2011 Topps Prime 9 Baseball
Hobby Store Promotion Begins: July 18, 2011

Available in 2011 Topps Series 2 Hobby Boxes
Odds: 2 Per Hobby Box

Redemption Cards - Turn Into Local Hobby Store

• #1 Johnny Bench
• #2 Albert Pujols
• #3 Jackie Robinson
• #4 Derek Jeter
• #5 Mike Schmidt
• #6 Hank Aaron
• #7 Mickey Mantle
• #8 Ichiro
• #9 Sandy Koufax

One Topps Prime 9 player will be announced each week and will be a mix of retired legends and current MLB stars.  Just one player will be selected for each position thus making up the prime 9.  Promo kits will be supplied to select hobby stores to distribute the cards as they come in. Expect to see many of these cards on the secondary market, such as eBay, as dealers will have many more of the cards then they will be able to redeem. Check eBay for the latest 2011 Prime 9 Baseball Cards that are currently available.

Each redemption card that you do redeem at a participating hobby shop will enroll you into a sweepstakes to win multiple prizes including a trip to the World Series and a meet and greet with the MLB Network staff. Several other prizes including free Topps cards will also be up for grabs.

• Starts: July 18, 2011

• Get Cards: 2011 Topps Series 2

• Odds: 2 Per Hobby Box

• Redeem Cards: Hobby Store
  

The Topps Company will spend $1.6 Million advertising and marketing the Attax trading card game in the U.S. which it relies on to be a cash cow for its business. According to a March 2010 Wall Street Journal article Topps Attax accounts for 25% of revenue and profits for the legendary trading card company. In the United States, Baseball (MLB), Football (NFL) and Wrestling (WWE) all have products available at just about every large retail establishment that sells cards - including Target and WalMart. This marketing grid is only applicable for the U.S. because Topps does release a popular line of Attax Soccer cards abroad.

Numbers are in tens of thousands. ie: 20 = $20,000

Total Marketing $$$ = $1.6 Million

• 2011 Topps Attax Baseball Hobby Box Checklist

• 2010 Topps Attax NFL Football Game Code Set Checklist

• 2010 Topps WWE Slam Attax Mayhem Checklist

• 2009 Topps WWE Slam Attax Evolution Checklist

Hobby stores located in the United States and Canada that are apart of the Topps 'Home Team Advantage' HTA network can now take advantage of a new program designed to help customers who get shorted hits out of boxes of Topps cards. You'll need to check with your local shop to make sure they are members of the HTA. Not all hobby shops are, the stores closest to my area are not apart of the program and therefore do not get the extended level of customer service.

If your local hobby shop is a Topps HTA store, and if you get shorted hits, such as autograph and game used cards out of a box of Topps purchased in the store, the shop owner can now just email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and can assist you in getting your cards replaced. The store owner needs to provide Topps with the following information:

• Collector’s Full Name
• Serial number on the inside of the hobby box
• HTA Store or Topps distributor product was purchased from
• HTA Store number
• HTA Store ship to key number
• HTA Store phone number

Topps Sports Card Checklists

At the 2011 Las Vegas Industry Summit, Panini America announced new rules regarding the sales of its products. Not only are there new minimum pricing requirements, a physical store front open 40+ hours per week is now required if you want the opportunity to purchase Panini from a certified distributor.

Here are some of the requirements Panini now has in place for sellers of its products:

• 60% of business is done via in store traffic

• Open for business a minimum of 40 hours per week

• Must adhere to pricing guidelines

• Wholesaling of product is not allowed

• Product purchased is intended for retail consumption only

• No cross border selling of any Panini products allowed

• Panini Authorized Retailers must be approved to sell at Trade Shows and on any internet sites

• Not allowed to pre-sell or offer any Panini product before official street date

These new guidelines should be taken into account if you plan on selling Panini products you purchase directly from a distributor or wholesaler. Below is the 2 part discussion with Mike Anderson who is VP of sales for Panini America. The address occurred at the Industry Summit in March 2011.

Part 1

Part 2