Discussing the eTopps Convention Promo Cards

Click here for a brief overview of the eTopps program.

This past week I added a couple of cool eTopps cards to my collection. As shown in the scans, the two cards appear to be "normal" eTopps cards with two exceptions. First, the cards are housed in sealed PSA-style holders, as opposed to the traditional, smaller eTopps holders. Secondly, both cards feature an embossed gold-foil logo on the fronts, informing us that these cards are "1/1 ANAHEIM." Thanks to the information strips found inside the holders, we know that these cards passed through E-Convention 4, which was held in Anaheim, California on July 29, 2006. 

These promos are apparently regular eTopps cards with the special embossing added, and a quick internet search will reveal dozens and dozens of different eTopps cards, featuring all sports, that have been struck with these kinds of foil convention logos. The Rich Gannon card is from the 2001 eTopps football set, while the Boller is from the 2003 issue. eTopps cards were not individually serial numbered those first few years of production, so I don't know for sure whether these promos do indeed count towards the published total of cards (I am guessing that they do). Speaking of totals, only 327 of the '01 Gannons were released, making this promo a nice find. The'03 Boller is from the peak year of eTopps production numbers, and a hefty 3,189 of these cards were produced. 

I would be curious to know more about these kinds of eTopps promos. I have seen several others from this same 2006 convention numbered to five, as well as several other one-of-ones. Does a checklist even exist, documenting all the different eTopps cards that were grabbed from the warehouse and stamped in this fashion? Let me say that I am aware of eTopps promotional cards that were specifically printed for these conventions. I'm mainly curious about the embossed cards that were printed well before these conventions were ever held. In this case, the 2001 Gannon and 2003 Boller were obviously printed well before the Anaheim convention in 2006.

I'm not sure if collecting these elusive gems is a route I should take, but I'd certainly be willing to add others if the price is right.

Click here to find eTopps cards on eBay

Are eTopps Prices on the Rebound?

For a brief explanation of the eTopps card program, click here.

With the increasing popularity of limited-issue insert cards that have dominated the collecting hobby since the late 1990s, one could make the case that eTopps cards never had a chance. After all, are cards with a print run of 5,000, 2,000, or even 499 really that limited? Can the hobby really absorb over five thousand 2002 Curt Schilling eTopps cards? 

Let's dwell on that '02 eTopps Schilling card for a moment... A whopping 5,190 of these were printed and sold, and based on the online eTopps price guide, the card carries a current value of 28 cents. The value of all eTopps cards are determined by taking the average price of the last ten eBay auctions, minus the highest-priced auction and the lowest-priced auction (so really the value is based on eight auctions, not ten). Here's a screenshot showing the details of the last ten '02 Schilling auctions, taken right from the eTopps website:

 

The first thing I'd like to point out is the ten auction dates listed on the left side of the box.  With all of those Curt Schilling cards floating around, surely you can find a hundred or so of these on eBay at any given time... Right?

Well, not according to the dates shown. As a matter of fact, this card has only been sold once on eBay this year! In 2014, the card was sold a mere three times, and only once in 2013! I believe one reason for this is because the low value makes it pointless to sell the card... After all, eBay fees will cost around a quarter for the auction. Another reason is because the vast majority of these cards have been collecting dust in the eTopps warehouse for thirteen years now, still owned by the collectors who paid $6.50 each when they were initially offered. I would bet that many of these card owners haven't even checked the values of their portfolios for several years now -- and who can blame them, since their cards are worth just a small fraction of what they originally paid for them. 

I do have a theory that eTopps prices have been making a modest (but growing) rebound this past year or so. The Schilling card provides a fine example, as you will notice the card selling in the 11 to 22 cent range in 2012-2013. Then, in 2014, prices began to firm up considerably with sales of 44, 31 and 75 cents. The lone 2015 auction ended at 44 cents. But what does this really mean?

While the sample size is admittedly small, it is obvious that collectors are now willing to pay more for the card when it comes available today than they were two or three years ago -- and the same can be said about countless other eTopps cards, too. Take a look Frank Gore's 2007 issue as another example. FYI, 749 of these were printed:

 

You can easily see the price difference between the bottom four auctions, which occurred in 2013 and early 2014, versus the six most recent auctions, which occurred in late 2014. I would be willing to bet that a seller today could easily get $1.99 for the card if that's the price where they started the bidding.

I haven't even mentioned how nice these cards are. Seeing photos of eTopps cards online may give one a glimpse of the design, but these cards must be seen in person to fully appreciate the colorful foil and deep glossy surfaces.  Many modern-era card collectors rank eTopps right at the top for quality, thanks to the company's premium visual and construction elements.

Does anyone else believe that eTopps prices are on the rebound, specifically on the cards valued at a dollar or less? I believe that current and future collectors of the Topps brand will have an interest in these cards, and the "fire sale" will soon be coming to an end. It would be foolish to expect the 2002 Curt Schilling card to head back up to $6.50... But for 28 cents?

I'll take five of 'em.

Click here to find eTopps cards on eBay

What is the eTopps Program?

If you're a collector of oddball sports cards, the eTopps program may be of interest to you. For those not familiar with the program, let me offer a brief explanation.

Back in 2000, Topps decided to try something new... the blending of high-end sportscards and online trading. This was accomplished by creating their eTopps website (www.etopps.com), which is the place where several things happen. First, this is where collectors go to register their personal accounts. Once registered, each collector is given free access to their online "portfolio," which is where they can view the cards they own, each card's current value, and even the price history of any eTopps card. The eTopps website also has a trading post where collectors can wheel and deal with others, trading eTopps cards in and out of their online portfolios. 

Before I get ahead of myself, I should mention the nature of these cards. Topps produced beautiful, physical cards from 2000 to 2011 for the eTopps program. These new cards entered the market through the eTopps website, where they were made available for sale for limited amounts of time. Interested collectors placed their orders for the cards right through the website, and a short time later the newly purchased cards would show up in their portfolios. Basically, physical cards were purchased but not shipped -- unless a collector wanted them shipped. What this meant (and still means today) is that these cards can easily be traded back and forth with anyone registered on the eTopps website. And thanks to an arrangement with eBay that has been in place since day one, card owners can still sell any and all cards in their portfolio right on the popular auction site with the click of a button. Upon an auction's end, payment is made to the seller and the card is simply transferred to the new owner's portfolio.

If a collector wants to take physical possession of a card (known as "in hand"), they can contact eTopps, pay a shipping fee, and have the cards delivered right to their door. Keep in mind that once a card is in circulation, it is no longer eligible for direct online trading or price tracking on the eTopps website. Of course, the benefit of taking physical delivery of these cards is the ability to enjoy them in person, and anyone interested in obtaining some of these "in hand" gems can find them scattered here and there at card shows, card shops and internet auction sites.

As noted above, Topps unfortunately printed their last eTopps cards in late 2011 when they released the 37 cards comprising their final yearly football set. Interest in the cards had sunk to a new low after twelve years of steady releases, and as a result many of the later cards were released with production runs lower than 500 -- very modest numbers for non-insert cards.

So what's the status of the eTopps program these days? 

Though the last sports card ran off the press a few years ago, the website is still chugging along with several active features still intact -- namely the trade post, checklists (price guides) and individual portfolios. Unfortunately, the eTopps message board and a popular "games" section were closed down some time ago. A small but dedicated group of eTopps enthusiasts can be found trading on the site today, swapping cards worth anywhere from a quarter on up (it's really quite addicting). 

I have bought, sold and traded eTopps cards since 2006, and I'm definitely a huge fan. Anyone looking to acquire nice cards at a great price should consider heading over to www.eTopps.com and getting started! It's free to register, and then purchasing a few eTopps cards off of eBay would be the next step. All it takes is one card in your portfolio to join the ranks of potential traders!

My next blog post will examine the cards further, and I'll make the case that these classy gems are making a comeback.

Click here to find eTopps cards on eBay