NEED QUICK OPINIONS... PRIZES FOR CONSTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS...

[matchpenalty]

A. I would much rather see a metal on card Ichiro auto.

A lot of collectors are tired of the game used crap on cards. Keep whatever game used you have as a full jersey and use it as a redemption in some product.

 

[BBCgalaxee]

Honestly, I wouldn't have said anything and just not packed them out.

then, a week after its released and none surface, just post that often the best cards don't hit ebay right away and we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

A few days later, after everyone has long trashed their boxes, announce that the cards were damaged and offer an empty box redemption.

But if the above isn't am option, I would much rather choose B

 

[matchpenalty]

Can FCB members read or figure anything out on their own? I'm sure the deal to get Ichiro to sign new cards is to return the damaged ones. I'm sure BG would love to do something with damaged ones, but can't. Ichiro people aren't dumb. BG said it is either A or B. Not a combination of both. So all the genius here saying do both, go back and learn how to read.

 

[IndyManning18]

Brian,

I picked option B before reading the pros and cons from fellow members. If I could take back that vote and vote for "A", I would. The Exquisite wouldn't seem to be a part of the original set and that would frustrate set collectors. Would it look cool? Hell yes, but I say stick with the original idea and save the patches for another set. Just my two cents.

Collect Hard,

JMK

 

[TwinsWin]

I voted option B for the fact it has a quicker turn around for the redemption.

What kind of damage did the original cards get??

 

[Leaf]

OK..... this was just made much easier for me.

I was just notified two things:
1> Metal cards cannot be run digitally, thus we would have to pair it up with a future metal job. This would mean that we could not print replacement metal cards until late December.
2> Ichiro will be leaving the country November 1st and will be unable to sign cards after that date until sometime in 2012.

In addition:
Ichiro will be signing replacement cards and we are being forced to return all damaged cards (except for a single card which I am being allowed to keep for card library purposes).
We are NOT allowed to use these damaged cards in any capacity.

Therefore, while I know it is a tough call, we feel the right decision is to print unique Oversize Swatch premium Patch autos with ON CARD signatures. This is going to cost us FAR MORE money than printing replacement metal would. However I feel I must do this for several reasons:

1> I cannot put redemptions in packs that I cannot forsee getting signed within 60 days.
2> The Metal card was NOT numerically numbered as part of the "set" and he was the ONLY established star in the product. For that reason, I do not think he would have been considered part of the base set (plus he is quite short printed compared to the rest of the players).
3> We are able to produce quality Patch Auto cards relatively quickly and are able to do a signing with ICHIRO BEFORE he leaves the county, which cuts redemption time to less than 45 days!!!
4> Despite the fact that this will cost us over $10,000 to correct using the Patch cards, I am confident these cards will bring a substantial premium over the Metal autos PLUS these cards will be ground breaking as Ichiro has NEVER had a premium patch auto like this.

I know some purists will disagree with this call, but I have to do what I think best serves all of our customers.

I refuse to put damaged cards in the pack and expect collectors to "deal with it".
I refuse to just drop him off the checklist (and hide behind subject to change).

I am taking lemons and making lemonade. While this lemonade is damn expensive, it is going to taste better than any Ichiro Lemonade to date.

I am not happy with being faced with this difficult task/decision, but I feel I am doing what is best for my customers and maximizes value for my customers.

The good news is: THE VALIANT AUTOGRAPHS ARE FINE.
If you want a standard Ichiro autograph with lots of parallels, Valiant is for you.
If you want the highest end Ichiro autograph card to date, the Ultimate Ichiro redemptions in Metal will be for you.

Thanks for your input. I wish I would have had more choices to weigh the above, but the production and player shcedule issues above made the decision for me.

Thanks for your understanding and I sincerely hope I am acting in the way I think best serves our customers and their investments in our product
BG

P.S.- THE PATCH DATABASE WILL BE ON OUR WEBSITE!!!! (THIS PREMIERES WITH PETE ROSE PATCHES!!!!)

 

[CAROLINA BOSOX]

Option B would be great as long as you don't have him sign the patch like Ultimate did a couple of years ago.

 

[gt2590]

Thanks for the explanation B.

And Nice job on putting the Patch database somewhere where collectors can access it!

 

[Superfractor]

Was that one card you were able to keep, the superfractor?



Either choice would have been fine, and I'm sure collectors will be happy with the over-sized patch-au. cards.

 

[Boylen33]

I read through the first couple pages of comments and stopped, so I may simply be restating what has already been said. But why can't both the damaged autos and the jumbo-patch autos be included in the product? I really don't think destroying an Ichiro card, even if damaged, is the best way to go.

Someone mentioned maybe including the damaged card as an randomly inserted box-topper, and I think that's a pretty darn good idea. From my perspective, it would be an added bonus to the product. Now, instead of only one possible Ichiro auto, you have two possible Ichiro autos, with one being an auto'd jumbo-sized relic version . I really think it would go a long way in making this product even more successful.

Ichiro autos are hard to come by, obviously, and they can be a bit pricey-- thus, not everyone may be able to afford one. So I would say there would be a good percentage of collectors who would love to have an Ichiro auto, even if it is damaged. Of course, the damaged cards may be damaged to a level that they aren't even presentable. But if we are talking a small crease or a couple bent corners, I personally would still love to have one.

Someone also mentioned making cuts out of the autos. I think that is also a great idea if the damage is not on the autographs themselves. The cuts could be inserted into Metal as a redemption our could be used in another product.

Either way, if the damaged autos are at all salvageable, I don't see any good reason to destroy them. I really think inserting the patch autos as redemptions and the damaged autos as random box-toppers is a good idea.

As for the aspect of redemptions, 45-90 days isn't a long wait in my opinion, not when you consider the horror stories of wait time with Topps. I, as many others here, have redemptions from Topps that are 120+ days outstanding. Many here have redemptions that are much further outstanding that that.

Ichiro autos are huge for Leaf. Metal and all subsequent baseball products will be all the more successful because of them. But I really think incorporating both into Metal would be huge.

 

[Leaf]

Was that one card you were able to keep, the superfractor?



Either choice would have been fine, and I'm sure collectors will be happy with the over-sized patch-au. cards.

No, just a Base auto...
Thanks for the support...
BG

 

[Leaf]

Option B would be great as long as you don't have him sign the patch like Ultimate did a couple of years ago.

No, he will siogn the card.
BG

 

[Erich]

What happened to the cards damage wise?

So the Super is damaged as well?

 

[Boylen33]

Scratch my idea. Just read that you have to return the damaged cards. Darn.

With that, I believe the oversized jumbo patch autos are the way to go. Seriously. If given the choice, would someone rather have a regular auto or a jumbo patch auto? Unless someone just despises GU items, I think the choice is obvious, and I think you are making the right decision.

 

[Greg Cleveland]

Ichiro's travel schedule is something nobody thought to consider. Makes a big difference with planning! Either way, I think Ichiro fans will be happy. Maybe you could call it the "Lemonade Set." Sort of an inside joke, known only to FCBers.

 

[Leaf]

I read through the first couple pages of comments and stopped, so I may simply be restating what has already been said. But why can't both the damaged autos and the jumbo-patch autos be included in the product? I really don't think destroying an Ichiro card, even if damaged, is the best way to go.

Someone mentioned maybe including the damaged card as an randomly inserted box-topper, and I think that's a pretty darn good idea. From my perspective, it would be an added bonus to the product. Now, instead of only one possible Ichiro auto, you have two possible Ichiro autos, with one being an auto'd jumbo-sized relic version . I really think it would go a long way in making this product even more successful.

Ichiro autos are hard to come by, obviously, and they can be a bit pricey-- thus, not everyone may be able to afford one. So I would say there would be a good percentage of collectors who would love to have an Ichiro auto, even if it is damaged. Of course, the damaged cards may be damaged to a level that they aren't even presentable. But if we are talking a small crease or a couple bent corners, I personally would still love to have one.

Someone also mentioned making cuts out of the autos. I think that is also a great idea if the damage is not on the autographs themselves. The cuts could be inserted into Metal as a redemption our could be used in another product.

Either way, if the damaged autos are at all salvageable, I don't see any good reason to destroy them. I really think inserting the patch autos as redemptions and the damaged autos as random box-toppers is a good idea.

As for the aspect of redemptions, 45-90 days isn't a long wait in my opinion, not when you consider the horror stories of wait time with Topps. I, as many others here, have redemptions from Topps that are 120+ days outstanding. Many here have redemptions that are much further outstanding that that.

Ichiro autos are huge for Leaf. Metal and all subsequent baseball products will be all the more successful because of them. But I really think incorporating both into Metal would be huge.

I appreciate the feedback. As explained above, we must return the damaged cards to Ichiro in order for replacements to be signed.
I am confident our decision is best under the circumstances. Valiant autos are safe and sound which is at least a bit of good news. BG

 

[Leaf]

What happened to the cards damage wise?

So the Super is damaged as well?

Most of the cards are damaged. Too few of them are usable to salvage.
The issues were related to how they were shipped within the packing boxes.
BG

 

[Leaf]

prizes will be awarded in the am... too tired to think right now... Its been a hard day... BG

 

[ThoseBackPages]

why werent YOU there for the signing, and bringing them home yourself?

 

[Leaf]

why werent YOU there for the signing, and bringing them home yourself?

In retrospect, you are correct. I am the ******* of the year!
I was just in Italy for 10 days. The company that handles Ichiro exclusively handled the signing. It was truly just a freak accident.
I will be at our final ALI signing next week doing exactly what you said.
BG