players sign your Superfractor if given the chance?

Cy Young’s own signed 1893 card will be available for auction 


Our friends at Sports Collectors Daily have clued us into a unique and very rare Cy Young auto heading to auction. The 1893 Pifer & Becker cabinet card features Young as a member of the Cleveland Spiders and was reportedly owned and signed by Young himself. The story goes that Young mailed this card, along with other Cleveland Spiders cards, to a jeweler in the 1930s. Only six Pifer & Becker Cy Young cards are known to exist, and this is the only auto. This Young auto is thought to bring at least $250,000 at auction.   

Rips Around the Hobby: 

10/10/23 by RIPPED

What’s Hot
2023 Bowman Chrome Mega Box I 2022-23 Topps Finest UEFA Champions League | Stranger Things 4

What’s up, rippers! This week we’re taking a look at unique and unlikely Hobby collabs, and a young fan behaving wonderfully. 

  • A young ballplayer gives Bobby Witt Jr. his own card 
  • TacoFractor = a chance at free tacos for life
  • Put a lid on it – buy a hat and get a pack of cards!

MLB star Bobby Witt Jr. received a unique gift from a fan

A young baseball fan had on-field access before a Kansas City Royals game and got to meet Bobby Witt Jr.  Most fans would be asking the super slugger for an autograph, selfie, or something. Not so for this little leaguer. Knowing that Witt is an avid collector, the fan brought his own card to give to the Royals superstar.  Witt seemed thrilled with the novel interaction. We’ll keep an on eBay to see if any Little League playing cards are listed during the offseason.

Five lucky collectors can win free Taco Bell for life during the World Series 

After months of speculation, Topps spilled the beans and cheese on the inaugural TacoFractor promotion. If you hold the TacoFractor card of the player who steals the first base during the World Series or the TacoFractor Wild Card and the first player who steals the first base does not have a player card, then you could win tacos for life. That’s how you Live Más.  

Topps, Mitchell & Ness and Lids have created an exclusive set of Topps Chrome Cards

Topps, Mitchell & Ness, and Lids have partnered for a Lids-exclusive line of fitted hats inspired by Topps Chrome Cards. The collection includes four different colorways in select MLB teams and features an embroidered side patch of a pack of cards from either 1978, 1989, 1993, or 2001. Each hat includes a custom Topps Baseball hat pin and an exclusive pack of Topps Chrome cards.

Rips Around the Hobby

10/3/23 by RIPPED

Travis Scott and Michael Rubin at Wax, Packs, and Throwbacks 

What’s Hot

2023 Allen & Ginter Baseball | 2023 Topps Garbage Pail Kids: Krashers Series 4 | Stranger Things 4 – Hobby Box

Welcome back, rippers! This week, it’s all about big names doing big things throughout the Hobby. 

  • Tom Brady and some friends joined in the epic Hobby celebration of Topps Hobby Rip Night  
  • Pokémon x Van Gogh faced an army of bots and lost
  • Tyrus Raymond Cobb is still making money

On to this week’s Quick Rips! 

Tom Brady, Kevin Hart, Travis Scott, and Michael Rubin trade cards during the inaugural Topps Hobby Rip Night

The GOAT, the world-famous comedian, the “Highest in Room” rapper, and the Fanatics founder visited the Linwood, NJ, hobby shop, Wax, Packs, and Throwbacks, last Saturday as part of the nationwide Topps Hobby Rip Night event. The super friends, fans, and collectors ripped packs, traded cards, signed autos, and showed why you never know what’ll happen when you go to the hobby shop.  

  • Over 300 hobby shops participated – check out the full recap. 
  • Kevin Hart is in 2023 Topps Allen & Ginter, along with other big names

Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum merch snatched up by resellers 

File under: This is why we can’t have nice things. What should have been the collab we never knew we needed became another cautionary tale of the interwebs gone bad. Besides the merch mess, the exhibit is really cool, featuring Pikachu and friends made to look like some of Van Gogh’s signature works. The exhibit goes until January 7, so hopefully, there’ll be some restocks in the offing.

T206 Ty Cobb Green Portrait card is still stackin’ that green

As reported by Sports Collectors Daily, Goldin’s September Elite Auction concluded last Sunday, and one of three T206 Ty Cobb Green Portrait cards graded PSA 8 sold for a record $488,000. In addition to the Georgia Peach, a PSA 8.5 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie went for $207,400, and a 2018 Topps Chrome Rookie Auto Red Refractor Shohei Ohtani 5/5 earned $92,720. That’s some big money for some big-time cards.

Rips Around the Hobby

9.28.23 by RIPPED

What’s New

2023 Allen & Ginter Baseball | 2023 Bowman Chrome | 2022-23 Topps Finest UEFA Champions League | 2023 Bowman U Alabama Football

Welcome to the first RIPPED weekly newsletter, Quick Rips. Each week, we’ll spotlight some of the best, coolest, and most interesting things happening throughout the hobby. 

This week’s Hobby rips features Victor Wembanyama at his own auto redemption event, D’Angelo Russell’s son, Riley, is the “Rookie of the Year,” a photo of Lou Gehrig in the minor leagues up for auction, and some quick rips from around the hobby. 

Victor Wembanyama and the Ultimate Collector Experience was an event to remember

Topps and Fanatics Collectibles set the bar for collector events this past Saturday with the Ultimate Collector Experience in San Antonio. Collectors who had pulled the Wembanyama Green Auto Redemption card were invited to the event for the opportunity to redeem the “1st Card I ever Signed” inscribed auto. Hosted by comedian Scott Rogowsky and journalist Taylor Rooks and live-streamed on Fanatics Live, the Ultimate Collector Experience was a huge hit. Of course, the event’s big draw – literally and figuratively – was that Wemby randomly chose the winner.

D’Angelo Russell throws a “Rookie of the Year” party for his son Riley’s first birthday

Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell threw an absolute banger of a party for his son Riley’s first birthday party. This party had everything: custom Lakers jerseys, a bouncy castle, a cake smash, and more! But the show’s star – besides the birthday boy – was the custom ROY card, complete with “player bio” on the back. You’re never too young to get into the hobby. Salute to you, Mr. Russell!

Before Gehrig was an Iron Horse, he was a Senator

Our friends at Sports Collectors Daily reported on a rare pre-Yankees pic of minor leaguer Lou Gehrig as a member of the Class A Eastern League Hartford Senators. The picture surfaced as part of Heritage Auctions’ Icons Photography Auction, ending October 12. Between 1921 and 1924, Gehrig played for the Senators, Columbia University, and the Yankees before joining the Yankees for good on August 31, 1924.  

Rips Around the Hobby

 
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