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February 22, 2026: MINT CARDS , THE VAULT & OPENING DAY AUCTION It is not a well-kept secret that on approximately 80% of all cards we produce, a MINT copy is kept in the “Vault”. This copy is often created as a proof of the card we intend to sell. It is tweaked and scrutinized and must cut nearly perfectly. This process gives us a sample of what the card CAN look like when we do it right and the technology cooperates. It helps us know when the ink or gloss is “off”, the blades need adjustments, focus is getting lost, saturation is lost or gained, etc. With our process, every card is a little different. We write down what all the equipment and monitor measurements are and when a “perfect” copy is established—we’re good to go! Occasionally, we put those cards on our website and offer them for sale. In the past, we encased them—if they fit—or sleeve them appropriately and labeled them “PACK FRESH”. We will continue to do so, however, our terminology has changed to “CERTIFIED MINT COPY 1/1” and we’ll use a metallic tamper-evident seal. The biggest difference is we will offer a few every year in our “Opening Day Auction” which will now be an annual event similar to our Christmas Auction. The Opening Day Auction will be much smaller and be baseball-only, but deep with low population star cards.
February 27, 2026: 1952 SET UPDATE In an on-going effort to maximize the set space of our 52’s, MANY of the modern players (#’s 308-407 & 601-900) will be retired and replaced with more suitable regional stars. I grew up with the Cubs and White Sox and liked the Expos and Astros as a youngster but, the reality is, I made an awful lot of cards for my own enjoyment that shouldn’t have been included. Nobody is looking to add to their burgeoning Paul Popovich compilation. It’s always bothered me that the series are broken down with modern players right in the middle as well. That cannot be corrected, of course. When I set out to do the set, it was planned around 240 cards and I loved them so much, I just kept going. If I had planned 1092 cards, I would have done EVERYBODY in three series (1-268, 269-540, 541-800) and added the modern guys at 801-1092. The one thing I CAN control going forward is the art and number assignments. If you have a card that was only listed once—you own the only copy we’ll do, unless someone requests it. About a dozen collectors check the GALLERIES page and some get understandably confused when #390 Don Money is suddenly gone or becomes Jim Davenport—which will happen in 2026. Meanwhile, new players will appear but updated art will slow down a lot in 2026 and beyond. Also, a handful of cards that were updated the last 3 years still have a copy or two of the original that we will list periodically. I saw one of the first run ELSTON HOWARD cards is making an appearance in April! I love that card. We made only 4 copies of it in the first run. When we re-did sheets we only put him on there twice instead of 3-4 times, so his population ended at 5 with one left. It’s not a science, but we do try our absolute best to be cohesive while we push forward. Thank you to our awesome collector-base for this epic undertaking. It’s hard to believe this is my 10th year with that set.
March 2, 2026: HOMERUN DERBY SETS Our 2022 HOMERUN DERBY set is down to our final copies. No more will be printed. The remaining copies will auction beginning in April and be spaced out until the fall. We still have an Aaron and a Mays but Mantle is sold out.
March 4, 2026: NEW HOMERUN DERBY SET Artwork is being assembled for a NEW 2026 HOMERUN DERBY set. It will feature 24 numbered player cards from the 1960’s. The number 24 allows for a tournament with 8 play-in matchups with winners facing your top 8 seeds. Monty and I have played a Derby with the original set on Thanksgiving the last two years with Willie McCovey winning both times! In the finals, he defeated “Cinderella” Norm Cash in 2024 and Frank Robinson last year. This year, we will stage the 24-player tournament with the undefeated McCovey going for a 3-peat. This set is built for a 3-inning battle with many more “HOMERUN” results. The cards will be simple. Roll two dice, add them and look for results. The players are armed with 4, 5, 6, or 7 positive result chances. Frankly, after playing just one contest, the positive results SHOULD have been 2, 3, 4 or 5 Homeruns. Richie Allen was leading Ernie Banks 9-0 after one inning and trounced him 16-4. Clearly, too many homers, even for 3 innings. Still fun, but less homers means more exciting in my mind. Half of the complete set will list in the 2026 Christmas Auction!
MARCH 10, 2026: RETIRING R322 We finished this set in 2017 and began listing it in the summer of that year. At the time, it seemed the 7-9 copies of each card would last for- collecting- ever. Since we plan on only 1-2 copies of a card each year, we listed them 2-3 times per player through 2018. We went away from the set and, in 2023, we began listing them again. Sadly, our final copies have arrived. It’s always sad to me but new sets emerge. Great memories of battle with this set. About 10 cards were retired with final copies in the fall. The rest will be offered this in April.
MARCH 20, 2026: NEW ADDITIONS TO PROJECT ‘55. This set is planned to house 36—or more— cards of players that debuted after 1955 that look amazing in the format. A group of 1980 Phillies, Tom Seaver and Orlando Cepeda highlight a new group due out in late April and early May of 2026! Meticulous care was given to every little detail. They look great!
APRIL 2, 2026: MODERN ‘52s Listing a beautiful group of players that debuted after 1952 in April. We are working on a large group that is scheduled for December’s Christmas Auctions. It is our intention to update and upgrade quite a few and will replace players that we listed once and realized they had no following. Guys like Ivan DeJesus and Lamar Johnson will still be available—but by request only.
APRIL 10, 2026: Artwork for the “1953 Future Stars”, numbers 271+, is nearing completion. The cards should be ready by December—in time for Christmas. Players that made their debuts from 1954-1979 are included.