Michael Jordan Broder and Stan Musial 2007 Topps Sterling

Dan G. is a close friend and fellow collector who shares the same degree of passion I have for the hobby. Over a few cold ones, Dan and I spent many hours talking cards. We discussed everything from where the hobby’s been to where it is now to the political red tape that makes up the story behind current manufacturers and today’s version of the hobby. Our discussion was a small root that quickly grew into a large tree with many branches, some might even say, a forest.

Here’s a review of two cards that were chosen from each of our collections completely at random (without looking).

Patrick’s Random Pick: Michael Jordan Air Knows Broder

My random pick was one of a famous cross over sports athlete. Think back to when Michael Jordan played a bit of baseball for the Chicago White Sox farm system. This card lacks any form of licensure and, in the hobby, we call cards with such characteristics, broders. What this means is that it was made by a fellow hobbyist or perhaps someone just looking to make a quick buck. My understanding is that, due to lack of license, all regulations are thrown into the wind. Production quotas and design are whatever the maker wishes. There could be billions of these or just a small handful. It doesn’t really matter because broders fall more into the category of creative art instead of collectibility. This card is simple by design, really simple. White card stock, a picture of the player and a cheesy slogan; in this case, Air Knows.? What this means exactly I have no idea. Maybe it was an implication that Air Knows how cold it can be in Chicago in the winter. Maybe Air Knows that it’s what’s required to breath. I’m not real sure exactly what I’m supposed to take from that statement. The reason why I have this is because I collect cards depicting Jordan in a baseball uniform. That and I was given a pile of these in the mid-90’s. So there you have it, a simple but likely very abundant Michael Jordan broder.

To view the current eBay auctions for Michael Jordan basketball cards, click here.

Dan’s Random Pick: Stan Musial 2007 Topps Sterling

The card I pulled out of my PC happens to be a baseball card. This card is from the 2007 Topps Sterling set, and is a personal pack pull. So, here it is: 2007 Topps Sterling Stan Musial Auto Triple Jersey #ed 04/10 (SM52-3 CSA-77). 2007 Topps Sterling: Stan Musial Jsy Auto/10.
This is the second Stan Musial card I have pulled in my life. This card is in my PC because it is from a high end product, and the colors of the card are amazing. I really like how Topps used silver on white for the card print. In addition the swatch colors compliment the rest of the card. If you look at the picture of Musial himself, Topps did a great job of dulling down the colors, but keeping them bright enough to make Stan the focus. Had this card not been Stan Musial, I would still have it in my PC. The fact that it is Stan The Man only makes this one sweeter. The only drawback to this card is the sticker auto but, in Topps defense, it works well with the card. Plus, Topps did a great job of centering the sticker in the signature window. If I could change one aspect of this card I would look for a better location to put the Topps logo and serial numbering. Maybe move the serial number to the back of the card, and scroll Topps Sterling across the top of the card instead of on Musial’s crotch. The overall feel of this card is very expensive. I think Topps did well with this product. Regardless of who is depicted on the cards, the color schemes seem to make them all special. As a consumer I like to see this. It makes me feel good about shelling out $250 a pack. Even if you don’t hit a star, at least the cards I pulled are cool looking. The number 131 represents Musial’s RBI total in 1948, which happens to be his career high. 1948 was a big year for Musial; not only did he have a 131 RBIs, but he had a batting average of .376, a slugging average of .702 , 39 home runs, and scored 135 runs.

To view the current eBay auctions for Stan Musial baseball cards, click here.