The origin of Wax Heaven was a blog called ‘Canseco Completist’, a site dedicated to scanning and talking about all 1,000+ Jose Canseco cards in my collection. After just a few posts, the blog started talking about subjects other than Jose and it took off from there.
Well, it’s time to start my project again and with a few years to work on my delivery, try to make it interesting even for the non-Jose Canseco fans and collectors (and there’s a lot of you). Below is my review of Jose Canseco’s base card from 2014 Topps Stadium Club.
Why This Card Matters
Well, it doesn’t to most collectors. It’s a base card, as far as I know it’s not a short-print. There are other parallels, most which look much nicer than this particular card. The only ones who will like pulling this card will be set collectors, player collectors, and maybe nostalgia seekers who don’t have a 100% negative perspective of the once great Cuban-born, 1988 MVP.
Are There Better Cards to Pull?
Absolutely. For starters, there are several parallels. For me, the Rainbow parallel #’d to 25 is the one I would go after and one recently sold on eBay for just under $10.00.
As for the big pull from 2014 Stadium Club, it’s an on-card autograph, which also has parallels. The ones #’d to 50 have sold for under $40 which is a great price for a licensed, on card autograph. A 1/1 sold for $240 dollars which we can all agree is an insane price. However, the only person more crazy than Jose Canseco are Jose Canseco super collectors.
Is There Any History with Stadium Club and Jose?
Well, yes and maybe no. Jose appeared in Stadium Club’s first ever release back in 1991. Unfortunately for Topps, Upper Deck took the ball in 1989 and ran with it for a long time. It wasn’t until Finest and refractor technology was introduced that Topps began making a push for the top (no pun intended). So while Stadium Club is considered a classic brand, it’s still not one of their elite brands, in my humble opinion.
But What About the Card?!?
Okay, let’s look at the design and photograph itself.The design itself works well and sticks to the Stadium Club look and feel of the past, including the first two years (1991, 1992). It features an action shot of Jose most likely taken during his 1991 season. My one and only complaint is that Topps may be using a little too much Photoshop filter on these cards making them look more like an Instagram photo and less like a classy shot taken for a 78-year old card company.
The blame lies squarely on Topps Company. It had been over 5 long years since I opened a box of trading cards. Just around the time my love for The Hobby died, along with my card blog, Wax Heaven.
A lot has happened since 2009. Not just in my life but to the card blogging community, and even to the hobby of collecting trading cards. I won’t pretend I know a damn thing anymore because the truth is I know about 2% of current players and maybe 5% of 2013-2015 brands.
Back in its heyday, Wax Heaven was an active community where you could find reviews, box breaks, commentary, and some of the best card related discussions on the web.
My goal for the years that I engulfed myself in trading cards was to bring back the days of 90’s style inserts and to bring awareness to the plight of Jose Canseco collectors who were stuck picking up piece of crap, unlicensed releases for the better part of a decade.
As you can read in my previous post, Wax Heaven lost the battle in 2009 but in the end WE WON THE WAR. Thanks to Jose’s return to REAL baseball cards my interest slowly began coming back until it reached the point that I could no longer contain myself.
Below is my review of 2014 Topps Stadium Club from a hobby box provided by Topps Company.
Design:B+
I’ve been a collector and fan of Stadium Club since the very first release back in the early early 90s. To me, they were Topps’ answer to Upper Deck’s high-end baseball cards. If you ask me, Upper Deck won that battle hands down but Stadium Club was still always one of my favorite Topps products.
I always felt Stadium Club came through on the photography and in the late 90s, die-cut inserts. Having opened a full box today I feel a bit let down as I was expecting unbelievable photos. Sure, some action shots were great but others did come off a bit uninspired. That being said, Stadium Club’s worst day is still better than many brands’ best.
Price: A-
The low price tag may be the best thing about 2014 Stadium Club. I am seeing sealed boxes sell anywhere from $52-$65 on eBay. For 90 cards, 3 on-card autographs, and some great parallels … that’s exactly the price point I would like to see, It certainly could bring some collectors who walked away back to The Hobby. I would buy a box of Stadium Club over Topps’ flagship 10 out of 10 times.
That being said, it’s easy to rave about a box of trading cards I didn’t spend my hard-earned money on so that may be one venue I will have to explore in 2015. Still, you will never find angry, hate-filed reviews on my site because this is after all, just a hobby.
Inserts/Parallels/Hits: B-
This may come off as a bit of a shock but I found the three die-cut cards in the box lackluster in the design department. Of the three I pulled, I liked the Luminous the best (Buster Posey).
I pulled 1 Rainbow Foil parallel (Jay Bruce, #’ to 25) which is hands down my favorite of the base card parallels. As for the autographed goodies, they look great although maybe the autograph space is a bit too large. I pulled a Troy Tulowitzki #’d to 25, an Erik Johnson, and a redemption auto of Mike Zunino.
Overall - There are two things you should know about me and my review of 2014 Stadium Club. One, I am a Topps fan and have been since day one, which was in 1989 in case you’re wondering. Two, Stadium Club is not my favorite Topps product. To this day, I am forever a Topps Finest man. However, this brand, in my opinion, packs a nice punch for its price tag and even if I had not received the box for free, it would be one of the first products I would purchase were I to start collecting again (I am not as of yet).
If you’re looking for high-end, you won’t find much of it it here unless you get very lucky but there’s just enough flash, enough good to great photography, and autographs to please most collectors. I may be five years removed from collecting and following what’s been going on but back in 2009 I did not see many (or any) products that offered 3 autographs (and on-card no less) for under $100 dollars.
Below are scans of some of the cards pulled today. They will all be given away on Twitter next week. To be eligible, all you gotta do is Tweet or re-Tweet this review.
During Wax Heaven’s heyday, I had three goals as a sports card blogger; bring attention to the magic of 90’s Pinnacle Brands releases, create nostalgia for the greatest insert of all-time in Crusade, and to save Jose Canseco’s name in The Hobby.
The original Wax Heaven blog ran from 2007 to late 2009, hit a million views, and had a huge following among collectors and hobby insiders. Unfortunately, I never got to personally witness many of my own crusades as I was long gone BUT …
Pinnacle Brands made a comeback, so did Crusade. Now, Jose Canseco is FINALLY back where he belongs, in LICENSED MLB products. Sorry, but all the unlicensed crap I’ve had to “collect” since Jose’s final logo card was trash. This 2014 Topps Tribute is a beauty.
The autograph is on-card and the photo features Jose in the peak of his greatness. My guess is this photograph comes circa ‘90 because in 1989 Jose’s mullet was shockingly long and by '91 his head had grown at least 25% in size.
Thank you, Topps Company, for finally bringing Jose Canseco home.
There was a time shortly after the 1988 baseball season ended that Jose Canseco was seen as the second-coming of Babe Ruth. As ridiculous as that may sound today, it was a real thought put out by real journalists who had seen Jose Canseco play the game since late-85.
I remember seeing a magazine in the late-80s with Jose swinging for the fences. The headline? “Ruth, Mantle, Canseco?”. The truth was that while Jose hadn’t yet had his huge Ruth/Mantle like season (and never would), he appeared to be better than both those guys at least after his unanimous ‘88 season.
Not only did this guy look and play like a baseball God, he also had the swag and lived the rock n’ roll lifestyle of fast cars and faster women including a drop-dead gorgeous Madonna in her prime before she got all wrinkly and annoying. This man literally had the world in his finger tips and all before reaching the age of 25.
Fast-forward to 2013. The man is STILL a baseball pariah, is dead-broke, and pretty much lives off his Twitter fame. Sadly, the man doesn’t realize that more people are laughing at him than with him. What is even more sad is the fact that at age 50, Jose still thinks he can play professional ball.
Now, let’s look at this 1987 Topps baseball card of Mr. 40-40. It is a very iconic photograph of the then 22-year old Jose after he smacked 31 home runs for the Oakland A’s. Much like most of what Topps put out that year, it is pretty much worthless but is a must-have for any of the 6 Canseco collectors left out there.
Okay, if we played a game called M.L.B’s ‘Name that Crime’, there would be some easy answers on the board. For example, say Jose Canseco. I’d immediately name stalking or aggravated battery. Back in the days he was known for speeding in his custom Jaguar XJS-V12 but it’s 2013 and with Jose’s only presence being Twitter, it is likely he is riding down the highways of California tweeting out selfies of himself on a Huffy.
To me, Otis Nixon was always that guy. Collectors know what I’m talking about. Not quite a common (close, though) but nowhere near a mid-level semi-star.The guy had a knack for stealing bases but really, that was about all he did in his 17 years of playing the greatest sport on the planet (next to boxing). Well, now his name is back in the headlines for getting busted with a crack pipe (and the rock, too).
His fool-proof excuse? That pesky son of his owned it all and he was just being a good daddy and disposing of it. No word yet on how he was planning on disposing of it, although the weaving in and out of traffic lends itself to a theory on the matter. I remember one time I caught my daughter sneaking Oreos into her room and having to confiscate it and dispose of it, just like Otis did.
Can’t quite remember what I did with them, though …
C'mon, guys. We get it. You are upset, resentful even, because this guy single-handedly took on the “MLB Mafia” and outed beloved cash cows like Mark McGuire. It’s time to move on. I’m not here to talk about the past.
It’s been over a decade. I don’t expect to see Jose Canseco in anything MLB-related for the rest of my life and quite honestly, I am okay with that. What I am not okay with is non-licensed baseball cards.
I don’t want to age myself too much here BUT … I started collecting in the late-80’s.Back then, unlicensed cards were considered junk next to Upper Deck, Topps, Donruss, etc. Unlicensed = oddball = JUNK.
For the past 5+ years, all Canseco collectors have been given is junk. Furthermore, with the exception of Leaf’s buyback card released last year, there has not been one single memorable item for Jose fans to pick up.
Sure, put anything fancy on a Canseco card and there will always be collectors with too much money to burn picking it up but how about something great, something one of a kind, something OFFICIAL?
I know many collectors have their beef with Topps Company right now and in some cases, I most certainly agree … but if your favorite player was relegated to Tristar, Upper Deck, and Leaf for the past half a decade you’d be itching for a little Refractor goodness.
Don’t get me wrong, licensed is sure as hell better than nothing at all but for a casual collector like myself who owns over 1,000 different cards, none of these releases with the exception of the buyback has piqued my interest enough to pull out my wallet.
1992 was the year Bowman became an elite product in The Hobby. Topps, resurrected the vintage brand in 1989 but didn’t do much for them with their over-sized debut and somewhat bland efforts in ‘90 & '91.
By 1992, Bowman became a big player thanks to a smaller than usual print run, some BIG prospects, and a great design. Still, not everything was perfect. Some of the player photographs were unusually cheesy, even by 1992 standards.
Below is one such card, featuring former closer, Ugueth Ulysses Urbina. Baseball cards should never, ever look like this. For starters, Ugueth looks more like a model for Cuban Vogue on this card then a guy who would lead the league in Saves in 1999.
In case anyone is wondering where Urbina has been the past few years, he’s been in prison. You see, one day Ugueth came home and began chasing his employees with machetes and attempting to light them on fire.
Well, in case any team is looking for pitching … Urbina was just released from prison for “good behavior” and is planning on making a comeback. Hey, if Manny Ramirez can do it, why not “Uggy”?
Be honest, you probably didn’t buy a lot of packs of Select Certified in 1996. Select had been around a few years by then but never really caught on, despite being the brand to debut the legendary Dufex technology.
Select Certified was as high-end as you could find in 1996. I found a few shops that carried the packs, which would run you about $8 dollars. In return you were rewarded with arguably one of the best-designed cards of the year.
Pinnacle, who produced Select Certified, knew collectors wanted parallels and included 6 in the product, an unheard of number at the time. The Mirror Gold (pictured below) were the toughest to find at a 1:300 pack ratio.
Take a guess at what the card below sold for. There is no serial numbering. No certified autographs. No cut-up pieces of memorabilia. The card below, which has a print run of 30, sold for an astonishing $1,236.11!!!
That’s a pretty big score. Unfortunately, unopened wax of ‘96 Select Certified is tough to find but if you do run into some, pick it up. Not only will you find some of the nicest looking cards of 1996, you just might strike Card Board Gold.
I have been watching trading cards all year long, even when I went months from blogging at the now deceased, Wax Morgue. I see a lot of the same coming from manufacturers. Autographs, Swatches/Patches, Parallels, Bat/Barrell relics, etc.
There is just not a lot of new innovations in The Hobby but there is one card that has caught my eye and I am giving it the non-existent 'Card of the Year’ award to. None other than Mike Tyson’s 2012 Leaf Inscriptions “I Want To Eat Your Children” card.
Epic doesn’t begin to describe the pure awesome this card oozes. For one, you have an autograph of a true boxing and pop culture LEGEND. Two, you have a moment perfectly captured on card board without the unnecessary and ridiculous “video card” technology.
Want to make Panini’s video cards obsolete? Click this link from your computer, Xbox360, smart phone, or any other device that has access to the Internet. This Leaf card shows that you can still capture greatness with nothing more than a photograph and an autograph.
As for that crazy moment from Tyson’s storied career; it came immediately after a knockout victory, days after the death of a close friend, and while Mike was on medication to battle depression and anxiety. What did you expect?
Since then, Mike Tyson has gotten his act together, appeared in two hilarious comedies (well, just one really), and is even doing speaking tours. Many predicted an early death for the former Heavyweight Champion but things have turned out pretty nicely for Mike.
This card in question, released just this month, sold for $375 dollars on eBay a few days ago. To see some of the other crazy, funny, and outrageous autographs from 2012 Leaf Inscriptions, click HERE.
My personal favorite is Jose Canseco signing “The Chemist”.
Brian Gray of Leaf Trading Cards has a long track history of making huge announcements. That is why I was so excited when I read on Twitter that he had a big one coming this past Friday. I waited around all day, letting my imagination take control.
In case anyone is in denial, it’s pretty obvious that there is a nostalgia movement in The Hobby, something that I feel I began pushing when Wax Heaven was a voice for the collector. Pinnacle Brands is back, 1990 Leaf has returned, etc.
It was a safe bet that Brian’s big announcement was some old school acquisition of sorts. My guess, hope, and wish was that Brian found the mysterious, missing Crusade printer that created the most beloved inserts of all-time.
You see, while Crusade has been brought back several times (to nosuccess), the original cards have never been properly recreated thanks to the company who made them losing the only printer that could make them, or so the legend goes.
Here I was on Friday night, expecting Brian to announce that he found the mythical printer or at least a few of the manufacturers who built the damn thing and that 2013 would be the official debut of Leaf Krusade (due to copyright stuff).