More UD Carnage, the loss of USA Baseball

[cgilmo]

@toppscards Breaking: We are pleased to announce that as of today Topps is the card of USA Baseball.



According to a recent tweet by Topps, They have secured the rights to do USA cards.

 

[Jaypers]

Bring on Bryce Harper!

Rest in peace, Upper Deck.




USAB announces deal with Topps
Exclusive, multi-year agreement reunites former partners
DURHAM, N.C. -- USA Baseball and the Topps Company, the leading creator and marketer of sports cards, today announced an exclusive multi-year licensing deal to make Topps the Official Baseball Card of USA Baseball. Topps will have exclusivity on USA Baseball trademarks, logos and other intellectual property, for use on cards featuring USA Baseball players.
From 1984-93 Topps was the exclusive card manufacturer for USA Baseball, producing cards for the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team. The new agreement calls for cards, autographs and game-used equipment of USA Baseball's Collegiate, 18U and 16U National Team players to be featured in a variety of Topps products each year.

"Twenty-five years after collectors were first introduced to USA Baseball, our organization is pleased to have Topps, the industry leader, return as the exclusive home for USA Baseball trading cards," said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO. "We look forward to working closely with Topps as together we provide collectors with a look at the future of America's game on trading cards."

"Now we're the only trading card licensed by Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and USA Baseball," said Warren Friss, Vice President - General Manager of Topps Sports and Entertainment. "We are covering the game of baseball at every level."

Each year USA Baseball selects close to 60 of the best young baseball players in the country to its National Teams, giving collectors the first opportunity to see the future stars of baseball on cards. The first product release with USA Baseball content will be 2010 Bowman Baseball which will be released in May and feature cards of the 2009 Collegiate National Team and 2009 18U National Team.

In addition to the Topps sets featuring USA Baseball inserts, the annual USA Baseball National Teams Box Set will also be manufactured by Topps and will continue to be the exclusive place to get all members of the USA Baseball National Team in one set. The box set is scheduled for a December release in 2010 and in each of the remaining years of the agreement.

 

[baseballguy350]

I'll go out on a limb and say that WBC inserts in Bowman products this year will be replaced by USA inserts, in order to get Strasburg and Harper into 2010 Bowman Chrome in August.

(EDIT) Just saw the full article you posted Jaypers. Looks like Harper will be finding his way into products soon.

 

[Jaypers]

Found this. Wonder where the lower half is.

 

[mredsox89]

Found this. Wonder where the lower half is.

Get Harper and Strasburg as chrome autos into 2010 Bowman and make it a monster product

 

[ChasHawk]

And the mediocrity trains gains more steam. :lol:

 

[Jaypers]

So, now that Bowman will have USA cards (Harper), who here will be increasing their order?

 

[cgilmo]

Topps Adds USA to Their List of Products. http://www.freedomcardboard.com/?p=482

 

[NECpilgrims8]

Oh well, I guess Topps wants to screw up EVERY aspect of the hobby by years end.

Overproduction is right around the corner and a once amazing, collectible, and favorite line begins a slow death.

Thank you Topps! ::facepalm::

 

[baseballguy350]

So, now that Bowman will have USA cards (Harper), who here will be increasing their order?

2 jumbos and 1 regular case right now. I'll be interested to see if/what the change to hobby/jumbo distribution is with USA. I may try to sneak in a third jumbo, but I can't beat the price I am locked in at. I may grab another case from Blowout, or try to convince someone who was buying a third case from me at that price to just let me take it coughMikecough.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

Now in every pack of topps product: 2 WBC cards of players you don't know and don't care about AND 2 USA baseball cards of 17 year olds you don't know and don't care about.

 

[notjomommasclint]

IF they would do a sterling like USA product i would achieve a full on ******!

 

[cgilmo]

So, now that Bowman will have USA cards (Harper), who here will be increasing their order?

this probably isn't gonna hapen

 

[baseballguy350]

Now in every pack of topps product: 2 WBC cards of players you don't know and don't care about AND 2 USA baseball cards of 17 year olds you don't know and don't care about.

I will say this... While I see your overall point, I'd rather have a USA parallel of some 17 year old who I don't know, as opposed to a 25 year old prospect drafted in 2002. I truthfully think that the USA parallels will probably have more investment upside then 90% of the nonautod checklist in Bowman. I for one would be THRILLED if USA cards had the same role as WBC cards last year, and flat out replaced the WBC cards. EVERY USA card would in essence be a 1st Bowman Chrome.

People can talk all they want about the hobby, and losing UD, and confusion, and blah blah blah. Truth be told, all this announcement does is increase the rip and flip value at release. For the true prospector, and I'm not talking about the casual fan, but instead for someone who really thinks they can scout, and pluck good from bad, the 1st USA card of a stud prospect could be a great investment. It seems like adding USA cards could reward the individuals who know their shat.

Whose gold refractor in 2010 Bowman USA will be the 1985 Topps Traded USA McGwire circa 1998?

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

Almost fell off my chair, LOL.

To be fair, many people HERE might know and care who many of these guys are, or at least seem to.

But maybe in four years regular collectors will come to know one or two of all these guys, but proably not really care. By that time the people on these boards who cared about these guys initially...will not care about them anymore either.

Now in every pack of topps product: 2 WBC cards of players you don't know and don't care about AND 2 USA baseball cards of 17 year olds you don't know and don't care about.

 

[Sean_C]

In my best Eric Cartman voice...

Sweet

 

[mredsox89]

So, now that Bowman will have USA cards (Harper), who here will be increasing their order?

2 jumbos and 1 regular case right now. I'll be interested to see if/what the change to hobby/jumbo distribution is with USA. I may try to sneak in a third jumbo, but I can't beat the price I am locked in at. I may grab another case from Blowout, or try to convince someone who was buying a third case from me at that price to just let me take it coughMikecough.

If Harper and Strasburg get added it will be difficult to pass up, lol

 

[AKT74]

Never has a monopoly in any industry been a good thing to the customer.

 

[Sean_C]

True, but it's a monopoly that can be contractually revoked in afew years if they fail to produce. Plus anything that hurts UD is good as far as I'm concerned.

Never has a monopoly in any industry been a good thing to the customer.

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

They produced some memorable cards during their last monopoly.

Also, the average person won't even notice or care...its only about baseball cards.

Never has a monopoly in any industry been a good thing to the customer.