Upper Deck's Huge New Sports Card Memorabilia Release

If you value baseball cards, you are going to love this! Upper Deck is releasing the largest set of sports card memorabilia ever. The set is called “The Yankee Stadium Legacy” and each card will depict a game played in Yankee Stadium as well as memorable players and events. Since Yankee Stadium is hosting its last regular season in 2009, there is no better time to honor it’s role in baseball.

If you are thinking about collecting the entire set, be warned. Cards will be inserted in several different Upper Deck products. Only a very determined and lucky collector will be able to get their hands on every card. Sets that are hard to put together are a gift and a curse to collectors. You’ll pull your hair out trying to get the card you need, but the card you have doubles of could be the one another collector is looking for. You never know what your baseball cards worth could be. The only reasonable way to collect this entire set is to go online and browse items for sale or trade. It is a waiting game, but in the end you might have the set you’ve been dreaming of.

I know all about this struggle, my Fiance is always online searching for cards to complete his sets, one card he’s really had a hard time finding is a Lance Berkman 2007 Bowman Heritage card with a certain color boarder and a serial number. I doubt he is the only one. What cards are you searching for out there?

By Jamie.

PSA Graded Baseball Card Collection

I was browsing on iTaggit today and I found a cool collection of sports card memorabilia I thought you might enjoy checking out. User Beanbone has a collection of about 20 baseball cards worth over $150.00. The cards range in price from around $5.00 to $40.00, and feature baseball legends like Kirby Puckett, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman.

The collection also features more controversial cards including a Roger Clemens card. All the problems Clemens has recently landed himself in could hurt the value baseball cards featuring him hold. I’d probably be looking to unload that card while I still could. Only time will tell though, it might be wise to hold on to cards featuring players effected by the Mitchell Report. If controversy doesn’t kill value, it boosts it. Just look at the Bill Ripken FF error card. I’m sure when that card first came out, people weren’t running out to buy it, now it is one of the most valuable cards in Beanbone’s collection.

So many different kinds of collectors focus solely on errors. Does anyone know of any other interesting error collectibles out there? Let me know!

By Jamie.

Valentine's Day Gift Panic?

If you haven't found that perfect Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie, don't worry there is still time! I know we've all gotten a gift that looks like the person picked it up on the way home. It is the thought that counts but sometimes you just
can't imagine what they were thinking. Waiting until the last minute doesn't have to mean a bad gift. If you don't know where to begin, try thinking outside the box this year, instead of candy, flowers or dinner check out the ideas I've compiled for you.
For Him:

• If your man is messy why not hire someone to clean his apartment? Coming home to a fresh clean home will be just what he needs to focus on a romantic evening for the two of you. If he is pretty clean on his own maybe he just needs someone to organize collections that he hasn't had time to focus on. I know my fiance has a collection of baseball cards that really needs to be organized and displayed properly. He'd love it if I took care of that for him.
• Maybe your guy's passion is comic books. If he already has an extensive collection of graphic novels, you can look into finding out the worthof comics he owns through comic book appraisals. If he doesn't have a collection, find out which books or characters he loved the most growing up, and start one for him. Check the Marvel Comics website for popular titles.
• If your boyfriend loves working with his hands, look in to getting him a tool set. It is the perfect gift to help him complete all of his projects. If you can't fit an entire set into your budget, get him a single high quality tool and get it engraved with his initials. For future holidays, you can buy him additional tools and eventually he'll have a high quality personalized set. This one works out for you too since he might become Mr. Handyman.
• For the sports nut in your life, why not try sports card memorabilia? Every sport has a set of cards these days, so it won't be hard to find something he'll love. Budget won't be a problem on this gift, you can easily find baseball cards worth hundreds, or if that is too pricey you can find cards for less than a dollar. Maybe your boyfriend doesn't really value baseball cards, don't worry! There are tons of other kinds of sports memorabilia out there. An autographed jersey or maybe even just a shirt with his favorite team's logo would make him happy and sports stuff is just so easy to find.

For Her:

• If your girlfriend is the sentimental type, why not find out what her favorite childhood toy was and buy it for her. A vintage toy is a sweet way to show her how well you know her. They are easy to find in antique stores and on the web. When I was a little girl, I had a my little pony named Ember. It would melt my heart if a guy bought that for me.
• If you are on a tight budget a sweet and inexpensive gift is a photo collage of the two of you. You can print the photos yourself and put them in a discount frame, or if you have the means, you can have it put together at a frame shop or by a local artist. Either way, your lady will be impressed by your thoughtful gift!
• Jewelry is usually a safe bet for Valentine's day, but it doesn't have to be brand new or cost two months salary for your girl to love it. Interesting and beautiful jewelry can be found easily in antique stores. Don't be afraid that the antiques prices will be too high, jewelry from several eras can be found at inexpensive prices. Some of the most fashionable periods right now are Edwardian, Art Deco and Art Nouveau.
• A gift that would be perfect for any lady in your life is an outing with you. Personalize the trip to her interests. If she likes drama, buy two tickets to a play. If music is her thing, why not a concert? If she loves animals take her to the zoo, just get creative and think of a place where the two of you can spend time together doing something fun and interesting. There is no greater gift than time with someone you love!

Hopefully this list has given you some ideas for treating your loved one this holiday. You don't have to roam the aisles full of candy boxes and singing stuffed animals, find something he or she can really treasure forever! They'll never know you waited until the last minute if you put real thought into your gift.

That is my take on great Valentine's day gifts, but I could be wrong about all of this. Maybe diamonds really are a girls best friend. Maybe a giant teddy bear balloon is what you were dreaming of. Let me know if I'm a genius, or if my ideas are crazy. I'd also love to hear the best and worst gifts given to you by your sweetie.

America's Pastime

If you value baseball cards and love politics then 2008 Topps has the collectible item for you. They’ve decided to include twelve Presidential Candidate cards in their regular baseball card line. Six Democrats and six Republicans have been selected.

Front runners, Obama, Clinton and McCain are sure to be the most sought after cards, but unfortunately for collectors the candidate set will not be sold separately. One card will be available in every ninth pack of twelve cards, so if you’re looking to build a set you might want to check the web.

This isn’t your usual sports card memorabilia, but that doesn’t make it any less collectible. This year is a historically notable election year, with candidates including an African American and a Female.

Some of the cards feature candidates that have already dropped out of the race but don’t worry, who knows what these candidates will go on to do in the future! Al Gore lost his race for President, but now he’s a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Imagine what his baseball cards worth would be.

Super Bowl XLII’s Giant Upset

This years’ Super Bowl was fated to go down in history books no matter the outcome. Had the Patriots won, they would have achieved a perfect season, only the second in NFL history. To their dismay history has been written another way. The New York Giants achieved one of the most significant upsets in sporting history when they beat the Patriots with a score of 17-14.

Interestingly, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with over 97 million viewers, and the second-most-watched TV show in the U.S. second only to the 1983 M*A*S*H series finale.

Football memorabilia collectors should be on the lookout for Super Bowl XLII memorabilia, Giants memorabilia, and Eli Manning memorabilia right now because items tied to this historic game are likely to hold their value for many years to come. Since he was named the Super Bowl MVP, items Eli autographed will be particularly sought after.