Constructive criticism for card companies

lumm0x

Bench Warmer
Seen this line of topin around before on various places. Seeing what opinions get raised around here.

If you were asked to provide suggestions to the various card companies (either generic statements or company specific), what would you suggest to them to change or help improve:

A few of my beefs:

1- One color patches. With the abundant use of photo shoot jerseys and event worn items being infiltrated into the products I fail to see why so many 1 color patches still make it into cards. Frankly collectors have proven that sales do not reflect any disdain for jersey origin and it almost barely matters that the jersey was even ever worn. Look at some of the Letterman cards from Donruss Threads, SP Rookie Threads, Hot Prospects, etc. They are manufactured letter patches. All collectors seem to care about is sweet looking patches.

2- Photography. Please stop using the same image for every single product line. As a player collector it is depressing to see scores of cards of your player in the exact same depiction or pose and nothing changes but the title of the product.

3- Card Numbering. Keep serial numbers on the front of cards, well displayed either with a different font, different color or create an appropriate spot for the serial number to be definable.


Anyone have any other suggestions?
 
Yeah, here's one: to hell with redemptions. If the player hasn't signed by a month prior to release date, pull the cards. Plain and simple. It's easy to change the numbering on the other cards to fill the gap...not too easy to explain why you had an auto redemption of Joe Montana, and got Joey Thomas as a replacement.
 
Stop Making 100 different versions of the same card . I don't like seeing Reg, Ref, Blue, Green , Black ,Orange and Super refractors. Just way to many versions 2 or 3 max . Also stop with the 1/1's way to many of them out there now . just a few for now.
 
1 - do not use clear stickers on a busy background where the autograph is hard to see.

2 - do away with insert jersey cards - if you must do a jersey card incorporate it into a true rookie card.

3 - widen your retired autograph signers -- like Topps Team Legends -- more of the guys that had a strong local following -- I can think of a ton of Saints from the past I would like to have certified autographed issues of, especially in a Topps Reprint auto, or stealing from old designs (85 Topps design but different picture)

4 - make your base set desirable to collect, have a cool design and photography that makes collectors want to build the base set, and not just toss them in favor of the 1 or 2 hits in the box.

5 - NO MORE PRINTING PLATES!
 
Printing plates are not 1/1s. Number them /4 or /8 if you also have back printing plates

Autos of more players. The top defensive player in Fantasy Football in 2006 does not have an autographed card. Ever.

More defensive player cards in non-high end sets. Obviously rookies are the main thing, but throw me a bone and put Bernard Pollard in Topps DPP in 2008. That will make up for you not putting him in Topps DPP, Topps, Topps Chrome, Sterling, Triple Threads, Finest, and Paradox in 2006. No, I'm not bitter. What???

#'d base cards. Bring it back and secondary market goes up. Look at base in 03 Finite, and even the high end Ultimate/Limited base sets. D o i t !!!!

Dont invite anyone to the Rookie Premiere who will be a second day pick. PERIOD. That still gives 100 players to choose from.
 
Donruss classics was horrible this year in terms of quality... I have pulled many cards that had nicks on the corners or in the middle of the card... How could this be?


Start inserting more numbered cards in retail packs... This will get younger collectors and bring more to the retail market in terms of if you are too lazy to go to the shop.


In sets that do have jerseys within *threads* put "blocks" in all the packs instead of like 8 per box... I'm tired of people searching..... ..... Even though I do it myself....

I'd rather get less cards in the same pack that is the same thickness and pull a sweet card.

I think there should be a couple more high end inserts in topps total to make it more desirable for collectors... I love the set and how it has so many different players that will NEVER have a card again... I like that. Bring out some more beef for the set that isn't so desirable from the high end.

FOR EXAMPLE: Hockey O'Pee Chee brought out a parallel for their base cards called Rainbow's and they are numbered to 100... THEY are selling like hotdogs at 3:15 AM outside the bar. And they look great too...


Yeah Thats all..
 
i can understand 1 color patches in low end products, but come on, if someone is paying $500+ a pack they shouldnt pull a 1 color patch...thats just stupid
 
Stop Making 100 different versions of the same card . I don't like seeing Reg, Ref, Blue, Green , Black ,Orange and Super refractors. Just way to many versions 2 or 3 max . Also stop with the 1/1's way to many of them out there now . just a few for now.

this would not be so bad if EVERY COMPANY QUIT MAKING 2,000,000 different products each year!
TOPPS this and that and this and that and this and that and this and that but it's still all Topps. Why not mass all that up into 4 or 5 products instead of 30? Oh true rc's??? Not as valuable if there is 50 gagillion to pick from;)

All great points though exzcept I'm not a big fan of adding more to the front,#'s are cool to me on the back:D
 
My biggest complaint is Box Pricing. Boxes are priced so high you'd expect every one to have a Super Star auto or great patch or two. I could write a book on the subject but I'll just leave it at "Give us a better bang for the buck" money doesn't grow on trees.
 
well... I search the retails because I didnt' want to drive to the store... Don't see me pulling anything hot eh?


Correction... I search retails... not the hobby shops.

How is that better? Searching is wrong period.
 
Sorry... I guess I'm a great example why they should put the blocks in all the packs...:cry:

You can't say that if you went to walmart or something and bought some threads that you would stray away from the fat packs...

At hobby shops that I go to the owner picks the packs for his customers by them picking numbers... I like it that way.
 
I don't buy any retail, but to me, most people buying retail are either parents buying it for their kids, kids buying it there, people who simply have no hobby store nearby, or educated hobbyists who practice searching.

Searching in my opinion kills the hobby, or it's potential, for these kids, the parents who see their kids pull nothing decent, or uneducated individuals who might gain interest in the hobby if they pulled something.

You're not going to find anyone here who looks favorably on people that search packs of any kind.
 
Dustin, since you're new in the hobby we're being pretty easy on you;) But you say that there should be more #'ed cards and stuff to get kids in the hobby.....but if people are searching the packs to get the jerseys, autos, and even #'ed cards (people can do that), that's not going to draw kids in.

Anyways, I wish card companies would put some thought into a base design. Some of the early-mid 90's stuff, though generally massively over-produced, had some great designs. Action Packed, Stadium Club, and earlier releases of Upper Deck and Ultra had great designs and photography. Needs to be more of that going on these days:salut:
 
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