March Madness Card Company Finale

The March Madness Card Company Finals were a back and forth battle that had forced a tie and went into overtime that ran for 12-hours yesterday.

What happened in those 12 hours, well, a back and forth battle that eventually ended in yet another tie.

Here is how I am going to end it, I know I said I didn't want a tie, but I feel the fans have left me no choice with a downed amount of votes yesterday and the ending the same.

In the first annual March Madness Card Company Finals, we will end in a tie.

Panini America and Topps will share a championship this year. Unless you guys want to try one more day of voting? If so, leave your plead in comments below.

To recap this years,  I was a bit surprised how Topps almost didn't make it this far with a barely defeat in the first round to Upper Deck and then almost losing to SA-GE. I was also shocked how fast Leaf exited and how far SA-GE made it. Cryptozoic made some noise along the way and almost came back to beat Panini to be in the finals. It would have been interesting to see if they matched up with Topps instead of Panini whether Topps could have beaten them.

What will happen next year? Well, a lot of things may shift the voters with so many licensing changes ahead. Panini grabbing the NASCAR license and snatched the NFL one away that may hurt Topps. But, with so many baseball card enthusiasts and Topps fans, we could eventually look at another tie if they meet again. However, with other companies on the rise it will make things tighter.

I think what really matters is where the match-ups fall in a competition like this. That will play the biggest role and will be interesting to see next year how that goes.

Thanks to everyone who took a second out to vote. I am looking forward to doing this again next year.

8 Hours Remain

8 hours remain to the Card Company March Madness Finals battle between Panini America and Topps. We currently are locked in a tie! Who can break this tie you ask, well, you guys.

Go to the right hand of the blog, click on the best OVERALL company, not one you love or hate, and click vote. It's that simple. Take advantage of your right to vote.

If using a mobile device, please view the blog in web version. It's the only way you can see where to vote.

Thanks for your time and enjoy the rest of your evening.

Card Company March Madness Finals!

I think we all knew who would be in this final match-up, the two current giants of the industry, the Goliath vs the Goliath.Top of Topps. See what I did there.

The first ever Card Company March Madness final will be Panini America vs Topps.

But, it almost didn't happen. Topps barely snuck by Upper Deck by a miracle last minute vote. Then had a four vote lead over SA-GE before narrowly escaping by one vote. Panini, had 90% of the vote early on vs Cryptozoic, but they upped their game and came back within 3 votes. It's been a crazy last couple of weeks with a few upsets along the way, but it's time to see who the real champion is now.

Oh and thanks to Cryptozoic and SA-GE for their participation in this March Madness and their near meet up in the finals. Will see you guys next year.

Just like in previous voting situations, go to the right of the blog, take a second and vote for who is the best card company of them all. And like I said from the beginning, make sure you are voting on a company who provides the best overall experience and not one that you simply like or dislike. Take everything into consideration. If on a mobile device, view the blog in web version to vote.

Thanks everyone for voting and let's see what happens in two days!

The Final Four (Companies)

And then there was four.

We started out last week with nine card companies. Most of the match-ups were pretty even and came down to the last day, now it's down to the Final Four to see who can move onto the March Madness Card Company championship.

This is who is squaring off til Saturday:

Cardboard Division
Topps vs SA-GE
(my prediction has Topps slamming home a huge win here)

And

Acetate Division
Cryptozoic vs Panini America
(my prediction has this one very close, but Panini sneaking out with a win. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Cryptozoic pulls off the upset.)

The polls start tonight and will end on Saturday. Good luck to the companies remaining. Please take a second out to vote because you know what happens when you don't, the wrong ones win.. Polls can be found on the right side of the blog and if using a mobile device, please view the blog in web version to see the polls to vote on.

Any predictions from you guys on who is heading to the finals????

March Madness Card Companies Round 1 CONT. (Winners Revealed!)

It was a weekend of epic match-ups for Part 1 of Round 1. It had Topps vs Upper Deck and Cryptozoic vs Leaf and both match-ups came down to the final day. There were four teams but only two could advance.....those two teams both won by one vote.....congrats to....

TOPPS AND CRYPTOZOIC!!

So long to Upper Deck and Leaf. Thanks for participating and good luck next year as Topps and Cryptozoic move onto the next round. Who will they face? Well, that is what today's voting that ends on Wednesday is about.

Here are the match-ups.

Cardboard Division
Benchwarmers vs SA-GE

Acetate Division
Rittenhouse vs Panini America

Good luck to these four teams and please remember to vote. Takes just a second. Polls can be found on the right side of the blog. To vote on a mobile device, you will need to view the blog in web version.

Feel free to make predictions on these match-ups below!

Round 1 Reminder (Topps,Upper Deck,Leaf,Cryptozoic)

Don't forget to vote for your favorite card company. Voting is soooooo close so far for Round 1!

Topps leads Upper Deck by 2
Leaf leads Cryptozoic by 1

Voting for this round ends tomorrow.

Right side of the blog is where you vote, takes a second! If on a mobile device, view it in web version to see the polls.

March Madness Card Companies Round 1 (BIG MATCH UP INVOLVED)

Before I give you the two match ups for the weekend you will have to vote on, I should probably tell you the results from the Play-In Round....and the company that will advance is....(picture American Idol with the lights going dim)....SA-GE! They took down Tri-City Sports PL pretty easily! Good luck to SA-GE in the next round.

Thank you to Tri-City Sports PL for RTing the March Madness tweet on Twitter and good luck to you next year!

Now onto the first round. Instead of doing one match up at a time, I thought that doing two at a time may be better. So I took one match up from each division and here is what you will vote on til Monday when the voting ends and two of the four companies advance:

Acetate Division
Leaf vs Cryptozoic

Cardboard Division 
Topps vs Upper Deck (this one will be big and close)

Make sure to read the rules HERE on how to vote. Please also take the time out to vote, it only takes a second. I am hoping for more votes this round than the 9 I got in the Play-In round.

Winners from these rounds will be announced on Monday and the final two match ups from those divisions will begin.

Good Luck to those companies and thanks to everyone who takes a second out to vote.

REMEMBER THE POLLS TO VOTE ON ARE LOCATED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG.  VIEW IN WEB VERSION IF ON A MOBILE DEVICE.

Card Company Ratings (in my opinion)

Alright. I thought I would break down all 4 major players in our hobby. I will put them in order and give them a overall rating of 1-5. I will also break down their strengths and weaknesses.

Panini America

Strengths: They own the hobby in licensing. They produce nice product and are always trying new innovations. The customer service is getting better. They have great fan interaction on their blog and most of the time will answer emails in a timely manner. They also hold a good amount of contests as well.

Weakness: Tons and tons of redemptions! Customer service is a working process. Not much fan interaction on Facebook. Need a MLB license still (not that they probably won't get one soon).

Overall: I like Panini. I am not just saying that because they are our sponsor. They have nice products. They are fun to talk with.They hold contests. I do wish they would work on the redemptions a little, but every company has them. And redemptions are another topic for another day. But I feel that is their biggest weakness. Other than that, they rock the hobby right now.

4 1/2 out of 5

Upper Deck

Strengths:  Upper Deck has good customer service (at least they did the times I have used them). They own licenses for NHL, NCAA, MLS, and Golf.  They do random giveaways on their Facebook page, communicate with fans on there and answer questions and they also do Hockey Card Day in Canada and now even in the U.S. where they give packs of hockey cards away at participating Upper Deck Diamond Dealer shops. Upper Deck also has something called the Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance where you can "work" for them and in exchange you could earn yourself a tremendous mail day.

Weaknesses: It's all about the lack of licensing. It has hurt the once Giant in our hobby.

Overall: You have got to like Upper Deck still. They still have popular products like Sp Authentic and bringing back some old classics like a Fleer brand in their basketball card lineup and Spx for football. If only they could get back the licenses they lost, they could once again be a powerhouse in the hobby.

4 out of 5

Press Pass

Strengths:  Press Pass has licenses for Football cards (no NCAA or NFL) and their biggie NASCAR. They produce some incredible on-card autographs in their products and they rule the NASCAR card world. They also produce non-sport cards such as Elvis (awesome stuff) and Yo Gabba Gabba. Their customer service is good. They hold random contests on their Facebook page and are pretty good about getting back to their customers who have questions.

Weaknesses: Lack of licenses.

Overall: They do well with what they got. And they have great contests . Not to mention, they do things for our solders overseas. You just can't go wrong with Press Pass. They will get a higher rating because of the little things they do. For us customers and especially for those who protect us overseas.

4 out of 5

Topps

Strengths: Topps has exclusive licensing to MLB cards. They also product NFL, UFC and some minor league brands. They produce decent products. Some of the popular ones are their Chrome lines.

Weaknesses: Lack of customer help. They don't answer emails. They don't answer you on Facebook. They don't really do any contests. Probably by far the worst service between all of the companies.

Overall: I originally had them at a 2. The lack of customer interacction can destroy a company. Maybe others have had better success than me. I must admit, that I am a Chromie and love the Chrome. The biggest reason why I bumped them to a 3. But they have some definite work to do.

3 out of 5

Do you agree or disagree with my ratings? is there one you would have marked higher or lower? It's always fun to get into a hobby debate. So, if you have an opinion on whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to comment!!!!

The CBS News story on the hobby

This story makes me a little frustrated. To claim the hobby is dying off. Its really frustrating for me to hear. Cards at retail outlets continue to sell. Card companies continue to grow with licenses and products. Even though some hobby shops have closed, its not because the hobby is dying, its because the internet has taken over the hobby. People buy online. Its cheaper. It always has what you are looking for.

Here is the CBS story. Let me know what you think of  the story:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57404088/collectors-lament-baseballs-house-of-cards/

Here is Panini's reaction to it:

http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/the-true-story-sports-collectibles-hobby-is-alive-and-well-for-panini-america/

I want to thank Panini for being a card company that steps up and puts up a response to this.

What card brand or innovation do you wish a company would bring back?

I have a list of brands that companies only gave one chance or two chances and then took them off the market. Some of them were favorites with fans and some not. I know I had some favorites that I wish would make a comeback...some have been checked off my list and others have not..

Here's just a few and why

Epix Football (Panini only gave this brand one year, but the rookie cards with the football field look and signatures on it. The value for a box was a lot for the price you paid)

Donruss Classics (I loved the look and feel of this brand mixing old players and new)

Pinnacle Football (they have the hockey, wished football would make its return)

Pinnacle Inside (Cards in Cans! Awesome. Check back for a Flashback on these!)

Pinnacle Mint (Cards and coins! Check back for a Flashback on these as well!)

Donruss Preffered (Flashback moment as well!)

Any Fleer Brands! (Upper Deck owns their license and have announced plans to do a Fleer Retro basketball, but I will keep it on this list til its out)

Anything Upper Deck can use with their holograms in base cards like they did in 96 and 97 Spx brands.

 These are just some...can't list them all! However on a note, Upper Deck brought back its Legends line which is awesome. So that was checked off the list and Panini brought back Totally Certified one of my favorites in the late 90's.

What are some of yours? And tell us why you miss them!